[ TOWN OF GREENBURGH OFFICE OF THE TOWN BOARD 177 Hillside Avenue, Greenburgh, NY 10607 Tel: 914-989-1500 Fax: 914-993-1541 Email: JDudek@Greenburghny.com https://ny-greenburgh.civicplus.com/485/Watch-Live-Board-Meetings]
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WELCOME TO OUR TOWN BOARD, UH, WORK SESSION.
TODAY IS, UM, TUESDAY, MARCH 14TH AT, UH, FIVE, UM, AFTER 5:00 PM 4 5 4 14TH.
AND, UM, THIS IS THE WORK SESSION AND, UH, THE FIRST ITEM IS A, UH, FREEDOM OF INFORMATION LAW APPEAL CHRIST KING.
UM, CONSTRUCTIVE DENIAL AS, AS THE TOWN CLERK HERE.
UH, SO YOU WANT TO TAKE IT OUT OF WATER, BUT, YOU KNOW, I WAS LOOKING AT THAT, AT THAT DOCUMENT THAT IS REQUESTED SINCE SEEMS TO BE A PUBLIC DOCUMENT.
CAN YOU JUST SEND IT? I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM.
YEAH, WE, WE DID RECEIVE AN EMAIL FROM THE REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE APPLICANT TODAY.
UM, AND YES, THE, THE ITEM IS REQUESTED AND THEY ALSO NOTE I, I COULD READ THE WHOLE THING INTO THE RECORD IF YOU'D LIKE TO READ THAT.
BECAUSE IT'S A, IT'S AN APPEAL HEARING.
SO THIS IS FROM ELIA KING, ESQUIRE, ATTORNEY FOR THE APPLICANT.
DEAR TOWN BOARD, THANK YOU FOR PLACING THE HEARING REQUEST TO APPEAL THE CONSTRUCTIVE DENIAL SLASH LACK OF TIMELY RESPONSE OF FOIL 21 SLASH AMENDED FOIL 24 ON THE TOWN BOARD WORK SESSION.
AGENDA FOR TODAY, THIS IS MY OFFICIAL REQUEST TO THE TOWN BOARD TO OVERTURN THE TOWN CLERK'S CONSTRUCTIVE DENIAL OF MY REQUEST FOR PUBLIC DOCUMENT AND AVOID LITIGATION WHICH WOULD BE COSTLY TO THE TOWN.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE TOWN CLERK'S REPEATED DELAY IN PRODUCING THE REQUESTED DOCUMENT IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE AND LEGALLY INDEFENSIBLE.
THE DOCUMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PRODUCED AT THE LATEST, WITHIN FIVE DAYS OF MY FEBRUARY 3RD, 2023 AMENDED FOIL REQUEST.
THE TOWN CLERK ORIGINALLY STATED THAT SHE NEEDED AN ADDITIONAL 15 DAYS TO HAVE THE DOCUMENT REVIEWED BY THE TOWN ATTORNEY.
THE TOWN CLERK THEN SENT THE DUE DATE FOR COMPLIANCE AS MARCH 6TH, 2023.
NOTE THAT THIS DOCUMENT WAS THE SUBJECT OF A PUBLIC DISCUSSION AT THE TOWN CLERK'S REQUEST AT THE MARCH 24TH, 2022 BOARD OF ETHICS MEETING.
THE PUBLICLY DISCUSSED DOCUMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISCLOSED AND POSTED THEN WITHOUT A FOIL.
TWO DAYS AFTER THE STATED REPLY DATE OF MARCH 6TH, 2023.
THE TOWN CLERK RESPONDED IN QUOTES, PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT ADDITIONAL TIME IS REQUIRED TO REVIEW THE DOCUMENT.
THE DATE SPECIFIC IS JULY 1ST, 2023.
NO EXPLANATION WAS GIVEN BECAUSE THERE IS NO JUSTIFIABLE EXPLANATION OTHER THAN A POLITICAL ONE.
THE TOWN CLERK IS STATING THAT IT WILL TAKE MORE THAN ANOTHER THREE MONTHS TO PRODUCE A DOCUMENT SHE SENT TO THE BOARD OF ETHICS ON OR ABOUT JANUARY 5TH, 2022, AND PUBLICLY DISCLOSED WITH THE TOWN CLERK AT ITS MARCH 24TH, 2022 MEETING.
I URGED THE TOWN BOARD TO OVERTURN THE TOWN CLERK'S, CONTINUED DENIAL OF THE DOCUMENT AND PRODUCE THE DOCUMENT FORT TO AVOID NEEDLESS LITIGATION.
MY SCHEDULE WILL NOT ALLOW ME TO BE AVAILABLE AT FIVE O'CLOCK FOR THE WORK SESSION.
UH, HOWEVER, I'LL BE THERE FOR ANOTHER MATTER AT SEVEN.
THANK YOU CHRISTAL KING, ESQUIRE.
AND THAT'S THE END OF THE MEETING.
WHO JUST TUNED IN? THAT'S FROM THE REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE APPLICANT TONIGHT.
WHAT'S, WHAT? COULD YOU SPECIFY WHAT THE DOCUMENT IS? YEAH, PLEASE.
THE DOCUMENT AND I'LL, I'LL READ IT FROM THE FORM ITSELF INSTEAD OF PARAPHRASING.
THE REQUEST WAS FOR QUOTE, ON OR ABOUT JANUARY 5TH, 2022, THE GREENBERG TOWN CLERK SENT A REQUEST TO THE BOARD OF ETHICS.
THIS EMAIL IS A PUBLIC RECORD AND THE BOARD OF ETHICS ADVISORY OPINIONS 2014 ONE 2014 FIVE 2014 SEVEN 2015.
TWO SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS ARE ATTACHED FOR CLARITY END QUOTE.
SO ESSENTIALLY A REQUEST WITHIN AN EMAIL.
UM, LET ME JUST SEE ONE THING THERE WAS ASKING FOR THOSE.
SHE'S ASKING THOSE, THE BACKUP, THE, UM, THE ACTUAL REQUEST, CORRECT? NO, SHE'S ASKING FOR THE, THE BOARD OF ETHICS OPINIONS, THOSE THREE BOARD OF ETHICS OPINIONS.
I THINK SHE'S ASKING FOR WHAT DID THE TOWN CLERK REQUEST OF THE ETHICS BOARD TO GET THOSE OPINIONS.
THAT'S, THAT'S THE WAY I READ IT AS WELL.
WELL, CAN I JUST ASK A QUESTION? IF SOMEBODY WRITES A LETTER TO THE BOARD OF F ETHICS, ISN'T THAT A PUBLIC DOCUMENT? I WOULD THINK SO.
COULD I READ THE AMENDMENT? I THINK I SHOULD READ INTO THE RECORD THE AMENDMENT AS WELL, BECAUSE IT DOES CLARIFY THAT ISSUE.
AMENDED FOIL 24 1 DOCUMENTATION INCLU, SORRY.
IT'S VERY SMALL DOCUMENTATION, INCLUDING EMAILS, ANY ATTACHMENTS THERETO, AND ANY CORRESPONDENCE SENT BY JUDITH BEVILLE TO THE BOARD OF ETHICS ON OR ABOUT JANUARY, 2022,
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REQUESTING AN OPINION FROM THE BOARD OF ETHICS, AS WELL AS ANY DOCUMENTATION, INCLUDING EMAILS, ANY ATTACHMENTS, THERETO, AND ANY FORM OF CORRESPONDENCE SENT BY JUDITH BEVILLE RELATED TO THAT REQUEST OR RECEIPT OF AN OPINION OR OPINIONS AND TWO CERTIFICATION THAT NO OTHER DOCUMENTS EXIST RESPONSIVE TO THIS FOIA REQUEST.OTHER THAN THOSE PROVIDED, YEAH.
CAN I JUST MAKE A SUGGESTION BASED ON, YOU KNOW, WHAT I'VE DONE MM-HMM.
I JUST SAY THAT THE M I S DEPARTMENT COULD SEARCH MY, YOU KNOW, COMPUTER AND JUST PUT IN THE, THE WORDS THAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR, AND THEN THEY COULD HAVE THE RECORDS.
AND THIS WAY I DON'T HAVE TO SPEND HOURS SEARCHING.
AND THAT COULD BE DONE IN A COUPLE, YOU KNOW, IN A COUPLE HOURS OR LESS.
WELL, I THINK WE COULD AGREE THAT IT'S DISCLOSABLE AND THAT WOULD BE THE REMEDY TO PROVIDE IT.
SO, RIGHT, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT WOULD NORMALLY WE HAVE THE TOWN ATTORNEY RIGHT UP THE WRITE UP OUR DECISION, AND IF YOU WANTED TO GIVE US ANY LEGAL ADVICE DURING EXECUTIVE SESSION ON THIS, THAT WOULD BE FINE TOO.
UH, WE HAVE, UM, SUSTAINABLE WESTCHESTER, UM, UH, DAN, JUST A MOMENT.
ROGER AND LEO TOO, OR JUST DAN? HUH? NO, THIS IS ALL ROGER AND LEO TOO, OR JUST DAN? NO, THIS IS ONLY DAN.
UH, YEAH, I I THOUGHT THEY WERE SOME, YEAH, ROGER AND LEO WERE HERE THE LAST TIME, RIGHT? THAT'S RIGHT.
I DON'T KNOW IF I DID THE CAMERA.
UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, LEO WOULD'VE BEEN ON FOR A SEPARATE TOPIC, RATHER, AND I UNDERSTAND YOU, YOU HAVE TWO SEPARATE DIALOGUE WITH THEM.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, THANKS FOR THANKS FOR, UH, FACILITATING ME COMING BY ZOOM WITH THE WEATHER AS IT IS.
UM, I THINK, UH, COWARDICE IS THE BETTER PART OF VALOR.
SO I, I WAS SHOVELING EVERYBODY'S DRIVEWAYS.
