By Steve Landwehr
Staff writer
Tue, May 13 2008 HAMILTON — The selectmen face a high-voltage decision on the town's electric bill, and one option might just shave $39,000 off the bill over the next four-plus years. Or not. The electricity that powers town buildings is supplied by Constellation New Energy at a current price of 6.3 kilowatt hours, a terrific deal, according to Emily Neill, the company's director of business development and community relations. The town's contract with Constellation will expire in December, and Neill met with selectmen Monday night to pitch a new deal. Due to a variety of factors, Constellation predicts its prices will increase sharply, nearly doubling the town's cost to 11.72 cents per kilowatt hour if the board simply waits until the end of the year to sign a new contract. Neill said the company is offering an alternative that would avoid that sudden spike in bills. If towns agree to a new contract now, Constellation will average the present cost and the new cost, beginning now, over the 18 months a one-year contract renewal would extend. That would save the town $16,500 compared to simply waiting to sign a new contract in December. A four-year deal would save even more, totaling just over $39,000. "Do you want to take a hit now or wait until December?" Neill asked. But the real question is whether the company's price predictions are accurate. The increases are largely driven by the cost of fuel to run generation plants, and Selectman Dave Carey said he thinks there is reason for hope. He said he believes the current price of fuel "is a bubble that will deflate." If so, the town could be stuck with a long-term contract at an unfavorable rate. The board took no action but will have to make a decision by early April. In other business Monday night: r Board members decided they'll have to approve a policy for issuing entertainment licenses for the first time. The owner of Indigo Grille in the shopping plaza would like to offer live music for his patrons, and thanks to the First Amendment guarantee of free speech, the town has to comply. Selectmen were provided with a draft copy of the proposed new regulations, and they'll make a decision at their next meeting. r Chairman Bill Bowler had to open the meeting with an apology. It seems the fliers that were sent to residents announcing new trash pickup rules state that recyclable items will now be picked up weekly, rather than every other week. Well, everyone hopes the new waste reduction program will generate enough recycling that weekly pickups will be necessary, but it hasn't happened yet.
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