Waynesville council authorizes addendum so Trebel can lock generation rates for village aggregate

Scott Teeters introduced Barbi Bouch as AES's new community connector for Waynesville before the council heard a detailed presentation from Joe Garrett of Trebel about the village's energy aggregate program.

Garrett told the council energy prices are "escalating due to production not keeping up with growing demand" and recommended an addendum to the existing contract that would let Trebel lock generation costs on behalf of the Village while leaving capacity charges as a pass-through that would be adjusted once those costs are settled. He described a three-year structure with the first year fully fixed and years two and three fixed for generation with capacity adjustments later.

Council members asked clarifying questions about residents' rights and timing. Mr. Troy Lauffer asked whether the current aggregate contract had already lapsed; Mr. Zack Gallagher said it had not but urged allowing Trebel more time to lock rates as the market fluctuates. Garrett confirmed the program remains opt-out: "residents can opt-out at any time at no cost," and residents may join at any time at no cost.

Law Director Jeff Forbes told council there are two procedural ways to implement Garrett's recommendation: enact an ordinance at a subsequent meeting or authorize the Village Manager to sign the addendum by motion. Mr. Gallagher moved to authorize the Village Manager to sign the addendum to the Energy Consulting Management agreement, Mr. Brian Blankenship seconded, and the roll call vote was 7 yeas.

The council approved the authorization; no ordinance vote was recorded at this meeting. The authorization gives Trebel formal permission to pursue market locks for generation pricing on the village's aggregate while capacity charges remain subject to later adjustment.