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Canfield council tables vote on citywide natural-gas aggregation after residents press for clarifications
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Summary
After a roughly 30-minute discussion with Buckeye Energy Brokers and public comment, Canfield City Council voted to table two agenda items proposing a new natural-gas aggregation with supplier IGS and to seek additional detail on rates, units and participation before returning the matter for a future vote.
Canfield City Council on Tuesday tabled two agenda items that would have approved a natural-gas aggregation program using a variable wholesale index plus a fixed adder offered by supplier IGS, after residents and council members asked for clearer comparisons, participation figures and unit clarifications.
The proposal was presented by Bill Belish, identified in the meeting as president of Buckeye Energy Brokers, who described the city's offer as “NYMEX ... plus, 25.6¢” and said that, based on current futures markets, the city’s aggregated price would be lower than Columbia Gas. Belish said the adder would be fixed for a proposed two-year term and that the program could later be converted to a fixed price if the market made that advantageous.
Residents attending the meeting pressed for concrete numbers and for clarity about measurement units. Gary Stanko, who identified himself as a resident, pointed to the city-published rate and said it was being presented as “0.747 ... 74¢ per 100 cubic feet,” and repeatedly urged council to verify whether prior figures included differing units or decimal-place differences. Stanko also said some fixed-rate offers on the open market had appeared substantially lower and asked how many Canfield households participate in the city’s aggregation program; the participation percentage was not provided at the meeting.
Councilors and the presenter also discussed program mechanics: the city would guarantee an adder that Beats Columbia Gas’s adder; the supplier’s proposal was structured as a variable wholesale index (NYMEX) with a fixed adder (quoted by the presenter as 25.6¢, inclusive of Buckeye’s stated fee). Belish said the October projection on the chart shown to council was about 0.55 per CCF (hundred cubic feet) and that, if markets remained low, the administration could return to council to lock in a fixed price.
Multiple residents and council members asked for clearer ‘‘apples-to-apples’’ comparisons using the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) site and for explicit statements of whether published numbers were per cubic foot, per hundred cubic feet (CCF), or per BTU. Belish and staff acknowledged that unit conventions vary (Columbia Gas quotes in CCF; other systems quote per thousand cubic feet) and said they would clarify the ordinance, customer notices and the city website.
Council discussion ended with a motion to table agenda items 1 and 2 so the administration and the broker could provide the additional clarifications requested by members and the public. Council voted to table the items; the motion passed and the items will return at a later date. At the meeting, councilors asked the broker to notify the administration promptly if market conditions made fixing the rate advantageous, and to provide a clear, resident-facing summary of how the aggregation compares to Columbia Gas and to available fixed-price offers.
Why it matters: the aggregation affects residents who remain on Columbia Gas’ default service and could change monthly energy bills for participating households. Council members said they did not want to approve a contract without resolving apparent inconsistencies in how rates were reported and without knowing the program participation rate and termination/opt-in mechanics for residents already in private fixed contracts.
Details and outstanding items: - Proposal structure: variable wholesale NYMEX index + fixed adder (presenter quoted 25.6¢, which he said includes Buckeye’s fee). - Columbia Gas reference: councilors and commenters compared the offer to Columbia Gas default rates (participants on Columbia would be moved to the aggregation unless they opt out). - Opt-in/opt-out: presenters said eligible residents would receive an opt-out notice; residents already under private fixed-price contracts would not receive the letter but could opt in later (subject to any termination fees under their private contracts). - Fixed-price option: presenters said a fixed-rate quote available at the meeting was about 0.66 (per CCF, as discussed) and that the variable-plus-adder proposal projected lower monthly prices in some months; council asked staff to analyze both fixed and variable scenarios. - Participation level: not specified at the meeting; council asked administration to report the percentage and number of residents currently on the Canfield aggregation in a follow-up.
Quotes (selected): “NYMEX is the New York Mercantile Exchange. ... what we're doing is comparing that then to Columbia Gas,” said Bill Belish, president of Buckeye Energy Brokers, while explaining the supplier proposal.
“The published rate on the website is 0.747 ... 74¢ per 100 cubic feet,” said resident Gary Stanko, pressing council and staff to clarify unit conventions and prior advertised rates.
“I agree with tabling,” said Council Member Neff during the discussion; council later voted to table the items.
Next steps: Council directed staff and the broker to return with clearer, resident-facing comparisons (including units and examples of monthly bills for a minimal-usage household), the current participation count and recommendations about when administration should present a fixed-price lock option to council if market conditions warrant it. The tabling motion passed; a future special or regular meeting will reschedule the items for further consideration.
