The City of Pueblo could bring on its own legal representation in the Public Utilities Commission’s ongoing investigation of electric and gas company’s response to February’s cold weather event.
The PUC announced an investigation on Feb. 17 to determine whether energy providers purchased natural gas at an above-market rate during that cold snap with the intention to pass the cost on to consumers.
The city could enlist Mark Davidson, an energy lawyer with the Denver-based firm Fairfield and Woods, to represent its interests in that investigation.
“The cost that he could save, not just with Black Hills but also with Xcel, and passing on those costs to the shareholders and not to the rate payers could be worth millions to the city of Pueblo,” city attorney Dan Kogovsek said in his staff report during the April 26 Pueblo City Council meeting.
Reminders of uncivil discourse and past attempts to smooth county and city relations marked a Pueblo City Council work session held Monday.
However, it appears that the city may still reach a deal to gain space within the now county-owned commercial office building located on Eighth Street in downtown Pueblo.
The building was first purchased in December for $5 million by the county after Pueblo Mayor Nick Gradisar vetoed a measure passed 5-2 by city council, authorizing him to enter into an agreement with the county for the office building.
Originally, the building s cost was to be split 50/50 between the two entities. However, with the mayoral veto, the county was forced to scrape together an additional $2.5 million within 24 hours in order to secure the building.