Denver committee advances Xcel franchise, partnership and DIA utility deals
A Denver City Council committee voted 5-0 to move three Xcel-related measures forward, including a proposed 20-year franchise agreement tied to affordability funding, design standards and a potential November ballot referral.
Denver’s Governance and Intergovernmental Relations Committee voted 5-0 Tuesday to advance three Xcel Energy measures: a proposed franchise agreement, an energy partnership deal and a Denver International Airport utility-services agreement, according to committee minutes.
Council members Sandoval and Torres were absent, the minutes show.
City staff said the proposed franchise would run through Dec. 31, 2046 and preserve about $34 million a year in franchise-fee revenue, while also helping avoid some utility-relocation costs on city and public projects. Staff said the related Denver Energy Partnership Agreement is meant to address affordability, reliability and sustainability, and that a third agreement would govern utility service at DIA.
According to the hearing record, the partnership would include a $2.5 million shareholder contribution in 2027 for bill assistance, a $125,000 annual shareholder contribution for energy-affordability programs, energy navigators for residents, a public dashboard and five-year evaluation checkpoints. It also would set aside 1% of substation construction budgets for neighborhood-compatible design improvements.
Council members focused much of their questioning on the affordability terms. The hearing record shows Flynn questioned limits on the bill-assistance money, Gonzalez-Gutierrez and Lewis asked whether the annual contribution should be indexed to inflation, and Cashman asked about neighborhood input on substation design.
Supporters urged the committee to move the package forward. Xcel said during the hearing that it had expanded outreach over the previous six months, including neighborhood presentations, 53 Red Truck events and about 4,000 contacts.
The committee vote does not itself place the franchise on the ballot. But the hearing record says the franchise measure is intended for ballot referral, with an Aug. 3 deadline tied to the Nov. 3 election.
The three measures are Council Bills 26-0970, 26-0973 and 26-0974, according to the minutes.