Pueblo council hears Energy Commission case for renewables as members question costs and equity

The Pueblo Energy Advisory Commission presented options Wednesday for maintaining the city’s renewable‑energy goal and expanding municipal generation and efficiency projects, prompting detailed questions from City Council members about costs, equity and utility rates.

Tim Dante, chair of the Energy Advisory Commission, told councilors the city’s new “net‑zero” fire stations and a planned net‑zero jail are“designed to be energy efficient” and “will save the city over the lifetime of their building,” noting a performance‑measurement plan for the buildings. George Mandris, the public‑works liaison to the commission, and Tyler Surratt, an Energy Commission member and owner of Steel City Solar, described a portfolio approach that pairs energy performance contracting and locally owned generation with partnerships such as solar tax‑equity investors.

Surratt explained the tax‑equity model in practical terms: “A solar tax equity partner is somebody who takes advantage of the tax benefits of solar,” which can allow large investors to fund projects that nonprofits or government entities cannot monetize directly, he said. The presenters cited successful examples elsewhere, including a municipal array in Fallon and state grants that reduced project costs for Fountain’s pilot array.

Councilors asked how the transition to renewables would affect low‑income households and whether generation investments increase utility bills. Councilor Roger Gomez asked specifically how low‑income residents could afford chargers or rooftop systems; Mandris and Surratt said grants, financing and community solar options could help, but acknowledged no single statewide program guarantees coverage for every household. “We do not know that number officially” when asked about current local renewable generation percentages, Mandris said.

Several councilors pressed on utility rates earned by Black Hills Energy. Council President Mark Aleff and others said the community has not seen consumer electric rates fall despite the utility’s investment in renewables; presenters countered that owning local generation can lock in long‑term energy prices and that utility‑scale changes also are driven by state mandates. Commissioners and presenters repeatedly recommended data‑driven pilot studies and energy‑performance contracting to compare actual operating costs for city fleets and buildings.

The presentation also reviewed recent city actions and grants for EV infrastructure and energy projects. Mandris said public works procured off‑grid solar chargers, completed an EV readiness plan, secured grants for chargers and a proposed DC fast‑charging plaza, started energy‑manager software, and broke ground on three net‑zero fire stations with partial geothermal funding.

Following the presentation and extended council discussion, the council voted in the work session to place prior actions on the next regular agenda for reconsideration. In a roll call, the council voted 5–2 to put a resolution on the next meeting agenda that would revisit changes to the city’s 2017 renewable‑energy resolution and related ordinance language for the Pueblo Commission on Energy. That procedural vote does not reverse policy; it schedules a public hearing and final votes at upcoming meetings.

The Energy Commission’s presenters urged the council to weigh long‑term payback and job benefits alongside near‑term costs, and to authorize data collection and pilot projects to clarify local fiscal impacts.

Ending: Councilors said they wanted more detailed, city‑specific analyses — including current generation shares, grant availability, and modeled impacts on low‑income customers — before final decisions. The council’s procedural vote to reconsider the earlier actions means the substantive items will return for public hearing and final action at a subsequent council meeting.