The Ames City Council decides Tuesday night whether or not to give Alliant Energy the power of eminent domain. If the council votes in favor of Alliant, it will allow the company to acquire private property for its own use.

Currently, Alliant needs to go before the Council, and then the Council would use eminent domain to acquire property for Alliant.

But at last week’s Council meeting, representatives from Alliant told the Council that it needed the power of eminent domain to help it move quickly, without having to discuss cases with the city, and that using eminent domain would be a last resort.

In Alliant’s defense, 30 cities in Iowa have given the company eminent domain, and they have only used it twice.

But the editorial board believes that government is best done in the public eye, not in an Alliant board room.

Denying Alliant’s request is a better option, because the company will still have to come before the City Council. Meanwhile, citizens of Ames will be allowed to share their views on the matter.

Alliant has said it would rarely use the power, so why is going in front of the Council and acquiring the land properly such a chore?

Doesn’t Alliant owe it to the citizen who may lose private property to go through the proper avenues of acquisition?

A private company should never have the right to acquire property from a citizen, especially when it isn’t required to discuss the issue with the city.

There is still time to act though. Call and e-mail City Council members and tell them you don’t support Alliant having eminent domain power.

And finally, a question for the City Council members: If Alliant wants to acquire your personal property in the future, will you gladly give it up to save the company some time?