(Richmond, IN)--This fall, voters in Richmond will decide whether or not Richmond Power and Light should opt out of the jurisdiction of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission after the unanimous passage of a resolution by Common Council Monday night. The biggest reason most utilities have already opted out is cost. Recently, RP&L underwent a two-year rate adjustment. General Manager Tony Foster talked about the expense. "The process cost the ratepayers of Richmond more than $835,000," Foster explained. And it doesn’t stop there. "Just in the last nine months, we've spent more than $19,000 filing reports and making other adjustments that have to be approved by the IURC," Foster added. Council unanimously voted to put the issue on the ballot.
Richmond Common Council Monday night heard more about the city’s first-ever Climate Action Plan. There are no mandates in the plan, but it does contain 29 adaptation strategies and 38 mitigation strategies. Matt Evans told council about one of the primary goals of the plan. "Understanding where our greenhouse gas emissions come from locally and then take that into actionable priorities and projects that reduce those emissions." The plan, which was presented in the form of a resolution, was referred to the Plan Commission and will come back before council at a future date.