Michigan City council votes 7–1 to end ESG monitoring contract, members debate value of $7,000 annual report

The Michigan City Common Council voted 7–1 on June 16 to terminate an ESG measurement and verification services contract and to accept a voluntary termination agreement from ESG that will waive the then-pending balance due (discussed in the meeting as roughly $7,000).

The item was removed from the table and opened for debate. Proponents of termination argued that the annual report duplicated information the city can track internally and that the ongoing cost — described repeatedly in the discussion as about $7,000 a year — was unnecessary now that baseline changes and savings are observable in the city budget. Councilman Dabney and others said the vendor id limited physical changes (bulb replacements, panel installs) and that staff could monitor savings without an annual paid report.

Opponents said the independent report provided verification and useful data for decision-makers. Council discussion referenced prior reporting cycles, concerns that solar panels at the senior center and police station had not been operating for a period without timely notification, and whether the city engineer had been consulted on removing the monitoring.

After discussion, the motion to terminate the ESG contract was put to a roll-call-style vote recorded in open session: seven members voted in favor and one opposed (the council president cast the lone no). The clerk recorded that the termination and agreement will be signed by the city and ESG and attached to the contract exhibits; a copy will be filed with the clerk.

The record in the meeting did not identify a mover and seconder by name for the motion to terminate; the clerk recorded the vote and the required filings to finalize the termination.