The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
I’m no lawyer or accountant, but it may well be that Tucson Citizens, and not TEP, have been paying TEP’s franchise fee since the current franchise agreement began in 2001. Does that matter? It does if you’d like TEP to pay their contractual debts with their own money and not yours!
If you look at the current Franchise Agreement Tucson voters approved in 2001 it obligates TEP to pay the City of Tucson a Franchise Fee in exchange for permission to run poles and electric lines on right-of-ways owned by Tucsonans. Look in your backyard and you will likely see TEP’s poles and wires strung along your back alley. That alley is a City established right-of-way that allows the City to have access and provide you with City Services such as City Water, City Trash removal, etc.
“Permission” to access and use Tucson’s property is what was given when citizens voted for the existing Franchise Agreement. And you, Tucson, should be compensated for that. Why should TEP customers automatically underwrite TEP’s 10.2% profit-taking? The Mayor and Council struggle every year to make the best use of taxpayer funds. This year’s competing programs, whether for water, police and fire services, transportation, parks and recreation or a myriad of social services all continue to be monetarily stressed. Even the urgently needed Climate Action Plan suffers a lack of upfront funding. The missing $300,000,000 from TEP could go a long way to better fund these needs.
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