Boardman, Girard, and Struthers will all see a question regarding electric aggregation on the upcoming primary ballot. The program is a way for residents and the communities to save money.
In Struthers for instance, if the initiative passes, the city would have a company called Buckeye Energy Brokers negotiate a cheaper rate for electricity for residents.
The program is similar to what many Valley governments have done with natural gas rates. Electric aggregation in Struthers would be what's called an opt-out program. That means if a resident wishes not to participate, they would simply have to send a card back to the city saying so within a certain time frame.
Struthers Mayor Terry Stocker tells us that he and city council are looking at every possible way to save the city residents money. "Residents of the city of Struthers to recognize a savings, it may not be a great amount of savings, but it's going to be some type of a savings. We look at anywhere between, hopefully, 6 and 8 percent, and that would come off the generation portion of the electric bill."
Struthers has about 11,000 residents. The city has seen some success already with a natural gas program. They have over 1,200 people enrolled in that.
If this initiative passes, the next step would be public meetings to get residents' input on what they would like to see in a plan. If everything goes well, the reduced rate service would begin on September 1.