BUT ALL THE SNOW, IT'S HARD TO, IT'S SUMMER, SNOW, SNOW, THE SNOW ANGELS DID A GREAT JOB AND PUBLIC WORKS DID A GREAT JOB.
I WOULD RATHER HAVE IT THIS WAY THAN SHOVEL SIX INCHES, PARTLY CLOUDY OUTTA MY DRIVEWAY.
I, I WENT, I BOUGHT A SNOWBLOWER THIS YEAR.
I'VE BEEN SHOVELING FOR, FOR DECADES, BUT I SAID, YOU KNOW, I'M OLDER.
I GOT A NICE ELECTRIC SNOWBLOWER.
AND OF COURSE, BECAUSE I DID THAT, THERE'S BEEN NO SNOWS.
NO, YOU CAN ALL THANK YOU CAN ALL THANK ME FOR THAT.
UM, THAT'S, THAT'S LIKE ME, THAT'S LIKE ME INSTALLING A GENERATOR AND NOW FOR EIGHT YEARS SINCE I INSTALLED IT, THERE'S NOT BEEN ONE BLACKOUT IN MY AREA.
JUST THE WAY IT'S ALL IT'S NEIGHBORS CAN THANK YOU FOR THAT.
WE'RE HERE FOR A SERIOUS TOPIC.
SO, UM, THANKS FOR, FOR, UH, MAKING THE TIME.
AND I KNOW WE WANTED TO, UH, COME IN AND JUST DO A CHECK IN, AND IT'S PRIMARILY DRIVEN BY THE RATES SITUATION.
UM, CONED RATES ARE LOWER THAN THE PROGRAM RATES AT THIS TIME.
AND THE, THE, UM, GOT A, A MESSAGE FROM, UH, PAUL SUGGESTING THAT WE DO A MAILING JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE ALL AWARE OF IT AND THEY CAN EXERCISE THEIR, THEIR CHOICES ABOUT THIS.
UM, MAYBE THOUGH, BUT JUST, JUST REAL QUICKLY, IF YOU GIMME LIKE 37 SECONDS, SINCE THIS IS A PUBLIC SESSION AND MAYBE NOT EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, WE'LL DO THE, LIKE, THE QUICK OVERVIEW.
I'M HERE FOR REPRESENTING SUSTAINABLE WESTCHESTER AND, UH, IN CHARGE OF THE WESTCHESTER POWER ELECTRICITY SUPPLY PROGRAM.
IT'S A COMMUNITY BULK SUPPLY, UH, ELECTRICITY PROGRAM WHOSE MAIN GOAL IS TO DRIVE, UH, THE UPTAKE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN THE COUNTY AS PART OF THE WHOLE PORTFOLIO OF DIFFERENT ENERGY PROGRAMMING THAT SUSTAINABILITY WESTCHESTER PROVIDES FOR ITS MEMBER, UH, MEMBER, UH, MUNICIPALITIES.
AND, UM, THE KEY FEATURE OF THE WESTCHESTER POWER PROGRAM IS WHEN THE MUNICIPALITY, UH, TAKES UP THE PROGRAM, IT BECOMES A NEW DEFAULT FOR, FOR THE MUNICIPALITY.
AND FOLKS GET NOTIFIED ABOUT THE, UH, THE START OF THE PROGRAM BY A, A LETTER, AND THEY
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HAVE TO ACTUALLY RAISE THEIR HAND TO SAY, I'D RATHER NOT OPT IN, IN ORDER NOT TO BE, UH, ENROLLED.SO THAT'S THE SO-CALLED OPT, OPT-OUT ENROLLMENT MECHANISM.
UH, THESE PROGRAMS ARE NOW SPREAD AROUND NEW YORK STATE TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY NOW COMPRISE THE, UH, LARGEST PART OF THE RENEWABLE ENERGY, UH, VOLUNTARY MARKET THAT'S OUTSIDE OF THE, THE MANDATORY SLIVER, WHICH GOES ON YOUR, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY'S BILL AS PART OF THE CLEAN ENERGY STANDARD.
BUT AS FAR AS VOLUNTARY PURCHASES ARE CONCERNED, CCAS, THAT'S THE COMMUNITY CHOICE AGGREGATION, LIKE, UH, WESTCHESTER POWER ARE NOW THE BIGGEST PART OF THAT MARKET IN NEW YORK STATE.
AND THE OTHER FEATURE IS WE'VE GENERALLY HAD FIXED FIXED RATES.
SO WE HAVE A CONTRACT, UH, WITH A SUPPLIER, THEY BECOME THE SUPPLIER FOR THAT TERM, AND PEOPLE CAN OPT IN AND OPT OUT AT ANY TIME.
BUT THE CONTRACT, UH, THE, UH, ESCO SUPPLIER IS A OBLIGED SUPPLY AT THOSE FIXED RATES DURING THAT, DURING THAT TERM, FOR ANYBODY WHO'S, WHO'S IN OUR CURRENT CONTRACT FOR, UM, UH, FOR THE KIND OF AREA IS THE RENEWABLE ENERGY PRICE IS 15.13 CENTS PER KILOWATT HOUR.
AND THE, UH, STANDARD RATE IS 13.36 CENTS PER KILOWATT HOUR.
SO, UM, THAT'S GONNA JUST A BACKDROP.
I THOUGHT THAT'D BE GOOD FOR JUST TO BRING EVERYBODY UP TO THE SAME, SAME SPOT THERE.
UM, BUT THE CONED RATES HAVE NOT QUITE GONE WHERE WE THOUGHT THEY WERE GONNA GO OR WHERE, WHERE THE MARKETS HAD PREDICTED THEM TO GO.
BACK WHEN WE WERE DOING THE BIDDING IN, UH, IN THE FALL, WE WERE LOOKING AT ALL KINDS OF CRAZY FACTORS COMING IN.
WE'D ALREADY COME OUT OF A PERIOD WHERE WE'RE EXPORTS OF ENERGY NATURAL GAS, WHICH IS THE DRIVER FOR ELECTRICITY PRICING, UH, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT MOST OF THE GENERATION IS, IS DONE BY, UH, WE'RE ALREADY INCREASING.
THEN YOU HAD THE, THE WAR IN UKRAINE COMING, AND THAT WAS THAT ALL OF A SUDDEN WITH THE, THE BOYCOTTS AND EVERYTHING, UH, RAISED THAT EVEN HIGHER SUPPLY COULDN'T KEEP UP.
BUT WE DIDN'T KNOW WHERE ANYTHING WAS GOING IN THE, UH, THE MARKET WAS JUST GOING NUTS.
AND, UH, EVEN JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS AFTER THAT, YOU ACTUALLY LITERALLY HAD THE, THE, THE PIPELINE BLOW UP.
UH, AND, AND THEN AFTER THAT, WE GET, AS WE JUST TALKED ABOUT, ESSENTIALLY WINTER, DESPITE THE WEATHER YOU'RE SEEING TODAY HAS BEEN HISTORICALLY WARM.
SO ALL THOSE FACTORS HAVE COME IN AND DEPRESSED THE ACTUAL, UH, THE MARKET.
AND SO THE, THAT IS BELOW WHERE, WHERE THE, THE PROGRAM PRICING IS RIGHT NOW.
UM, THE CONED AVERAGE OVER THE PAST, UM, DURING THESE FEW MONTHS THAT THE CONTRACT'S BEEN IN EFFECT, HAS BEEN ABOUT 10.40 CENTS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
UM, AND, UH, OR 10.55 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND WE'RE UP, AS I SAID, AT, NO, I'M SORRY, WAIT FOR THE 2222, LET ME JUST LOOK HERE.
THE, THE AVERAGE IN THE PAST COUPLE MONTHS HAS BEEN ABOUT 11 CENTS.
THE, THE 10.55 WAS THE 2022 AVERAGE IN THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE UP, WE'RE ABOUT 4 CENTS OVER THE, UM, UH, THE CONED PRICE RIGHT NOW FOR THE RENEWABLE AND ABOUT TWO AND A HALF OVER FOR THE STANDARD.
IN 2022, WE WERE 3 CENTS BETTER THAN CONED.
IF YOU CAN GO BACK TO 2021, WE WERE ABOUT ON PAR.
AND THAT'S WHAT WITH THE GREEN POWER AS WELL, SO YOU COULD ACTUALLY GO UNDER WITH THE STANDARD POWER.
UH, SO WE WANT PEOPLE, WE WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHAT THE RATES ARE.
WE'RE, WE'RE, THE PROPOSAL IS MADE TO GET SOMETHING OUT THERE, AND WE'RE, WE'RE, UM, HAPPY TO DO THAT.
IT'S THE, YOU KNOW, WE ALWAYS WANNA MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION THEY NEED.
SO, UH, IT'S ABOUT, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT THE, WHAT WE'VE DRAFTED HERE, I GUESS, AND ANSWERING ANY OF YOUR QUESTIONS, UH, UH, ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON, UM, AND, UH, TRYING TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
I HAD A QUESTION, UH, THAT A RESIDENT, I THINK YOU DON'T, DID YOU WANT TO SPEAK ON THIS TOO? RIGHT? DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK ON THIS OR, I DO, YEAH.
WOULD YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF? I'M DAVID SHERMAN.
UH, I LIVE IN GREENBERG SECTION OF ARDSLEY, SO, YEAH, I DIDN'T MEAN TO, TO, UH, I WAS JUST GONNA ASK, UM, UM, A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, RESIDENTS ARE, YOU KNOW, UPSET WITH THE OPT OUT PROVISION,
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UH, SINCE THE CONED RATES HAVE BEEN, UH, LOWER THAN THE ESCO IS A TOWN BOUND BY THE 2000, YOU KNOW, BY THE AGREEMENT THAT WE ALL AGREED TO.UH, OR IS THERE A WAY FOR US TO SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'D BE A A PERIOD OF TIME WHERE PEOPLE WOULD NOT HAVE TO OPT, YOU KNOW, OPT OUT, YOU KNOW, AND PEOPLE COULD JUST OPT, OPT IN BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, MOST PE A LOT OF PEOPLE, THE, THE POSTCARD AND THE LETTER IS GOOD, BUT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T READ ANYTHING, YOU KNOW, AND THAT, THAT THAT'S, YOU KNOW, ARE WE BOUND BY THE CONTRACT THAT WE, WE, THAT THE 29 MUNICIPALITIES HAVE SIGNED ONTO? YOU SAY WE AGREED TO, WE DIDN'T.
