City OKs power pool buying stake in plant
Staff writer
Hillsboro City Council voted Tuesday to support Kansas Power Pool’s plan to purchase a stake in Dogwood Energy Facility in Pleasant Hill, Mo.
The power pool, of which Hillsboro is a member, wants to have an ownership share in power production. Currently the power pool instead buys contracts with power companies.
Dogwood Energy Facility is a good match, because it wants to transition to more stable municipal power production.
The power pool needs a 20-year membership commitment from at least half its membership to make the deal work. Hillsboro currently has a 10-year commitment in place, City Administrator Larry Paine said.
“My feeling at the moment is that this is a good deal for the City of Hillsboro,” he said.
The move will give the power pool more control over the cost of wholesale electricity for its member cities.
Council member Bob Watson said the power pool made a strong case for the investment. He attended a regional KPP meeting.
In other business:
- The council approved resolutions necessary to apply for a Community Development Block Grant for a street project.
- A bill of $8,772 from Frederick Waterproofing and Roofing of Topeka for work on the Schaeffler House was approved. It was the fifth payment for the project.
- City Attorney Dan Baldwin met with the council in closed session for 25 minutes to discuss matters protected by attorney-client privilege. No action was taken on return to open session.
- The council met in closed session for 10 minutes to discuss employee job performance at the request of council member Byron McCarty. No action was taken on return to open session.
- McCarty said he received a call from a constituent complaining about boards that were torn from a fence at the Adobe House and thrown in the adjacent pond.
- The council discussed the 2012 budget in a work session after finishing regular business.
The next regularly scheduled meeting will be 4 p.m. Aug. 16.