The City's Energy Struggle

At the informal Common Council meeting last night, Council president Don Moore presented a detailed analysis--fourteen pages of charts and tables--of the energy use, both gas and electric, by the City's buildings and facilities. In the overview accompanying the tables, Moore defined these Preliminary Conclusions and Recommendations:

Aside from the obvious questions concerning the yet to be completely clarified increases in costs, especially electric supply costs, over the past year, there is the challenge to the City to create an ongoing process to evaluate multiple vendors and by so doing to acquire the most favorable short and long term energy prices. At the same time, the City has expressed its strong interest in both energy conservation measures to reduce consumption, and a strategy for employing renewable energy resources, using favorable, available public financing to achieve stable, predictable pricing. Both of these strategies need development by the end of the year.

Responding to Moore's study, Mayor William Hallenbeck read a long prepared statement defending the City's decision to buy energy from Viridian, a decision that was his initiative. "Regardless of if we save thousands or tens of thousands, we did the right thing," Hallenbeck asserted. "We took a leadership role and led the county and the Hudson Valley, and now there are Democratic and Republican led towns and councils who followed Hudson's lead of price stability and green energy, all choosing Viridian." 

One bit of disturbing information revealed by Moore's study: in 2012-2013, the City paid $2,651.72 in late payment charges; in 2013-2014, the amount was $3,070.53.

John Mason has a full report on the energy discussion in today's Register-Star: "Moore: City's energy bill is up 33% in 1 year."
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