GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — A political back-and-forth in Grand Haven revolves around the future of the Board of Light and Power (BLP).
According to the BLP's website, it operates the electric utility in the city.
A local group wants to change the structure of the BLP, while another wants things to remain the same.
The "Board of Light and Power Charter Change Coalition" seeks to amend the Grand Haven City Charter to make the Board of Light and Power just like any other city department.
Right now, the BLP is overseen by a five-person elected board that does not answer directly to the Grand Haven City Council. Those seeking to amend the charter want to change that.
But the town is divided, with others saying this change would be a step in the wrong direction.
Littered across Grand Haven front lawns are signs. Some say 'vote yes.'
“It’s kind of a David-versus-Goliath situation. We’re just some citizens that are standing up and saying, 'Let's find a way to rationalize what’s going on,'” said Field Reichardt with the Board of Light and Power Charter Change Coalition.
Other yard signs say 'vote no.'
“Out of concern, for possibly losing a very good thing,” says Save Our BLP organizer Ed Lystra.
The center of the debate: the Board of Light and Power.
Those looking to change the city charter want the Board of Light and Power to become a department within the city of Grand Haven. Right now, it's not.
According to those who want the change, it's a point of contention between City Council and the current Board of Light and Power.
“If you are a publicly elected board, and your responsibility is to set policy, it shouldn’t be your staff director setting the policy and getting you to agree with it,” Reichardt said.
A second group has formed, saying the current BLP does a good job as is. They fear changes to the way the Board is structured could impact service quality.
“There’s no benefit that going to derive from this change. It’s just going to put the Board of Light and Power under the control of City Council. It’s a $38 million business we’ve got going here. City Council is not the place to handle that kind of responsibility,” Lystra said.
If the charter amendment passes, numerous things would change.
Effective Jan. 1, 2024, all employees with the BLP would switch over to a city department and keep their benefits.
A new board would be formed, replacing the old elected five-person board with a seven-person appointed board. They'd answer to the City Council and the city manager.
A member of the city council would sit on the appointed board, and there would be added representation for outlying communities that utilize Grand Haven's BLP.
Those in favor of this change say it's a way to cut costs.
“I don’t see the rates going up because you’re going to be able to consolidate a bunch of services. For example, there are two separate fleets of vehicles that could be consolidated into one fleet with one service garage. We have two separate billings that go out. We have a separate HR department for the city and an HR department for the BLP. We have a finance director for the BLP and a finance director for the city. We have a whole lot of duplication of services. This is a small town. It wouldn’t be like Consumers Energy merging in it. It would be a way to save money,” Reichardt said.
Those opposed say the BLP already has low rates compared to others in the area.
“When you start with the level of service we’ve already got, and you talk about making a change, the only possible direction in which you’re going to go is down," Lystra said.
All eyes are on this portion of the election come Nov. 11.
“It has reached a fever pitch. Letters to the editor, yard signs as you’ve seen. It’s exactly the thing you don’t want, when it comes to the management of the electric utility," Lystra said.
“It is a control issue, I think, on the part of some of the people on the BLP board. They’ve spent a huge amount of ratepayer money, fighting what we’re doing,” Reichardt said.
Both sides say it's hard to get a read on which side is faring better, saying all they have to go on right now are yard signs.
Our full interview with Lystra:
Our full interview with Reichardt:
