Letter to the Editor: "Decorah Municipal Electric Utility is supported by 29 Decorah business owners" (updated figure)

(The following Letter to the Editor has been signed by 29 Decorah business owners):

"The community is engaged in a healthy debate around the opportunity to pursue a municipal electric utility. As current and former business owners or leaders in Decorah, we support a yes vote on May 1 with the recognition that such a vote does not and should not lock the community into any fixed path, and there are important issues to consider along the way.

Many of us are familiar with peer communities in Iowa such as Waverly, New Hampton, Algona, Cedar Falls, Independence, Osage and Webster City that have very professional locally-owned and operated utilities. These communities are able to provide high reliability, competitive rates, and strong economic development impact to their communities.

The potential impact on local economic health and jobs of a municipal electric utility is clearly of special interest to us. Local jobs would be necessary not only to manage the grid, but to manage the utility and provide customer service – operations staff and resources that could also provide synergies with other Decorah utilities in the future. The significant profit margins of the current investor-owned utility would remain in our community, supporting lower rates and/or priorities such as grid strengthening, and creating economic activity. And finally, we envision very real long-term investment potential in local generation, backup, and storage that could both provide economic activity and attract new business and industry to a healthy and growing community.

Like our community, we are not all of one mind. While some of us express caution about the proper role of government and the private sector, we also note that electricity in Iowa is not a competitive marketplace. If it is to be a monopoly, let's own and manage it right here at home. We are proud to be a part of a community of professionals in both government and private sector, and are confident that if peer communities can run an efficient electric utility for the long-term benefit of their community, so can Decorah.

We realize there will be a cost to the city in applying to the Iowa Utilities Board that we would share. The very significant potential returns to our community suggest that this is an opportunity and investment worth making. Beyond that initial investment, we believe a yes vote carries little risk, because the Utilities Board would ultimately determine buyout cost and territory, and if the cost is too high the community can stop there. A 'Yes' vote in May keeps the doors open for community investment, while a 'No' vote appears to end the discussion prematurely."

Signatories:
Agora Arts
Amundson's Clothing
B&B on Broadway
Backwater Spirits
Clearfork Stoneworks
Corner Bar
Courtyard and Cellar
Decorah Hatchery
Donlon Pharmacy
Dug Road Inn
Go Solar
Good Foot
Impact Coffee
Java John's Coffee House
Magnuson Consulting
Magpie Coffeehouse
Meyer, Lorentzen, and Nelson
New Digital
New Horizons Entrepreneur Center
Nordic Chiropractic
Open Decorah
Pizza Ranch
Singing Hammers Construction
Sugar Bowl Ice Cream Co.
Tbock's Sports Bar And Grill
The Getup
Trial Lawyers for Justice, The Rowley Law Firm
Wadsworth Construction
Yoga Room