Sunbury council approves 12-month electricity aggregation agreement, authorizes administrator to finalize deal

Sunbury City Council on a 6-0 roll call approved a resolution authorizing the city administrator to execute a governmental aggregation services agreement to supply electric energy to participating Sunbury residents and businesses.

The resolution authorizes a 12-month contract the city would accept if a refreshed brokered offer remains at or below 9.5 cents per kilowatt-hour. City Administrator Daryl Hennessy and energy broker Fritz Drake of Scioto Energy told council the proposal was intended to secure a rate likely to be lower than the current AEP tariff and noted residents retain the right to opt out and shop for other offers.

Hennessy summarized the broker presentation, saying the aggregation rate recently ran closer to 9 cents per kilowatt-hour after earlier estimates around 6.5¢. Drake said the market is volatile and advised prompt action: the city planned a “refresh” of brokered offers as soon as the next day and would execute the contract only if the rate stayed below the 9.5¢ threshold.

Drake also explained one component of bills known as capacity, which he described as an unavoidable part of customers’ electricity charges that can account for roughly 15%–20% of a bill during peak demand periods. Hennessy said the administration recommended a 12-month term to avoid longer exposure to uncertain future capacity costs.

Council suspended the rules to take up the matter the same night and then voted on the resolution by roll call. The recorded roll call showed six yes votes and no recorded no or abstain votes.

The action does not automatically change any resident’s provider; the program would enroll participating accounts and allow customers to opt out if they choose. The administration said it would publish the final rate and timeline to consumers after the broker refresh and execution.