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Bexley renewables, universal recycling and EV charging expansion touted as cost-saving measures
Summary
Mayor Ben Kessler outlined the city’s renewable aggregation program that he said has saved nearly $2 million, a universal recycling rollout funded by grants (the city said it is the first in Ohio), and new EV charging locations and an expanding municipal EV fleet.
Mayor Ben Kessler said the city will continue a suite of sustainability measures that combine cost savings with new services for residents, including a renewable energy aggregation program, universal recycling and more EV charging.
“We’ve saved the community nearly $2,000,000 to date on our current wind based, fully renewable aggregation program,” Kessler told the audience, and said the city is working to identify the next phase of renewable aggregation.
Kessler said Bexley launched universal recycling last year, funded by grants, and described the program as the first city in Ohio to provide recycling access to every business tenant, apartment resident and student. He also said the city added four new EV charger locations with a focus on overnight charging for apartment tenants and that the municipal fleet is expanding, which he said saves taxpayer dollars and is “really fun to drive for our crews.”
On trees and green policy, Kessler described a revamped infill tree program, community tree giveaways and draft tree preservation standards for council consideration. He also said the city is developing a green building code and a formal sustainability action plan.
Why it matters: Officials positioned the sustainability work as both an environmental and fiscal strategy: the renewable aggregation program was cast as a community savings measure, while recycling, EV infrastructure and green building standards target long-term cost and quality-of-life gains.
What’s next: City staff will return recommended sustainability code changes, tree-preservation standards and the next-phase renewable aggregation plan to council for policy decisions.
