Early results show Pueblo residents opposed to leaving Black Hills Energy
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) – The first batch of election results show voters overwhelming don't support ending Pueblo's agreement with Black Hills Energy and forming a separate utility.
Ballot Question 2A asked residents, “Should the City of Pueblo cancel its franchise agreement with Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC and acquire the generation, transmission and distribution assets of Black Hills Colorado Elections, LLC, if determined feasible?”
With roughly 17,500 ballots counted, just over 79% have voted "no".
It's unclear how many total ballots were submitted.
In recent weeks, both the City of Pueblo and Black Hills Energy have released separate studies suggesting how much the acquisition by the city would cost, and whether it was financially feasible.
In a statement following the release of the first batch of results, Black Hills Energy said they were "delighted" that Pueblo voters were not in support of ending the agreement.
"Voters know the city’s own study showed that a billion-dollar takeover in Pueblo simply isn’t feasible, and there’s no practical path for an estimated $4 billion region-wide takeover effort, which would be highly complex and unlikely to succeed," the statement read in part.
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