Fairborn votes to join Dayton-area utility group seeking better prices

Credit: NICK BLIZZARD/STAFF

Credit: NICK BLIZZARD/STAFF

FAIRBORN — The city council has agreed to join a regional utility aggregation seeking more competitive rates for residents and small businesses.

The Fairborn council’s vote Monday night to join the initiative led by the Miami Valley Communications Council is aimed at securing better prices for electric and natural gas customers in the city.

More than 15 Dayton-area cities in Greene, Miami, Montgomery and Preble counties are interested in being part of the coalition, MVCC Executive Director Jay Weiskircher has said.

“The city hopes to leverage the buying power of the larger MVCC group to get the lowest possible price for our residents for gas and electric service,” Fairborn City Manager Rob Anderson told the Dayton Daily News in an email survey.

Fairborn Councilman Clint Allen said “the target here is savings for our citizens. So, we’re on the right path.”

Fairborn is among about seven to 10 cities — including Centerville, Englewood, Germantown, Kettering, Miamisburg — interested in joining when the group is established this year, Weiskircher has said.

Several others, which may come aboard later, have existing agreements or are communities where voters have not yet approved aggregation, according to Weiskircher.

Kettering and Miamisburg are among cities that expect to initially join the group for electricity only, the DDN survey indicated. They are both MVCC members, along with Centerville, Germantown, Moraine, Oakwood, Springboro and West Carrollton.

Fairborn is among more than 20 MVCC affiliate communities, according to the organization’s website.

The coalition is working with Toledo-based consultant Palmer Energy, a service provider for the Ohio Municipal League, officials said.

Palmer is set to meet with Vandalia this month and a public hearing is expected Feb. 20, said Dan Wendt, Vandalia city manager. A second public hearing is tentatively set for March 6, he added.

Palmer plans to file documents with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, Fairborn Public Works Director Terry Adkins said.

The Monday night vote followed Fairborn’s second public hearing on the issue, as required by Ohio law, officials said.

The plan is to lock in rates for one-year increments up to three years depending on the supplier, Weiskircher said.

The MVCC is targeting to roll out the program by mid-summer, officials said.

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