Wednesday, March 18th, 2015
Minster council considers rate increase
Residents can expect to pay for more electricity
By Jared Mauch
MINSTER - Village residents and some businesses will likely see their electricity costs rise later this year.
Village council Tuesday considered a plan to increase the bill by about $19 for residents who use about 2,000 kilowatt hours per month, village administrator Don Harrod said. The proposal was spurred by a recent rate study suggesting the increase is needed to cover future expenses.
The customer charge for residential users will increase from $4 to $10 this year and increase $2 per year until it reaches $20, Harrod said.
The energy charge per kilowatt hour will go from 8.4 cents to 9 cents this year.
Commercial electrical users would also see increases. The demand charge for commercial users will increase from $10 for the first 2,000 kilowatt hours to $12. The cost for use over 2,000 kilowatts would increase from $8.75 to $12, Harrod said.
Industrial users would see a new $50 customer charge. The demand charge for the first 500 kilowatts would rise from $4,925 to $7,500. The demand charge for anything over 500 kilowatts would increase from $9.85 per kilowatt hour to $10.
The charge per kilowatt hour for industrial power, however, would fall from 4.8 cents to 4 cents, he said.
The village needs to raise funds for a possible renovation of the north substation in 2016-17, according to Harrod.
"In general, expenditures continue to go up. I think electrical costs are going up," Harrod said.
"If we're going up, other people are going to have to do the same thing," mayor Dennis Kitzmiller said.
This ordinance will have a second reading at the April 7 council meeting.
Council approved hiring Robert McConnell as a part-time police officer. McConnell had been an officer in Union City, Ohio and Union City, Ind., police chief David Friend said. Village solicitor Jim Hearn swore in McConnell at the meeting.
Council also,
• approved increasing the pay for part-time police officer Derek Chivington from $10.45 to $11.30 per hour. Chivington has been with the force for more than a year, Friend said.
• approved a resolution for a speed study to support a request to modify the speed limit on state Route 119 between Canal Road and state Route 66. The village wants to install sidewalks on both sides of the road.
The village will conduct a speed study of 100 cars from two different points. The data will be analyzed by Choice One Engineering, Sidney, for $3,980 and sent to Ohio Department of Transportation, Harrod said.
• learned village employees and Tom and Jerry's, Fort Loramie, will complete the remaining water meter replacements.
• learned the decorative lights along Fourth Street will be taken down at the end of the month.
