Alliant Decorah says the requested Alliant rate hike would mean rate increases of 11 to 13.5 percent for the City of Decorah

The Decorah office of Alliant Energy has submitted estimates to the City of Decorah about the impact Alliant's requested rate hike would have on the city's cost for electricity.

Alliant levies different charges on different city departments, depending on the formula used for calculating charges.  For instance, Alliant's Decorah Office estimates the electrical bills for street lights have gone up between 4.0 percent to 8.7 percent as of April 1st, when interim rates went into effect, and would increase up to another 3 percent once the 2020 rate increase goes into effect (if it goes into effect).

But other increases would be higher.  Alliant estimates electricity costs for City Hall, the Decorah Public Library and the Water Department have already gone up 5 to 6 percent and will increase by a total of 11 percent to 12 percent once rates are finalized.  Electricity charges for the Decorah Waste Water Treatment Plant, which is a heavier user of electricity, would go up by an estimated 13.5 percent, according to Alliant's estimates.

Some City of Decorah representatives have begun working to figure out how these percentage increases will translate into total dollars for the City of Decorah.  Alliant expressed the impact on the City of Decorah in percentage terms, not in gross dollars.