CLINTON —
A new franchise agreement between the city of Clinton and Alliant Energy for electric and natural gas, complete with unenforced franchise fee language, was approved Tuesday night by the City Council.
The agreement details the protocols when Alliant is performing work in the city right of way, or when the City is performing work that requires Alliant to move its infrastructure, among other items.
The last agreement with Alliant, which the city entered into in 1988, did not expire until December 2013.
Among the new items in the agreement is the franchise fee, which would allow the City to collect a certain percentage of customers’ bills in order to generate revenue. In these cases, Alliant acts only as the collector and does not receive any of the percentage.
Franchise fee talks were on the table in November of last year, with City Administrator Jeff Horne proposing a 3 percent fee, 2 percent lower than allowed by Iowa law.
If that fee would have been implemented, the city would have raised approximately $2.4 million annually. A household with a $250 per month Alliant bill would pay around $90 a year in franchise costs.
However, implementing a fee was not discussed during the discussion of the new agreement this year.
On the contrary, Council members discussed how common it is for agreements to contain fee language without having one in place.
According to Keith Sherman, Franchise and Community Relations manager for Alliant Energy of the 82 franchise agreements that have fee language in them, only 35 franchises actually have franchise fees.
If the City was interested in implementing a fee, a public hearing on the franchise fee would be held first. Following the public hearing, the City Council would need to vote. After the first two steps were completed the public or council could push for a referendum.
The new agreement also features a clause that will allow the city the opportunity to cancel the agreement after 10 years.
Top News
Clinton approves franchise agreement with Alliant
- Top News
-
-
Volunteers sought in Clinton County
CLINTON -- Clinton County Habitat for Humanity is searching for volunteers to serve as advocates for a new Habitat family.
-
Council interviews first of two city administrator finalists
The Clinton City Council spent an hour and a half questioning city administrator finalist Ben Benson during an interview Friday afternoon.
-
Council must listen to many voices when making administrator selection
A very important decision soon will be made concerning the future of this city. We are down to just two candidates to fill Clinton's city administrator position, the result of a selection process that included an 11-member, city-appointed committee.
-
Kebabs: Health kick on a stick
Grilling is a simple way to feed your family well this summer. Start with a lean meat and a healthful marinade and then allow the grill to strip away additional fat for a heart-healthy and waist-friendly final result. Plus, grilling caramelizes the natural sugars in foods, which adds flavor without additional calories and fat.
-
'Now I can talk to anyone'
CLINTON — On his first day of school in America, Gaspar Raymundo Lopez was on the verge of tears. The Clinton High School junior moved nearly 3,000 miles from Guatemala to Clinton in 2010.
- Council wants to keep city clear of eyesores CAMANCHE -- Property owners along Washington Boulevard will receive letters from the city of Camanche about keeping the area looking nice. Councilman Gary Kampe said there are some areas along the newly constructed roadway that have a lot of junk sit
-
MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR: Sam McKenrick
CAMANCHE -- Those attending Camanche's Memorial Day ceremony on Monday will not be able to miss Sam McKenrick, 91, of Clinton. This veteran will recite Johnny Cash's "This Ragged Old Flag" by heart.
-
Twitter introduces website security tool after AP account hacked
Twitter is adding a new security tool to its website, making it harder for outsiders to gain access to accounts, a month after a false posting triggered a stock-market decline.
- County talks anti- nepotism policy, vehicle guidelines CLINTON -- The Clinton County Board of Supervisors this week discussed possible human resources policies. Human Resources Director Lynn Tibbetts introduced a rough draft of an anti-nepotism policy for the county. This policy would prevent a family me
-
Steamers' Holesinger advances to finals
CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Bryce Holesinger wasn't going to let an injury stop him. Holesinger, a junior at Fulton High School, qualified for Saturday's finals in the 300-meter hurdles by winning his heat Thursday in the preliminaries at the Illinois Class
- More Top News Headlines
-
