City Council, Feb. 28, 8 p.m., following The Disney Way keynote address at 6 at Dowagiac Middle School Performing Arts Center.

E-mail billing incentive

At the Jan. 24 meeting, City Council authorized a $5 incentive for any customers signing up for an e-mail billing of their city utility bills.
During the first month of the program, 48 people chose to sign up and receive the credit.
These 48 customers helped reduce printing and mailing costs to the utilities by about $450 this year.

Fire Dept. annual report

During calendar year 2010 our city firefighters responded to 160 calls for service; 125 of those calls were within city limits and 26 were within LaGrange and Pokagon Township areas that we contract with for services.
We also responded to nine calls outside our service area to help other fire departments.
Within city limits, there were 38 calls for service in Ward 1, 50 calls for service in Ward 2 and 37 calls for service in Ward 3.
In total, there were 26 false alarms, which is 16.25 percent of the calls for service.
I am also pleased to report that our firefighters continue to seek education and training so that they can professionally serve the citizens of this community.
The following is a list of certifications held by members of our firefighting team:
• 5 Fire Officer III Level (FF I + FF II + 55 training hours, total of approx. 600 hours)
• 2 Fire Officer II Level (FF I + FF II + 270 training hours)
• 11 Firefighter II (FF I + 75 training hours)
• 2 Firefighter I (200 training hours)
• 1 in Training for Firefighter II
• 1 MSP-Certified Arson Investigator
• 1 NFPA-Certified Fire Inspector
• 4 Michigan State-Certified Instructors
• 2 National Fire Academy Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Specialists
• 14 Confined Space Rescue Certifications
• 1 Advanced Level ICS 300 & 400 Instructor
• 2 CERT Instructors
• 2 Ice Rescue Technicians

Online credit card payments

In the two weeks since the online credit card payment option has been made available to utility customers, there have been six transactions made in the system. It is anticipated that this number will grow as people become more aware that this option is available.

Fuel venture with schools

In September 2010 the improvements to the fueling station at the Dowagiac Union Schools transportation facility on Pokagon Street was complete and the city began fueling its vehicles in cooperation with the school district.
The transition went smoothly and working relationships are good between all parties.
During the first four months of this program, 11,135.6 gallons have been used by city vehicles.
During this stretch of time we have saved approximately 21 cents per gallon, which means there has been about a $2,038 reduction in fuel costs due to this cooperative venture. We look forward to working with the school district as well as other entities to stretch our limited resources.

Street light efficiency update

The Department of Public Services continues to evaluate ways to provide cost-effective services to our community.
One area of focus over the last year involves reducing the amount of energy used for street lighting. With more than 800 street lights and 400 security lights in the city, energy consumption and recurring maintenance costs are substantial.
Our approach thus far includes two measures: (1. eliminating non-essential lights; and (2. replacing essential lights with energy-efficient, longer-lasting technology. There is a distinction between street lights (those along roadways) and security lights (those in parking lots, alleys, etc.). Security lights are generally provided to customers upon request and require payment of a monthly service fee. Street lights are provided throughout the community along public right-of-ways and are funded collectively by the taxpayers and utility ratepayers of the community. While street lighting policies vary from community to community, DPS staff considers essential street lights to be those that fit in one or more of the following categories: (1. central, commercial and industrial areas; (2. main roadways and thoroughfares, (3. street intersections and (4. other areas deemed necessary by the Departments of Public Safety and/or Public Services. Over the last year our Electric Division has gradually removed a total of 48 street lights, which comprises a 6-percent reduction thus far. Most of these lights were 175W mercury vapor lamps, which happen to be a relatively inefficient and antiquated technology and have actually been banned in the U.S. since 2008 (as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005). Efforts to replace essential street lights with high-efficiency magnetic induction or LED technology are ongoing. In fact, you may notice these new lamps in various areas of the city as staff conducts pilot studies to test various products over coming months.    — City Manager Kevin Anderson