The Knox County Board are moving forward with an energy savings proposal that looks to reduce the county’s utility bill.
SmartWatt, up to this point, has been the facilitator of the project, but now the county will request qualifications from competitors to see if SmartWatt is the best company to do the work needed.
There were several concerns raised by board members regarding the use of local contractors when work is being done – which SmartWatts representative Orry Cummings assured them was their intention.
Another concern was raised regarding costs and commitment from the county for all the work that had been put into the project at this point. Cummings said that there was no commitment at this point and absolutely no costs until they decide to do a cost analysis. He added that should SmartWatt be awarded the work, any fee associated with the analysis would be waived.
A call to vote was made, despite the building committee not voting on the item in their meeting, which led to a 11-3 approval with board members Rick Sandoval, David Erickson, and Chairwoman Pamela Davidson voting against.
