Homewood staff seeks $757,540 carryover to continue Trane building controls services

City staff told the Homewood pre‑council on Monday that Trane, which provides remote intelligent building controls for City Hall, has offered to continue services through the end of the fiscal year if the council approves a $757,540 budget amendment from carryover fund balance into building repairs and maintenance.

Mr. Smith, who presented the item, said Trane’s remote system lets technicians adjust the building’s controls off‑site and “saves us a ton of money each year.” He told the council the company asked the city to fund the remainder of this year’s service and that staff will include the full annual cost in the next budget cycle. Smith said the arrangement helps the city’s building manager, Lee Garrett, because Trane can manage control settings across multiple floors and event schedules.

The council did not take a final vote during the pre‑council. Mayor Andrews said the item will be carried over to the regular council meeting on March 23 for consideration, giving staff time to provide any additional documentation the council requests.

If approved, the amendment would fund Trane’s services through Sept. 30, 2025; staff said the full‑year costs will be budgeted in the next fiscal cycle. No formal vote or mover/second was recorded on the budget amendment during the pre‑council discussion.

Council members asked technical questions about the scope of Trane’s control of heating and cooling systems and about how the service interacts with event schedules and other building uses. Smith said Trane manages the entire building to prevent large temperature swings and to accommodate weekend and Sunday events at Rosewood Hall.

The item’s next procedural step is a council vote at the March 23 meeting.