Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Council Actions topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Harrison council approves downtown entertainment district, energy aggregation plans and utilities vehicle lease
Summary
The council approved a resolution to create a downtown community entertainment district, adopted electric and gas aggregation plans intended to lower resident energy costs, and authorized a lease-purchase for a 2018 Ford F-150 for the utilities department. All measures passed by roll call.
Harrison City Council on Feb. 20 approved a package of actions that the mayor and staff said aim to support downtown economic activity and reduce energy costs for residents.
The council voted to create a community entertainment district whose boundaries will match the downtown redevelopment district. Shannon Hannans introduced the district proposal and members said it aligns with a recent redevelopment expansion. The resolution passed on a roll-call vote.
The council also adopted ordinances establishing plans of operation and governance for electric and for natural-gas governmental aggregation. Mayor Nyer described the ordinances as “the first step” to certify the city into aggregation programs that would allow the city to combine buying power and offer automatic enrollment on an opt-out basis; he said electric savings are expected to begin in May or June and that the gas program will likely take effect in October or November due to market timing.
Finally, council authorized a lease-purchase to buy a 2018 Ford F-150 for the utilities/water department; officials said the money is already in the utilities budget and the purchase will be financed through a local bank (FCN).
Votes at a glance: - Resolution: create community entertainment district — motion moved and seconded; roll-call recorded affirmative votes from council members present and the resolution passed. - Ordinance (electric aggregation plan) — motion moved and seconded; roll-call recorded affirmative votes and the ordinance passed (listed as ordinance number 2 in the hearing record). - Ordinance (natural gas aggregation plan) — motion moved and seconded; roll-call recorded affirmative votes and the ordinance passed (listed as ordinance number 3). - Ordinance (lease-purchase of utilities vehicle) — motion moved and seconded; roll-call recorded affirmative votes and the ordinance passed (listed as ordinance number 4).
The mayor and staff said the aggregation programs require outreach and mailed notices; residents currently under private contracts will need to check termination dates before deciding whether to join the city program. Council did not set rates at the meeting; city staff indicated comparison shopping and formal notices to residents will follow.
