Iowa Utilities Board members asked many questions about Decorah's municipal electric utility referendum
Posted: Sun, Oct 13, 2019 4:16 PM
(by decorahnews.com's Paul Scott)
During the 2018 campaign leading up to a vote on whether to explore the possibility of a municipal electric utility in Decorah, Alliant Energy several times claimed that such a utility would lead to a 30 percent rate increase (see
https://www.decorahnews.com/archived-stories/2018/03/18856.html for a discussion of this issue).
Alliant Energy said at the time that its rates would increase only by 1 or 2 percent.� It's a claim that came under question last week during the Iowa Utilities Board hearing on the utility's request for a 24.5 percent increase (which has since been lowered to 15 percent).� Board members wanted to know why Alliant was asking for a large rate increase just a year or so after promising Decorah voters there would not be such an increase.
Earlier this year, Alliant Energy Iowa President Terry Kouba attended a public hearing in Decorah about the utility's request for higher rates.� Kouba said at the time last year's feasibility study done by Concentric Energy Advisors "was accurate at the time it was made," but that Alliant had ordered an update on the study, with the results becoming available "in a few weeks."
A luncheon was scheduled in Decorah during the summer to release the results of the updated Concentric feasibility study, but the luncheon was cancelled.� decorahnews.com asked for a copy of the feasibility study, but was told Alliant was not ready yet to release the updated study to the public.
At last week's IUB meeting, sources tell decorahnews.com the IUB commissioners were told the updated study was "confidential" and that the only people who could receive a copy of the study were people who would sign a confidentiality agreement which would prohibit them from sharing the contents of the updated study.