TRAVERSE CITY — Officials expect that a consultant chosen to conduct an operations audit of Traverse City Light & Power will take about three months to complete the work.
City commissioners this week agreed with a task force recommendation to pick Hometown Connections International, LLC to complete a management and operations study of the city utility. Final contract details with the Colorado-based firm will be negotiated by city Manager Ben Bifoss and Light & Power Executive Director Ed Rice.
The Light & Power board already authorized payment up to $92,500 for the audit, which will examine the utility's efficiency and consider ways to cut costs.
Mayor Michael Estes suggested the evaluation, and the city commission supported the plan. The Traverse Bay Economic Development Corp. and a task force made up of city, utility and other representatives developed the study's scope and recommended Hometown Connections from the four responses.
That approach created an "independent" process for selecting a firm, said utility board Chairman Patrick McGuire. Light & Power will enter into the contract with Hometown, and work could begin in November if details are finalized. The firm will provide a draft version of its findings and report back to Light & Power and the city commission.
McGuire said it will be the job of the utility staff and board to act on the recommendations.
"I think we have to respond on a point-by-point basis," he said.
Doug Luciani, president and CEO of the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce, said the task force was unanimous in its support of the chosen firm. Hometown Connections has experience in west Michigan and has completed hundreds of similar audits for municipal utilities, he said.
"Every member of the task force agreed that this was a clear No. 1 choice," he said.
The EDC is a chamber subsidiary.
Region
Consultant to create Light and Power overview
Audit will examine efficiency and ways to cut costs
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Man could face 7th domestic violence conviction
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Officials to meet on Cass, Hartman-Hammond river crossings
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Clearing the Record: 06/18/2013
Because of a reporter’s error, the creator of the six dogmen costumes for the “Dogman 2: Wrath of the Litter” movie was misidentified in Saturday’s Record-Eagle.
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BATA plan: Load more bikes on buses
Cyclists who pedal the Leelanau Trail between Traverse City and Suttons Bay now have more back-and-forth options.
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Goodwill to develop food truck
An area nonprofit will rely on more than $20,000 in taxpayer-funded grants to begin operating a food truck that accepts Bridge Cards.
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Downtown leader passes away
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Light & Power board balks at price of proposal
Traverse City Light & Power board members balked at a $60,000-plus, no-bid proposal to plot the city-owned utility’s future.
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Empire event to celebrate beloved soundman
The northern Michigan musical community will pay homage to one of its own during the Summer Solstice Celebration of Music and Community on June 23 from noon to 9 p.m. at Johnson Park in Empire.
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'Thunder' to roll to honor vets
Members of Rolling Thunder Michigan Chapter 1 invite the public to polish their chrome and join them as they hit the highway for their fourth annual Pure Thunder-escorted veterans memorial ride.
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Northern Notes: Just Mulch gets thank-you
Debra Norman, principal at Lake Ann Elementary School, wrote to thank Scott and Deb Talquist from Just Mulch for providing the school with the equipment and manpower to keep its pond and waterfall operating.
Continued ... - Sunday, June 16, 2013
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TBAISD to hold budget hearing
Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District Board of Education will hold a hearing on their fiscal year 2013-14 budget on Tuesday as board members consider whether to spend some of their nearly 58 percent fund balance.
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'Family is our whole life': Raising quadruplets plus two
Since her quadruplets grew out of diapers, life smoothed out for Tonya Lewandowski.
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Program aims to keep tenants in their homes
Charles Alexander sat in 86th District Court and uttered that he'd rather be dead than homeless.
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Acme beach buildings demo set
Acme Township purchased the last of three buildings on its growing project to create a mile-long shoreline park, and demolition crews are ready to dive into work.
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Free fishing day hooks young anglers
Screeches, squeals and screams of excitement could be heard from Northwestern Michigan College's Great Lakes Campus as kids reeled in rainbow trout.
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Fire damages Garfield Township home
Firefighters were called to 4327 Stoneridge Dr. Saturday at 2:12 a.m. and arrived to flames through the roof.
Continued ... - Saturday, June 15, 2013
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Michigan still reeling out cash incentives
The heyday of Michigan’s movie incentives has faded, but director Rich Brauer lauded the state’s restructured movie incentive program as “very, very intelligent.”
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Dogman yelps again in film
Walter Rowen panted, not unlike a dog, after he sprinted around on aluminum stilts with furry paws at the bottom with two other similarly outfitted men.
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Predictions of turbine's demise premature
The nation’s first wind turbine run by a public utility can once again handle a good blow after a 10-month odyssey of failures and almost $50,000 in fixes.
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Traverse City Manager Bifoss' tenure ends next week
City Manager Ben Bifoss will finish his career at Traverse City with a Monday meeting marked by routine items void of controversy.
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Discussion to address suicide prevention
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Group works to halt invasive plants' spread
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More sea lamprey treatments, surveys scheduled
Scientists plan to find and kill parasitic fish in several local waterways.
Continued ... - Friday, June 14, 2013
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Coming Saturday: Dogman yelps again
Walter Rowen panted, not unlike a dog, after he sprinted around on aluminum stilts with furry paws at the bottom with two other similarly outfitted men.
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Man could face 7th domestic violence conviction
