Katie Lunsford, a Together Colorado community leader and Central Park resident, and Susie Pappas, a Together Colorado volunteer and Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church member, asked the City Council on July 21 to delay approval of a proposed 20-year franchise agreement with Xcel Energy until a companion agreement guarantees community benefits.
Lunsford said a May 2024 concept presented by the mayor’s office described using franchises to advance climate and economic justice, but that recent negotiations do not include “companion agreements” that put additional requirements on the utility. “When presented next week, I'm requesting a no vote on the current ExCel franchise agreement,” she said, using the name as it appeared in the meeting record.
Pappas said the expiring franchise previously had a companion agreement with provisions for low-income customers and renewable goals and that the new Clean Energy Partnership document received by the public “is not the commitment to a real stake holding process and tangible community benefits” she and others seek. Both speakers asked the mayor and council to convene broad community engagement and negotiate a companion agreement that centers environmental justice, economic relief and climate equity before placing a franchise measure on the ballot.
The public comment did not include a council motion or vote; formal council consideration of any franchise agreement or ballot placement would proceed through council processes with staff reports and potential ordinance language.