Don't let council take control of electricity in secret
Published in the Boulder Daily Camera 8/24/14
This November, the City Council is asking Boulder voters to authorize executive sessions - meetings hidden from the public - for many future meetings addressing the city takeover of the electrical system. Over the years, Boulder voters have been asked repeatedly to give the City Council expanded authority to meet in secret and the voters have always responded with a resounding "No!" But, City Council seems to think that electrical municipalization is so important and that defeating the dreaded and clever Xcel will require secrecy that, just this one time, it's worth it for Boulder voters to trust them without being able to watch them.
Bad idea. There have been few decisions in Boulder's history that Boulder voters should want to watch more carefully than the government taking over the job of supplying electrical power to the city.
As a former business owner, I had the privilege of being part of a complex organization that made tough decisions, so I appreciate the merits of being able to have the kind of candid debate on complex issues that can only happen out of the public eye. Had Boulder City Council asked for this authority in general and not only with respect to municipalization, I might just be writing a column supporting this change to the way Boulder does business.
But that's not what the City Council wants, or at least that's not what they're willing to ask voters for. Instead, they have picked one of the most controversial, expensive, and risky endeavors the city has embarked upon in decades and, just when the big tough decisions are being made, they want to close the door to the public.
City Council's argument is that, during contract and dispute-settlement negotiations, there will be lots of strategic and legal discussions that they don't want Xcel to hear.
What strategic issues?
Boulder has already made the big strategic decision to go forward with forming their utility. All of the strategic issues with respect to what parts of Xcel's current system Boulder wants to buy have been resolved. Boulder has even laid out their strategy to acquire much of the electricity from Xcel during the early stages of the takeover. The big strategic questions have already been answered.
The issues coming before the City Council are not strategic at all. Rather, they are the-devil's-in-the-details things like negotiations on a fair price for Xcel's assets and legal battles about the city taking over non-city customers.
In coming to terms on the value of Xcel's assets, Boulder is not buying a used car. Establishing a fair value for Xcel's stranded assets is not going to be helped by Boulder pretending during negotiations that they might look elsewhere for all those electrical parts. Nothing said outside of the public eye is likely to make a difference in what Boulder pays.
As to the legal battles, our legal system demands disclosure of relevant information, so no secrets there. Regarding legal strategy, I'm not sure how any great wisdom can come from Council members debating how to get around Federal or State laws that might get in their way. City Council has a enough trouble strategizing about things they know about, like dogs in open-space, so I'm guessing that any secret conversations among Council members about energy law won't do much to tip the scales of justice in their favor.
What Boulderites should ask themselves at this critical juncture is what Council wants to hide from the public regarding their plans for municipalization?
Sure, they gave us estimates of the cost to get this utility up and running, but what about all the risks and their potential effects on system reliability and cost? City Council has not adequately addressed the many risks of municipalization, and when they do, we should hear everything they have to say.
Maybe they don't want us to hear about their plans, or lack thereof, to fulfill their promises of a low-carbon electrical system under municipalization. To date, the city has offered little of substance about their future renewable energy plans and there is no reason for secrecy while they develop a detailed plan.
City Council is now fully facing the magnitude of the task they have put before themselves. Supplying electrical power to Boulder in a cheaper and more environmentally-friendly way than the private sector can is an enormous challenge. All of their abstract promises must now become concrete plans, and the public should be fully engaged in that conversation.
This November, the City Council is asking Boulder voters to authorize executive sessions - meetings hidden from the public - for many future meetings addressing the city takeover of the electrical system. Over the years, Boulder voters have been asked repeatedly to give the City Council expanded authority to meet in secret and the voters have always responded with a resounding "No!" But, City Council seems to think that electrical municipalization is so important and that defeating the dreaded and clever Xcel will require secrecy that, just this one time, it's worth it for Boulder voters to trust them without being able to watch them.
Bad idea. There have been few decisions in Boulder's history that Boulder voters should want to watch more carefully than the government taking over the job of supplying electrical power to the city.
As a former business owner, I had the privilege of being part of a complex organization that made tough decisions, so I appreciate the merits of being able to have the kind of candid debate on complex issues that can only happen out of the public eye. Had Boulder City Council asked for this authority in general and not only with respect to municipalization, I might just be writing a column supporting this change to the way Boulder does business.
But that's not what the City Council wants, or at least that's not what they're willing to ask voters for. Instead, they have picked one of the most controversial, expensive, and risky endeavors the city has embarked upon in decades and, just when the big tough decisions are being made, they want to close the door to the public.
City Council's argument is that, during contract and dispute-settlement negotiations, there will be lots of strategic and legal discussions that they don't want Xcel to hear.
What strategic issues?
Boulder has already made the big strategic decision to go forward with forming their utility. All of the strategic issues with respect to what parts of Xcel's current system Boulder wants to buy have been resolved. Boulder has even laid out their strategy to acquire much of the electricity from Xcel during the early stages of the takeover. The big strategic questions have already been answered.
The issues coming before the City Council are not strategic at all. Rather, they are the-devil's-in-the-details things like negotiations on a fair price for Xcel's assets and legal battles about the city taking over non-city customers.
In coming to terms on the value of Xcel's assets, Boulder is not buying a used car. Establishing a fair value for Xcel's stranded assets is not going to be helped by Boulder pretending during negotiations that they might look elsewhere for all those electrical parts. Nothing said outside of the public eye is likely to make a difference in what Boulder pays.
As to the legal battles, our legal system demands disclosure of relevant information, so no secrets there. Regarding legal strategy, I'm not sure how any great wisdom can come from Council members debating how to get around Federal or State laws that might get in their way. City Council has a enough trouble strategizing about things they know about, like dogs in open-space, so I'm guessing that any secret conversations among Council members about energy law won't do much to tip the scales of justice in their favor.
What Boulderites should ask themselves at this critical juncture is what Council wants to hide from the public regarding their plans for municipalization?
Sure, they gave us estimates of the cost to get this utility up and running, but what about all the risks and their potential effects on system reliability and cost? City Council has not adequately addressed the many risks of municipalization, and when they do, we should hear everything they have to say.
Maybe they don't want us to hear about their plans, or lack thereof, to fulfill their promises of a low-carbon electrical system under municipalization. To date, the city has offered little of substance about their future renewable energy plans and there is no reason for secrecy while they develop a detailed plan.
City Council is now fully facing the magnitude of the task they have put before themselves. Supplying electrical power to Boulder in a cheaper and more environmentally-friendly way than the private sector can is an enormous challenge. All of their abstract promises must now become concrete plans, and the public should be fully engaged in that conversation.
