Haslet council approves $600,000 to bury Encore power lines on Blue Mound Road after debate

After extended discussion about long-term costs, reliability and design control, the Haslet City Council voted unanimously on Oct. 21 to authorize a $600,000 payment to Encore for burying a proposed power line along Blue Mound Road.

Staff told the council that the Public Utility Commission permits utilities to erect poles in rights-of-way and that Encore had offered to bury the line if the city paid the burial cost. "They said they would be happy to bury the power lines, but the city would have to pay for that cost," a staff presenter said. Staff later said Encore27s engineering estimated the bury cost at $600,000 and that Encore indicated no temporary construction easement would be required.

Councilmembers debated whether to pay now or leave poles in place and potentially pay relocation costs later if the road widens. One member warned about paying $600,000 now only to face higher costs later during road widening; others argued burying now protects long-term community standards for buried utilities and reliability during storms. Staff said burying is more expensive up front but can reduce outage frequency compared with pole-mounted lines, though transformers are typically above ground.

One councilmember proposed a motion to approve the $600,000 bury cost; the motion initially had no second and failed to proceed, but a second was later recorded and the motion passed. Staff confirmed the city has sufficient budget and would bring a budget amendment in November to reflect the cost.

The council directed staff to proceed with the burial option under the terms discussed, and staff will return with budget paperwork and any required design controls or easement language to preserve the buried standard in future widening scenarios.