At their February meeting of the Sallisaw Board of City Commissioners, the Board adopted a resolution opposing the sale of the Grand River Dam Authority assets.
The Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA) is a state-owned, non-appropriated, non-profit utility that provides power to Northeast Oklahoma from hydroelectric, coal, gas and wind generation. If provides power for 24 counties in Oklahoma and three other states. Given the condition of the State of Oklahoma budget, talk of selling off the utility assets of GRDA is once again being discussed at the State Capitol; a move that could be devastating for Sallisaw and other GRDA communities who purchase electric from GRDA and resell to their customers. GRDA not only supplies low cost power to its customers, but also provides avenues for communities to grow and prosper.
The City of Sallisaw has been a GRDA customer since 1952 and has long realized the benefits of being one of over 2,000 public power communities across the United States. Sallisaw, along with other GRDA communities, use the net revenues generated from power sales to supplement sales tax and other operating revenues to provide many essential city services, such as public safety, parks and streets. GRDA is essential to the economic development and growth its municipal-owned utilities it serves.
The view the resolution, click the link below.