The City of Coldwater Board of Public Utilities approved entering a five‑year contract with Aspen Spark Networks to provide after‑hours help desk services for utility customers. Staff said the move follows an expired contract with NRTC and months on a month‑to‑month arrangement.

Staff reported Aspen’s quote of $1.40 per subscriber for a five‑year contract and $1.60 per subscriber for a three‑year term. NRTC’s quote was reported as $1.25 per subscriber but staff noted additional costs and escalators in that proposal. The staff recommendation was to contract with Aspen Spark Networks, and a board motion to approve the recommendation passed by voice vote.

Staff said Aspen’s call center is located in Mabel City and that Aspen offers deeper troubleshooting capability than the prior contractor, including the ability to log into the system to diagnose problems and reduce the need for on‑call staff overtime on weekends. Staff also said Aspen provides on‑call services and will work with the utility to verify and update flow charts for water, wastewater and electric call handling.

The contract will move the utility off a month‑to‑month arrangement and, staff said, may reduce overtime for weekend on‑call staff by enabling Aspen to perform initial diagnostics and customer guidance until technicians are available.