BURBANK : Agreement Near on Plan to Buy Power

An agreement with Glendale and Pasadena to work as partners to buy power for the three cities could be signed within a week, said Ronald V. Stassi, general manager of Burbank’s Public Service Department.

Under the agreement, Glendale will buy a three-year lease on an office downtown and charge Pasadena and Burbank for their share of the costs. Each city provides its own computer and office equipment, as well as a staff of employees called schedulers. The schedulers would work together to find the cheapest available electrical source for their cities.

The agreement has to be reviewed by the city attorney before Stassi can sign it for Burbank. Stassi said he may first need to get the approval of the City Council. If so, the agreement will take longer to finalize.

Municipalities typically can buy power more cheaply if they are flexible and use a variety of sources that provide power for a limited time, Stassi said. Schedulers must plan ahead for when power is needed and compete with other governments.