NO, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE TOWN, RIGHT, BUT THE TOWNHOUSES, I, I THOUGHT YOU WERE WITH SUSTAINABLE AND THAT'S NO, NO.
I'M, I'M AN INDEPENDENT CITIZEN OF GREENBERG.
I DO I PERMISSION TO SPEAK OR, SO ONE SECOND.
DAN, JUST, JUST BEFORE, UM, THIS GENTLEMAN MAKES HIS COMMENTS, CAN YOU JUST EXPLAIN TO THE PUBLIC WHY WE HAVE YOU HERE, UM, HOW THE RENEWABLE ENERGY SUPPLY PRODUCTS, UH, CONTRIBUTE TO NEW YORK STATE CLEAN ENERGY GOALS? UM, BECAUSE IT'S NOT CLEAR NECESSARILY FROM THE LETTER THAT YOU HANDED OUT, AND BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE BEEN ENROLLED FOR SEVEN YEARS, WE JUST WANT TO REINITIATE THE PUBLIC TO WHY THAT IS THE CASE.
UM, THANK YOU FOR ASKING THAT.
AND, AND WE'VE BEEN FOCUSED SO MUCH ON THE NUMBERS THAT WE SOMETIMES FORGET ABOUT WHY WE'RE DOING THIS AT ALL.
AND, UH, IT IS INDEED TO HELP FURTHER OUR EFFORTS TO MOVE TO A CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY.
AND THOSE EFFORTS ARE WELL STRUCTURED IN TERMS OF THE, THE, UH, STATE'S GOALS THAT THEY'VE SET OUT, WHICH IS TO REACH, UH, 70% RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2030 AND, UH, ZERO EMISSIONS FROM OUR ELECTRICITY SECTOR BY 2040.
UH, AND THOSE ARE INCREDIBLY AGGRESSIVE GOALS.
UH, THEY'RE ONLY NOW AT THE STATE LEVEL STARTING TO FLESH OUT THE, THE, UM, PLAN, WHICH IS GONNA SEE THOSE IN EXECUTION.
AND WE'VE ALWAYS PRIDED OURSELVES IN WESTCHESTER AS BEING, UM, YOU KNOW, CONCERNED ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT AND, AND TRYING TO WORK, UH, TOWARDS SOLVING THESE PROBLEMS. SO WE'D LIKE TO THINK WE'RE, WE'RE A LITTLE BIT AHEAD OF THAT, AND IN A SENSE, AND, UH, BY, UH, MOVING INTO A, A PRODUCT LIKE THIS, THE RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCT, YOU ARE NEGATING THE, UM, THE EMISSIONS ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR, YOUR ELECTRICITY USAGE.
SO, UM, THIS HAS RESULTED IN, UH, WESTCHESTER COUNTY THROUGH THE PARTICIPATION OF THE 29 MUNICIPALITY CENTER NOW, IN WHICH, UH, NOW AS THE LAST YEAR INCLUDES YONKERS, UM, NEGATING SOMETHING LIKE 200,000 TONS, PLUS ABOUT 219,000 TONS PER YEAR OF, OF, UM, C O TWO GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.
UM, AND IT'S, AS I SAY, IT IS KIND OF THE, THE, UH, CORNERSTONE OF, UH, PORTFOLIO OF APPROACHES, WHICH INCLUDE TRYING TO TAKE THAT AND LEVERAGE EVEN FURTHER AS WE, AS WE SORT OF INCREASE OUR OUTREACH AND EDUCATE PEOPLE, WE ENGAGE 'EM ON WITH THE, YOU KNOW, THE GRID REWARDS PROGRAM, WHICH BY THE WAY, IT'S A GREAT TIME TO SIGN UP FOR THAT, FOR THE, FOR THE SUMMER, UH, PEAK SEASONS.
YOU CAN SAVE A COUPLE HUNDRED DOLLARS ON THAT ON IN YOUR BILL AND, UM, AND HELP, UH, REDUCE THE, THE PEAKER PLANT USAGE.
YOU, UH, AND, UH, GREEN GREENBERG'S OBVIOUSLY BEEN IN, IN A VERY FRUITFUL DISCUSSIONS WITH, UH, MY COLLEAGUE LEO WEGMAN ON THE SOLAR SIDE.
WE ACTUALLY SEE THOSE THINGS COMING TOGETHER THROUGH THIS PROGRAM IN THE FUTURE AS IT, AS WE LOOK TO, UH, DIVERSIFY OUR PROCUREMENT STRATEGIES AND PERHAPS EVEN USE, UH, LOCAL SUPPLY AS PART OF, PART OF THE, UM, STACK OF SUPPLY THAT WE WOULD PROCURE.
SO IT'S, UM, IT'S PART OF MAKING THAT JOURNEY TO A, TO A CLEAN ECONOMY REALLY IMPORTANT, NOT ONLY FOR THE CLIMATE CHANGE THINGS, WHICH USED TO BE FAR AWAY, BUT ARE NOW GETTING CLOSE.
AND YOU'VE GOT BUFFALO WITH 10 FEET OF SNOW, UM, AND NEARLY EVERY DAY YOU CAN READ ABOUT SOME, UM, PRETTY HORRENDOUS TIPPING POINT THAT WE'RE COMING CLOSER TO.
SO IT IS ABOUT THE FUTURE AND ABOUT BUILDING THIS ECONOMY THAT'S GOING TO SERVE, UH, FUTURE GENERATIONS.
BUT, YOU KNOW, SO IS IT THAT, IS IT THAT, IS IT THAT, IS IT THAT RESIDENTS WHO ARE, UH, WHO ARE ENROLLED
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IN THE PROGRAM ARE PURCHASING RENEWABLE ENERGY? OR ARE THEY CONTRIBUTING TO A, TO A, UH, COMMUNITY, UH, RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE THAT IS THEN BEING USED, UH, TO DISTRIBUTE ENERGY TO OTHER HOUSEHOLDS? UM, IT'S KIND OF IN BETWEEN THERE.WE ARE PURCHASING FROM, WE'RE PURCHASING RENEWABLE ENERGY CERTIFICATES.
IF YOU WANNA GET SORT OF INTO THE MECHANICS OF IT, WHICH ARE, UH, REPRESENT, UH, EACH ONE REPRESENTS THE MEGAWATT HOUR OF POWER PRODUCED BY A RENEWABLE ENERGY GENERATOR.
THESE ARE HYDRO FACILITIES IN THE, THE NORTH OF NEW YORK, AND THEY'RE REGISTERED WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE AS WHAT THEY CALL THE NGAS, NEW YORK STATE GENERATING ASSET TRACKING SYSTEM.
IT'S LIKE A BIG ACCOUNTING SYSTEM.
SO BASICALLY THE WAY WE LIKE TO LOOK AT IT IS THE GRID IS BASICALLY A BIG SOUP OF ELECTRONS.
IT HAS TO STAY ENERGIZED AT A CERTAIN LEVEL IN ORDER TO SERVICE EVERYBODY.
AND YOU CAN'T TRACK ONE ELECTRON TO YOUR DOORSTEP, BUT WHAT YOU DO IS YOU PAY THE CLEAN ENERGY GENERATORS TO, UH, TO PUT YOUR PART OF IT INTO THE GRID.
AND THAT'S ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE DO THROUGH THIS, THE, YOU KNOW, MONETIZATION THROUGH THIS RENEWABLE ENERGY CERTIFICATE.
UH, IT IS DIFFERENT FROM, I THINK ALSO THERE'S A TENDENCY TO MIX IT UP WITH THE COMMUNITY SOLAR PIECE, WHICH IS KIND OF ANOTHER ONE WHERE, YES, YOU COME LIKE A SUBSCRIBER AND YOU'RE HELPING TO PUT THAT, UH, FACILITY ONLINE, WHICH IS, UH, SEPARATE, BUT COMPLIMENTARY AND, AND A GREAT THING TO DO AS WELL.
BUT THE QUESTION, YOU KNOW, I HAD, YOU KNOW, EARLIER AS WE SIGNED A CONTRACT, YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR, AND WE SAID THE CONTRACT IS GOOD UNTIL 2000, OCTOBER OF 2024, IS THAT NOW A BINDING, YOU KNOW, CONTRACT? UH, YOU KNOW, AND, YOU KNOW, ARE WE BASICALLY, IS THE ONLY RECOURSE, YOU KNOW, RESIDENTS WHO ARE UPSET WITH THIS HAVE IS, YOU KNOW, A LETTER BEING SENT, OR DOES THE TOWN HAVE OTHER, ARE THERE OTHER OPTIONS? BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE UPSET THAT THE RATES ARE, UM, YOU SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THE YEAH.
THE CON OF THEN CONED RATES ON THIS LETTER, IT SAYS YOU MAY OPT OUT OR BACK IN OR CHANGE SUPPLY OPTIONS AT ANY POINT UNDER THIS PROGRAM.
THERE'S NO CONTRACTS, EXIT FEES OR PENALTIES.
NO, I'M TALKING ABOUT, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE TOWN BECAUSE
BUT I MAY HAVE, DAN, IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I'M NOT SAYING THAT TOWN WOULD TERMINATE, BUT I'M SAYING THAT INSTEAD OF, IS THAT AN OPTION THAT THE TOWN AND OTHER MUNICIPALITIES WOULD HAVE IF, IF MUNICIPALITIES SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, YOU KNOW, LET'S SAY ANOTHER MONTH GOES BY, ANOTHER TWO MONTHS GOES BY, AND IT TURNS OUT THAT, YOU KNOW, THE RATES KEEP BEING CONSISTENTLY HIGHER, THEN SHOULD THE TOWN HAVE THE ABILITY OF SAY, OR SHOULD, UH, SUSTAINABLE WESTCHESTER PERHAPS SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, UM, WE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE LOOKED AT THIS, WE'RE GONNA PUT EVERYTHING ON HOLD, WE'RE GOING TO GET OUT OF THE CONTRACT, AND THEN WHEN THE CLIMATE IS BETTER, YOU KNOW, WE COULD ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, GO, YOU KNOW, GO BACK IN.
