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Mingo Junction voters approve electric district

MINGO JUNCTION -Village voters approved the formation of an electric aggregation district during Tuesday’s primary election, according to unofficial results from the county board of elections.

The issue was approved by a vote of 394-295.

John Ney, an energy consultant with World Energy, said the electric aggregation program brings citizens and small businesses together to buy electricity as a group and negotiate the terms, conditions and price of the electric supply on the group’s behalf.

Ney said, based on current rates, the average electric customer could save about $170 a year.

“The citizens of Mingo Junction needed some good news. This win at the ballot will hold down the high electricity costs,” he said.

Two public hearings will be scheduled in the near future so residents can ask questions about the electric aggregation program and how they can opt out.

Ney said he then will negotiate a rate, and Village Council will have the final say on any contract with an electric supplier. The contract could be for one or more years, locking in the rate.

Residents will receive a mailing where they can elect not to participate in the program. Residents who want in don’t have to take any action, they are automatically enrolled, Ney said.

Residents can expect to see the lower rate in about 60 to 90 days, he said.

AEP will continue to be responsible for the delivery of power to homes and businesses and will continue to read meters, maintain poles and wires and restore power after an outage, Ney said.

The negotiated electric price will be on the AEP bill, meaning customers will continue to receive only one electric bill.

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