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Show Woods X In Favor Of Cheaper Power By MARK FOTHERINGHAM WOODS CROSS - Woods Cross wants cheaper electric power. So does everyone, you say. Well, if Utah Power and Light has its way, Woods Cross and several other communities com-munities that contract with the utility for electricity could see substantially lower rates. AT THE Woods Cross city council meeting last week, "Mayor Lawrence Urry discussed discus-sed the possibility that UP&L might soon be eligible to obtain cheaper hydro-electric power from the federal government. If it does, electric rates could decrease by about 25 percent, he said. Cities like Bountiful and Kaysville that have their own power systems have been buying the cheaper power as "preference customers" custom-ers" for years. "WE ARE concerned that Woods Cross residents pay twice as much for electricity as their neighbors to the east pay," said the mayor. He called cal-led it a "definite inequity" since Bountiful residents are generally more affluent and don't need the lower rates as much as Woods Cross people. This situation evolved about a quarter of a century ago. At that time power from the Colorado Col-orado River Storage Project (CRSP) was made available to rural areas that would agree to build their own transmission facilities. THE COST for hydro power is much cheaper than the thermal-based power now generated gener-ated by UP&L. If the hydro power is made available to UP&L, it would mean that someone paying $500 for electricity elec-tricity per year could find their bill reduced to about $375. According to current CRSP guidelines, the preferential customers eligible for the low-cost low-cost power are defined as "municipalities, public corporations, cor-porations, agencies and cooperatives." UP&L argues that this program was originally original-ly designed to provide an incentive in-centive for rural areas to "electrify." Those incentives are no longer necessary, ' according to UP&L's application applica-tion to the Western Area Power Pow-er Administration for an allocation allo-cation of CRSP power. UP&L CONTENDS that its customers (such as in Woods Cross) have "as much right to the benefits of this cheap power pow-er generated at federal dams as doelectricity users of so-called preference customers" (such as in Bountiful). This is because be-cause UP&L customers paid as much in taxes to build the power-generating dams as anyone else, said the application. applica-tion. Mayor Urry said he felt like Woods Cross was subsidizing power delivered to other dues that are not contracting with the privately owned utility. "We have just as much need for the cheaper power as other communities," he said. "I DON'T mean to point the finger at Bountiful," he said, "but they can charge their citizens twice what the hydro power costs them and use the profits for city improvements from the general fund." Even so, Bountiful power is still cheaper. Last year, federal hydro power cost about 8 mills per kilowatt hour. A UP&L kilowatt kilo-watt hour costs about 50 mills and could go as high as 70 mills if the federal application is denied. de-nied. The rise would come from additional construction costs for future coal-fired steam electric plants. THE WOODS Cross council has expressed its support of the UP&L plan. If the plan does not pan out. Mayor Urry suggested that each city could possibly apply for the federal power and then sell it to UP&L who could then deliver it back to the cities on their transmission transmis-sion lines. In other council action an ordinance was passed to allow twin family dwellings to be built in an R-2 zone. Another ordinance was passed to allow the duplexes to be built in an R-la zone with a conditional use permit. The different requirements re-quirements for single vs. twin family dwellings were also discussed. dis-cussed. THE COUNCIL also passed the ordinance adopting a local 78 percent sales tax as recently passed by the State Legislature. Legisla-ture. Mayor Urry estimated that if a person bought S10.0O0 worth of taxable goods in a year, the new tax increase would add only about $9. The American Cancer Society Soci-ety wants to put on a "Summer Spectacular" later this year, including a fireworks display. Marion Peterson of the society asked the council for guidelines guide-lines for approval of the fireworks fire-works show. RANDY MEYER, a new reserve re-serve police officer for Woods Cross was sworn in at the meeting also. |
