Westlake’s citywide electric deal is going dark. City officials confirmed this month that they are shutting down the municipal electric aggregation program after fresh supplier quotes came in higher than the administration was willing to stomach. Households currently enrolled in the program will be shifted back to the default utility supply unless they proactively sign up with a private supplier, leaving residents to either shop around for a fixed-rate contract or ride it out on the utility’s standard offer. City leaders say they will keep an eye on market prices before deciding if the aggregation program makes a comeback.
Officials: Supplier bids were too high
City administrators told council they could not lock in a long-term fixed rate below 9.95 cents per kilowatt-hour and turned down a 10.11¢/kWh long-term offer as simply too steep. Only two companies responded to the city’s solicitation: one was willing to provide only a variable-rate plan, while the other — Dynegy Energy Services (East) LLC — reportedly put a 20‑month fixed contract on the table at 9.59¢/kWh with no monthly or cancellation fees attached. Those specifics were reported by Cleveland.com.
City posts notice, holds public Q&A
The city has posted an official notice stating that the aggregation program ends in June and that any customer who does nothing will be automatically returned to The Illuminating Company, which serves as the supplier of last resort. To help residents sort through their choices, city staff hosted an informational session on June 23 with Brenda Fargo, the city’s electric consultant, to walk people through available options and field questions. The announcement and event details, including RSVP information for the meeting, are available on the city’s website as posted by the City of Westlake.
How bills could change and where to shop
The city’s March-April newsletter notes that Dynegy had been supplying residents at a fixed price of 8.38¢/kWh through June, already higher than the ultra-low rates some households enjoyed under earlier contracts. Officials advised residents looking for long-term stability to compare fixed-term offers carefully and read the fine print before signing up with any supplier. According to the newsletter, the city publication and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio’s shopping tool are the best places to review current offers, fees, terms, and contract lengths. Residents are directed to the city’s notice and PUCO's Apples to Apples for live supplier listings and plan summaries.
What’s next
Administration officials told the council they will only sign a new aggregation contract if a low enough fixed rate reappears in the market, so for now, the program is on pause while staff keep tracking supplier pricing. Council had previously authorized the mayor to enter into a Dynegy contract this year, but current bids did not meet the administration’s price threshold. Reporting on the city’s decision and that price benchmark appears in Cleveland.com, and the ordinance authorizing a Dynegy contract is included in the official legislation packet as the Westlake ordinance.
