(Source: The Blade)
By David Patch, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio
March 23--SWANTON -- Swanton residents soon will get cards in the mail that they may return if they do not wish to make a three-year commitment to buy electricity under the village's aggregation plan that is to start early this summer.
Those who don't return the cards will automatically be signed up to buy electricity from Duke Energy Retail Services at a discounted rate.
Two public hearings the village held concerning the plan were lightly attended and uneventful, Village Administrator Jon Gochenour said. The village now will file for certification as an electricity aggregator with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
As an aggregator, Swanton is able to offer a reduced, group rate for electricity, in this case 6.3 cents per kilowatt hour. But to get the reduced rate, customers must agree to use Duke Retail as their supplier for three years.
Those who opt out will continue to buy power from Toledo Edison, which will handle power delivery and billing for all customers.
Village Council, meanwhile, last week renewed the trash-collection contract with Allied Waste for three years.
The new base rate of $12.41 a month for residential customers is 4 percent higher than the previous $11.93 monthly charge.
Mr. Gochenour said that because a 99-cent fuel-recovery fee is in effect, the monthly bill will become $13.40.
The new rates will remain in effect for the entire three years, except for the fuel fee, which is variable.
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