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Date: 4/25/2023
AGAWAM — Energy aggregation, where the town negotiates a discounted per-kilowatt electrical rate with the power company, could be a big cost-saver for Agawam residents, councilors said on April 18.
The City Council voted 9-0 to take the first step toward bringing the bulk buying program to Agawam. Proponents said it is a proven benefit.
“This allows the town to procure the supply for energy on behalf of residents, rather than have individual people go out and try to negotiate in a market [that] they often don’t understand,” said Councilor Thomas Hendrickson. More than 100 other municipalities in Massachusetts have adopted this program, Hendrickson added, and “I’m not aware of any instances of them changing their mind and going back to the old way, which I think is a testament to the success of these things.”
Hendrickson said the proposal came from a discussion with his fellow councilors Anthony Russo and Rosemary Sandlin about how to provide residents with some relief from rising utility costs this year.
“It’s phenomenal,” said Agawam resident Susan Grossberg, who said she owns property in Melrose, where aggregated rates are available. “We’ve locked in at 14 cents a kilowatt, which is a lot less than people out here are paying. … Most of the communities that have energy choice aggregation are saving their residents money.”
She said she doesn’t have leverage as an individual customer to negotiate a better rate with large utility companies, but “the town, 28,000-plus of us, we’ve got some bargaining power, let’s put that to work.” She added that any resident who doesn’t wish to use the town’s negotiated rate can choose at any time to revert to the power company’s retail rates.
City Councilor Cecilia Calabrese said she was initially wary about involving local government in the utility market, but Grossberg’s comments convinced her it’s worth a try. Councilors George Bitzas and Dino Mercadante said they support starting the process, but want more information about actual rates before committing the town to any action.
“I want to make sure the citizens of Agawam don’t feel as though we’re going to hijack their electric bill,” Mercadante added. “They have the right to opt out.”
Adopting the system is probably a year away, Council President Christopher Johnson said. He said the rates will only be set after the town votes to adopt the system and hire a broker.
Also at the April 18 meeting, Johnson referred to the Legislative Committee a proposal to amend Agawam’s town charter to conduct preliminary municipal elections in September, rather than October, with the goal of giving the town clerk enough time to allow mail-in voting in November municipal elections. The change would have to be approved by the state Legislature and a ballot vote this November. If approved, it would take effect in time for the 2025 elections.
Grossberg and Corrine Wingard, who spoke against opting out of mail-in voting at an earlier meeting, on April 18 applauded the council for seeking the change. Wingard added that she hoped it would prompt a wider look at the charter.
She said she had worked on charter changes in 2009 that failed to gain the approval of voters, and the need remains for Agawam to update a foundational law that mostly dates to 1971 and hasn’t been fully updated to account for the change in 1990 to a mayoral form of government.
In a split vote, Agawam councilors selected Patrick Asta-Ferrero for a vacant seat on the Community Preservation Act Committee. Initially, the vote was 5-3 in favor of Asta-Ferrero, with councilors George Bitzas, Paul Cavallo and Christopher Johnson favoring Michael Mercadante. With six votes required to make the appointment, Cavallo switched to support Asta-Ferrero on a second ballot. Councilors praised both candidates. Councilor Dino Mercadante did not participate in the discussion or vote.
Councilors voted 9-0 to support the addition of 1000 Suffield St. and 1070 Suffield St. to the Wireless Telecommunications Overlay District, allowing cell towers on those properties. One is the current site of the Municipal Annex, home of the Department of Public Works and some other town departments, as well as a Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency regional office. The other property is the future home of Agawam’s police headquarters. A cell tower there should help with coverage in the Suffield and Silver streets area, and prime space will be reserved for town public safety radio transmitters.