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City of Louisville Utility Line Undergrounding Policy <br />Drafted 2/23/2021 <br />The City of Louisville's franchise agreement with Xcel Energy requires that the company budget and <br />allocate 1% of the preceding year's electric gross revenues for Louisville to bury existing overhead <br />facilities underground. <br />To use the 1% fund, the City must select projects with distribution or feeder utility lines (low or medium <br />power) that are located in the right-of-way and are at least 750 feet in length. Additional equipment like <br />transformers cannot be buried as that technology does not currently exist. <br />To help determine the use of the 1% fund for potential undergrounding projects, the City has adopted <br />criteria to evaluate the benefits of such projects. Projects that meet one or more of the criteria listed <br />below should be prioritized for use of the 1% fund: <br />• Public safety — reduces or resolves safety issues through undergrounding of overhead power <br />lines (i.e. roadway safety, pedestrian/bicycle safety). <br />• Service reliability — improves service reliability for energy customers, reducing outages and <br />service interruptions. <br />• Mobility/accessibility— improves transportation options by removing barriers along sidewalks, <br />trails, etc. <br />• Parks/open space — enhances City -owned property (i.e. parks, open space, golf course). <br />• City projects —supports City -initiated projects (i.e. infrastructure improvements). <br />• Cost savings — allows more overhead lines to be buried each year by realizing cost savings and <br />providing a greater benefit to the City (i.e. partnering opportunities, resident contribution, Xcel <br />system upgrades). <br />• Economic development/redevelopment — supports economic development or redevelopment <br />efforts within the city. Any project that involves a partnership with the Louisville Revitalization <br />Commission and additional funding could receive higher priority. <br />• Public benefit — supports private development when substantial benefit occurs to the public (i.e. <br />number of homes served). <br />• Aesthetics — improves visual appearance of community by reducing clutter of overhead wires. <br />21 <br />