Mount Vernon City Council adopted two resolutions on Sept. 29 to let the city participate in a multi-jurisdictional electric aggregation program and to amend the city's electric aggregation plan of operation and governance. The council approved Resolution 2025-93, authorizing the safety-service director to enter a governmental aggregation program participation agreement, and Resolution 2025-99, which updates the city's aggregation plan and is intended to permit simultaneous contracting with nearby Fredericktown to lock in supplier rates.

The action followed a public comment from Jennifer Shoman, who said she lives at 200 North Edgewood Road and asked the city to provide greater transparency about the amendments and to post the updated plan on the next agenda. "I would like to request greater transparency on resolution 25 99 and clarification on what specific changes were made," Shoman said. She specifically flagged section E of the plan's miscellaneous governance guidelines, which states "all cost of the aggregation program development and administration will be paid through the inclusion of an adder that will be added to member bills." Shoman asked whether the council has a projection of those costs and whether any negotiated aggregation rate would be discounted enough to offset the adder.

Tanner, a city staff member speaking during the discussion, said the amended documents largely reflect a standard form from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and that the city removed its prior broker from the draft so that the council could authorize a simultaneous agreement to lock rates when RFP results are returned. "This is a standard document that comes to us from the PUCO," Tanner said. He told the council the city has engaged Palmer to run the request-for-proposal process and that the simultaneous agreement is intended to allow Mount Vernon and Fredericktown to lock a supplier rate on the same day.

Council members and staff discussed how aggregation works, customer-service issues with prior suppliers, and opt-out implications. Tanner told residents to read any third-party offers carefully and warned that short-term outside contracts could offer lower initial rates but include termination fees or other conditions. "Buyer beware," Tanner said. He also said the city chose Palmer in part because Palmer provides local customer support and communications that were missing under the prior broker.

During council discussion, staff said the city expects about 5,700 eligible Mount Vernon accounts; Fredericktown's eligible accounts were described as about 1,300. Council members and staff said combining eligible accounts with neighboring jurisdictions should increase buying power when the city and Fredericktown sign together. Tanner said a gas RFP is expected later and that the current actions primarily address electricity but provide authorization to execute agreements when other RFPs are complete.

Council adopted both resolutions by roll call vote. City staff said the amendments come from PUCO-regulated templates and that the changes discussed during the meeting included removing the prior broker from the plan and authorizing Palmer to proceed with an RFP process and contracting as results arrive. Members of the public who spoke urged that the amended plan and an explanation of the adder be posted and that any final aggregation rate be shown to offset program administrative costs before enrollment begins.

The council's action does not itself specify exact adder amounts or final supplier rates; staff said those figures will be known after RFP responses are received. The resolution record shows the city will communicate RFP results to council when available and execute participation agreements at the time rates are locked.