AUSTINTOWN — As utility rates increase, residents across the county will be looking for options and may find salespeople bringing some options to their doorstep.

Township officials want residents to know what they can do to take control and what energy company canvassers are permitted to do in their neighborhoods.

Austintown Township Administrator Mark D’Apolito said the township has been able to lock in a new 12-month rate for residents with their aggregation company, Independent Energy Consultants. Beginning with the June bill, the rate will be $0.0933 / kWh, which is nearly double the current rate of $0.0499 / kWh.

“It will, without a doubt, be cheaper than First Energy’s rates, but I encourage those who have the time to do so to shop the apples to apples on the PUCO website,” D’Apolito said. That rate shopping tool can be found at energychoice.ohio.gov.

“You can shop outside of the township aggregation, but you do so at your own peril because some companies may have lower rates but they also have different fees on top of the rate and cancellation fees,” D’Apolito said. “The township tries to provide a straightforward, easy-to-understand rate that is sometimes a bit more expensive than the apples to apples.”

Austintown’s rate is about on par with other local communities, albeit slightly higher. Canfield locked in a rate of $0.0866/kWh, nearly double its current rate of $0.0497/kWh, while Boardman locked in a rate of $0.0798/kWh — not quite double the current rate of $0.0487/kWh.

At a December trustees meeting in Boardman, Trustee Tom Costello said the problem had been discussed at an Ohio Township Association Meeting.

“There was a representative from NOPEC there, who said that rates could go up anywhere from 20% to 50% as a result of many of the coal-fired plants having been forced to close without the appropriate replacement energy providers being up and running yet,” he said.

In Ohio, other problems have driven up rates.

Among those plants set to close or change fuel sources is the James M. Gavin plant in Cheshire, along the West Virginia border. Dan Gearino of Inside Climate News reported in October that a new owner of the plant intends to shutter or convert it by 2031 and that several other plants in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan may close as soon as 2028.

Increased demand also has driven up rates, said a representative of IEC.

CANVASSING CONCERNS

One thing residents can be certain of is that they will see sales representatives canvassing their neighborhoods, seeking to lock them into a fixed rate with a new energy company.

“I think we’ll see a lot of canvassing going on here this year because of all the rate increases,” Austintown Zoning Inspector Darren Crivelli said.

The township allows for energy company representatives, construction contractor sales reps and similar agents to canvas neighborhoods, but they must have a transient permit from the zoning office, similar to what food trucks and other vendors must obtain.

Crivelli emphasized that the vendors are not employed by the township.

“They have no relationship with the township, we’re not endorsing their companies or their products or services, and residents are not under any obligation to show the canvassers their utility bills or provide them with any other information,” he said. “You can tell them no and they have to respect that, or you’re welcome to invite them in and speak with them if that’s what you want to do.”

Crivelli said the canvassers pay $150 for a 90-day permit. The permits are only used for food vendors and energy company agents and similar canvassers. The township does not use them for those affiliated with political candidates or parties, religious organizations, or groups like the Girl Scouts. Such activity is subject to the First Amendment and does not require permitting.

Crivelli said that canvassing was banned in Austintown for a time until the Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office told the township the ban was illegal.

The issue stemmed from concerns about canvassers employed by the former ownership and management of The Vindicator, walking the neighborhood and selling newspaper subscriptions.

“The problem was that several of these folks had lengthy criminal records, and the police department’s feeling was that the canvassers really didn’t care much about selling papers, they were just there casing the homes,” Crivelli said.

The township banned the practice, but The Vindicator challenged the decision and prevailed. So Crivelli said they began using permits to ensure the people in the township did not have criminal backgrounds and that they understood the behavior expected of them.

The township police department checks all permit applicants for criminal background, including any active warrants.

In addition to admonishing them that they must be polite and respectful to residents — “No means no,” Crivelli said — they also must show the zoning office their driver’s license, and provide their license number and the year, make, and model and color of their car.

Canvassers must strictly obey “No soliciting” signs and are only permitted to canvas from 9 a.m. to sunset.

“When a vendor goes into a neighborhood, they usually just park their car and it may be parked there for five hours or more,” Crivelli said.

The permit and the vehicle description are on file with the Austintown dispatch center and police department, so that if a resident calls police about a suspicious vehicle or they have concerns about someone who is canvassing in their neighborhood, first responders have the canvassers’ information readily available.

In Austintown, there are two energy company canvassers with permits, Crivelli said.

One is Shawna Purnell who represents Dublin, Ohio-based IGS Energy.

“She’s been canvassing the township the last three years, she lives here and she faithfully pulls her permit,” Crivelli said.

The other person is Jeriel Harris, who represents Cleveland-based 5W&Co. Inc. Crivelli said Harris’s permit states that he lives in Youngstown.

Crivelli said that if residents feel uncomfortable with any canvasser’s behavior they can call police and the police have discretion about how to handle it.

“If they don’t have a permit, the officer can order them to stop what they’re doing or give them a citation,” Crivelli said.

Canvassers must keep their permit on them at all times. Violators are subject to a misdemeanor charge and a $250 fine.

D’Apolito and Crivelli both said that if any resident considers signing up for a new utility service, they should always read the fine print and see what they are being charged for transferring their service to that company’s private utility lines.