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Plain City hears NOPEC presentation, introduces ordinances to join electricity and gas aggregation
Summary
NOPEC representative Ross McDonald briefed council on electric and natural gas aggregation after four public hearings held earlier that day; Council introduced first-reading ordinances to join NOPEC and approve electricity and gas aggregation plans (Ordinances 08–11). A public education event was announced.
Ross McDonald, Director of Community Expansion for the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC), told Plain City Council on March 23 that NOPEC held four required public hearings earlier that day about electric and natural gas aggregation. McDonald described the aggregation timeline, the opt-out process for residents, and answered residents’ questions about how the program would operate.
McDonald thanked Village staff, including Haley Lupton and Clerk Justin Dreier, for their support during the hearings and said the questions raised by residents were productive. He said a public educational event will be scheduled with Village staff to provide additional opportunities for residents to ask questions before any contract execution.
Later in the meeting council introduced multiple first-reading ordinances connected to joining NOPEC and implementing aggregation programs: Ordinance 08-2026 (authorizing the Village to enter into NOPEC and approving bylaws), Ordinance 09-2026 (approving the Plan of Operation and Governance for the NOPEC electricity aggregation program), Ordinance 10-2026 (authorizing entry into a NOPEC natural gas aggregation program), and Ordinance 11-2026 (approving the Plan of Operation and Governance for the NOPEC gas program). Each ordinance’s title in the agenda included a declaration of emergency; these were introduced on first reading and no final votes on joining or executing agreements were recorded at the March 23 meeting.
Village Administrator Haley Lupton earlier noted that the public hearings were informative for residents who attended. The record indicates the council will schedule follow-up outreach and that staff will provide notifications to residents as the process moves forward.
The ordinances remain at first reading and would require subsequent council action before the Village becomes a NOPEC member or before aggregation service agreements take effect.
