Five points in favor of a municipal electric utility

(The following Letter to the Editor has been submitted by Dan & Ann Mansfield of Decorah):

"We support the points that Dave Carlson and others have made in their decision to vote 'Yes' for the upcoming May 1st referendum.  We will be voting 'Yes' to further this important community conversation.

First: We've made the similar comparison of our monthly Alliant bills to Osage and New Hampton rates. We know that Alliant has some of the highest rates in the region.

Second: We've installed solar at our home.  We are interested in seeing our community expand the options for other home owners as Carlson suggests.  As mentioned, Alliant has not allowed the use of community solar fields in their service area.

Third: We agree with empowering our city council to explore the formation of a municipal electric utility which will provide them with more options and capacity to address our energy future.

Fourth: We also trust our city council, mayor, and administration to act in our best interest and do what is best for Decorah's energy future. 

Finally: We agree with Carlson's point about the need for our community to work together for Decorah's future.  This is an opportunity to further explore and shape a shared vision for Decorah where we establish a strong culture of collaboratively working to address challenging issues...together."