Council gives administration emergency authority to pursue new natural-gas supplier amid volatile market

Shelby City Council on the night approved an emergency resolution authorizing the mayor, as director of public service, to enter into a natural-gas aggregation agreement with a supplier on market terms if staff identify a favorable offer.

The measure (Resolution No. 6, 2025) passed on a roll call vote. Jay Sell, a representative of Aspen Energy, told council the city's aggregation program has run for about 10 years with Aspen Energy providing consulting and supplier-vetting services. "This is the tenth year now," Sell said, describing the firm's role helping the city identify suppliers and manage enrollment.

Sell said the market is unusually volatile, with transmission and transportation costs pushing retail offers up in short timeframes and suppliers shifting in and out of the aggregation business. He told council the emergency authority would let staff accept a market-priced offer quickly rather than wait for a subsequent council meeting and risk losing a rate that would produce projected savings.

Sell described the program's opt-out structure: residents would receive an opt-out letter about 45 days before a supplier start date, a 21-day initial opt-out window, and the ability to opt out later without penalty. He also said the city's aggregation vendors typically offer no early termination fees to customers.

Council members asked procedural questions about supplier counts and the reason for emergency designation; Sell said there are dozens of suppliers listed on the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio's portal but only a smaller number actively used for aggregation and that the emergency request was to provide staff flexibility to move if a clearly beneficial offer appears.

The resolution passed by roll call; council directed staff to solicit offers and report back when a supplier is identified.