Alliant Energy offers to discuss franchise agreement renewal with the City of Decorah

Alliant Energy's local Director of Operations for this area, Mathew Cole, has sent a letter to Decorah City Manager Chad Bird, offering to restart discussions on the franchise agreement that names Alliant Energy as the electricity provider in the city.  The letter offers to discuss options on a franchise agreement or a new working agreement with the City of Decorah.

The current franchise agreement expires in May of this year.  May is also the time--May 1st, to be exact--when City of Decorah voters will cast ballots in a referendum on whether the city should pursue creating a municipal electric utility.

Alliant's letter lists a number of issues it would be willing to discuss as part of a new franchise agreement, including a new operations facility in Decorah, a program to bury electric lines underground and a solar energy project agreement with the city.

The letter says having a franchise agreement would allow for the city to collect franchise fees and would also define plans for right-of-way use, saving money on road projects.

The text of Alliant's letter to the City of Decorah is linked as part of this story.