What does the Somerton APS franchise election mean?

Some of you may have seen a recent ad in the Yuma Sun asking for your vote in the Nov. 7 franchise election in Somerton. I’ve received several questions about this, so my column is dedicated to clarifying a few things.

What is a franchise election?

A franchise is simply a contract defining APS’s use of public rights-of-way and outlining coordination between APS and the City of Somerton, which regulates the rights-of-way. The agreement is required by the Arizona Constitution. It gives APS a non-exclusive right to use public streets, alleys and other public rights-of-way to construct, maintain and operate our energy facilities. Somerton voters are being asked to weigh in because the agreement must be approved by a majority of the city’s electorate.

What does voting YES mean for customers?

Voting YES means you approve the franchise’s terms, which set the rules and procedures for APS to operate and maintain our energy facilities in Somerton. An example of how the agreement works is who pays to relocate APS power poles if the City of Somerton plans to widen a street? The answer is APS. And we know that because it’s outlined in the franchise agreement.

Voting YES in the franchise election does NOT decide your energy provider, change rates or increase APS revenues. It simply ensures that we and Somerton have clearly outlined our shared use of public rights-of-way. That enables our company to continue delivering safe, reliable energy to the city’s homes and businesses. It also assures that Somerton can continue to plan and grow efficiently and economically to benefit the city’s residents.

Why do we need a franchise election?

A franchise provides stability and helps Somerton prepare for the future in cooperation with APS. Across Arizona, APS has franchise agreements with 53 municipalities and 11 counties that we serve. According to state law, no franchise agreement can exceed 25 years. That means, if approved, you won’t see this issue come to ballot again in Somerton until at least 2042. Yuma and San Luis also have franchises with APS, but those aren’t included in this election because each community has a separate agreement with our company. The agreements with Yuma and San Luis aren’t set to expire yet. But when they do, citizens in those communities will be asked to vote in their own franchise elections.

This election is unique because it is Yuma County’s first mail-in only election. That means in order to vote on Nov. 7, you must mail in your ballot. Be sure to refer to the Yuma County’s website for more information about the process. For questions about the franchise agreement, call us at (877) 490-6872 or visit azenergyfuture.com/ somerton.