Article Summary:
Colerain Township had an “adder” put on their electrical aggregation contract with Dynegy from 2020 – 2023 that increased residents’ bills in order to get a “civic grant” kickback of up to $200K over 3 years while citizens struggled to pay utility costs.
From May 2020 through May 2023, Colerain Township padded their residents’ electric bills every month to profit from their residents’ energy usage. Residents are unclear if the money buried in their electric rate charge is an illegal tax, a service fee, or just a donation to the township without their consent. The extra charges amounted to an estimated $70K per year and $200K over the 3-year contract term, however, the township administration failed to return multiple calls to confirm these estimates.
The township calls it a “civic grant.”
The extra charge was put into the electrical aggregation contract with Dynegy Energy Services (East) LLC, DESE, on January 18, 2018. “Attachment C” is a unique rider within the Amendment to the Master Agreement to Provide Electric Generation Supply and Related Services between Colerain Township and DESE. It specifies that Colerain residents will have an “adder” of .0005/kWh to the best bid rate. That money goes to the township. The adder is labeled, “CIVIC GRANT”. It provides that the DESE will “remit payment to Colerain Township” quarterly based on, and paid for by, Colerain residents who participate in the township’s electric aggregation plan.