Waukee residents will vote in a special election March 4 to decide whether to sell the city-owned gas utility to MidAmerican Energy.Waukee has owned and operated its natural gas utility for 50 years, but residents often pay more for gas. Now, the city is giving them a choice to sell it.It serves more than 10,000 customers and is owned and operated by the city.”Kind of unusual today when we’re part of a major metro area. We’re the only one in the metro that runs our own gas utility. Most others use another utility provider,” said Heather Behrens, Waukee communications director.Many residents and business owners say they’re paying too much for gas. The city says gas prices might fall if they sell to a provider like MidAmerican Energy.”We are a smaller utility. We just cover Waukee. So it’s not quite the same buying power as a much larger utility covering a much broader customer base,” Behrens said.MidAmerican Energy is offering more than $20 million to take over the Waukee city gas service. Now, residents like Suzanne Lenters, who owns Old Station Craft Meats, must decide how to vote in the special election.”I do like that the city is giving us an option as residents to give our input on that. I’m just not sure if it’s going to impact us as positively as some residents I’ve spoken with in the neighborhood, in the community think it might be,” Lenters said.For more information, visit Waukee.org/specialelection. The website has all the details about the potential sale and voting.KCCI ON SOCIAL MEDIA:Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | X/Twitter
Waukee residents will vote in a special election March 4 to decide whether to sell the city-owned gas utility to MidAmerican Energy.
Waukee has owned and operated its natural gas utility for 50 years, but residents often pay more for gas. Now, the city is giving them a choice to sell it.
It serves more than 10,000 customers and is owned and operated by the city.
“Kind of unusual today when we’re part of a major metro area. We’re the only one in the metro that runs our own gas utility. Most others use another utility provider,” said Heather Behrens, Waukee communications director.
Many residents and business owners say they’re paying too much for gas. The city says gas prices might fall if they sell to a provider like MidAmerican Energy.
“We are a smaller utility. We just cover Waukee. So it’s not quite the same buying power as a much larger utility covering a much broader customer base,” Behrens said.
MidAmerican Energy is offering more than $20 million to take over the Waukee city gas service. Now, residents like Suzanne Lenters, who owns Old Station Craft Meats, must decide how to vote in the special election.
“I do like that the city is giving us an option as residents to give our input on that. I’m just not sure if it’s going to impact us as positively as some residents I’ve spoken with in the neighborhood, in the community think it might be,” Lenters said.
For more information, visit Waukee.org/specialelection. The website has all the details about the potential sale and voting.
KCCI ON SOCIAL MEDIA: