Ohio Consumers' Counsel warns Greene County residents of proposed AES Ohio and CenterPoint distribution rate increases
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Summary
Maureen Willis of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel told the Greene County Board of Commissioners that distribution-rate applications filed by CenterPoint (gas) and AES Ohio (electric) could raise local residential bills if granted; she outlined participation options, a 9–12 month timeline, and local assistance programs.
Maureen Willis, agency director for the Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel, told the Greene County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 20 that distribution-rate applications filed by CenterPoint (natural gas) and AES Ohio (electric) could significantly raise local residential utility bills if the utilities receive the full amounts they have requested.
The Consumers' Counsel is a state agency that represents residential utility customers before the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. Willis said the agency expects CenterPoint's requested distribution change to be around 30% and AES Ohio's to be about 15%, pending the commission's final decision.
Willis said the cases follow a standard regulatory timeline and typically take about nine to 12 months from application to an effective change in rates. "There is investigation, there is testimony, hearings, local public hearings," she said, adding that the law requires the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) to hold local public hearings for communities that serve more than 100,000 consumers.
The Consumers' Counsel's presentation described the utility bill as three parts — supply, transmission and distribution — and noted that the current discussion concerns distribution charges, which pay to move power or gas from the local utility to a home. Willis cautioned that supply and transmission charges could also rise in separate proceedings.
Willis said the OCC had prepared outreach materials and would notify the public when PUCO schedules local hearings. She recommended that residents file comments on the PUCO docket or attend local hearings and said the OCC has asked the commission to permit virtual hearings to improve accessibility.
The office also described customer-assistance options Greene County residents can use if they face bill-payment difficulty: Miami Valley Community Action Partnership administers federally funded HEAP and winter-crisis programs; CenterPoint and AES Ohio both maintain utility-assistance funds administered through the Salvation Army; and St. Vincent de Paul Society in Greene County also provides utility assistance.
Willis urged the commissioners to consider filing a resolution at the PUCO opposing the increases and offered a draft resolution for the board's consideration. "We would be happy to send that to the commissioners for your consideration," she said.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the difference between transmission and distribution lines, the scale of local public hearings, and how filings break down capital and operating costs. Willis said utilities' rate-case filings are extensive, include cost-of-service studies, and must follow the statutory formula in Ohio law (cited in the presentation as Ohio Revised Code section 4909.15).
She also noted reliability concerns previously recorded for AES Ohio, saying the utility had failed to meet minimum reliability standards in recent years, which is among the issues the OCC examines in rate proceedings.
No formal action was taken by the board at the meeting on filing a resolution; Willis's request was presented for the commissioners' consideration.
