Ellwood City Borough Council adopts changes to Ellwood City Electric

Ellwood City Borough Council has adopted changes to Ellwood City Electric to improve consumer protection, price stability, and transparency, as a bill to establish legislative controls to correct these problems awaits Senate consideration.

The council adopted or is considering changes including providing advance notice of rate structures, adhering to Public Utility Commission requirements for electricity shutoff, reducing reactivation fees and prohibitive costs for restart of service after shutoff, increasing payment periods for billing, and increasing opportunities for public input on policies.

“This is an issue we’ve been working to get resolved since my first day in office, so this is a big win for Ellwood City residents,” Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence) said. “These good-faith efforts by the council prove it is serious about resolving long-standing issues with Ellwood Electric.”

Bernstine and Sen. Elder Vogel (R-47th District) sent a letter to council members last month urging them to make several consumer-based changes immediately. Bernstine introduced the legislation to require the borough to adopt changes, which the House advanced in April.

Bernstine said that as a result of the changes the council accepted, he would rescind efforts to establish legislative controls. Bernstine sent a letter to the chair of the Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee Chair Tommy Tomlinson (R-6th District) and Sen. Vogel requesting that the Senate committee not take any further action on the legislation.

“My hope all along was to find a way to give affected Ellwood City residents peace of mind without relying on a legislative solution,” Bernstine said.