COLUMBIA, MO. -- Columbia voters will decide whether city leaders should buy an electrical generating plant that runs on natural gas.
Council members put the measure on the April 5 ballot.
Ameren Missouri currently leases the energy center to Columbia Water and Light.
Natural gas turbine generators power the facility in Northeast Columbia.
The proposal would allow Ameren Missouri to sell their energy center to the city through $5 million in bonds.
Mayor Bob McDavid said owning the facility would save taxpayers about a million dollars a year.
McDavid said, “There’s a lot of capacity, 144 megawatts which is roughly half of what we use right now. It will secure a lot of power generating ability in the future.”
McDavid said the purchase of the energy center would not affect utility rates and would protect the integrity of the city’s electrical grid.
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