The city of Jefferson could save approximately $27,000 annually in utility bills by allowing 11 small solar installations at various city locations. There would be not out-of-pocket cost to the city.
Travis Dvorak of Red Lion Renewables, based in Norwalk, told the Jefferson city council at its Dec. 9 meeting the company has installations in 50 cities and school districts across Iowa, including Perry.
Dvorak said he looked at 47 electric meters at city facilities and identified 11 locations with potential to save the city money with the placement of solar panels.
Those locations include the municipal building, the Greene County Community Center, the public library, the pool, the public works shop, the water treatment plant, the animal shelter, the lift station on N. Wilson Ave, the pump station on E. Hwy 30, and the municipal golf course. Additionally, solar canopies would be installed at the new parking lot south of Jefferson Telecom and the Elks lodge, once that is built.
Some installations would be rooftop panels, anchored with ballasts rather than penetrating the roof. The company insures against wind or hail damage. Others, like at the pump station, would be ground mounts.
According to Dvorak, the city would buy electricity generated by the panels from Red Lion Renewables at a rate below Alliant Energy’s rate. Red Lion would own, operate and maintain the systems.
Other savings would come via net metering. When more electricity is produced by the solar panels than what’s needed, it would go back into Alliant Energy’s grid. The city would get credit for that electricity on the monthly Alliant bill.
Net metering was started by MidAmerican and Alliant Energy as a pilot project, Dvorak said, with the pilot ending Dec. 31, 2026. However, projects in place at that time will be grandfathered in; projects in place will continue to use net metering.
The city must grant easements to Red Lion Renewables to place solar panels on city property. The council set the Jan. 13 council meeting as the time for a public hearing to enter into an easement agreement.
The complete proposal is available on the City of Jefferson’s website under the Government/ Meeting agenda pull down, or by clicking here.
In other business, the council was notified that Brett Cranston, owner of Doc’s Stadium, applied for a $75,000 forgivable loan to replace the roof and HVAC system at the building, located at 113 N. Chestnut St. The council will hold a special meeting Tuesday, Dec. 16, at 5:30 pm to consider the required development agreement.
The city continues to search for a Grade 3 operator for the water treatment plant. The city has used PeopleService to cover what’s needed to meet state regulations under a short term agreement. The council approved extending the short term agreement to Dec. 31.
If the city does not hire a Grade 3 operator by Jan. 1, city administrator Scott Peterson said the likely scenario would be to enter a consultation agreement with PeopleService to cover the certification for the water treatment plant and distribution. Cost would be $7,909 per month ($94,910 annually). PeopleService would have staff on-site two times a week for compliance and to mentor staff. The agreement would be a three-year agreement, but a 30- or 60-day notice provision would allow the city to end the agreement when a Grade 3 operator is hired. The council approved hiring Jack Seaman as a Grade 1 water operator at an hourly rate of $25.50.