'CAUSE PEOPLE ARE REAL, YOU KNOW, I'M GETTING A LOT OF CALL, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN EMAILING DAN, UM, EVERY SINGLE DAY, AND I DO GET CALLS, UH, YOU KNOW, DAILY FROM RESIDENTS WHO ARE JUST UPSET.
AND, BUT I GUESS WHAT I WAS SAYING IS THAT RESIDENTS HAVE THE OPTION TO OPT INTERRUPT.
THEY DON'T, BUT MOST PEOPLE, SO, SO LET ME JUST, YOU KNOW, NOT, UH, NOT BEING AN ATTORNEY.
SO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANT THAT LEVEL OF ADVICE, YOU, YOU WERE GONNA, UH, ASK YOUR ATTORNEY, BUT JUST IN, IN GENERAL, IN PRINCIPLE, THE CONTRACT IS A CONTRACT WHICH AWARDS TO THE, UH, THE SUPPLIER, THE RIGHTS TO SUPPLY THESE CUSTOMERS ON AN OPT-OUT BASIS.
SO, SO THAT'S KIND OF THE, THE ACTUAL THING WHICH IS CONTRACTED FOR THOSE SUPPLIERS AFTER THEY GO THROUGH THIS ENROLLMENT PROCESS.
YOU KNOW, THEY, THERE'S KIND OF, THERE'S A RELATIONSHIP, EVEN IF NOT CONTRACTUAL, AS IN THEY HAVE A PIECE OF PAPER, BUT THEY HAVE NOW AN OBLIGATION TO SUPPLY THESE CUSTOMERS AS THE SUPPLIER.
AND IT'S KIND OF BETWEEN THEM AT THAT POINT.
LIKE OUR, YOU KNOW, EVEN IF WE COULD CANCEL THE CONTRACT, WHICH THERE, THERE'S NO NOTHING IN THE CONTRACT FOR WHICH WOULD CR SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, RATES GOING IN A PARTICULAR PLACE WOULD BE CAUSE BUT IT STILL WOULDN'T CANCEL THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SUPPLIER AND THE, AND THE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE ENROLLED CUSTOMERS YOU HAD MENTIONED, UH, YOU KNOW, THE WAR IN I, IRAQ, UH, I MEAN, AND, UH, UKRAINE AND THE WARMER WEATHER, BUT THAT ALSO AFFECTS CON EDISON.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY CON EDISON IS ABLE TO WEATHER THE STORM MORE THAN THE ESCO?
[00:25:01]
WELL, WHAT I'M SAYING IS THAT IF YOU GO BACK TO WHEN WE WERE BIDDING, YOU RECALL THAT CONED, BOTH CONED AND SAG AND GOVERNOR HOEL AND EVERYBODY WAS, WAS, WAS ACTUALLY ISSUING WARNINGS THAT, THAT THE RATES WERE GONNA GO SKY HIGH THIS, THIS WINTER.AND WHAT HAPPENED IS THEY WENT HIGH, BUT NOT SKY HIGH.
AND, UH, AS I SAY, IT WAS, YOU KNOW, THE, THOSE FACTORS THAT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT, THE WEATHER HELPED TO TURN THAT AROUND WHERE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAD, YOU KNOW, FRANKLY, PEOPLE FREEZING IN EUROPE, THE ALARM LEVEL WOULD'VE BEEN WAY HIGHER.
THE FACT THAT THE, YOU KNOW, THE GAS HAD BEEN CUT UP FROM, UH, RUSSIA WOULD HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, THERE WOULD'VE BEEN A LOT MORE SCREAMING IN THE PULL OF THOSE RATES, YOU KNOW, FOR OUR MARKET WOULD'VE BEEN HIGHER THAN IT WAS.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S PROBABLY A BIG PIECE OF IT.
SO THE WEATHER AND THAT, THAT, UM, THAT CONNECTION THERE, NOW YOU'RE WILLING TO SEND OUT THAT LETTER THAT YOU SENT US A DRAFT OR, YOU KNOW, A REVISED LETTER, UH, TO EVERYONE WHO'S CURRENTLY ENROLLED? YEAH, NO, WE'RE, WE'RE WILLING TO SEND THAT OUT.
UM, YOU KNOW, ORIGINALLY THE IDEA, THE, YOU KNOW, THE PROPOSAL WAS A CARD, BUT I JUST THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANNA SEND OUT LIKE, JUST SOMETHING WITH RATES ON IT AND NOTHING ELSE.
AND SAID, YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE ARE NOT ORIENTED OR ANYTHING.
SO FIGURED, ALL RIGHT, IF WE'RE GONNA DO THIS, LET'S AT LEAST, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT THE RATES REALLY PROMINENT ON THERE, BUT THEN WE'RE, YOU KNOW, GIVING A BACKDROP ON THE, ON THE PROGRAM, EVERYTHING, SO THAT AT LEAST THEY HAVE THE CONTEXT TO WORK WITH.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING? YEAH, I WOULD.
UM, SO AGAIN, I'M, I'M DAVID SHERMAN, LIVE IN AR GREENBURG.
I APPRECIATE YOU DON'T ACTUALLY LIVE IN LEY.
YOU SAID YOU'RE IN THE GREENBURG.
I'M GREENBURG, SECTION OF LEY.
SO MY STREET, ALL OF ART IS LEY ALL OF, BUT I DON'T, UH, I'M PART OF GREENBURG.
THE TOP OF MY STREET IS GREENBERG ARTS LEY PO GREENBURG ADDRESS.
IN OTHER WORDS, YOU'RE LEY POST OFFICE, BUT YOU'RE AN UNINCORPORATED GREEN.
I NEVER ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO FRAME THAT, SO, OKAY.
SO, UH, I WANTED TO ADDRESS THIS ESCO ISSUE.
FIRST OF ALL, IT'S SLIGHT MISREPRESENTATION OF THE FACTS.
I THINK WHEN, UH, THE GENTLEMAN SAYS THAT PULL YOUR MICROPHONE, I'M SORRY, WHEN RATES ARE UP, ARE HIGHER BY 4 CENTS.
SO TO THE EAR, IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S ONLY 4 CENTS, BUT IN REALITY, IT'S 36% HIGHER.
SO IN ORDER FOR THE MATH TO WORK, THE RATES OF THE ESCOS HAVE TO COME DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE FUTURE MONTHS AND YEARS TO MAKE UP FOR THAT DIFFERENCE.
AND I READ, UH, PAUL'S, UH, EMAILS OUT TO THE, UH, CITIZENS MONTHLY, I GUESS, AND HE PUTS OUT THOSE RATES.
UH, IT'S VERY CLEAR, I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY OF THOSE WITH THE, UH, ESCO RATES LOWER.
BUT EVEN IF THERE'S LIKE A 1% DIFFERENCE, IT'S NOT RIGHT.
BE, AND FURTHERMORE, UM, THE GENTLEMAN THERE SAID, UH, I THINK RATHER FLIPPANTLY THAT ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS RAISE THEIR HAND AND OPT OUT OF IT.
WELL, GUESS WHAT? ELDERLY CAN'T RAISE THEIR HAND.
THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT, THEY DON'T KNOW.
THE POOR THE, UH, LOWER INCOME PEOPLE HERE.
THEY SEE THE BILL, THEY COMPLAIN, OH, IT'S UP $200.
I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW EXPENSIVE IT IS.
AND THEY GO ON, THEY DON'T KNOW THAT THEY CAN CALL, AND IT'S A HASSLE.
WHY DON'T THEY KNOW? WHY DON'T THEY FOLLOW? BECAUSE THEY'RE BUSY LEADING THEIR LIVES, RAISING KIDS, PROBABLY WORKING TWO JOBS.
SO THESE LETTERS CAME OUT, AND I THINK THAT THE TOWN, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, I THINK DID A GREAT DISSERVICE TO THE RESIDENTS BY FORCING THEM.
AND IT IS FORCING THEM TO TAKE THESE HIGHER RATES THROUGH THE ESCOS.
IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE OTHER WAY AT THEIR EXPENSE.
THEY SHOULD, UH, PROMOTE THEIR SERVICES TO US, AS IS THEIR RIGHT, AND LET US DECIDE WHETHER WE WANT TO GO THAT ROUTE OR NOT.
AND I MEAN, SIR, WITH ALL, AGAIN, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT TO TRY TO GUILT PEOPLE INTO PAYING THESE HIGHER RATES IN THE NAME OF CLIMATE CHANGE DOESN'T MAKE A LOT OF SENSE TO ME.
UH, I READ RECENTLY THAT THE ENTIRE UNITED KINGDOM, THAT ENTIRE NATIONS OUTPUT A CARBON INTO THE ATMOSPHERE IS 2% OF THE WORLD'S CARBON POLLUTION.
SO GREENBURG ITSELF, AND THAT'S WHAT I'M CONCERNED WITH, I CAN'T SPEAK TO YONKERS OR ANY OTHER TOWN, IS STATISTICALLY ZERO.
IT HAS TO BE HOW MUCH THE SLEEPY LITTLE TOWN OF GREENBURG, HOW MUCH CARBON CAN WE PUT IN THE ATMOSPHERE? AND ON TOP OF THAT, DO WE WANT TO PAY
[00:30:01]
36% MORE TO REDUCE THAT ONE GRAIN OF SAND ON THE BEACH DOWN TO HALF A GRAIN OF SAND OR ZERO? IT, IT DOESN'T MAKE A LOT OF SENSE AT ALL.I MEAN, I, I, I THINK OF RONALD REAGAN IN HIS, UH, FAREWELL ADDRESS TO THE NATION.
