Bowie City Council members will be updated on the latest negotiations with Bryan Texas Utilities along with continued work on the 2018-19 budget proposal when they meet at 6 p.m. on Aug. 27 in the council chambers.
City Manager Bert Cunningham told the council at its last session he would be meeting with BTU officials later that week as the city attempts to gain further reductions in its contracted rate for bulk power. In 2015 the company agreed to an amendment to the city contract that allowed Bowie to develop up to two megawatts of capacity in distributed power. That energy would in turn be used to help reduce the city’s transmission fees accessed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas which run about $70,000 a month. In an effort to obtain that distributed power the city is looking into a possible solar project that could generate that amount.
Due to rates being a competitive public power issue, the council will go into executive session where it may be discussed in closed session. Any action would be taken back in open session.
There will be a public hearing on the proposed tax rate and the budget workshop. A proposed tax rate of .5250 cents per $100 in property value is being considered.
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