All Entries in the "Utilities" Category
Lamar Utilities Board meeting of November 25, 2025
The Lamar Utilities Board met for a regular meeting on November 25, 2025. Minutes were approved from the November 11 meeting. Board members voted to approve purchase orders 2025-01488 through 2025-01774. These purchase orders totaled $289,804.42, with $272,580.42 needing board approval. The largest purchase order was for SD Myers, LLC, the company who performed the […]
Xcel Energy seeks $355.5M revenue hike, increasing residential bills nearly 10% on average
Utility says rate increase would cover costs associated with growth in demand, reliability Xcel Energy, Colorado’s largest electric utility, has asked state regulators for an increase of $355.5 million to its rate base, which would boost the average residential electric bill by nearly 10% per month. Xcel filed the proposal Friday with the Colorado Public Utilities […]
Lamar Utilities Board meeting of November 11, 2025
Minutes from the October 28, 2025 meeting were approved, as were purchase orders #2025-01230 through #2025-01485. The total amount of purchase orders was $773,295.12, with $757,807.07 needing board approval. $700,330.64 of this amount was the October estimated power purchase from ARPA. Also included was $50,631.43 for the purchase of 30, 35, 40 and 45-foot wooden […]
Comanche 3, Xcel Energy’s troubled coal plant, likely out of commission for months
Xcel Energy’s coal-fired Comanche Generating Station in Pueblo on Nov. 12, 2024. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post) Xcel Energy’s chronically troubled coal plant Comanche 3, scheduled for retirement by the end of 2030, hasn’t been working since mid-August and could be out of service until next summer. The coal plant in Pueblo County experienced elevated […]
Lamar Utilities Board meeting of October 14 includes 2026 budget report
The Lamar Utilities Board met Tuesday, Oct. 14 for a regular bi-weekly meeting. Minutes from the September 23, 2025 meeting were approved, as were purchase orders 2025-00383 through 2025-01005. Of the $1,130,099.08 in purchase orders, $1,104,685.80 needed board approval. Large purchase orders for this period of time included $96,484.02 to ARPA for estimated September power […]
Lamar Utility Board meeting of September 23, 2025
The board approved minutes from the September 9 meeting as well as purchase orders 2025-00050 through 2025-00582. There was an unusually large number of purchase orders to approve due to the recent Tyler software conversion for the City of Lamar. Purchase orders totaled $1,226,408.58, of which $1,192,806.28 needed board approval. The largest purchase order was […]
ARPA Business Operations for September 2025 – reviews preliminary 2026 budget
ARPA Board Reviews Preliminary 2026 Budget: A preliminary budget was presented to the Board of Directors at the August 28 meeting. The budget does not include any adjustments to ARPA’s wholesale rate. The proposed budget projects total revenues of $28.5 million and a 2% decrease in the Total Operating Costs of $17.7 million. The budget hearing and […]
Lamar Utility Board meeting of September 9, 2025
All board members were present for the meeting. Minutes from the August 26, 2025 meeting were approved unanimously. Purchase orders totaled $1,069,831.48, of which $1,063,225.94 needed board approval, which was unanimous. Power for July purchased from ARPA came to $1,053,726.86. An annual service contract with Digitcom Electronics Inc. amounted to $9,499.08. The remaining purchase orders […]
Lamar Utilities Board Meeting of August 26, 2025
Chairman Doug Thrall attended the meeting by phone, so Vice Chairman Jay Brooke chaired the meeting. Minutes from the August 12, 2025 meeting were approved. Due to the City of Lamar’s Tyler Systems Conversion, there were no purchase orders, payment of bills or report on the July financials available for the meeting. The department had […]
Lamar Utility Board meeting of August 12, 2025
Minutes from the July 29, 2025 meeting were approved. Also approved were purchase orders 631042 through 631078 totaling $1, 043,774.35, of which $1,023,884.36 needed Board approval. The July electricity estimate was $917,997.27 of this amount. Purchase of ductile iron poles was $87,170.40. Generator brushes ($5,931.52) substation fuses ($2,840.79), and line materials ($9,944.38) made up the […]
Lamar Utility Board meeting of July 29, 2025
Vice-Chairman Jay Brooke chaired the meeting while Chairman Doug Thrall participated by phone. Absent was Mayor Crespin. Minutes from the July 15 meeting were approved, as were Purchase Orders 631011 through 631041 which totaled $240,612.55, of which $230,555.75 needed board approval. Transformer hot oil cleaning was the largest of these, at $105,059 to SD Myers, […]
City of Lamar Utility Report 2025 – month of June
City of Lamar Utility Report 2025 – Month of June Monthly June 2025 June 2024 % Electricity $1,219,107.12 $1,276,774.84 -4.52% Water $218,332.71 $225,551.20 -3.20% Sewer $61,979.62 $50,621.45 22.44% Trash $154,145.46 $148,534.37 3.78% Monthly Total $1,653,564.91 $1,701,481.86 -2.82% Utility Report Year to Date YTD 2025 YTD 2024 % Electricity $6,287,513.03 $6,319,241.32 -0.50% Water $916,952.51 […]
Lamar Utilities Board meeting July 15, 2025
At the July 15, 2025 meeting, the Lamar Utilities Board approved purchase orders 630961 through 631010. June’s electricity estimate to ARPA was in the amount of $635,214.53. Third quarter property insurance to CIRSA was $78,237.58. Payments to La Junta ($14,780.62), Holly ($5,382.00), and Las Animas ($18,932.79) for mutual aid during storms were approved. Total for […]
Lamar Utilities Board meeting June 24, 2025
All board members were present for the meeting with the exception of Elmer Grett. Approved unanimously were the meeting minutes from June 10 with a correction regarding a board member being marked as absent when he wasn’t. Purchase Orders 630941-630960, and the payment of bills were also approved. Purchase orders totaled $17,721.54 and included $4,645.05 […]
ARPA Board of Directors meeting summary from May 29, 2025
Seven Students Receive Scholarship Funding from ARPA and its Member Municipalities: In 2000, ARPA and its Member communities established a College Scholarship Program that awards a $1,400 scholarship to one high school senior in each of the high schools served by ARPA members. The Program is administered through the member municipalities of Holly, La Junta, Lamar, […]
