Commissioners weigh contractor audits versus bringing energy‑audit work back in house

Commissioner Christopher McBoy told commissioners he prefers in‑house delivery for energy audits because it builds institutional memory and cultural connection with residents: "I in general, I prefer to do things with our staff rather than contract out just as a sort of general preference because it builds institutional memory." McBoy argued that multilingual, locally rooted staff could better reach households that do not proactively request audits.

Ed Liberty, who explained the city's history of in‑house audits and the eventual pivot to the contractor Drops and Watts, said the outside vendor proved more cost‑effective and higher quality than the city operation in recent years. "Drops and Watts...has proven to be a a much, more reasonably priced service and and, frankly, a a higher quality service than than we were getting internally," he said. Vice Mayor Mimi May noted a fiscal comparison: the contractor runs roughly "$45,000 a year" — a figure commissioners said staff should analyze against the full costs and benefits of hiring multilingual in‑house personnel.