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LCity�f <br />Louisville <br />COLORADO • SINCE 1.878 <br />SUBJECT: DISCUSSION/DIRECTION ON UTILITY LINE <br />UNDERGROUNDING POLICY <br />DATE: MAY 11, 2021 <br />PRESENTED BY: EMILY HOGAN, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER FOR <br />COMMUNICATIONS AND SPECIAL PROJECTS <br />MEGAN DAVIS, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER <br />BACKGROUND: <br />In 2017 staff developed a map of overhead utility lines throughout the city to identify <br />potential projects for use of the Xcel 1 % undergrounding fund. The City's franchise <br />agreement with Xcel requires that the company budget and allocate 1 % of the <br />preceding year's electric gross revenues for Louisville to bury existing overhead <br />facilities underground. <br />As of June 30, 2020, the 1 % fund has a balance of $2,355,073 and a 3-year borrow <br />ahead amount of $588,165, which totals $2,943,238 that is available for undergrounding <br />projects that meet Xcel's criteria. <br />To use the 1 % fund, the City must select projects with distribution or feeder utility lines <br />(low or medium power) that are located in the right-of-way and are at least 750 feet in <br />length. Additional equipment like transformers cannot be buried as that technology does <br />not currently exist. <br />UNDERGROUNDING POLICY: <br />Staff provided an update to City Council on two undergrounding project updates (State <br />Highway 42/Griffith and 809 Main) on February 2. Council provided direction to continue <br />moving forward with both undergrounding projects. <br />Staff also recommended drafting an undergrounding policy to help determine the use of <br />the 1 % fund for future projects. If a policy was adopted, staff could prioritize projects as <br />they are identified and bring forward construction contracts with Xcel to Council for <br />approval. Council asked staff to bring back a resolution adopting an undergrounding <br />policy and asked that the Utility Committee review the draft policy and provide feedback. <br />Undergrounding policies from other communities like Greenwood Village and Lakewood <br />are attached for comparison. The City of Lone Tree does not have a formal policy but <br />their strategy has been to focus on locations where it is unlikely that someone else will <br />bury the utilities (i.e. developer) in a new or redeveloped site. <br />17 <br />