Utility committee recommends $6,000 probe and a PCA increase amid substation cost concerns

The Village of Arcanum's utility committee reported several items at the March 10 council meeting, recommending targeted monitoring upgrades and a modest PCA increase while rejecting immediate approval for a costly new substation.

Committee Chair Jerry Boolman said negotiations with the EPA are ongoing to reduce required onsite monitoring hours at the sewer plant and recommended purchasing a $6,000 monitoring probe to measure additional parameters the EPA is now requiring. The committee also reviewed a Sawvel estimate indicating a new substation would cost roughly $5–7 million and would require significantly higher resident rates; the committee recommended against building a new substation at this time.

To recoup an undercollection of approximately $141,000 from the second half of 2025 attributed to rising power costs, the committee recommended increasing the Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) from 0.0178 to 0.018; the PCA is described as a cost-recovery mechanism, not a revenue generator, and the change would take effect at the next billing cycle. The committee also discussed a land-development proposal from a party identified only as 'Benanzer' to build near the Dollar General; that proposal requested waived tap fees and gratis electric service, and the Utility Superintendent is working on a cost estimate for council review.

No formal council vote on the probe purchase, PCA change or the Benanzer proposal is recorded in the transcript; the committee's recommendations were reported for council consideration.