Preston — When town officials faced the complex and highly technical task of reviewing whether to seek competitive prices for electricity service to town facilities, First Selectman Robert Congdon turned to the embattled Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative for assistance.

The energy cooperative, owned by six municipally owned public utilities in the state, has been the center of a recent controversy over lavish, nonbusiness trips it hosted to the Kentucky Derby.

But Congdon said the agency has provided the town with an invaluable service at no cost to analyze energy usage, potential prices and assist in writing a request for proposals for competitive energy bids for all town facilities, including schools, Town Hall, the two fire stations, library and public works properties.

CMEEC will help review the bids received, and also has offered to assist Preston in planning for long-term energy needs for municipal facilities, which could be beneficial in anticipation of major development coming to the former Norwich Hospital property, Congdon said.

“CMEEC's been beat up pretty good in the press,” Congdon told the Board of Selectmen on Thursday, “but they've been more than accommodating to us.”

Congdon said the town's current energy contract with Eversource expires in mid-March, and the town participated in a bid process by the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities on behalf of its members. When the three proposals were received, Congdon and town Finance Director John Spang agreed they wanted professional assistance in analyzing the proposals.

Congdon initially called Norwich Public Utilities General Manager John Bilda, who referred the town to CMEEC for assistance.

CMEEC projected that the town could receive better prices through a request-for-proposals process. Preston can remain with Eversource under a standard rate through June, allowing time for the bid process, Congdon said.

CMEEC Executive Director Drew Rankin said analyzing energy markets and costs is the cooperative's “core business,” and CMEEC extended its offer of service to the town of Preston. He said CMEEC will assist the town in writing a request for proposals for energy needs and will analyze bids that are received.

“We're assisting them right now as a courtesy,” Rankin said.

By state law, CMEEC is not allowed to bid for retail electric sales to Preston or other towns in Connecticut; the cooperative sells wholesale power to its members. The cooperative only can offer services to the municipality.

“We’re facilitating the process for them,” Rankin said. “We’re not buying the energy for them or selling them the energy.”

c.bessette@theday.com