MOUNT VERNON — The Knox County commissioners passed a resolution last week to once again put electric and natural gas aggregation programs on the November ballot.
“We’ve been getting a lot of notices from the electric companies about the increase coming in June, and it’s going to be substantial,” Commissioner Teresa Bemiller said. “I think they are trying to prepare people that it’s going to be significant.”
The county buildings are in an aggregation program. Mount Vernon and Fredericktown also have aggregation programs.
County energy consultant Bob Snavely of Palmer Energy told the commissioners in December 2022 that AEP had bought 45% of its power at 12 cents per kWh.
In March, AEP estimated that customers who use 1,000 kilowatts a month will see a jump of about 28%, with monthly bills jumping from around $155 to $198.
In comparison, the city negotiated an electric rate of 4.69 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) in 2021. The price holds through the end of 2025.
“We’d like to see that for the entire county,” Bemiller said, referring to Mount Vernon’s low rate.
The commissioners put gas and electric aggregation on the November 2021 ballot, but voters rejected the proposals 57% to 43%. Commissioner Thom Collier attributes the result to false and misleading information distributed prior to Election Day.
“The City of Mount Vernon has had aggregation for a number of years now, and they are seeing significant savings,” he said.
“If you don’t like the idea of aggregation, then you can opt out,” he added.
The aggregation will be for unincorporated areas of the county. Electric co-op customers are not eligible because the co-op is already an aggregation program.
“But we still need those customers’ support to pass this,” Commissioner Bill Pursel said.
“When you have the electric companies encouraging you to look and make a wise decision, I think it makes sense to look at something that gives us a lot more buying power,” Bemiller said.
Knox County 911
Operations Director Laura Webster met with the commissioners on May 11. She reported the dispatch center received 3,509 CAD calls during April.
Those calls included 138 disturbance calls, 33 domestic violence, 14 drug-related, 10 burglary, and 32 attempted/threatened suicide. The peak day for emergency calls was Sunday and peak hour 6 pm.
The center handled 5,536 non-emergency calls. The peak day for non-emergency calls was Friday and peak hour 2 pm.
Legislative action
The commissioners took the following legislative actions the week of May 8:
•Proclaimed May as Foster Care Month
•Approved PY2022 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) contract with Kramer Engineers for engineering and construction management for the Village of Brinkhaven’s sidewalk improvement poject at a fee of $17,350
•Approved agreement between the Knox County engineer and K.E. McCartney and Associates for inspection services for the Beckley Road bridge replacement
•Approved legal services agreement with Kelley A. Gorry of Rich and Gillis Law Group to assist with appeals of the Knox County Board of Revision decisions to the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals. Maximum compensation shall not exceed $160,669.60.
•Approved acknowledgment of the Knox County Fair Board “F” permit application for the Division of Liquor Control for July 22-July 26
•Approved acknowledgment of the Knox County Fair Board “F” permit application for the Division of Liquor Control for July 27-July 30
•Awarded the bid for the Knox County engineer asphalt patching material for 2023 to Mid Ohio Paving for $346,812. Engineer’s estimate is $350,000. Small’s Asphalt Paving submitted a bid of $389,290.
•Set the maintenance, repair, and operation fee for sewer facilities in the Little Jelloway Area of the Knox County Sewer District at $10 for 2024
•Set the maintenance, repair, and operation fee for water facilities in the Little Jelloway Area of the Knox County Sewer District at $9 for 2024
•Approved a loan agreement between the Knox County Board of Commissioners, Knox County Revolving Loan Fund, Area Development Foundation, and Coyne Graphic Finishing in the amount of $175,000
•Proclaimed May as Public Assistance Fraud Awareness Month
