San Marcos and LCRA Negotiating a New 25-year Contract

Out of San Marcos: City Council there is getting some flack over confidential contract negotiations with LCRA. The Austin American Statesman reports that San Marcos city officials are negotiating with LCRA for a new contract that would secure electricity purchases through 2041, since their current contract ends in 2016. But the 52-page proposal is being kept confidential, and both parties say it will stay confidential, even if City Council approves the deal, since the contract contains competitive information that other utility providers could use to undercut LCRA in a price battle that’s been brewing since the deregulation of electric providers in 1999. San Marcos City Council was set to vote on the issue this past Tuesday, but they postponed that vote in the hopes of providing more information to the public before their meeting next month.