HE SAID, DON'T BE AFRAID TO SEE WHAT YOU SEE.
AND MY CONSTITUENTS, NOT CONSTITUENTS, THAT'S THE WRONG WORD.
SO A LOT OF US, YOU KNOW, SO WE'RE ALL HERE TECHNICALLY SAVVY.
WE READ EMAILS, WE CAN RESPOND.
IF I WANT TO TAKE TIME OUTTA MY DAY TO CALL CON ED, UH, I CAN DO IT.
BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW TO DO THAT.
AND SO A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION, I SUSPECT, ARE PAYING THESE HIGHER RATES IN THE NAME OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND SAVING THE PLANET FOR NO REASON.
AND FURTHERMORE, I WOULD SAY THAT ON A MORE MACRO LEVEL, THIS COUNTRY'S HEADED INTO RECESSION, A DOLLAR TODAY BY SIGNIFICANTLY LESS THAN LAST YEAR.
AND THE DOLLAR NEXT YEAR IS GONNA PAY FOR LESS SERVICES THAN THIS YEAR.
SO EVERY LITTLE DOLLAR IS GONNA COUNT.
AND OKAY, IF MY ELECTRIC BILL GOES UP FROM $500 TO $700, I CAN COMPLAIN ABOUT IT AND GO ON WITH MY LIFE.
AND THESE ESCOS ARE PUTTING THESE PEOPLE IN A POSITION WHERE THEY'RE PAYING THESE HIGHER RATES AND THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW THEY'RE DOING IT.
SO WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST, IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN.
BUT WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST IS, OKAY, YOU'RE BOUND TO THE CONTRACT, WHICH I DIDN'T KNOW, UH, IN 2024, EVERYBODY SHOULD BE SWITCHED TO CON ED AND LET THEM DECIDE.
I MEAN, IT'S NOT, THE TOWN'S DECISION SHOULDN'T FORCE CITIZENS TO PAY THESE HIGHER RATES, TOWN'S FORCING.
SO LET US DECIDE, NOT YOU LET US DECIDE THAT.
AND THEN SECONDLY, WHAT I THINK YOU SHOULD DO, WHICH IS NOT GONNA HAPPEN, BUT YOU NEED TO, YOU SHOULD SET UP A FUND AND REIMBURSE THE CITIZENS FOR THAT MISTAKE.
AND IN THIS CASE, THAT'S WHAT YOU SHOULD DO ONCE YOU MAKE A FUND AND REBATE PEOPLE PROBABLY AT THEIR EXPENSE, NOT AT THE TOWN'S EXPENSE.
AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
IS THERE ANY, UH, I MEAN, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THE CONCERN THAT I HAVE IS BASED ON THE, YOU KNOW, RESPONSES I'M GETTING FROM A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, SENIORS WHO REALLY, UM, WERE NOT AWARE THAT THEY COULD OPT OUT.
AND, YOU KNOW, I'M GLAD THAT SUSTAINABLE WESTCHESTER IS GONNA SEND A, A POSTCARD, BUT YOU KNOW, ONLY A CERTAIN NUMBER OF PEOPLE ARE GONNA READ THE POSTCARD NO MATTER WHAT.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE COULD TRY AND TRY AND TRY TO EDUCATE PEOPLE, BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, JUST DON'T, ARE ARE NOT AWARE OF, UM, OF THE FACT THAT THEY'RE AUTOMATICALLY, YOU KNOW, ENROLLED.
AND, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IT'S BEEN A FEW MONTHS AND IT'S CONSISTENTLY HIGHER.
SO, YOU KNOW, I'M, I FEEL REALLY BAD BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I, I LIKE THE FACT, YOU KNOW, I LIKE THE FACT THAT SUSTAINABLE WESTCHESTER IS GIVING US, UM, YOU KNOW, GREEN ENERGY, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I DON'T LIKE THE IDEA THAT SOME PEOPLE SAY THEY JUST CAN'T AFFORD IT.
AND, AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, IT'S BEING CHARGED EXTRA, YOU KNOW, AND MM-HMM.
AND I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHY WE COULD DO LEGALLY WHAT WE CAN DO THERE.
WELL, I THINK WE HAVE TO REBOUND TO THE CONTRACT, BUT WE MIGHT NOT BE BOUND THEREAFTER.
I MEAN, THIS IS TILL OCTOBER, 2024.
SO THE ONLY OTHER QUESTION I WAS GONNA ASK, UH, UH, DAN, IS COULD YOU GIVE US A HISTORY? BECAUSE MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR, UH, BEFORE THIS CONTRACT WENT INTO EFFECT, ACTUALLY PEOPLE SIGNED UP FOR THE ESCO ACTUALLY DID BETTER THAN CONNET.
AND OVER THE, THE PAST NUMBER OF YEAR, WE'VE BEEN IN THIS FOR, WHAT IS IT, ABOUT SEVEN YEARS ALREADY, YOU SAID? SO COULD YOU SAY LIKE, YEAR ONE, UH, THE, YOU KNOW, VECO CUSTOMERS DID BETTER YEAR TWO VECO? NO, I'M JUST SAYING, HAVE, YOU KNOW, INTERESTINGLY, WHEN I WAS, I WAS ENROLLED IN AN ESCO BEFORE WE BECAME IN, BEFORE THE TOWN BECAME ENROLLED IN THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM.
AND WHAT I RECALL HAVING HAPPENED IS THAT WHENEVER THE RATES, THE CON ED RATES WERE LOWER THAN THE ESCO RATES, I GOT A CHECK IN THE MAIL FOR THE DIFFERENCE, UM, THAT I HAD, THAT I, YOU KNOW, OVER MAYBE LIKE, MAYBE IT WAS LIKE ONCE A QUARTER OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, IF, IF THE, UM, ESCO RATES WERE HIGHER.
YOU GOT A CHECK FOR THE DIFFERENTIAL MM-HMM.
SO YOU WERE IN ONE OF THE, UM, KIND OF RARE GUARANTEED SAVINGS, UH,
[00:35:01]
PROGRAMS. THOSE, THOSE HAVE DISAPPEARED.WERE A COUPLE OF ESCOS THAT WERE OFFERING THAT, AND IT WAS ON A KIND OF CASE BY CASE BASIS.
THEY WOULD LOOK AT YOUR, YOUR HISTORY AND EVERYTHING AND, AND, UH, TAKE YOU.
BUT YEAH, IN TODAY'S, TODAY'S CRAZY VOLATILE MARKET, NOBODY IS DOING THAT.
IT'S DEFINITELY DISAPPEARED THERE.
I'M, I'M NOW ENROLLED IN THE TOWN WIDE ONE
UM, YEAH, I DON'T HAVE THE LIKE, UH, TOTAL HISTORY, BUT DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, WE WERE PRETTY MUCH ON A BREAK EVEN ON AVERAGE FOR THE FIRST COUPLE OF YEARS.
WE HAD, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, A BAD SECTION AROUND 2019.
AND THEN THE NEXT CONTRACT WE DID REALLY WELL, LIKE LAST, LAST PERIOD WAS GOOD.
AND WE WERE UP, UH, AS I SAY IN 2022, WE WERE LIKE THREE SETS BETTER THAN, THAN CONED.
UH, AND, YOU KNOW, SO IT'S UP AND DOWN.
UM, ON, ON THE WHOLE, YOU KNOW, IT, IS IT A WASH AT THIS POINT? I DON'T, I'M NOT SURE, YOU KNOW, ADDING THOSE ALL UP, HOW THAT'LL TURN OUT.
BUT, UM, IT'S, IT'S A MATTER OF GOING OUT THERE TO THE MARKET AND IT ALWAYS SAYS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GUARANTEEING SAVINGS, BUT WHAT WE'RE DOING IS USING, UH, YOU KNOW, AN OPEN BIDDING PROCESS AND TRYING TO GET THE BEST PRICING WE CAN ON RENEWABLE ENERGY AND, YOU KNOW, DOING IT COMPETITIVELY.
BUT IT WOULD BE INTERESTING FOR THE PUBLIC TO HAVE LIKE AN ANNUAL, YOU KNOW, COMPARISON.
BECAUSE IF WE SAID, YOU KNOW, YEAR ONE, EVERYBODY CAME OUT AHEAD, YEAR TWO, EVERYBODY CAME OUT, YOU HAD YEAR THREE, IT WAS BEHIND YEAR FOUR, EVERYBODY CAME OUT AHEAD.
THEN, YOU KNOW, THEN, YOU KNOW, IF IT TURNS OUT THAT IT WAS A WASH, THEN THIS COULD BE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE, THEN IT, IT SHOWS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD, YOU KNOW, RIGHT.
LEGITIMATE GROUNDS TO SIGN UP AGAIN IF EVERY SINGLE YEAR, OR MOST OF THE TIME, YOU KNOW, THE CUSTOMERS CAME OUT BEHIND, THEN, THEN, THEN IT'S PROBABLY A MISTAKE.
WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHILE WE, WHILE WE DID, BECAUSE THE OPT OUT DOESN'T, DOESN'T REAL, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, IS NOT, IS NOT FAIR, YOU KNOW, AND AGAIN, THERE'S SOME PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, WE, IF I WANT TO USE GREEN ENERGY, I SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO USE GREEN ENERGY, BUT I SHOULDN'T BE FORCING IT ON OTHER PEOPLE WHO CAN'T AFFORD IT.
WELL, IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT IN THIS ECONOMY WHERE COSTS ARE SO HIGH THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED.
SO IT, IT'S JUST A, UM, A CONFLUENCE OF, OF COUPLE OF BAD THINGS, WHICH IS REALLY A SHAME BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE INTENT IS TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT FOR OUR ENVIRONMENT.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, THAT CRASHES AGAINST THE REALITY OF MAKING OUR DAY-TO-DAY LIVING MORE COMFORTABLE.
