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Columbus committee hears residents, advocates on utility reselling, tenant harms
Summary
City committee heard testimony from residents, energy-policy advocates and housing experts describing how third‑party submetering and utility reselling can leave renters without consumer protections, disconnect recourse and access to assistance programs. Committee staff said the draft ordinance remains in revision and will incorporate feedback.
Members of the Columbus City Council Public Utilities and Sustainability Committee heard more than two hours of testimony May 16 on draft legislation to regulate utility reselling and submetering in the city.
The committee’s chair opened the hearing saying the draft remains under revision and that staff are taking testimony to inform the final language. “Everything that has been proposed is still in draft form as we take in additional feedback, before it is brought to the full council for a vote,” the chair said.
The Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund and several tenants and housing advocates urged the committee to tighten protections for renters who receive utility service billed by third‑party resellers rather than the regulated utility. “This proposed ordinance is a positive step towards equitable and transparent access to utilities in Columbus,” Nolan Rutschling, managing director of energy policy for the Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund, told the committee.…
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