Bury power lines.
Underground lines help protect families and improve reliability. The agreement on your ballot dedicates funding every year to undergrounding projects selected by Denver.
Safer, more reliable power
for our homes, schools, and hospitals.
The agreement requires Xcel Energy to deliver it.
WHY VOTE YES
What is Denver’s new franchise agreement, and why vote YES?
A YES vote approves Denver’s new utility agreement, requiring Xcel Energy to keep burying overhead power lines, coordinate with the City during storms and emergencies, and pay to move its utility infrastructure on covered public projects. The measure does not set utility rates.
This agreement requires Xcel Energy to do the following:
Prepare for storms and emergencies.
The agreement requires Xcel Energy to work with Denver on emergency management and keep the City informed about service interruptions.
Pay to move power lines.
On covered public projects, Xcel Energy pays to relocate its infrastructure, not Denver taxpayers. Denver estimates this requirement has saved the City $3 billion over the past 20 years.
Source: City and County of Denver.
FAQs
Questions Denver voters are asking.
Denver owns the streets and public property Xcel Energy uses to deliver electricity and natural gas. A franchise agreement sets what Xcel Energy must do and pay in return. Denver’s current agreement expires December 31, 2026. Under Denver’s charter, voters must approve the proposed new agreement. If approved, it takes effect January 1, 2027.
No. The measure does not set utility rates, and Xcel Energy will continue serving Denver whether it passes or fails. The vote decides whether Denver’s negotiated requirements for Xcel Energy take effect.
A YES vote approves the new franchise agreement and activates the Energy Partnership Agreement. Together, the agreements continue Denver’s funded power-line undergrounding program and require emergency coordination, independent audits of franchise-fee payments, and Xcel-funded utility relocations on covered public projects. They also provide additional bill assistance, an Energy Resource Navigator that connects residents to assistance in English and Spanish, neighborhood input on new substations, a community advisory group, public progress reports, and support for Denver’s climate and clean-energy goals.
If the measure fails, neither new agreement takes effect. Denver would lose the agreement’s funded undergrounding program, and Xcel Energy would not be bound by its requirements for emergency coordination, independent audits of franchise-fee payments, additional bill-assistance funding, or paying for utility relocations on covered public projects. Xcel Energy will continue serving Denver either way. The vote decides whether these requirements and benefits continue under a new agreement.
Yes. Our outreach team is meeting with neighborhood and community groups across Denver. Email community@safeenergydenver.com to invite a speaker.
Want to learn more? Read the agreements and related materials on the City and County of Denver’s website.