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3.29.05 Bellevue comes to terms with utilities Bellevue residents will continue to get their natural gas from their current carrier for up to 25 years. The City Council voted unanimously Monday to enter into agreements with both the Metropolitan Utilities District and Aquila Inc. The contracts are for the next eight years and could be redeemed for up to 17 more. M.U.D. provides natural gas to about 75 percent of the city. The rest of Bellevue is served by Aquila. There had been some discussion among the council of going exclusively to M.U.D. to provide equity in rates for residents. M.U.D. is often able to provide natural gas at a lower cost than the privately owned Aquila. But any plan that could lead to M.U.D. taking over Aquila's gas service would have entailed complex and potentially costly legal maneuvering. Aquila's contract with the city expired so it had been going month-to-month in its dealings with Bellevue; M.U.D. didn't have an agreement prior to Monday. Kevin Jarosz, Aquila's operation manager for eastern Nebraska, had said prior to the meeting that the agreement will help the company plan for long-term investments, including installing pipelines to new areas. Tom Wurtz, president of M.U.D., said continued competition between the two entities is good because customers will get the lowest rate. In other business, the council voted 6-4 against a rezoning that would allow the Hawk's Ridge housing development. Because of a petition submitted by neighbors, the development needed eight votes to pass. The addition would have put about 110 homes at 13th and Kasper Streets, near Bellevue West High School and between the Kennedy Freeway and Fort Crook Road. |
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