SO, SO, BUT SO RIGHT NOW, I GUESS, WHEN DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD SEND OUT THE, THE LETTER TO EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, WHO'S ENROLLED? UM, UH, WE COULD START ON THE PRODUCTION PROCESS, YOU KNOW, RIGHT AWAY.
AND, AND, YOU KNOW, NORMALLY IT TAKES MAYBE PROBABLY 10 DAYS, GET US TO THE PRINTING HOUSE, GET ALL THE DATA AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF.
SO, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY IT COULD BE OUT WITHIN 10 DAYS.
SO WHAT, WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST, DAN, IS, UM, TO JUST TRY AND, AND LOOK AT YOUR LETTER AGAIN AND, AND MAYBE HAVE, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE WHO'S NOT INVOLVED WITH SUSTAINABLE WESTCHESTER READ IT AND TRY TO MAKE IT CRYSTAL CLEAR WHY THIS PROGRAM, WHY, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT RESIDENTS WHO ARE ENROLLED IN THE PROGRAM ARE PAYING FOR, AND HOW IT'S HELPING THE ENVIRONMENT, BECAUSE IT'S VERY TECHNICAL IN NATURE, AND IT, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, I DON'T THINK THAT YOUR AVERAGE SENIOR CITIZEN WOULD READ THE LETTER AND UNDERSTAND WHY PAYING THE HIGHER RATE IS BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT THAN NOT.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? YEAH, NO, NO, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
I MEAN, I WAS, YEAH, I'M ALWAYS TRYING TO BALANCE LIKE TOO MANY WORDS,
AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, UH, REMEMBER THAT SOMEBODY MAY BE SORT OF LEARNING THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME OR, OR NOT, YOU KNOW, NOT HAVING PAID THAT MUCH ATTENTION THAT WE ALSO KIND OF HAVE TO PAINT THE TOTAL PICTURE AT THE SAME TIME.
SO, UM, BUT, BUT, UH, I THINK WE CAN GO BACK TO IT AND TRY TO, UH, MAKE SURE THAT THAT POINT IS COMING THROUGH A LITTLE STRONGER SINCE OBVIOUSLY IS IT REGISTERING? UM, AND MAYBE IT MEANS THE LETTERS A TINY BIT LONGER, BUT, BUT, UH, WE CAN, WE CAN DEFINITELY TAKE IT, BUT ULTIMATELY IT COULD HELP PEOPLE WANT TO REMAIN ENROLLED.
WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO TAKE A LOOK AND, YOU KNOW, UH, COME UP WITH SOME, UH,
[00:40:01]
SOMETHING THAT YOU THINK WOULD BE A BETTER LETTER? SURE.I MEAN, IF YOU WANNA SEND ME A DRAFT, DAN, I CAN TAKE A LOOK.
NO, I MEAN, I HAVE THIS DRAFT, BUT I WANT HIM TO MAKE IT CLEARER AND THEN SEND ME THAT DRAFT OR, OR, OR, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE NEXT.
I JUST REALLY WOULD LIKE TO, TO ME, WHAT I'D LIKE TO SAY IS SAYING, UH, YOU KNOW, GREENBERG AND 29 COMMUNITIES IN WESTCHESTER SIGNED UP FOR THE ESCO.
UM, THE, THE GOAL WAS TO POOL OUR RESOURCES TO GET THE BEST POSSIBLE RATES.
THERE WAS A, A BIDDING PROCESS.
UNFORTUNATELY, UH, THE ECONOM THE CLIMATE IS, IS, IS UNUSUAL.
AND, UM, CONED RATES ARE, UM, ARE LOWER THAN THE ESCO.
IF YOU WANT TO OPT OUT, UH, THIS IS THE PRICE.
THE MOST RECENT PRICE IS EVERY MONTH, UM, ON AROUND THE FIFTH OF THE MONTH, THE TOWN ON THE TOWN WEBSITE AND SUSTAINABLE WESTCHESTER WILL GIVE, GIVE RATE COMPARISONS.
YOU COULD OPT OUT NOW, YOU KNOW, DO IT BY, YOU KNOW, THROUGH EMAIL.
UH, OR YOU COULD, UM, UM, OPT OUT ANYTIME YOU WANT, OR YOU COULD OPT BACK IN AND, YOU KNOW, MAKE IT LIKE A THREE PARAGRAPH, LIKE A REAL SIMPLE CARD.
THE ONLY OTHER THING THAT I WAS GONNA REASK IS THIS, THE CARD OR A LETTER.
THIS IS CLEARLY WHAT, BUT THIS, BUT WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO IS GOING TO BE A LETTER OR A POSTCARD.
I WOULD RATHER HAVE A CARD BECAUSE I THINK MORE PEOPLE WOULD READ IT.
UH, BUT YOU KNOW IT, BUT YOU CAN'T PUT MUCH, BUT YOU PUT IN TOO MUCH INFORMATION.
THAT'S, I MEAN, I MEAN, THAT'S WAY TOO MUCH INFORMATION.
ONCE THIS, THIS COULD BE LETTER, THIS IS LONG, LIKE, YEAH, IT COULD BE A LETTER, WHATEVER, WHATEVER YOU WANT.
THE ONLY OTHER THOUGHT THAT I HAD, UM, BASED ON, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, THE COMMENTS THAT WERE MADE JUST A FEW MINUTES AGO IS WE, I REALIZE THAT WE'RE BOUND BY A CONTRACT, UH, YOU KNOW, AND WE CAN'T GET OUT OF THE CONTRACT.
IS THERE ANY POSSIBILITY THAT SUSTAINABLE WESTCHESTER MAY BE WILLING TO, UM, UH, FOR PEOPLE SAY WHO ARE LOWER INCOME, UH, OR, YOU KNOW, SENIOR CITIZENS, UM, UH, BE WILLING TO, UM, UH, DO A REFUND IN TERMS OF THE, THE, THE COMPARISONS, IF, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I'M, I'M SORT OF WONDERING, YOU KNOW, IF SOMEBODY HAS A REAL HARDSHIP, THIS COULD MEAN, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, THIS IS REALLY LIKE A, YOU KNOW, $20.
I THINK THAT'S A QUESTION FOR DAN TO ANSWER.
SO, SO LET ME JUST, UM, MAKE SURE EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS THAT THE, UM, THE CUSTOMERS WHO I SAY QUALIFY FOR, UH, THE HEATING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM ARE EXCLUDED FROM THIS PROGRAM IN THE FIRST PLACE, JUST SO YOU KNOW THAT, THAT MUCH, RIGHT? SO THERE, LIKE THERE'S, YOU KNOW, SOME, SOME, UH, FILTERING ON, ON HOW, YOU KNOW, UH, ECONOMIC LEVEL THERE.
BUT, BUT, BUT TO THAT POINT, I MEAN, YOU MAY HAVE INDIVIDUALS WHO FALL IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT OR RIGHT, RIGHT ABOVE.
SO WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT? WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT POPULATION? HOW DO WE ADDRESS THAT? AND IT HAS TO BE SOME ALLOWANCE FOR THAT.
BECAUSE AT THAT PARTICULAR POINT, I COULD HAVE, I COULD AFFORD IT, BUT NOW, YOU KNOW, WITH EVERYTHING RISING, I CAN'T, SO, AND JUST BECAUSE I DON'T FALL IN WHAT IS DEFINED AS LOW INCOME NOW, YOU KNOW, I'M STILL AT A LOSS.
NO, UM, THAT'S, THAT'S PERFECTLY TRUE.
I JUST WANT FOR THE, FOR THE RECORD AND FOR THE AUDIENCE TO KNOW THAT THE, THE FOLKS WHO ARE ON ASSISTANCE ARE NOT IN THE, IN THE PROGRAM, BUT YOU'RE, YOU'RE CORRECT THERE.
SO WE JUST TRY TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHERE CAN WE MEET IN THE MIDDLE SOMEWHERE? BECAUSE WE, I MEAN, WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING.
I JUST WANT TO ADD THAT, YOU KNOW, MANY OF US HAVE A FAVORITE STORE.
WE KNOW THE PRICES ARE, ARE LIKELY HIGHER THAN OTHERS.
WE DON'T DO THIS ALL THE TIME, OF COURSE.
BUT BECAUSE OF THE VALUE ADDED OF THAT PARTICULAR STORE, YOU GO TO THEM EVEN THOUGH, YOU KNOW, THE PRICES ARE HIGHER.
AND I WOULD THINK THAT SUSTAINABLE WESTCHESTER COULD BUILD, UM, BETTER GOODWILL RATHER THAN, RATHER THAN JUST NUMBERS EVERY MONTH.
UH, IF THEY WOULD HELP, I MENTIONED THIS LAST WEEK, YOU KNOW, MY ISSUE WITH SUNPOWER, IT WOULD HELP TREMENDOUSLY IF WITHOUT SAYING USE A PARTICULAR COMPANY, YOU, YOU COULD HELP THOSE THAT ARE GETTING KNOCKS ON THEIR DOOR AS TO FROM SOLAR COMPANIES.
AND, YOU KNOW, I THOUGHT I WAS GOING WITH HIGH END AND APPARENTLY RESPECTED COMPANY.
UH, BUT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, SOME SOMEPLACE LIKE SUSTAINABLE WESTCHESTER, WHICH WHAT YOU SAY, IT'S AN ORGANIZATION IN FURTHERANCE OF EFFORTS TO TRANSITION THE CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY.
WHAT BETTER THAN, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE DOING SOLAR IF THEY CAN.
THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY NOT IT.
[00:45:01]
REALLY COMING OTHER THAN COMMUNITY S SOLAR, UM, 'CAUSE I EVEN SIGNED A CONTRACT FOR SOLAR, BUT THEN THEY COULDN'T PUT UP ON THE ROOF WHAT THE SALESMAN SAID THAT THEY COULD PROVIDE.AND WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE THE HOMEOWNER? BECAUSE YOU'RE, YOU'RE THE EXPERTS, BUT MM-HMM.
