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Buchtel Latest Community To Request Electrical Aggregation Be Placed On Ballot

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A request to put electric aggregation on November ballot was filed Tuesday with the Athens County Board of Election by the village of Buchtel.

Trimble and Jacksonville had already filed to have aggregation on the fall ballot.

Aggregation is a process by which customers can band together to get lower electricity rates.

"We feel that if we join it, we may get a better rate," said Buchtel Mayor John L. Sullivan. Village Council voted last week to put the measure on the ballot.

If voters give the OK, the plan is to join Athens County's aggregation effort, Sullivan said.

Voters in Athens and in the unincorporated areas of Athens County have already authorized aggregation. The city and county have formed the Southeast Ohio Public Energy Council, the entity that will seek price quotes from electricity suppliers.

Last month, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio certified Southeast Ohio Public Energy Council as a governmental aggregator.

Voters in Amesville authorized aggregation during the May primary election. Officials in Amesville, Jacksonville, Trimble and now Buchtel have said their intent is to join the Southeast Ohio Public Energy Council.

The type of aggregation being proposed in the ballot measures is called opt-out aggregation. That means residents and small businesses will be able to opt out of the aggregation program even if it is authorized at the ballot box.