Brookville residents are being asked to vote yes or no on the proposed government aggregation program on the May 2 ballot.
BROOKVILLE — Residents are being asked to establish an electric and natural gas aggregation in the city.
In order to establish the programs, voters must approve two ordinances – one for electric aggregation and one for gas aggregation.
The two ordinances will appear on the May 2 special election ballot.
The electric aggregation question is Issue 13 while the gas aggregation question is Issue 14 on the ballot.
Voters are asked to vote either yes or no on the two issues.
The city has prepared some questions and answers to assist residents in making their decision when they go to the poles on May 2.
Q. What is governmental aggregation?
A. The City of Brookville has placed electric and natural gas aggregation on the May 2, 2023 ballot. Ohio law allows for communities to form aggregated buying groups to purchase electric and gas generation on behalf of their citizens. By bringing citizens together, the aggregation gains group buying power and typically can negotiate a better price with the supplier than each aggregation group member could have negotiated individually.
By voting YES for electric and natural gas aggregation, you will allow your local elected officials to purchase electric and natural gas at a discounted rate for the community. This is for residents and small businesses in the City of Brookville that have AES and CenterPoint Energy as your utilities.
Q. How do residents join a governmental aggregation program?
A. First, the governmental aggregation issue must be placed on the ballot and then passed by a majority of the voters. Once passed, all eligible residents and small businesses in the community will be enrolled and will begin receiving the discounted generation pricing under the program. Residents do not need to do anything to join the program. However, anyone who does not want to participate in the program can easily opt out by returning a form, which will be mailed to all eligible members.
Q. If I join the community’s electric and/or natural gas aggregation programs, who will deliver my power/gas, read my meters, and respond to emergencies?
A. AES will still be responsible for the delivery of electricity to your home or business. They own the wires and poles that deliver power to you; therefore, they will continue to read your meter and restore power after an outage. CenterPoint Energy will still be responsible for the delivery of natural gas supply to your home or business. CenterPoint Energy still maintains the pipeline system that delivers power to you and will continue to read your meter and take care of repairs and gas leaks.
