MONTPELIER — Village council on Tuesday unanimously expressed its opposition to House Bill 6 currently being crafted by the Ohio Legislature, and also heard an update from the firm hired to secure resource development grants for the village at its meeting Tuesday.
HB 6 is currently before the Ohio Legislature and various media reports note that as currently projected, HB 6 would scrap clean energy standards while imposing an energy tax on Ohio energy ratepayers and bailing out nuclear power plants.
“It’s bad for communities that own their own utilities (like Montpelier). It’s strictly to help out the nuclear industry,” Village Administrator Jason Rockey told council.
Mayor Steve Yagelski voiced similar sentiments, saying HB 6 sets a bad precedent in directing the state to bail out a particular company — FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company — because of what he called its “poor management.”
Yagelski said that while the state continues to restrict its utility funding support for municipalities like Montpelier, which are forced to keep a balanced utility budget, it then directs a financial bailout to FirstEnergy.
With HB 6, the Ohio Legislature “wants to give money away here, but not to (communities like Montpelier),” Yagelski said.
Rockey said that while he generally was opposed to taking a position on these kinds of proposed regulations, he wanted council to take a stand against HB 6. He also told council he is taking a somewhat unusual step of traveling to the Statehouse in Columbus on a one-day visit today to advocate against the proposed bill.
Separately, Justin McCaulley, president of McCaulley & Company, and company associate Alexandra Ehrett, told council McCaulley has secured more than $361,000 in resource development grants for the village in the 23 months of their contract, plus another $1.7 million in potential grants.
In response to questions from council about the terms of the contract, which was negotiated by former village administrator Kevin Brooks, McCaulley took responsibility for misunderstandings and said he regretted not getting out in front of those misunderstandings in a more timely manner.
But he noted that the return on investment to the village was a 7-to-1 ratio to the $2,000 per month contract cost.
In other action Tuesday, council:
• Heard that eight balloons will be part of the upcoming Bean Days events, while approving a series of other events and local street closures associated with the event, which takes place July 19 and 20.
• Agreed to take ownership from the county of the so-called Ruble development sewer system, which consists of up to six residences along County Road K. The county is offering $5,000 to the village to purchase a replacement pump for the system if needed. Those homeowners will be contacted about switching over their service from the county to the village.
• Approved amended appropriations, including $45,000 for the Jefferson Street lift station — the village’s main sewer lift station — and a tax bond appropriation that will pave the way for acquisition of a new fire truck.
• Recessed into closed executive session to consult with legal counsel regarding threatened or pending litigation, and to consider acquisition of property. No action was taken after returning to open session.
• Council’s next regularly scheduled meeting is 6 p.m. Monday, June 10, in the conference room of 221 E. Empire St. The meeting is open to the public.
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