McDonald joins energy-aggregation council

By Sean Barron

McDONALD — Village council has voted to become a member of an energy-aggregation group, which will likely boost the village’s general fund and eventually mean extra savings for many residents.

During its meeting Wednesday, council voted to be a member of the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council, a move that will allow the village to be part of a program called First Energy Solutions Powering Our Community.

That will make it eligible for a grant of at least $50,000 for the general fund, Mayor Glenn W. Holmes noted.

The money would go toward an energy-savings initiative and be used, among other things, for wind turbines and energy-efficient lighting, Holmes explained, adding that the turbines would decrease the cost of operating the village’s water tower.

The concept of public aggregation allows individual electricity and natural-gas customers to be part of a large group, with advantages that include buying bulk at discounted rates, the mayor said.

In addition, the village has seen a 6 percent savings with First Energy, and being part of NOPEC could mean up to an additional 1 percent in savings for residents after 2011, he continued.

Warren, Liberty Township and Newton Falls are three of 126 communities in nine Northeast Ohio counties that make up NOPEC, a nonprofit council of governments that negotiates with utility suppliers on behalf of its customers.

Also at the session, officials passed a resolution to place a five-year, 1.5-mill emergency operating renewal levy on the May 4 primary- election ballot.

The measure will bring in about $26,000 annually that will be used for general operations of the village, Holmes said, stressing that it will not mean a tax increase for residents.

In other business, council passed a resolution for a water-rate increase, effective March 1, that will first appear on consumers’ second-quarter bills in July.

The increase will be about $2 per quarter for an average inside water user, Holmes said.

The higher rate is necessary because the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District recently passed on a 3.5 percent increase to the village, Councilman Peter D. Sudol noted.