By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
With the winter we’ve had and the hiking natural gas prices, it’s no wonder that some in the Bucyrus administration decided to look into gas aggregation programs.
The Bucyrus City Council entered into an electric aggregation program with AEP Energy earlier this year and, with the potential to save its citizens money, the Council once again waded into the aggregation waters at Tuesday night’s meeting. Brenda Coffey, Aggregation Business Developer and Manager at Integrys Energy Services, supplied Council with information on her company’s gas aggregation program.
Coffey said Integrys Energy, a company based out of Worthington, provides citizens another choice for energy supply by providing stability to a customer’s rates.
“I’m not here to tell you that every single month you’ll see a savings,” Coffey warned the Bucyrus City Council. Rather, she was there to show the stability Integrys Energy would be able provide Bucyrus citizens by capping prices. Coffey said customers would be protected on upside prices but would also see a downward market trend.
Columbia Gas customers in Bucyrus could choose to participate in the program should Council move forward with it or they could opt-out of the gas aggregation program. Coffey warned that gas customers not associated with Columbia Gas may have to pay a termination fee.
“The purpose of the program is to benefit the citizens of Bucyrus,” said Councilman Bill O’Rourke, who had been an advocate in bringing Coffey to a meeting. “I think it should be very beneficial to everyone.”
The Integrys Energy gas aggregation program was placed into the Service Committee for further review. Should Council decide to move forward with the program, public meetings are required to be held.
Bucyrus Fire Chief Jay Keller submitted his 2013 annual report to Council Tuesday night. Keller thanked Council and the administration for putting the safety levy back on the ballot. He also expressed deep gratitude to the citizens for their support.
The Bucyrus Fire Department will use the funds generated by the safety levy to keep on the firefighters hired through the S.A.F.E.R. grant.
Keller quickly reviewed the past year, focusing on the department’s continued training and maintenance, as well as the popularity of the hazard house. He also recognized the Bucyrus Local 1120 for its continued community involvement over the year.
Three pieces of legislation were passed during Tuesday night’s council meeting. Ordinance 7-2014 approved the current replacement pages to the Bucyrus Codified Ordinances. Ordinance 8-2014 amended Chapter 1355 of the International Property Maintenance Code of the Codified Ordinances by creating a “penalties” section. Ordinance 9-2014 amended the Traffic Control Map. Those changes included: a stop sign changing to a yield sign on Hill Street at Redmen Way; no parking sign being installed on the north side of Dudley Street between Maple and Dunn; removing the flashing lights at the intersection of Poplar St. and Oakwood Ave., and installing a stop sign at Marion Rd. and Sandusky Ave.
Two Bucyrus City Council committee meetings have been set for Monday, Feb. 24. The Finance Committee will meet at 4:15 p.m. with the Health and Safety Committee meeting at 4:30 p.m.