Council approves first reading to extend Rocky Mountain Power franchise ordinance

The Green River City Council approved on first reading an amendment to the city’s franchise ordinance to allow an extension of the Rocky Mountain Power agreement while staff finalize a new franchise ordinance and contract.

City attorney/staff representative (identified in the transcript as Speaker 3) told the council the city engaged an outside legal firm to rewrite franchise ordinances and that the Rocky Mountain Power agreement currently ends in January; the amendment would permit an extension so the parties do not lapse while a new agreement is negotiated.

Councilor Berg moved to approve the amendment on first reading and the motion was seconded; the council voted in favor, with the mayor announcing the motion carried and recording the vote as unanimous. The ordinance under consideration was referred to in the agenda as an amendment to Article 2, ordinance number 153 of the Green River Code of Ordinances.

The extension is intended to preserve continuity of the utility franchise while staff complete a new agreement and bring a new ordinance forward. The staff representative said the extension is being pursued “out of abundance of caution” while negotiations and ordinance drafting continue.

The council did not discuss the substantive terms of a new franchise agreement during the first-reading motion; staff indicated those terms will be part of the forthcoming ordinance and contract once negotiations and legal review are complete.