Officials look at ways to save on energy costs
Worried about rising energy prices, Framingham Town Manager George P. King Jr. has scheduled a meeting Wednesday with department heads to begin drafting a townwide conservation plan.
''I think we're going to look at all kinds of ways to use less electricity, natural gas, and gasoline," he said. ''We still have to get the job done, but there might be some tweaks that are possible."
That might include changing hours of operation at some buildings, he said, or installing switches that turn off lights when no one is in the room.
''Opportunities for the most savings come within building operations, probably," said King. ''We spend a lot of money to heat these old buildings."
Snowplows and police cars still have to be fueled, but the town could look into using fewer trucks for plowing or doubling up officers in patrol cars to save money, for example, said King.
Police Chief Steven Carl declined to comment, saying that because it's a townwide issue, he has to refer all questions to King.
Some municipalities have talked about buying hybrid cars to save on gas, but King said that's a longer-term solution. The town will need some quicker fixes when its current contracts expire.
The contract for natural gas heat expires in July, and the contract for electricity ends in March. Prices are fixed now, according to King, but the town will have to negotiate new ones when the contracts expire.
Many towns will be facing the same issues in coming months.
''We know it's going to be a budget buster for communities," said Geoffrey Beckwith, executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association. ''Communities that had hoped that finances would stabilize and they [could] begin to bring down class sizes and address all the cuts in local services will certainly have a harder time reversing all of the cutbacks as a result of energy prices."
It's a national problem, but Massachusetts is in a unique position because it has already cut its services more deeply than any other state, he said, as a result of recent tight budgets.
''Rising gas prices can only make a bad situation worse," said Beckwith, whose group represents the state's cities and towns. ''Cutbacks have been very deep in the area of education and public works and public safety -- also in important services such as parks and libraries."
Schools have been affected the most, with layoffs of teachers and other staff, he said.
The state's Local Government Advisory Committee, which includes Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey as well as municipal leaders, is meeting to discuss how to improve vehicle efficiency this week, according to David O'Connor, the state's commissioner of energy resources. O'Connor said there are a wide range of solutions. One short-term solution could be for towns to switch to regular unleaded if they are using more expensive gas. A long-term solution could be switching to hybrid cars.
''I'm sure they've got SUVs in their fleet and they could cut down on the use of those," he said, referring not specifically to Framingham but to communities around the state facing rising energy costs. ''And then there are some vehicles out there that actually can convert to using biodiesel."
The municipal association has established a program called MunEnergy that seeks to lower electricity costs for municipalities. The association is also meeting with state officials this week to talk about ways the state and municipalities can work together to bring down costs, he said. Locally, communities are already trying a variety of tactics, including using hybrid cars and turning off streetlights, said Beckwith.
''It's in the category of every little bit helps," he said. ''Ultimately, it's trying to make a bad situation a little less bad."
''A consumer can say, 'We're not going to take that trip,' but a police department is not going to say, 'We're not going to patrol that street,' " said Beckwith. ''In wintertime, they're going to plow the streets no matter what."
Lisa Kocian can be reached at 508-820-4231 or lkocian@globe.com. 
