Utilities

The mayor asks where the numbers came from, as many of them are, naturally, estimates.

If we were to go from today's prices, the budget would be $750,000 out of balance, but, says Brian Allen, we and the utilities themselves expect that the prices will come down over the summer. If they don't, he says, they'd take the money from the textbooks (from the health insurance savings). No new books if the prices don't come down!

At a question from Monfredo, we're getting a rundown on the switch over from oil to gas. We're trying to get rid of using oil to heat. Looking also at Worcester Tech in putting in maybe solar panels and heat recovery systems.

O'Connell questioning the renegotiation of our prices...should we join a larger consortium? It's not sounding like it, 'though it's obviously been considered. We renegotiate our gas in November.