Electrical suit settlement results in $2.6 million for Geneva

More than $2.6 million that Geneva paid to buy electricity from a utility company is returning to the city's wallet.

The city council Monday approved a settlement with Wisconsin Electric Power Co., from which Geneva bought electricity from 1986 to 2006.

The money comes from the decommissioning and sale of one of the company's nuclear power plants. The sale resulted in an excess in the decommissioning fund, and the utility proposed to distribute the money to current customers.

Several previous customers, including Geneva, protested and filed suit with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. They argued that since they had paid into the decommissioning fund for years, they should be included in the rebate.

Alderman Ron Singer asked public works director Dan Dinges whether the money could be returned to Geneva utility customers, although he noted that people who live in Geneva now may not have lived in Geneva in 1986 and that it could be difficult to track down past utility customers.

The electrical department prefers, however, to use the money to speed up work on replacing aging underground electrical cables to eliminate blackouts.

"We feel that putting it into infrastructure would benefit the entire city by having a more reliable system," Dinges said.

The city spends nearly $3 million a year on electrical system work.

The city expects to receive the check by the end of April.