Submitted article

The City of Bucyrus Council will hold two public hearings on the City’s Natural Gas Aggregation Program Plan of Operation and Governance. The hearings will be held at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on June 25, 2014. Both hearings will take place at the Council Chambers at City Hall, 500 S. Sandusky Ave., Bucyrus, OH 44820.

On November 4, 2003, the City of Bucyrus voters passed Gas Aggregation, which authorized the City to form a governmental natural gas aggregation for the purchase of natural gas on behalf of the City of Bucyrus residents. The City of Bucyrus will submit its aggregation Plan of Operation to the Public Utilities Commission pursuant to PUCO Regulation and Ohio law. The City of Bucyrus will be develop an opt-out aggregation program following the procedure set forth in Ohio Revised Code Section 4928.20.

Integrys Energy Services-Natural Gas, LLC (Integrys) is the proposed retail natural gas service provider to the aggregate. Subject to the final approval of the City Council, the City of Bucyrus and Integrys will enter into a Natural Gas Aggregation Supply Agreement. The Natural Gas Aggregation Agreement may provide a fixed rate, a capped rate and/or a viable rate for eligible customers that provide more price certainty and stability than the rates currently offered by Columbia Gas of Ohio. The offer is scheduled to begin on or before November 2014 and is anticipated to be for a one or two year term.

All eligible customers (Columbia Gas of Ohio customers) to be included in the City’s aggregate will be included unless they opt-out. All customers eligible to be included in the City’s aggregate will receive a mailing notifying them of their right to opt-out. The Notice will fully explain the rates, terms, and conditional and general information regarding the Program. If a customer does not wish to be included in the program, the customer will have 21 days to opt-out of the program free of charge by returning an enclosed post card, visiting Integrys’ website for the City of calling a toll free telephone number.

New customers moving in the City of Bucyrus will be included in the aggregate unless they exercise their right to opt-out of the aggregate. Customers moving within the City will retain their status at the original rate.

Aggregate customers will continue to receive one bill from Columbia Gas of Ohio.