AND I THINK IF YOU WERE TO HELP VERY CONFUSED CUSTOMERS, UH, THEN EVEN THOUGH YOU MIGHT BE HIGHER, THEY MIGHT SAY, BUT I GET THIS ADVICE OR WHATEVER, WITHOUT SAYING, USE A PARTICULAR COMPANY OR, OR, OR WHATEVER, IF YOU KNOW WHAT, IF YOU FOLLOW WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY.
NO, AND I THINK THAT I WAS TRYING TO, UM, EMPHASIZE THAT, THAT, THAT THE PROGRAM IS ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, PART OF A WHOLE PORTFOLIO.
SO IN TERMS OF ASSISTANCE FOR INDIVIDUAL HOMEOWNERS TO, TO DO ROOFTOP SOLAR, UH, I'M IMAGINE YOU, YOU ALSO MENTIONED THIS TO LEO, AND WE ARE TRYING TO SECURE SOME SUPPORT FROM NYSERDA TO BE ABLE TO DEPLOY, YOU KNOW, A REINVIGORATED SOLARIZED PROGRAM, YOU KNOW, A FEW YEARS BACK.
WE DID, WE DID DO THAT THROUGHOUT WESTCHESTER COUNTY AND HAD, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE OF THOUSAND SIGNUPS.
AND THOSE PEOPLE ARE NOW, YOU KNOW, DOING BETTER FOR, FOR HAVING DONE THAT.
AND WE'RE, WE'RE DEFINITELY RIGHT BEHIND YOU.
WE HAVE THE WHOLE, UM, THE WHOLE, UH, UH, CLEAN HEATING PROGRAM WITH LAUREN AND RACHEL, AND THEY'RE OUT THERE CONSTANTLY TRYING TO HELP PEOPLE ACCESS THE VARIOUS INCENTIVES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO, TO MAKE YOUR HOME, UH, MORE EFFICIENT, MORE COMFORTABLE, AND, YOU KNOW, SAVE YOU MONEY ULTIMATELY AND GET YOU OFF OF FOSSIL FUELS.
AND ALL THIS IS HAPPENING, YOU KNOW, WE, WE GET A 0.10 CENT PER KILOWATT HOUR ADMINISTRATIVE FEE, YOU KNOW, A 10TH OF A PENNY.
AND BASICALLY FROM THE BEGINNING, I'VE ALWAYS SORT OF TRIED TO BOOTSTRAP ALL THAT INTO AS MUCH BENEFICIAL ACTIVITY AS AS POSSIBLE.
AND I THINK, UH, HAVE BEEN LARGELY SUCCESSFUL, OBVIOUSLY GETTING FROM HERE TO WHERE WE WANT TO GO, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S NEVER BEEN EASY.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE DO RUN INTO THESE KIND OF SITUATIONS.
WE WANT TO, WE WANT TO NAVIGATE THROUGH THIS, BE TRANSPARENT, GIVE EVERYBODY A CHANCE TO, UH, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTAND AND BE ABLE TO OPT OUT, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, JUST DO, DO RIGHT BY THE PROGRAM AND BY FOLKS.
WE'RE ALSO WORKING NOW TO CONSIDER, YOU KNOW, WHETHER THIS IS KIND OF A NEW ENERGY WORLD WITH THESE GYRATING PRICES AND CONSIDERING, UM, DIFFERENT OPTIONS WHERE I THINK I'VE MENTIONED THAT WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT TRYING TO BUILD UP A, THE CAPACITY TO REACH INTO THE WHOLESALE MARKET, AND MAYBE WE DON'T GO OUT FOR AS LONG AS WE HAVE, AND WE'RE DOING LIKE, YOU KNOW, THREE MONTH ROLLING BLOCKS TO BRING STABILITY, BUT NEVER GET OUT, YOU KNOW, SO FAR AWAY FROM THE MARKET.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE ACTIVELY WORKING ON.
IT WOULD PROBABLY, UH, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, THE NEXT CONTRACTS TO COME UP FOR NYSEG AND YONKERS.
SO WE'LL BE TALKING TO THEM ABOUT THAT, AS IN, AS ONE OF THEIR OPTIONS, YOU KNOW, SO WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT SITTING STATIC ON THIS, AND WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO LOOK FOR EVERY PLACE THAT WE CAN TO TRY AND GENERATE VALUE FOR, FOR INDIVIDUALS, FOR RESIDENTS, UH, AND FULFILL THE MISSION AT THE, THE SAME TIME, YOU KNOW? OKAY.
I JUST HAVE ONE OTHER QUESTION JUST TO, JUST TO, UH, CONCLUDE THIS.
WOULD WE BE ABLE TO, UM, UM, GIVE THE TOWN BOARD, UM, LIKE A WEEK TO EDIT THE LETTER, UM, AND THEN WE COULD CIRCULATE IT AND THEN NEXT WEEK WE COULD, YOU KNOW, MAYBE YOU COULD COME BACK AND WE COULD AGREE ON THE WORDING AND THEN, UH, YOU KNOW, IT COULD BE CLEAR AND UH, AND THEN IT COULD BE SENT OUT, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, THEN YOU COULD GO THROUGH THE PRINTER RIGHT AFTER, AND THEN WE COULD, YOU KNOW, WE COULD GO, WE COULD, YOU KNOW, WE COULD HAVE MORE INPUT AS TO WHAT IT SAYS, AND WE WANT IT TO BE AS CLEAR AND EASY TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, AS POSSIBLE.
I'M, I'M WILLING TO, UM, TAKE A STAB AT, UH, AT, YOU KNOW, AT DOING THE EDITING ALSO, IF YOU'D LIKE.
WELL, ONCE HE GIVES US THE COPY OF THE LETTER HE DID, HE GAVE IT TO US YESTERDAY, AND WE CAN DO IT, AND THEN HE CAN BRING BACK, AND THEN WE CAN, YEAH.
WOULD THAT BE POSSIBLE TO PUT IT ON THE AGENDA, SAY NEXT WEEK FOR LIKE 10 MINUTES? AND, UH, WELL, LET, LET HIM PAUL, LET HIM GET THE LETTER DRAFTED.
AND THEN BEFORE WE, WE DON'T WANNA PUT SOMETHING OUT AND THEN WE DON'T NEED THAT DATE, THAT DATE.
SO LET'S, LET'S JUST LET DAN WORK ON THE LETTER, LET IT CIRCULATE TO THE BOARD SO WE CAN TAKE A LOOK AT IT, AND THEN WE CAN, THEN WE CAN, UM, PUT IT ON THE AGENDA.
[00:50:01]
THANK YOU SO MUCH.I'M SORRY, WE JUST, WE JUST NEED TO MOVE ON.
AND SO APPRECIATE, I MEAN, I'LL TAKE A, FIRST I'VE GOT SOME FEEDBACK.
I'LL TAKE A CRACK AT IT AND AN UPDATE, SEND IT BACK TO YOU.
AND OF COURSE, WE'RE READY TO WORK WITH YOU AT, YOU KNOW, AT ALL.
GOOD SPEED TO, UH, TO GET THIS OUT.
HOW ARE YOU? THANK YOU FOR TAKING YOUR TIME TO LISTEN TO US.
THIS IS A, UH, BROCHURE ON CANON COPIERS.
KNEW IT HAD TO BE FROM CANON BECAUSE WE DON'T SPRAY FOR FOLDERS.
MAY NOT KNOW
THOSE COPIERS ARE OFF LEASE RIGHT NOW.
UH, SOME OF THEM ARE BREAKING DOWN.
UH, WE ARE ON TIME AND MATERIAL, WHICH IS VERY EXPENSIVE.
SO I HAVE CONTACTED CANON AGAIN, UH, KEVIN, NICE TO MEET YOU, TO PUT A, UH, CONGLOMERATE TOGETHER AS TO WHAT WE WERE SPENDING AND WHAT WE CURRENTLY CAN SPEND ON NEW COPIER, ON A NEW COPIER LEASE.
WHEN WE DO THAT, WE CONTACTED, THANK YOU, KEVIN.
WE CONTACTED THE DEPARTMENTS TO ASK THEM IF THEY HAD ANY CHANGES, IF THEY WANTED TO INCREASE WHAT THEIR COPIERS COULD DO.
THREE DEPARTMENTS HAVE COLOR PRINTERS, WHICH ARE APPROXIMATELY EIGHT TO 10 YEARS OLD.
THEY'RE BREAKING DOWN TO TRY AND GET PARTS FOR THEM, UH, IS VERY DIFFICULT.
THE TONER CARTRIDGES ARE VERY EXPENSIVE.
UH, SO WHAT WE'RE DO LOOKED AT IS TAKING THOSE THREE PRINTERS AND INCORPORATING 'EM INTO A COLOR COPIER ON THOSE THREE DEPARTMENTS, WHICH IS THE ASSESSOR, THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT, AND ENGINEERING, D P W.
UH, IT ACTUALLY WILL SAVE APPROXIMATELY FIVE TO $6,000 A YEAR BY GETTING RID OF THOSE PRINTERS.
THE, UH, EACH DE EACH DEPARTMENT AVERAGES BETWEEN 15 AND $2,000 A YEAR JUST ON THEIR TONER CARTRIDGES.
FOR ALL THOSE THREE DEPARTMENTS OR EACH WILL HAVE A COLOR COPIER.
THERE'LL BE A COLOR COPY OF EACH QUESTION.
MEAN
SO IN OTHER WORDS, BLACK AND WHITE, THERE ARE THREE DEPARTMENTS THAT, THAT NEED TO HAVE COLOR PRINTS.
AND EACH DEPARTMENT WILL GET ITS OWN COLOR COPIER OF THOSE THREE.
AND THEN EVERY OTHER DEPARTMENT WILL GET NEW BLACK AND WHITE COPIERS TO REPLACE THEIR EXISTING BLACK AND WHITE COPIERS.
AND THERE'S A SAVINGS ON THAT TOO.
