FIRSTENERGY Customers have choice with plan

City residents voted in 2003 to participate in the electricity buying group.
EAST PALESTINE -- First Energy Ohio Edison residential customers in the city have until Oct. 20 to opt out of an electricity aggregation plan, said Erin Biehl, spokeswoman for The Ohio Consumers' Counsel in Columbus, a residential utility advocate.
Biehl said residents should have received information in the mail about how to join or withdraw from the community buying group. The mailing also provides details about the rate being offered by FirstEnergy Solutions, the company chosen by city officials to supply electricity as part of the aggregation program.
Aggregation is the process of joining consumers together as a group to buy electricity, Biehl explained.
East Palestine residents voted in favor of their community aggregating its electric service on a ballot issue in November 2003.
Chance to withdraw
To opt out, residents must return the opt-out card postmarked no later than Oct. 20.
East Palestine residents who are eligible to participate will be automatically included in the program and served by FirstEnergy Solutions unless they withdraw, she said.
Biehl explained the process required for communities to participate in government aggregation programs.
The process begins with the local government adopting an ordinance or resolution to place the issue on the ballot so residents may vote on it.
Once the issue is approved, the local government must then adopt a plan to address how the aggregation program will work and schedule two public meetings about the plan.
Biehl said government officials then choose an electric supplier to service their residents at a specified rate. When the supplier has been chosen, a letter is sent to eligible residents informing them of the supplier rate, terms and conditions of the offer and the deadline to opt out of the program.
Consumers who have chosen a supplier on their own are not included in the buying pool, she said.