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Council rescinds Richmond Energy Savings Task Force, cites concern about endorsing a private provider
Summary
Vice President Reynolds asked the council to rescind a January resolution creating an Energy Savings Task Force, arguing the group risked endorsing a private company; the council voted to rescind and discussed broader approaches to municipal energy-savings efforts.
Vice President Reynolds asked the council to rescind a January resolution that had established the Richmond Energy Savings Task Force, saying he had second thoughts about creating a task force that could appear to endorse a private company and that volunteers might be thinly spread across many boards.
Councilors debated alternatives: some suggested broadening the charge to examine a range of utility-saving options rather than focus on a single vendor, while others suggested observing other towns or forming a smaller council subcommittee to expedite work. Residents who applied to serve spoke in favor of investigating potential savings but said they would not be offended if the council rescinded the task force and directed volunteers to other boards.
After discussion, a motion to rescind the resolution was put forward and the council approved rescission by roll call. Several councilors volunteered to work with Vice President Reynolds and staff on potential next steps if a future initiative is pursued.
The council did not authorize any contract award or endorsement of a private provider as part of the rescission motion.
What happens next: rescission of the resolution removes the formal task force; councilors or staff may pursue alternative vehicles for energy exploration and may consult other towns that have implemented community-choice aggregation or bulk purchasing programs.