KEVIN, DO YOU WANT YEAH, SURE.
UM, SO LIKE YOU SAID, WE'RE HOLD BACK CLOSER HERE FOR SEC.
LIKE YOU SAID, THERE ARE THREE DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE USING COLOR.
UM, LIKE YOU MENTIONED, IT WAS, THOSE PRINTERS ARE ABOUT 10 YEARS OLD.
UH, THE TONER CARTRIDGES ARE VERY EXPENSIVE.
SO I WAS ABLE TO, BASED ON THE YIELD OF THE TONER CARTRIDGE, UM, AND THE COST OF THE TONER CARTRIDGE, DO A LITTLE DIVISION, FIGURE OUT WHAT YOUR COST PER PRINT IS ON THOSE PRINTERS RIGHT NOW.
AND THEN INCORPORATE THAT INTO A NEW SCENARIO WHERE YOU, YOU, YOU MIGRATE THOSE VOLUMES TO A COLOR COPIER AND YOU ACTUALLY REALIZE A SAVINGS IN THE END OF $250 A MONTH.
SO IS THIS A BID OUT? LIKE ARE THERE OTHER COMPANIES THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WOULD OFFER COPYING AND IS THIS THE BEST PRICE CANON IS PART OF THE NEW YORK STATE? WELL, IT'S A CONSORTIUM, RIGHT.
AND, UH, NEW YORK STATE IS BLESSED THAT THAT CONSORTIUM.
SO IT'S DOESN'T NECESSARILY, NO MATTER WHO YOU GO TO, IF YOU GO TO THAT, YOU'RE GONNA GET BASICALLY THE SAME PRICING.
THEY'RE THEMSELVES OF A STATEWIDE CONTRACT.
BUT SOMETHING THAT'S ON STATE CONTRACT IS NOT NECESSARILY THE LEAST EXPENSIVE.
THIS IS ACTUALLY OUR BEST FOOT FORWARD.
IT'S CALLED, UH, NATIONAL I P A, UH, WHICH IS A CONSORTIUM FOR MUNICIPALITIES ACROSS THE NATION.
AND, UH, IT GIVES ME MY BEST COST PER PRINT
[00:55:01]
AND MY BEST, UH, PRICE ON THE EQUIPMENT.SO YOU'RE STATING THAT THEY WOULD USE A COLOR COPIER, EVEN IF THEY WANTED TO MAKE BLACK AND WHITE, THEY COULD POTENTIALLY, UH, MAKE BLACK AND WHITE COPIES JUST THE SAME.
WE COULD DEFAULT THE COPIER TO BLACK AND WHITE, SO THEY CAN MAKE THE CONSCIOUS CHOICE FOR COLOR AS WELL.
BUT ON SOME COPIERS, I DON'T KNOW IF CANON IS ONE OF THEM.
SOMETIMES, UM, IT'LL DRAW FROM THE COLOR CARTRIDGES, EVEN WHEN YOU'RE DOING BLACK AND WHITE.
AND HOW DOES THAT HELP US? UH, CANNED COPIERS ARE NOT BUILT THAT WAY.
THEY WOULD JUST TAKE FROM THE BLACK TONER, AND THERE'S A BLACK AND WHITE COST PER PRINT AND A COLOR COST PER PRINT.
UH, SO AS LONG AS IT'S A BLACK AND WHITE, UH, PRINT, IT'S GONNA BE AT THAT BLACK AND WHITE COST PER PRINT, WHICH IS LISTED IN WHAT WE HAVE.
WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IS CONTACT THE DEPARTMENTS AND SAY, IF YOU DON'T NEED COLOR, USE YOUR BLACK AND WHITE.
BUT IF YOU COULD SET IT UP FORWARD TO THE VAULT TO DEFAULT TO BLACK AND WHITE.
AT THE COPIER AS WELL AS THE PRINT DRIVER.
AND THIS WAY, YOU KNOW, WE COULD SAY TO RESIDENTS, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE GIVING, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE DOING OUR DUE DILIGENCE, AND IF IT TURNS OUT THAT THIS IS THE BEST QUALITY, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD USE, WE WOULD DO THIS.
AND IT, IT COULD, IT COULD BE DONE, YOU KNOW, RELATIVELY, YOU KNOW, QUICKLY.
AND THEN NOBODY WILL SAY, I MEAN, MAYBE WE COULD GET A BETTER DEAL, BUT ARE THE STATE CONTRACTS THE BEST? THE STATE CONTRACTS COULD BE THE BEST, BUT THEY MAY NOT NECESSARILY NOT GONNA PUT ME ON.
YOU'RE NOT GONNA, WELL, I'M JUST ASKING
WELL, I'M JUST ASKING BECAUSE IT'S YOUR, I MEAN, NO, I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT I MEAN, THAT'S THE NEGOTIATION.
THAT'S THE NEGOTIATION THAT WE'VE DONE.
SO THEY NEGOTIATED AND WHAT'S THE COST? WHAT CANON THEN THAT'S FOR THE CONTRACT OF, YOU KNOW, I CAN'T TELL YOU YOU, IF IT'S THE BEST, WHAT'S THE COST OF THE CONTRACT FOR WHAT YOU'RE PROPOSING? IT'S PAPERWORK SPREADSHEET.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE WHOLE RP PROCESS THERAPY INSIDE.
I MEAN, WE WANNA MAKE, DO WE WANNA GET THE BENEFIT? AND, AND AGAIN, NOT TO TAKE ANYTHING AWAY FROM CANON, HOWEVER, BUT WE JUST HAVE TO BE MINDFUL THAT YOU KNOW, WHAT'S DONE THE CORRECTLY.
SO PETE, IF YOU WANNA PUT AN R FQ TOGETHER AND, YOU KNOW, SEE WHAT, SEE WHAT THE BIDS COME BACK WITH.
SO WE COULD JUST TAKE A COMPARISON.
THAT'S HOW, HOW MUCH ARE WE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, A YEAR, THIS WHOLE PURCHASE THING FOR EVERYBODY DEPARTMENT, YOU'RE LOOKING AT A TOTAL SAVINGS OF APPROXIMATELY $2,000.
BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT IF YOU ADD UP ALL THE, ALL THE PURCHASES, ALL THE, ALL THE COPY MACHINES, HOW MUCH ARE WE? THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S WHAT THAT IS.
HOW MUCH IS THE TOTAL, UH, THE WHOLE TOTAL CONTRACT FOR? OH, YOU'RE, YOU'RE TALKING FIVE.
SO FOR THE FULL FIVE YEARS, FOR A MONTH YEAR, IT'LL BE A FIVE YEAR LEASE.
HE'S LOOKING FOR THE, HE'S LOOKING FOR THE TOTAL COST OF HOW MUCH THAT FIVE YEAR CONTRACT WOULD BE.
YOU COULD DO MATH A MONTHLY AMOUNT HERE IF YOU MULTIPLY 60 MONTHS.
SO THAT'S THE HOMEWORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.
SO WE CAN, YOU KNOW, FIGURE OUT WHAT EVERYTHING IS GONNA COST AND THEN YOU CAN DETERMINE THAT AND PUT THAT IN THE R P.
SO IS THE CONSENSUS WE, I'LL PUT THAT SCOPE OF WORK? ABSOLUTELY.
WE SHOULD GO, WE SHOULD GO OUT TO BID.
I'LL JUST POINT OUT THAT THE, SO WE HAVE NOT ALL THE CAN, ALL THE COPIERS ARE THE SAME PRICE.
THE CAN COPIERS ARE, ARE KIND OF ON THE TOP ECHELON.
SO YOU CAN GET A CHEAPER COPIER IF YOU GO AND, AND DO AN R F P.
I'D BASE IT MORE ON THE, UH, SERVICE YOU RECEIVE AS WELL AS THE QUALITY OF THE MACHINE.
WELL, WE WOULD BUILD THAT OUT IN A SCOPE OF WORK.
THAT WOULD BE PART OF THE SCOPE OF WORK.
SO WE HAVE A MINOLTA, THIS IS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS, WE'RE WORKING WITH MINOLTA AS WELL TO REPLACE THOSE COPIERS.
SO WE HAVE MINOLTA COPIERS, AND WE HAVE CANON COPIERS.
SOME DEPARTMENTS HAVE MINOLTA, SOME HAVE CANON.
ARE WE STILL ON LEASE WITH MINOLTA FOR RIGHT NOW? POSSIBLY FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS.
THEN WE'RE LOOKING AT REPLACING A CON IS AS WELL.
WELL, THERE, THERE, THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY.
THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE A LOOK AND SEE WHAT HOW WE COULD JUST BRING EVERYBODY ON ONE CONTRACT OR ALL COPIES.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT, UH, WHAT THE REASONING FOR THAT WAS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS? NOPE, THAT'S IT.
NO, I JUST, JUST MAKE SURE THE SCOPE OF WORK ENCOMPASSES EVERYTHING THAT, WHAT ALL THE DEPARTMENTS NEEDS, AND THEN MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN MEET ALL OF THAT.
WHEN DO YOU THINK, UH, YOU COULD DO THE R F P? UH, I HAVE TO CALL, UH, I, I WOULD SAY AT LEAST A MONTH.
HE'S GOT, HE'S GOTTA CREATE THE SCOPE OF WORK FIRST, SO THERE'S, THERE'S HOMEWORK THAT HE NEEDS TO DO BEFORE HE CAN JUST PUT IT OUT THERE AT.
ALRIGHT, NOW WE'RE GONNA DO THE INTERVIEWS.
[01:00:02]
YES.I'D LIKE TO MOVE, UH, THAT WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION FOUR FOR THE PURPOSES OF INTERVIEWING, UH, UH, INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE, INDIVIDUAL CANDIDATES, EXHIBITIONS AND DISCUSSING PERSONAL MATTERS AND TO SEEK LEGAL ADVICE ON VARIOUS MATTERS.
AND THE PERSONNEL MATTERS ARE INVOLVING SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS.