Thursday, July 9, 2009

CAN YOU DEPEND ON STARK COUNTY'S ONLY "COUNTYWIDE" NEWSPAPER TO PROVIDE YOU WITH KEY STARK COUNTY GOVERNMENT/POLITICAL NEWS?


In The Repository's account of yesterday's Stark County commissioners meeting, there was no reference to a conversation that the commissioners had about pursuing an "electric aggregation" program for Stark County.

The Rep's sister publication - The Massillon Independent - did pick up on the story. But The Rep is Stark's only countywide newspaper and therefore is more likely to get the story out to affected Stark Countians than The Independent.

The SCPR went to the website of Independent Energy Consultants, Inc. (IEC) and learned that the possibility of a Stark County participation in aggregation could possibly benefit northern Stark Countians to a significant degree.

Take Lake Township, the home of the SCPR. Its residents, for the most part, are serviced by Ohio Energy which has some the highest electric rates in the state of ohio.

Adjacent Springfield Township (Summit County) which is also serviced by Ohio Energy has entered in to an electric aggregation program with IEC.

Here is how IEC described the arrangement in its newsletter:
We would like to offer a special thanks to the Springfield Township Administrator and Trustees for moving forward with an electric aggregation program. Their program is one of two active electric programs in Ohio and only the second in the Duke Energy market. Residents and small businesses will enjoy peace of mind with a 20-month fixed-rate for generation and transmission of $0.0688/kWh.
Not only should The Rep made sure Stark Countians know about the electric aggregation proposal that the commissioners are considering but should be doing some investigative reporting on its own.

No wonder why The Repository is fast losing the confidence of Stark Countians!

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