Victoria residents are pushing back against Xcel Energy after they say the company blindsided them with plans to install overhead power lines in their scenic Carver County city.

At an informational meeting Tuesday at City Hall, more than 50 residents voiced their frustration over the proposal that would line Victoria Drive and County Road 18 with distribution lines. Xcel representatives have said the system upgrades would help meet an energy need in the growing city. But many of the residents near the proposed lines are served by the Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative (MVEC), not Xcel.

Residents at the meeting discussed an alternative: putting the power lines underground. That could cost $1.25 million to $1.75 million, which the city would have to pay, and officials said that's not in their budget. Residents have suggested a franchise fee to cover the costs. The fee would apply to all electric users in the city, including those served by the MVEC.

"With the county, the city and the residents working together with Xcel, we will come up with a resolution that will maybe not satisfy everybody, but I think it will be a workable solution for everybody," Carver County Commissioner Randy Maluchnik said.

Xcel has substations in Waconia and Eden Prairie that sit 21 miles apart, serving an area that is too large to accommodate during a power failure. Residents on Victoria's north side, served by Xcel, have seen power outages from one to three days multiple times a year. A new station planned on Victoria Drive (County Road 11) would reduce the chance of outages, according to Xcel. The lines would also serve Chanhassen, Shorewood, Laketown Township and Waconia.

"We are not doing anything different than we would do in Bloomington or Eden Prairie," Patrick Cline, Xcel's director of community relations and Minnesota corporate giving, said at the meeting, to which residents shouted back that they do not compare in size to those cities.

Xcel hopes to complete the project by November.

The City Council will host a listening session on July 11 to further discuss the franchise-fee option, said Laurie Hokkanen, Victoria city manager.

Beatrice Dupuy • 612-673-1707