EPB officials said, "while continuing to strive to find an equitable resolution to recent questions about street light billing," EPB has issued a request for proposals seeking bids from contractors to conduct a complete physical inventory of all street lights and private lighting in its service footprint.
Once the initial inventory is complete, EPB plans to verify its total light inventory on a rolling three-year schedule.
“From the beginning, we’ve said that our goal is to get to the bottom of this situation and make it right,” said Harold DePriest, president and CEO of EPB. “In the meantime, we’re taking a number of steps to improve our processes. By hiring an independent, third-party company to complete a physical inventory of all the street and private lighting, we add another measure of accountability to ensure accuracy going forward.”
According to Mr. DePriest, EPB is continuing to work directly with the city of Chattanooga to find a fair resolution to the issue. “It’s important for us to represent the interests of our customers in making sure that any resolution we reach is fair for all parties.
“Finding a solution that is agreeable to both the city of Chattanooga and EPB is the only way to ensure the best result for the people of Chattanooga who are also our customers.”