Village begins hearing ‘community choice’ options

Joule Assets, an administrator of Community Choice Aggregation programs in New York State, demonstrated the advantages of CCA to the Warwick Village Board on Monday, and provided guidance on how the village could proceed, should they choose their company as their administrator. The presentation followed the board’s approval last month of a new local law that would enable the village of Warwick to participate in a CCA program, should they so choose.

Community Choice Aggregation is a New York State-sponsored program that brings multiple municipalities together to compete for more cost-effective energy rates and gain greater access to cleaner energy services.

Glenn Weinberg, vice president of sales and marketing for Joule Assets, shared the advantages of joining a CCA, citing it as an important part of New York’s sustainability goals. Weinberg explained that the state looks favorably on CCA membership and municipalities who participate in a CCA can earn several points toward qualifying for the state’s energy-related grant programs.

During the presentation, Weinberg explained that participants in the CCA program receive a flat rate on their energy bill. This rate is negotiated by the CCA administrator and can include a varying mix of fossil and renewable energy sources. Weinberg also noted that Warwick village residents who participate in the program will still receive their energy bill from Orange & Rockland. In addition, he explained that customers can opt out of the program anytime via phone, online, or mail.

Weinberg informed the board of a large cohort in the region that is sending out requests for proposals for a supplier for their CCA program in April and that if the village of Warwick were to choose Joule as their administrator by then, they could participate in that cohort. The board, however, felt that due to the timing, it was not feasible for them to join.

The board did not rule out the possibility of joining a CCA in the future and acknowledged the need to select an administrator to start the process.

The Village Board discussed the idea of joining with the town of Warwick as part of a CCA cohort. Warwick Town Councilmember Tom Mattingly was present at the meeting and shared that he wasn’t aware of any conversation about community choice aggregation at the town level. Trustee Thomas McKnight added that he had spoken with the previous town board and shared that there were concerns about the ease of opting out of the program.

The board acknowledged that the biggest challenge in proceeding with a CCA membership would be public outreach and ensuring their concerns are addressed.

At the meeting, the board also agreed to move forward with pursuing contractors for the construction of a water treatment system for well number three. Mayor Michael Newhard shared that he is hoping the project will be fully or mostly funded by a community project grant via the office of Rep. Pat Ryan (D – NY). As shared in The Adverstiser last week, the Congressman awarded the village of Warwick $959,752 to be used in their efforts to improve drinking water supply.

In a related matter the board agreed to revise the village code on cross connection controls to be less stringent on homeowners and better align with state and county health policies. Trustee Barry Cheney explained that under current village code, residents must use a specific backflow prevention device for their irrigation systems that involve additional work and maintenance beyond what is required by the county. Amending the code would enable residents to use cross connection controls that are easier to install and maintain.