County receives aggregation payment

Van Wert independent/submitted information

Nearly $50,000 has been received in Van Wert County as part of electrical aggregation agreements voted on by a number of county governmental subdivisions, including the county, Van Wert city, the villages of Middle Point and Convoy, and nine townships.

The Van Wert County Board of Commissioners recently received $48,660 payment from First Energy Solutions to be shared by 12 political subdivisions that voted to participate during the November 8, 2011, general election.

The grant is based on the number of customers enrolled in the Government Electricity Aggregation Program, with each subdivision getting an amount equal to $10 per customer enrolled in the plan. In addition to the windfall funding for government entities, the First Energy agreement also locks in electric rates for large groups of customers, presently at a cost of 5.85 cents per kilowatt-hour — a rate that is locked in until March 2017. Customers were also given the opportunity to opt out of the program, if they chose.

“Each community can decide how to best allocate its grant,” said Stan Owens, chairman of the Board of Commissioners. “Aggregation offers competitive but stable fuel rates for individual customers. Being able to deliver grant funds to political subdivisions, like townships and villages, where every dollar really counts, is a bonus.”

Those receiving funds, and the amount, are as follows:

Van Wert County, $24,300; Van Wert city, $8,899; Convoy, $876; Middle Point, $483; Harrison Township, $377; Jackson Township, $173; Jennings Township, $102; Liberty Township, $624; Pleasant Township, $6,856; Ridge Township, $2,054; Union Township, $333; Washington Township, $3,222; and York Township, $332.

In addition, Willshire Township voters recently approved aggregation and entered into an agreement with Interstate Gas Supply Inc., on behalf of American Electric Power (AEP) and Dayton Power & Light (DP&L) to run through March 2018.

For more information about aggregation, call First Energy’s customer service toll-free number at 866.636.3749.