HADLEY — Select Board members fired questions at the Hampshire Council of Governments March 1, aiming to determine if the cost of membership was the “best bang for the buck.”

In the coming weeks, Select Board Chairwoman Molly Keegan said, the board will do a cost-benefit analysis of the savings and explore seeking the same services elsewhere.

“When you’re entering a relationship with a partner like that, you want to make sure your partner is in good fiscal health,” Keegan said.

While the financial future of the COG remains uncertain, the savings Hadley receives by doing business with the agency are clear.

Executive Director Todd Ford brought spreadsheets that show the town saves about $30,900 by participating in the council’s bulk purchasing program.

Another area of significant savings, Town Administrator David Nixon said, comes from participating in a solar renewable energy credit program through the council. In participating with that program, he said, the town saves 21 percent of electricity costs for five of the town’s major buildings.

In return for these savings the town pays between $3,000 and $3,500 a year.

Select Board member Gerald Devine also stressed to Ford that the board’s concerns over technology support, provided at a discount through the council’s Hampshire IT program, are “serious.”

“I’m glad to hear that you had a chance to sit down and talk about it,” Devine said, referencing a meeting held between Ford and Nixon on Tuesday.

Meantime, Ford brought fresh numbers from the council’s auditor, which show the agency is “in the black.”

Ford said that, despite concerns, the board finished 2016 with a $900,000 surplus. Still, he acknowledged, “there’s a lot of work to be done.”

“We’re always looking to diversify our revenue streams,” Ford said.

The “lion’s share” of the council’s revenue, Keegan said, comes through electricity aggregation. She said the board wants to be sure the town doesn’t pay dues only to have the organization dissolve and “all of a sudden the rug’s pulled out from under us halfway through the budget season.”

In order to maintain a level-services budget, Keegan pointed out, the agency would need to grow its electricity program by $3 million over the next year.

Ford said he understood the board’s concerns. He said the organization of the Hampshire Council of Governments continues to pose financial challenges.

“You are right to be concerned,” Ford told board members, referencing how the council’s charter makes funding difficult. “It was created oddly. It has really saddled the organization with some serious challenges.”

Because the council does not collect taxes and is not a legally designated planning commission — meaning it is ineligible for state funding for municipal planning, Ford said — the organization is dependent on its fee-for-service programs for financial solvency.

In looking at the numbers, Planning Board member and former councilor Mike Sarsynski reminded councilors that things change quickly in the energy industry.

“The electricity market is very volatile and what we think is going to happen doesn’t always happen,” he said.

Sarsynski also noted that the financial trend has been downward, referencing how little remains of the $4 million earned in the sale of Hampshire Care in 2009.

“The trend has been down and something has to be done to stop this hemorrhaging of money,” he said.

Belchertown Town Administrator Gary Brougham, who has been critical of Ford and of the agency’s direction, addressed the board briefly during the meeting.

“You’ve been given materials tonight,” he said, referencing financial documents Ford provided. “I would encourage you to look at those very closely.”

“We don’t have the revenue — it’s quite obvious,” said Donald Pipczynski, a Select Board member who represents Hadley on the COG. “Hopefully, we’ll have some remedy for that in the future.”

Amanda Drane can be contacted at adrane@gazettenet.com.