This evening's meeting included the Finance Committee, the full City Council, and several committees. Major actions included approval of a natural gas contract (amended to $1.6 million), controversy over a $43,000 change order for the State Street water pump station (ultimately held to September 14), approval of fire apparatus purchases (pumper and ambulance both held to September), an audit contract renewal, a salt purchase, IT renewals, a police drone program expansion, and several zoning and ordinance items. The meeting also featured public comments on a First Amendment lawsuit and Buttonwoods Beach access.
Good evening, everyone. Good evening. The Wart City Council Finance Committee has come to order. If you have any discussions, please take them out into the lobby. First order of business is an approval on the minutes from June fifteenth. We have one recusal. Second. Any discussion? All in favor? Aye. Aye. Recuse. And we have, thank you, one um recusal. If there is no objection from the committee, I would like to move the rest of the minutes in order to save time and in one vote. May have a motion. So you have a motion, we have a second. I'll second it. All in favor? Aye. Thank you. That takes care of all the minutes. I'll second it. Any further discussion? All in favor? Aye. Aye. Recuse. And we have one recruit. Thank you. So moved. I have a motion. I will second any discussion. All in favor? Aye. Thank you. Good afternoon, Lynn Proger, City Finance Director. Um this evening I'm asking that we go into contract with NRG in order to purchase our natural gas. This contract is negotiated with a company called Power Options, which I utilized for our electricity as well. They have a partnership with the Rhode Island Interlocal Trust. Um that is the biggest change from the last time we awarded this. We're using them as an intermediary because they have more uh clout in order to get us a better rate. The other uh big change about this bid is that we would be we have worded this contract so that we would actually be going into this amount with the school department as well. Typically we've done it separately, but we figured out that if we do this together, we will have a more advantageous rate for both sides of the house. Um I wrote this letter, there was a typo in it. It's actually 75 cents per therm, not seven and a half. I wish it was seven and a half. The rate I got last week was 7.4. Um, I'm using power options to assess where exactly to hit the rate. It's hard to figure out because it is a commodity, but using power options has really been very helpful. My estimate on here is 1.9 million dollars.