Commerce council approves solar lighting services agreement with Ingo Planet Energy Solutions

The Commerce City Council on Feb. 4 approved a resolution authorizing a solar lighting services agreement with Ingo Planet Energy Solutions LLC and empowered the city manager to execute necessary documents.

City Manager Mr. Lissenby told the council the proposal responds to a community parks survey and to vandalism at the Eddie Moore Sports Complex. The plan covers three parks and would add 37 solar-powered fixtures with motion sensors, plus one security camera at Centennial Park, to provide security lighting rather than bright recreational play lighting.

Mr. Lissenby outlined two procurement options. The city could buy the 37 fixtures outright for $212,845.75 and pay separate installation and ongoing maintenance. The alternative is a 10-year utility-style service agreement through BuyBoard under which the vendor installs, maintains and replaces parts; that option would cost $36,684 per year (about $366,840 over 10 years). Lissenby said BuyBoard pricing was available because a large customer’s order allows better unit pricing for Commerce.

He told the council the vendor says the poles include solar panels and motion-detection lighting; cameras would run continuously and retain footage on the city server for about 30 days. Lissenby said the vendor claimed survivability in high winds for one fixture type but recommended a lower-profile fixture for better wind performance. He also said the vendor asserted the solar array could power the camera system but recommended testing compatibility before wider rollout.

On funding, Lissenby said the council could take the first year’s $36,684 payment from the capital budget for the Eddie Moore project; that project currently has about $1.5 million in its capital allocation. The remaining annual payments would be included in the city’s operating budget in later years.

Lissenby told the council the city attorney had flagged contract language the city could not accept (including indemnity-style clauses that conflict with the Texas Constitution) and that staff had begun negotiations. He asked for authority to negotiate and execute a contract at the stated price if the vendor agreed to attorney-recommended changes; if not, he said the city would walk away.

A councilmember moved to approve the resolution and allow the city manager to execute required documents; another councilmember seconded. The motion passed on a voice vote. The motion text approved by the council authorized the city manager to proceed with the solar lighting services agreement with Ingo Planet Energy Solutions LLC and to execute necessary documents.

Council discussion also touched on operational details the council wants confirmed before broad deployment: life expectancy of fixtures (vendor provided no long-term field examples beyond 10 years), installation heights (20-foot poles proposed, with custom heights possible), whether the camera can be powered reliably by the pole-mounted solar panel, and whether the city should add additional cameras later. Lissenby said the city could add lights as part of future park construction projects or include them in service agreements.

Next steps given during the meeting: staff will continue to negotiate contract terms with the vendor and confirm camera power compatibility; if negotiated changes acceptable to the city attorney are secured, the city manager is authorized to finalize the agreement. If the vendor will not modify problematic contract clauses, the city will not execute the deal and staff will seek other options or return to the council.