Politics & Government

E-mail To The Editor: Solar Panels Funded By Grant

University Place City Councilman Javier Figueroa writes that a pair of solar panels, for which city officials approved funding for last week, are covered by a grant.

The Tacoma News Tribune recently ran an article on UP awarding a contract for $25,595 to install solar panels on our Civic Building. The article is not clear nor complete in its story.

Please note that the city did not spent any city funds for the panels; though your state tax dollars were utilized. A state grant was secured to pay for the panels. In 2009, the City Council (before my time) approved/directed staff to apply for the grant.

In 2010, staff applied and secured the grant. I recommended against moving forward with securing the grant since staff did not have the fiscal analysis on the maintenance/repair cost for the system. The grants do not provide for maintenance and/or repairs.

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Once the civic building shell was completed this year, staff called for bids to complete the installation. City council voted this month to award the bid. I voted for the contract because it was a done deal from the previous council actions and I was voting on the validity of the contract.


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