(A)

(1) The legislative authority of a municipal corporation may adopt an ordinance, or the board of township trustees of a township or the board of county commissioners of a county may adopt a resolution, under which, in accordance with this section and except as otherwise provided in division (A)(2) of this section, the legislative authority or board may aggregate, with the prior consent of each person whose retail natural gas load is proposed to be aggregated, competitive retail natural gas service for any such retail natural gas load that is located, respectively, within the municipal corporation, township, or unincorporated area of the county and for which there is a choice of supplier of that service as a result of revised schedules approved under division (C) of section 4929.29 of the Revised Code, a rule or order adopted or issued by the commission under Chapter 4905. of the Revised Code, or an exemption granted by the commission under sections 4929.04 to 4929.08 of the Revised Code. An ordinance or a resolution adopted under this section shall expressly state that it is adopted pursuant to the authority conferred by this section. The legislative authority or board also may exercise such authority jointly with any other such legislative authority or board. For the purpose of the aggregation, the legislative authority or board may enter into service agreements to facilitate the sale and purchase of the service for the retail natural gas loads.

(2)

(a) No aggregation under an ordinance or resolution adopted under division (A)(1) of this section shall include the retail natural gas load of any person that meets either of the following criteria:

(i) The person is supplied with commodity sales service pursuant to a contract with a retail natural gas supplier that is in effect on the effective date of the ordinance or resolution.

(ii) The person is supplied with commodity sales service as part of a retail natural gas load aggregation provided for pursuant to a rule or order adopted or issued by the commission under this chapter or Chapter 4905. of the Revised Code.

(b) Nothing in division (A)(2)(a) of this section precludes a governmental aggregation under this section from permitting the retail natural gas load of a person described in division (A)(2)(a) of this section from being included in the aggregation upon the expiration of any contract or aggregation as described in division (A)(2)(a)(i) or (ii) of this section or upon the person no longer qualifying to be included in an aggregation.

(B) Upon the applicable requisite authority under division (A) of this section, the legislative authority or board shall develop a plan of operation and governance for the aggregation program so authorized. Before adopting a plan under this division, the legislative authority or board shall hold at least two public hearings on the plan. Before the first hearing, the legislative authority or board shall publish notice of the hearings once a week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the jurisdiction or as provided in section 7.16 of the Revised Code. The notice shall summarize the plan and state the date, time, and location of each hearing.

(C)

(1) With respect to a governmental aggregation for a municipal corporation that is authorized pursuant to division (A) of this section, resolutions may be proposed by initiative or referendum petitions in accordance with sections 731.28 to 731.41 of the Revised Code.

(2) With respect to a governmental aggregation for a township or the unincorporated area of a county, which aggregation is authorized pursuant to division (A) of this section, resolutions may be proposed by initiative or referendum petitions in accordance with sections 731.28 to 731.40 of the Revised Code, except that:

(a) The petitions shall be filed, respectively, with the township fiscal officer or the board of county commissioners, who shall perform those duties imposed under those sections upon the city auditor or village clerk.

(b) The petitions shall contain the signatures of not less than ten per cent of the total number of electors in the township or the unincorporated area of the county, respectively, who voted for the office of governor at the preceding general election for that office in that area.

(D) A governmental aggregator under division (A) of this section is not a public utility engaging in the wholesale purchase and resale of natural gas, and provision of the aggregated service is not a wholesale utility transaction. A governmental aggregator shall be subject to supervision and regulation by the public utilities commission only to the extent of any competitive retail natural gas service it provides and commission authority under this chapter.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.28, HB 153, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2011.

Effective Date: 06-26-2001; 12-20-2005