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Alpharetta reverses decision on energy grant
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City Council reversed its decision Monday night on an energy efficiency grant funded through federal stimulus dollars originally voted down June 15.
Adding the city's four oldest fire stations to the energy audit — the first phase of the grant — brought it more support, allowing it to pass 5-2. Councilmen David Belle Isle and John Monson, who spearheaded the effort to defeat the grant originally, still voted against the $252,000 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, with the rest of council in favor.
Belle Isle stuck to his principles not to accept any stimulus dollars. He said even China is having problems with the federal government printing money to fund the stimulus, as it continues to devalue the bonds that government holds.
"This is a resurrection of something that should have died," he said.
Mayor Arthur Letchas couldn't understand that point of view because if the money is refused, it will not go back to residents in the form of lower taxes. Those funds will just go to other cities.
"If we deny this money, it goes to Marietta or Kennesaw or somewhere else. In my opinion, that's downright stupid," the mayor said. "I just don't get it when you just want to turn down money."
Belle Isle said going green doesn't justify using those funds. He said he couldn't think of a single city service so important the council would have residents' grandchildren pay for it.
"This is not grant money. Of course this is stimulus dollars," Belle Isle said.
The $252,000 already has been allocated for Alpharetta. The amount is based on the city's population. A grant application still has to be submitted to the Department of Energy to receive those funds.
Councilman Jim Paine, in making the motion to approve the grant resolution, said everyone knew the source of the grant, and if the city does not take the money, it goes back to be used somewhere else.
"It doesn't come back in our pocket," he said.
Paine said the energy audit for the four fire stations, the Wills Park Recreation Center and the Engineering/Public Works building will cost between $30,000 and $40,000. Once the study is complete and the findings are analyzed, staff will come back to City Council with its recommendation. The city might find other ways to improve buildings for energy efficiency beyond the study, he said.
"But the net result is it's going to save the citizens of Alpharetta in the long run a lot of money," he said.
Councilman Doug DeRito, who backed this grant, said the previous proposal did not have clarity of the number one need for the monies. Without a Public Safety aspect, he couldn't support the previous resolution. Retooling the project to include fire station ventilation systems is something of value to the city, he said.
DeRito pushed to add diesel exhaust ventilation systems for fire stations so firefighters could safely work on vehicles and equipment in station bays. Since those ventilation systems allow the firefighters to keep the station bay doors closed, they will save energy, the councilman said.
"If we can get that money out of this process through federal grant dollars, then Alpharetta should get the monies," DeRito said.
As far as the stimulus dollars, he said, "We literally are going to end up footing the bill whether we live it or not."
Tags: Alpharetta, Alpharetta City Council
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