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Mayor warns of rising electricity demand, reports court win in ODOT dispute; council moves to executive session
Summary
During the July 14 meeting Mayor reported unusually high electric demand affecting future bills and said the city received a favorable court ruling in litigation with the Ohio Department of Transportation over Route 2. Council recessed into executive session to discuss pending litigation.
In his July 14 report to the Amherst City Council, Mayor (name not specified) warned residents that unusually high electric demand in June will likely raise some customers’ upcoming utility bills and urged conservation on the hottest days. The mayor said one hour of peak usage can determine transmission and demand charges that form part of the city’s electric costs.
"The days that it's real hot, the one-hour largest usage of the year decides our demand and our transmission charges," the mayor said, noting the city does not control some transmission and demand components of customers’ bills. He urged voluntary conservation during predicted high-demand hours and said the city would develop plans with the regional power authority (AMP) to reduce peak usage.
The mayor also updated council on ongoing litigation with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) involving Route 2. He said the court issued a ruling in the city’s favor last week, and that city attorneys and staff have worked with state legislators and others in Columbus to secure statutory changes that could affect such agreements. The mayor said the matter is not yet final because the opposing party may appeal and that the law department will brief council in executive session.
Nathan Manning and a city attorney, identified in the meeting as Mr. O'Reilly, were thanked for assisting with legislative and legal work related to the case. The mayor asked the council to move into executive session to discuss pending litigation; the council voted to recess into executive session by voice vote and later returned and adjourned.
Why this matters: Higher peak electric demand can increase municipal and customer costs; the court ruling in the ODOT case may affect the city's rights or obligations related to Route 2, but the mayor said the case remains subject to possible appeal and will be discussed in executive session.
No public comment on these items was recorded in the meeting minutes; the council accepted administrative reports and then recessed into executive session to discuss pending litigation.
