It's curious that the residents of Hudson are hearing about this first from the Times Union, but so it goes. The City owes National Grid $105,000: "Hudson upgraded its streetlights. Then got a $105,000 National Grid bill." This is the first paragraph of the article:
Earlier this month, National Grid sent the city of Hudson a notice threatening to disconnect its 891 streetlights, along with a bill for $105,000 in unpaid electricity costs dating back at least a year.
According to the Department of Public Works, National Grid had not been billing regularly for streetlight electricity since the City began upgrading to LED bulbs in 2024. According to National Grid, the City and its contractor failed to submit updated wattage readings in a timely manner. No explanation is given for why no one seemed to notice that the electricity bills were unusually low.
There is, however, a plan to pay the unexpected bill for $105,000 and keep the streetlights on.
[Mayor Joe] Ferris said Hudson will pay most of the outstanding amount using unspent funds from 2025 budget lines. The remainder will be covered by a proposed 2026 budget amendment. City officials officials hope to move money from 12 different municipal accounts to cover the cost, according to a copy of the proposal.
The resolution transferring unspent funds from various accounts and $75,000 from the General Fund can be viewed here. The resolution is on the agenda for Monday's informal meeting of the Common Council.
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We’re entering a Dark Ages
ReplyDeleteSo it seems the spirits of the past, and their missteps, are still very much alive and wreaking havoc.
ReplyDeleteThis type of thing (failure to submit wattage readings to National Grid) is the type of thing that fuels the calls for a city manager. Or some other type of municipal employee that does the boring stuff.
How do you solve this problem in Greenport?
DeleteI actually don't know exactly how we pay for our street lighting.
DeleteI had a distinct impression last year in December as I was doing an after-hours walk through my neighborhood that there was some sort of frugality thing going on. I traversed Hartwell Ave twice and the lights where on the first time but off the second time I passed through.
I would get rid of them entirely. We don't need them. Hudson would be fine with streetlights only on Warren St, I reckon.
But do you feel safe to walk on Warren during hours of darkness?
ReplyDeleteDon’t reply Count.