Mayor Duncan reiterated that a decision has not been made on constructing the roundabout. He also noted that the period for receiving public comments has been extended until the end of September.

Mr. Stephens noted that the resolution is to apply for a grant. Part of representing the citizens of Oakwood is to understand how the construction of a roundabout would impact city finances before a decision is made on pursuing the project.

A copy of the resolution, having been placed on the desks of each member of Council prior to introduction, was read by title.

Mrs. Turben explained this is the second reading of a resolution to join the electric supply aggregation program recently launched by the Miami Valley Communications Council (“MVCC”).

With the move to deregulate public utilities in the early 2000s, which was intended to promote competition and lower costs, there have been two ways for utility customers to obtain electric or natural gas supply. The default is to pay the “standard choice offer” rate charged by the utility company that delivers electricity and natural gas in their area, which for us is AES for electricity and CenterPoint for natural gas. The alternative is to sign up with a third-party supplier, which can be done on an individual basis or via a governmental aggregation program. These programs allow cities to negotiate competitive rates with third-party suppliers who provide electricity or natural gas to retail utility customers. In 2003 Oakwood voters authorized the city to participate in utility aggregation if a suitable program became available.

Currently, Oakwood does not have its own aggregation program but is a member of MVCC, which is in the process of developing aggregation programs for both electricity and natural gas. MVCC’s electric aggregation program is currently up and running, and the natural gas program is anticipated to begin in 2024. As an MVCC member community, Oakwood is permitted to join these programs. The advantage of joining MVCC is the larger group size, which gives additional bargaining leverage due to economies of scale.

MVCC’s program is primarily offered on an OPT-OUT basis, which means residents in participating communities are automatically enrolled in the program unless they take affirmative steps to opt-out. However, communities may also join on an OPT-IN basis, meaning that no one is enrolled automatically; they must enroll themselves. Oakwood City Council has discussed this extensively in work sessions and believes that the best approach for our city is to join on an OPT-IN basis. In this way, individual residents will make their own deliberate choice on whether to: 1) opt into the MVCC program; 2) stay with the “standard choice offer”; or 3) choose their own third-party supplier.

In order to join the MVCC program, state law requires Council to hold two public hearings and approve the Plan of Operation and Governance for the MVCC electric aggregation program. The first public hearing was held at the July 17 meeting. The second public hearing and vote on the resolution will be held tonight.

Mayor Duncan explained the public hearing procedure. He then asked Mr. Jacques to administer an oath to those who wish to testify.

Mr. Jacques proceeded to swear in Joan Cole, the only visitor who indicated that she planned to testify.

Mayor Duncan asked Law Director Rob Jacques to briefly comment on the MVCC aggregation program.

Mr. Jacques shared that Oakwood customers who choose to join the MVCC aggregation program on an opt-in basis will receive the same electricity rates and contract terms as those customers in communities that are in the MVCC aggregation program on an “opt-out” basis. The city website