The public service committee advanced an agreement with Buckeye Energy Brokers to provide aggregation and consulting services for the city’s residential natural gas aggregation program.

Service staff said Buckeye has managed Akron’s aggregation program since July 2017. The program covers residential customers and small businesses using less than 5 MCF per month; larger commercial accounts are not in the aggregation pool. Ludlow said the current contract term ends with the November bill (October usage) and staff will monitor market prices and may lock in a multi‑year price if the market is favorable.

Staff reported the city’s current aggregation price was $3.81 per MCF with recent market indications showing one‑year offers around $4.60 and two‑year offers near $4.70; utility delivery charges (Enbridge) are separate and were described as roughly $46 per month per typical residential meter. The committee moved to suspend the rules and advanced the agreement for council consideration.