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McCall council waives Idaho Power vested-fee to help University of Idaho forestry research proceed
Summary
The McCall City Council approved a waiver of a potential Idaho Power ‘vested-interest’ refund charge so a University of Idaho researcher can tap power to a new city water tank and apply for federal research grants; council discussed separate metering, easement limits and estimated costs before voting unanimously.
The McCall City Council voted to approve a request to forgo charging a potential Idaho Power vested-interest refund that would have been applied to power service run to the city’s new water tank, enabling a University of Idaho forestry researcher to connect instrumentation for climate-related field experiments.
Public Works Director Nathan Stewart told the council the water-tank site is being transferred to the University of Idaho by the landowners and that Idaho Power’s work order for extending service is quoted at roughly $140,000; Stewart said about 80% of that cost is typically eligible for a refund to a developer and that the researcher’s share of potential vested costs was estimated in the $70,000–$75,000 range but could appear in some documents as high as $128,000 depending on accounting and eligibility. He framed the waiver as a community-centered contribution to competitive research that aligns with the city’s planning goals.
Dr. Jan Bridal, who described the research, said the project aims to study how shifts from snow to rain affect tree growth and that the experiments require line power (not just solar) for heating elements used to simulate future rainfall conditions. “This project would give us a better understanding of how these trees might respond to these future climate conditions,” Bridal said, adding that grant funding would likely not cover the full upfront service charge and that separate monthly metering would be used so the city would not assume the researcher’s ongoing utility costs.
Council members asked about oversight and liability. Staff said the research service would be separately metered and billed to the researcher; easements are nonexclusive and the city will work with legal counsel on any required modifications. Public Works said the research team expects to incur roughly $10,000–$20,000 in electrical work beyond the meter to reach instrumentation sites, and that if future development occurred (which staff noted is constrained by a conservation easement on the parcel) the economics could be revisited.
Councilor (name not specified in transcript as mover) made a motion to approve the vested refund waiver tied to Idaho Power work order 27668541 and to authorize the mayor to sign necessary documents; the motion passed on roll call with all voting yes.
The council asked staff to return with the research team’s results and periodic updates; the motion carried and the researcher said she would follow up with the council after grant submission.
