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Lincoln Heights council approves electric-aggregation ordinance after post-executive-session re-vote
Summary
The Village of Lincoln Heights approved ordinance 25‑O‑2 authorizing the interim village manager to enter an electric aggregation agreement after an initial procedural vote to suspend the rules failed and a later re-vote passed following an executive session; the consultant said the program has reduced participating households' bills versus Duke Energy's recent price-to-compare.
Lincoln Heights — The Village of Lincoln Heights council approved ordinance 25‑O‑2 on May 12, 2025, authorizing Interim Village Manager Chris Williams to enter into an electric aggregation agreement with a supplier recommended by Energy Alliances Inc.
Dan Dieter, the Energy Alliances consultant who addressed council, said the current program began in August 2024 and “residents in the program are saving about $10 a month” compared with Duke Energy’s price to compare. He told the council Duke Energy’s filed price to compare is 10.45¢ per kilowatt hour and urged the village to authorize a signer to execute a one‑year contract quickly so the program would not lapse under Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) filing timelines.
The ordinance was added to the supplemental agenda the same night and read by title. Council first considered a motion to suspend the rules so the ordinance could be adopted immediately; that procedural motion failed on an initial roll call (four ayes, two nays), leaving the council unable to adopt the ordinance that night.
Council members and residents exchanged views about the program’s benefits and the ease of opting out. Some residents said community aggregation had reduced their generation charges; others said opting out had been harder than advertised and urged clearer advance notice and outreach.
After a recess for executive session, Councilwoman Karen Hingston was granted permission to change her earlier vote. With Hingston’s change to “yes,” the motion to suspend the rules was re-tallied and passed, and the council proceeded to receive the ordinance for passage and adopt the emergency clause. Final roll-call votes on passage recorded five ayes and one nay; Councilwoman Phyllis Baber cast the lone no vote.
Under the ordinance as read by title, the interim village manager is authorized to enter into an aggregation agreement with an electric supplier recommended by Energy Alliances Inc.; the text allows the village to set the supplier and for the manager to execute master service agreements and subsequent contracts as needed to stabilize consumer electric costs. The ordinance also reiterates that qualified residents may opt out at any time without cost.
Dieter told council he recommended one‑year agreements so the village could re‑evaluate rates when market conditions changed; he warned that PUCO requires a lead time to file paperwork for aggregation so the council’s prompt decision was important to avoid defaulting residents back to Duke Energy.
The council’s next procedural step will be implementation of the contract terms by the interim manager and notification to residents about rates and opt‑out procedures. The ordinance text presented at the meeting authorized immediate effect under an emergency clause.
Votes at a glance: motion to suspend (initial): failed (4–2). Motion to suspend (after vote change): passed (5–1). Final passage and emergency clause: passed (5–1).
