Fort Dodge City Council members made it clear Monday night that if voters approve proposed utility franchise fees next month, all of the money will be spent on the Police Department.

A measure spelling that out was approved unanimously by the council.

Councilman Cameron Nelson said dedicating all of the money to the Police Department is “doing what the citizens of Fort Dodge asked.”

“This item is the council putting pen to paper and saying that we will be using all, 100 percent, of the money for the Police Department,” he said.

A referendum vote on the franchise fees will be held Sept. 10.

The fees are 5 percent levies that would be added to the electric and natural gas bills of MidAmerican Energy.

According to the most recent figures provided by the city, the franchise fee would add $3.70 to the monthly electric bill of a typical household.

It would add $3.15 to the monthly gas bill of a typical household, according to those figures.

The fees would generate an estimated $1.8 million a year in revenue.

City officials plan to use that revenue to pay for hiring eight additional police officers for the 40-member police force.

The resolution approved Monday states, “that 100 percent of all funds received from MidAmerican Energy’s electric and natural gas franchise fees will be directed solely to the operations of the Fort Dodge Police Department.”

It also states, “The Fort Dodge Police Department budget will show a dedicated revenue line item from franchise fee revenues.”

Scott Davis, the former City Council candidate who started the petition which forced a referendum vote on the franchise fees, described the resolution as a “win-win.”

“The people of Fort Dodge get to vote on it and all the money is going to the PD,” he said after the council meeting.

As originally proposed, the franchise fee revenue was to be used for three purposes: hiring eight more police officers, reducing that part of the property tax levy that pays off general obligation bond debt, and funding the Karl King Band and Citizens Central.

Early this year, the City Council was moving to implement the franchise fees with a series of three votes. The first two votes passed, but in late February the council received the petition launched by Davis that was signed by 900 citizens to force a special election on the issue.