HomeMy WebLinkAboutA001 - June 17, 2025, Special Meeting of the Ames City Council, Full Minutes1
MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE
AMES CITY COUNCIL
AMES, IOWA JUNE 17, 2025
The Ames Special City Council meeting was called to order by Mayor John Haila at 7:41
p.m. on the 17th day of June, 2025, in the City Council Chambers in City Hall, 515 Clark
Avenue, pursuant to law. City Council Members present were Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen,
Amber Corrieri, Tim Gartin, Rachel Junck, and Anita Rollins. Council Members Gloria Betcher
joined the meeting electronically. Ex officio Emily Boland was absent.
WORKSHOP ON FUTURE ELECTRIC GENERATION: Director of Electric Services Donald
Kom, along with Energy Services Coordinator Layne Fober, presented a comprehensive
overview of future electric generation plans for the City of Ames. Director Kom began by
referencing previous discussions from December of the previous year and the capital
improvement plan. He outlined the utility priorities based on three core principles:
affordability, sustainability, and reliability. He emphasized the importance of keeping rates
competitive with neighboring utilities, continuing to look at green resources, and maintaining
both physical reliability of transmission lines and capacity reliability.
Director Kom highlighted the current status of Ames' electric generation, noting that the City
has about 28,000 customers and hit a peak demand of 138 megawatts in 2023. He discussed
the existing generating units, including Unit 7 (built in 1967) and Unit 8 (built in 1982), as well
as current green energy resources under contract.
Director Kom then presented the results of three studies:
1. A life assessment study of Units 7 and 8 conducted by HDR. The study revealed that
Unit 7 has several critical concerns and would require significant investment to
continue operation, while Unit 8 is in better condition but still aging.
2. A technology assessment study looking at various generation options, including
Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines (RICE), Simple Cycle Combustion
Turbines, and Combined Cycle Units. The study also considered green resources
such as solar, wind, and battery storage.
3. A study by Bright Night analyzing how different technologies would apply to Ames'
specific situation, considering factors such as load profiles, wind and solar generation
patterns, and various scenarios.
Based on these studies, Director Kom presented a potential plan for future generation:
• Retiring Unit 7 in the next 5-7 years and replacing it with approximately 60 megawatts
of new generation, likely using RICE units.
• Continuing to operate Unit 8 for another 10-15 years before considering its
replacement.
• Adding up to 63 megawatts of wind and 26 megawatts of solar to achieve a 50%
renewable energy mix.
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Funding aspects of this plan were then presented by Director Kom, noting that savings from
discontinuing the waste-to-energy program would help offset some costs. He also mentioned
the potential impact on rates and the need for further financial analysis.
Council members engaged in questions with staff. Mayor Haila requested that the
engineering study also include an evaluation of potential alternative locations to the coal site
for the new facility. Council agreed that this presentation provided a good high-level overview
of the plans and that more detailed financial analysis would be needed as the project
progresses.
COUNCIL COMMENTS: The Mayor and City Council Members reported on various events
attended, upcoming meetings, community events, and items of interest.
ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Beatty-Hansen, seconded by Corrieri, to adjourn the meeting at
8:59 p.m.
Vote on Motion: 6-0. Motion declared carried unanimously.
Renee Hall, City Clerk John A. Haila, Mayor