Elected officials from Arizona’s cities and towns are encouraging the state’s energy regulators to keep rooftop solar viable.

The letter from mayors and city council members in half a dozen cities — Mesa, Tempe and Tucson, among them — comes as Arizona Corporation Commissioners get ready to make a big decision about the future of rooftop solar.

For months, utilities, the solar industry, consumer advocates and others have weighed in on the value of distributed generation. It’s an effort to devise a way of accurately accounting for the benefits, like less infrastructure and zero emissions, as well as the costs.

Customers buy less energy and utilities say that doesn’t cover all the expenses assocaited with maintaining the grid.

Clarkdale Mayor Doug Von Gausig says growing your own energy makes a lot of sense for outlying towns like his.

“We would feel more secure in the Verde Valley if a lot of our generation was taking place right here, eliminating the potential problem with centralized generation of disruptions,” Von Gausig said, adding that the technology also saves water.

He said he would be concerned if the commission’s decision leads to big fees for solar customers who get reimbursed for their excess power at retail rates, known as net-metering.