Mahoning Co. officials OK electric-operations plan

By Peter H. Milliken

The commissioners also approved a second temporary budget.

YOUNGSTOWN — Mahoning County commissioners approved an operations plan for the county’s electrical- aggregation program as their consultant prepares to open and review bids from potential electric suppliers.

The commissioners approved the startup plan Thursday after voters in nine of the county’s townships approved the aggregation Nov. 3.

Beaver Township Trustee Ted Lyda, president of the Mahoning County Township Association, said he expects the average household will save about $10 a month on its electric bill. Savings also would be achieved by churches, schools and small businesses, Lyda said.

Aggregation brings together large groups to buy electricity at a discounted bulk rate from the same company.

Anthony T. Traficanti, chairman of the county commissioners, said Mark R. Burns, president of the Aurora-based Independent Energy Consultants, the county’s aggregation consultant and broker, would review bids from potential electric suppliers this weekend.

“It creates more competition within the electric industry,” Traficanti said of aggregation. The county commissioners will choose the supplier, Traficanti said, adding that he hopes consumers will see savings beginning in May.

Participating townships are Beaver, Berlin, Coitsville, Ellsworth, Goshen, Green, Jackson, Milton and Springfield. The aggregation proposal was defeated by Smith Township’s voters, so that township is not participating.

In other action, the commissioners approved a second temporary one-month set of general-fund appropriations totaling $5 million for this year as they continue to prepare a full-year budget.

Like the temporary budget they adopted for January, that budget is 1‚Ñ12 of the general-fund expenditures for 2009. The general fund is the county’s main operating fund.

State law requires the commissioners to adopt a permanent, full-year budget by April 1.

Commissioner John A. McNally IV urged county elected officials and department heads to examine their budgets for items, such as travel, that could be stricken because they are unnecessary.

No department head is likely to be completely satisfied with his or her budget or get the amount of money he or she asked for, McNally said. Proper funding for jail operations will be the top priority, he added.

Matthew Watts of Girard, a county deputy, asked the commissioners to exhaust every possible resource to fund the sheriff’s department, which operates the jail.

The commissioners’ next meeting will be at 6 p.m. Thursday at Struthers City Hall.

milliken@vindy.com