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Residents press council on no‑bid Taurus energy advisory contract
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Summary
Public commenters and some council members questioned awarding a professional energy advisory contract to Taurus (non fair‑and‑open) and asked for benchmarks, compensation details and a two‑year/three‑year cost history to compare. Administration said the service is allowed as a professional service under local public contracts law and that the vendor will research suppliers and is compensated through supplier bidding.
Residents and council members asked the council on April 22 to explain why the administration selected Taurus (also referenced as Torres/Taurus in the packet) for energy advisory services without a competitive fair‑and‑open procurement.
Joel Basoff asked who Taurus is, how the vendor was selected and whether the administration had benchmarks to evaluate the contractor’s performance. “Who is Taurus? How did they come to Edison’s attention? Did the administration consider any other consultants?” he asked during the public‑comment period.
The business administrator and staff explained that under the local public contracts law energy aggregation and related advisory services are classified as professional services and therefore do not require a fair‑and‑open process. Officials also said the contractor’s role is to research vendors and identify potential suppliers; the township is not obligated to adopt any recommendation. One staff member said the advisory firm will be compensated through its bidding relationships rather than by a direct, fixed payment from the township for energy supplier selection.
Council members asked for context and comparative cost data going back one year so the council can evaluate the vendor’s recommendations and potential savings. The presiding officer asked staff to provide a history of the township’s energy costs and to include cost comparisons at the next meeting.
What happens next: Council asked administration to provide prior‑year energy cost data and a clearer description of Taurus’ role and compensation before council moves forward on final contract actions.
