Carrollton Village Council hears energy aggregation savings update

Carrollton Village Council heard an update on the village’s electric and gas aggregation programs Feb. 23 from Larry Taylor, energy aggregation specialist with Trebel Energy.

Taylor said the village negotiated an electric aggregation rate of 0.09199 per kilowatt-hour with Dynegy, which runs from October through June 2026. He said the utility’s “price to compare” had been about 0.098 but has since increased to 0.1065 for January through March.

“We went out and negotiated a rate of 9.2 cents,” Taylor said. “We’re providing a savings for the residents in the electric aggregation program, so that’s a great thing.”

Since October, Taylor said the program has saved residents about $31,000. He added the previous two-year program saved approximately $498,000 compared with standard utility rates.

Regarding natural gas, Taylor said Trebel recommended against locking in a fixed rate due to volatility in the natural gas market, instead implementing a 2% discount off Columbia Gas’ retail price adjustment for customers enrolled in the aggregation program.

“There’s just too much volatility,” Taylor said. “It’s been extremely unique the last few years, and suppliers aren’t willing to take on that kind of risk.”

“It’s not anything exciting,” he added of the 2% discount. “It’s not going to save a resident enough money to get a new car, but it is a guaranteed savings.”

The gas program is structured as a three-year agreement, and Taylor said Trebel would notify the village if market conditions create an opportunity to secure a favorable fixed rate.

In an unrelated matter, Village Administrator Chris Kiehl reported meeting with department supervisors, with no issues beyond normal day-to-day operations. He said Columbia Gas completed its annual inspection of the municipal building with no issues noted.

Kiehl also met with representatives from Kimble to discuss refuse routes and pickup times, including early-morning areas. He said residents were mailed a flyer regarding the rollout of 95-gallon trash carts, which will be delivered unless residents opt out.

He added the cabinet for the left-turn traffic signal at the Route 39 and Route 43 intersection has been ordered and will be installed once received.

In other business, council:

—APPROVED Resolution 2026-05 amending the original appropriations ordinance for 2026 and declaring it an emergency measure.

—REQUESTED additional information be included in future police reports regarding the village’s K-9. Council Member Dan Locke asked that reports detail how often the dog is used and for what purposes.

—RECEIVED the February police report, which included 237 calls for service. Officers completed 12 incident reports, including two drug arrests; one OVI arrest; two assault investigations; one domestic violence investigation; one theft investigation involving a loss exceeding $40,000; and one child endangering investigation. Police also investigated an interstate threat involving a Missouri resident who threatened to travel to Carrollton to kill a local victim following an online dispute. A warrant was issued and, with assistance from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the suspect was located and stopped in the Columbus area. The suspect was taken into custody without incident and was in possession of a loaded AR-style rifle and three magazines containing approximately 80 rounds of ammunition. Officers investigated nine traffic crashes, one of which resulted in minor injury.

—RECEIVED the fire department report for Jan. 26 through Feb. 22, which included 43 total incidents: 11 fires; 12 rescue and medical calls (nine lift assists); 11 hazardous conditions; one service call; seven good intent calls; and 11 false alarms or false calls. The year-to-date total is 69 incidents.

—DISCUSSED scheduling a spring visit to the street department, with members indicating a preference for early April.

—PAID the village bills of $85,899.30 in vendors, $68,507.21 in payroll; and payment of bills without prior certification of $1,066.67.