Council declines to accept Year 5 ESG performance report; members request workshop on contract options

On July 1 the Michigan City Common Council rejected acceptance of an Energy Systems Group (ESG) Year 5 performance-guarantee savings report by a 4–5 roll-call vote. Council members who opposed acceptance said they want a fuller public discussion about the contract’s value and whether the city could perform the same energy improvements internally or modify the agreement.

Council members who supported accepting the report said it documents energy-efficiency measures and demonstrated savings. Opponents, including Councilman Dabney and others, expressed concern about continued contract costs and argued for a separate workshop to explore terminating or renegotiating the agreement.

After the vote failed, council members asked staff and legal counsel to schedule a public workshop for a more detailed review of the ESG contract, the report’s findings and options for modification or termination. Several members noted that some technical findings in the report — such as inverters on solar sites showing no production at particular locations — may be actionable and that the city’s controller or facilities staff could obtain some of the data directly.

The council did not adopt changes to the contract at the meeting; the motion to accept the report failed and a follow-up workshop was requested.