The meeting in its entirety can be seen in the video below the document pages after this article.
Larry Jones, Electrical Operations Manager for Prescott Water and Light, provided a written handout for council members (shown below this article) that contain options for saving money on energy costs for the city and its residents. The handout, produced by Southwestern Electric Power Company, from which PW and L purchases electricity, outlines options SWEPCO is offering for its customers.
During the meeting, Jones explained these proposals to the board. The first allows the city to purchase and install its own solar energy collecting system. The second allows the city to partner with SWEPCO in purchasing and installing a solar energy system “in the development of a renewable generation resource up to an additional 15 percent of previous four-year CP average demand.”
Asked what the cost would be for the city to purchase and install its own solar energy generation system, Jones said, "You're looking at about 1 million before taxes, and then about 500,000 after you get the tax rebate." In terms of what the return on that investment would be, Jones said he did not yet have those numbers.
The third would require the city to purchase batteries for the storage of energy at night that could be used in times of peak power during the day and thereby reduce the charges for that energy. The initial investment for this option would cost $2 million but a tax rebate would cut that cost in half," Moses said. The potential savings for the battery option could be about $80,000 a month, Moses said, which would allow the project to pay for itself in a little over two years.
The council members asked many questions related to costs and practicalities of the options. Councilman Ivory Curry said one drawback of partnering with SWEPCO to buy and install the solar energy system would be that it would extend the city's contract with SWEPCO. The city is still paying SWEPCO for energy used during the 2021 snowstorm. City Accountant Carl Dalrymple said the city still owes $257,000.
Since the cost for consulting an engineer about the project is less than $10,000, the council did not have to pass a motion to allow Mayor Terry Oliver to approve the consultation and the cost expenditure.
The council members asked about streetwork needed in their respective neighborhoods. Councilman Howard Austin suggested work be done on a road that turns off of Wildcat Road. Councilman Curry said a fix was needed to a location near Jerry's Body Shop. Mayor Oliver said some streets in town were blocked off by efforts to repair natural gas leaks. Council member Carla Haynie said a homeless encampment appears to be setting up on Walnut Street.
In Citizens Comments, Jessica Box announced the celebration of Juneteenth will occur on the Nevada County Courthouse lawn starting at 11:00 a.m. on June 19th.
Councilman Ivory Curry announced that his Outreach Ministry would provide lunch and fellowship Saturday June 28th starting at 11:00 a.m.
