PERRY TOWNSHIP–The board of trustees discussed anticipated increases in utility costs Monday.

Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council Relationship Manager Craig Brown told trustees prices for natural gas and electricity were continuing to rise across the board. There were several factors contributing to those climbing prices including the anticipation of upwards of ten data centers being built around Ohio, increased supply auction prices and the military conflict with Iran.

“As we know energy prices aren’t going the way we want them to go. A couple reasons for that. Supply-and-demand, regarding the data centers and supply auctions we’ve heard about that in the news, and of course the geopolitical situation over the last week isn’t going to help us either, and that’s going to have an impact on both gas and electric,” Brown said.

Trustee Russ Sinsley asked Brown regarding information about potential federal action to force data centers to pay for their own power sources. Brown said while he was aware President Donald Trump had mentioned that possibility, he hadn’t “heard anything concrete.” He is unsure how such a policy would be implemented as the cost of meeting the energy demand of a data center without causing blackouts or brownouts is typically passed onto the average consumer before it ever begins operating –and two electric supply auctions had already reached record highs in anticipation of a data center and were continuing to rise.

“When they’re expecting something like a data center, they usually build out the grid before the data center starts so that cost has already been transferred to the bill payers before they even start to operate. So, I don’t know how they would make sure they paid for something that was already created for them … what you’re seeing is an impact on cost before many of them are even built,” Brown said.

Brown also said that letters would also be going out to residents with information about the township’s electric and gas aggregation programs and how to opt out of participation if they choose.

The trustees also approved the hire of Jacob Rohr as a part-time police officer effective March 2. Bailey said that Rohr would bring the department up to five part-time officers and having these part-time officers helps reduce the department’s overtime expenses by covering shifts.

Other matters approved included setting the dates for the township’s annual spring cleanup for April 6-10, with Highland Creek and Pembrooke Drive scheduled for pickup April 8.

The meeting concluded with an executive session for the discussion of pending litigation with no action to follow.

The board of trustees will meet next at 4 p.m. on March 23.