How to Engage with Colorado Springs Utilities

A guide for regular people: how it works, why it matters, and how to make sure your voice actually counts.

Why this matters

Colorado Springs Utilities isn’t a private company answering to a state regulator. It’s owned by the city, and it’s run by your City Council, acting as the Utilities Board. That means the people making decisions about your electric rates, your power sources, and big infrastructure projects are the same people you vote for. Their votes are public, and they’re on the record.

We have the power to influence the utility, so let’s show up and do it!

It’s a real opportunity, but it only works if people actually show up in that record. A utility board making a 20-year decision hears from utility staff, industry groups, and consultants by default. Regular customers usually don’t weigh in unless they make a point of it. If you don’t, the record is built entirely by people who already have a seat at the table.

Having an opinion is not the same as getting it into the record. Complaining to a friend, posting on social media, or even speaking up at the wrong meeting can feel like you’ve said your piece, but if it isn’t tied to the right decision, in a form the utility or the Board actually logs, it doesn’t count as public input on that decision. It won’t show up in meeting minutes, it can’t be cited later, and the people voting may never see it.

Getting into the record means your name and your specific concern are attached to a real vote, something that can be pointed to later, by you, by journalists, or by future councils.

Where decisions actually get made

The Utilities Board is Colorado Springs City Council, wearing its utility hat. It has final say on rates, big capital projects, and long-term plans like the Electric Integrated Resource Plan. It meets the Wednesday between regular Council meetings, usually the third Wednesday of the month.

The Utilities Policy Advisory Committee (UPAC) is a smaller committee that reviews specific policy questions the Board asks it to look into, and makes recommendations before those questions reach the full Board. This is often an earlier and easier point to influence a decision than waiting for the final vote.

Board working committees and the finance committee are smaller groups of Board members that meet on narrower topics. These are open to the public too.

Rate case hearings are a more formal process. When the utility asks to change rates, City Council holds structured hearings with a documented record: testimony, evidence, and a formal decision. Comments here carry more weight when they’re tied to specific cost or policy questions, not just general opinion.

Stakeholder engagement before a plan is finalized, things like customer surveys, virtual community check-ins, and community presentations, happen well before a plan comes to a vote. These are often the easiest place to actually shape the outcome, because nothing has been finalized yet. Watch for these; by the time a plan reaches the Board for a vote, most of the substance has already been decided.

How to actually get your comment into the record

Know exactly which decision you’re trying to influence, and use the channel tied to it. A comment made at some unrelated meeting, or posted publicly instead of submitted formally, may never get attached to the actual vote you care about. Figure out the specific agenda item and the meeting or deadline connected to it.
Email boardsubmissions@csu.org anytime. Include your name, phone number, and the specific agenda item or topic. This creates a written record tied to that item, even if you can’t attend a meeting.
Sign up to speak at the relevant Board or UPAC meeting. Public comment is usually limited to a few minutes per speaker, per item. Check the current agenda on csu.org before the meeting so you know exactly when to show up or log in. Board meetings are at an inconveniant time for many, (1pm on Wednesdays) but you can email the board at any time to add your comment.
Tie your concern to what the Board can actually decide on. Board members have to weigh things like cost, reliability, and legal requirements, not just general approval or disapproval. A comment that says “this cost estimate doesn’t hold up” or “this doesn’t meet the standard you’re citing” carries more weight than “I don’t like this.”
Use specific numbers and facts, not vague objections. Concrete details, megawatts, dollar figures, dates, are harder to dismiss, and they show you’ve actually read the material.
Confirm where the process actually stands before you react. Check whether a vote has already happened and whether comment is still open, so your effort goes toward a point where it can still make a difference.

Quick reference

Submit written comment: boardsubmissions@csu.org (include name, phone number, and agenda item)
Utilities Board info, agendas, and minutes. (Scroll to the bottom of the page.)
UPAC meeting and member info.
Utilities Board meetings: 121 S. Tejon St. South Tower, 5th Floor, Blue River Boardroom or virtual. Check for links and upcoming dates here.
Customer surveys: watch for CSU outreach emails or notices about upcoming surveys and community check-ins, these are your earliest chance to weigh in on a plan before it’s finalized.

To meet with others who are engaging on utility issues in the Springs, come to the combined meetings of 350 Colorado Springs and Indivisible Colorado Springs Environmental Action team. By working together, we can be more effective.

Energy-Related Solutions and Links

There’s a lot to be frustrated about, and rightly so. We also want to link you to solutions and things we can do to take back our agency. Here’s a few things you might find interesting!

Utilizing local resources and expertise

Here’s one of our local advocates for sustainable living, Dave Gardner, talking with Mike from the Energy Resource Center on how we can make our homes more energy efficient. Energy Resource Center provides free high efficiency energy upgrades for low-income families.

Practice appropriate technology

Check out these ideas on low-tech solutions and appropriate technology. Much of our energy situation and converging crises can seem overwhelming, it’s true. Still, there are tons of small solutions that add up in a big way over time, resulting in a lot less overwhelm. It’s true that lowering our energy needs will allow us to live more resiliently. Applying low-tech solutions and lowering our energy demand puts us in a position of better being able to respond to the current moment, rather than react.

Install a rain barrel or two

Rain barrels are a low-stakes way to begin collecting water to utilize in your landscape. Water your trees, pollinator plants, and more without adding to your bill and take advantage of our monsoon seasons. Check out these links from local orgs who can help with rain barrels.

Advocate for Greywater in Colorado Springs

Recently, greywater was banned in Colorado Springs. Greywater is water that has touched some soap and used to clean laundry or people (handwashing sinks, showers) and can be recycled onto the landscape. It only makes sense to work with water in a way that doesn’t act like we have an unlimited supply.

Sign a petition to get greywater legal in the Springs here

Further reading: Colorado Springs bans graywater reuse. One resident is suing to change that

Here’s local greywater advocates, Joe and Ally talking about this issue and what you can do:

Advocate for solar in Colorado Springs

Get involved with Solar United Neighbors, Indivisible Colorado Springs Environmental Action Team, or show up independantly at Colorado Springs Utilities meetings to advocate.