Price council advances battery project, sets EV charging rates, funds flood basin

The Price City Council voted 5-0 on Oct. 28 to continue development work on a battery energy storage project with the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS). It is a 5.04-megawatt battery with about two hours of storage that a UAMPS presenter said could save the city roughly $5.4 million in power costs over 20 years ^[1][3].

The presenter said the figure compares projected future power costs with the cost of building and operating the battery. Councilmember Russell Seeley asked whether the battery would be used daily to get through summer peaks and then refilled at night. The presenter said it would be run during peak demand and charged when power is cheapest, such as when solar output is high, and could show the regional power market that the city has capacity available. During public comment, one resident urged the council to ask about battery degradation, replacement costs and any ongoing monitoring fees. The record says final approvals will come back to the council later ^[1][3].

The council also adopted Resolution 2026-21, which adds a new electric rate table for commercial EV charging stations, effective Jan. 1. The agenda describes it as a rate table specific to commercial charging kiosks and stations. Nick Tatton told the council it is not a rate increase but a separate rate for commercial EV charging, because fast chargers have a disproportionately high impact on electric circuits ^[2][3].

On flood control, the council ratified a request to the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service for $371,666.75 in additional Emergency Watershed Protection funding to design and build a stormwater detention basin in Pioneer Park. The agenda puts the total project cost at $591,516.40, with a city match and ineligible piping cost of $219,849.65, and asks for a four-month extension to Nov. 5, 2027. A city staff member said the drainage above 600 North and 100 East runs behind homes and has flooded the wave pool and USU Eastern area and property down 600 North, and that the city has enough money in its stormwater account for its share. Seeley said he lives on 100 East and saw flooding there this summer and fall ^[1][2][3].

The council also approved 5-0 a fee waiver for the second Crowning Confidence all-abilities pageant at the Price City Auditorium, an application for a $7,500 Main Street Capacity Building Grant for the downtown district, a $5,000 easement for the city's spring water transmission line, a Fleet Department career ladder (Resolution 2026-23), updated Master Technician job descriptions (Resolution 2026-22), and a consent agenda that included the Oct. 14 minutes and an audit engagement letter with Larson & Company ^[2][3].

Earlier in the meeting, Harry Hansen of Valar Atomics gave an update and took questions from council members. The company representative said its reactor design uses little water and the project could bring the county significant property tax revenue. The representative said the company does not yet have a commercial license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and listed the agencies that regulate it, including the NRC and several Utah divisions. During public comment, residents questioned the company's promises on jobs, tax revenue and water use, asked what is guaranteed in writing, and raised questions about cleanup costs and nuclear waste. The council took no action on the item or the comments ^[1][2][3].