Sheldon, Iowa — Twice during the past thirty years, the City of Sheldon has attempted to become the primary provider for electricity and natural gas. The first effort was approved by the voters and stopped by the Iowa Utilities Board in 1990 after a protracted fight with Iowa Public Service, which is now MidAmerican Energy, based on cost. The second attempt in 2004 was not approved by the voters.
Currently there is no Franchise Agreement between the City of Sheldon and MidAmerican Energy. Sheldon City Manager Sam Kooiker says the time has come for the City to take a hard look at entering into such an agreement with MidAmerican.
As part of the City’s budget talks for the next fiscal year, council members asked the heads of the City’s four emergency services departments: Police; Fire; EMA; and SCAT, for projections of each of the departments’ financial needs over the next 15 years. Kooiker says the projections provided by the emergency services departments represent a significant amount of funding.
Kooiker says SCAT is the only emergency service department that is a revenue producer for the City. Traditionally, he says, the Ambulance Fund was sufficient to pay for the needs of all four departments.
As a result, the City is looking at the possibility of a Franchise Agreement with MidAmerican Energy, which would provide the City with an additional revenue stream to help cover the rising costs of the four emergency services departments. Kooiker explains.
Kooiker says the City wants input from residents about the proposed MidAmerican Energy Franchise Agreement. As a result a series of three community meetings have been scheduled to collect input from Sheldon citizens. The first will be held Wednesday, April 3rd from 5:30 to 8:00 pm in Council Chambers after the regular City Council meeting. The second meeting will be held Thursday, April 4th from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at the Sheldon Fire Department/SCAT Office. The third meeting will be held Friday, April 12th from Noon to 2:00 pm on the 3rd floor at City Hall. He says the First Reading of the Gas and Electric Franchise Ordinances is tentatively scheduled Wednesday April 17th at 4:30 pm.
