Hillman, PIE&G still at odds

The negotiations between the Hillman Village Council and energy provider Presque Isle Electric and Co-Op remained at a stalemate, as the service provider rejected another proposal presented by the counsel.

While waiting for the Michigan Public Service Comission to rule on the case, Hillman offered PIE&G an offer that included a $10 service charge to its customer base in the area.

"That would be a big chunk of change, and as long as they used a portion of it to pay off debt that would be fine. But apparently they don't like us telling them how to spend their money," Village President Myron McIntire said. "The negotiations have gotten so heated now that I don't believe that a reasonable solution can be reached now."

During the meeting, McIntire produced a letter of recommendation from the village's attorney that outlined three recommended courses of action the council should explore.

The first is to allow MPSC to set the flat-line rate charged by PIE&G if the suit isn't thrown out.

Another alternative is to revert to a clause in the original document that states all rates charged must be a full five cents lower than competitor company MichCon.

"In our contract we are guaranteed that we, under any circumstance, will pay no more than a nickel less then MichCon and we won't settle for anything less," McIntire said.

The final piece of advice was to agree to the same charges as the other PIE&G customers with a written understanding that the village will never be priced any higher than them.

Another possible outcome, although unlikely, is that PIE&G pulls the franchise, in which it would have no longer than 24 months to cease and relocate all operations and vacate the area.

Also discussed was the possible purchase of four parcels of property that remained unsold from a tax sale auction.

Originally, the council agreed to purchase all 13 lots, but a miscommunication with the Montmorency treasurer put the parcels on the market. Nine of the 13 were sold, and the other four will be returned to the auction.

Village Manager Dave Post motioned that the council allow the discussed properties to be auctioned off once more without a Hillman bid, in hopes that the minimum price may dip once more. The motion passed with a unanimous vote.

The council also moved to action on putting into writing rules and regulations for the use and public reservations of the pavillion. On a number of occasions, people have booked the area for parties only to cancel and demand a refund. The council will eliminate any sort of refund to a booked customer for any reason.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached via e-mail at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5689.