WARREN — A city councilman has filed a lawsuit against Ohio Edison, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy, alleging the utility company overcharged the city for nonfunctional streetlights, costing taxpayers hundreds of dollars in one ward alone.

Greg Greathouse, D-3rd Ward, claims the city has been billed for lights that have been out for months, calling the practice potentially fraudulent.

According to Greathouse, Warren pays Ohio Edison $25,915.88 monthly to maintain 5,319 streetlights, averaging $8.75 per light for energy and maintenance. However, a survey he conducted in his ward revealed 20 to 35 streetlights consistently out of service from January to May, resulting in an overpayment of $857.50 over five months for just one of the city’s 10 wards. “We’re paying for something we didn’t receive, and they know it,” Greathouse said. “I think that’s fraud.”

Greathouse, a former Ohio Edison employee of 30 years, argues the utility’s failure to proactively patrol and repair streetlights shifts an unfair burden onto the city and its residents. He noted that Ohio Edison expects citizens to report outages, a policy he contends is inadequate.

“If I go to Giant Eagle and buy a pound of ground beef, I expect a pound,” he said. “Ohio Edison sends us a bill knowing it’s not accurate.”

The lawsuit seeks to recover funds overpaid for nonfunctional lights and to compel Ohio Edison to change its maintenance practices. Greathouse emphasized that the issue extends beyond his ward, potentially costing the city significantly more across all wards over years.

“This is real money,” he said, pointing to the broader financial impact. He also expressed frustration over Ohio Edison’s claim that they are not responsible for patrolling outages — a shift from past practices when the company actively monitored its streetlights.

The dispute came to a head at a recent Warren City Council meeting, where officials, led by Greathouse, confronted Ohio Edison representatives about 331 nonfunctional streetlights citywide — roughly 6% of the total. The city has since decided to withhold payments, placing funds in escrow until repairs are made, a move supported by the city’s law department and auditor.

One council member proposed solutions, including an app for easier outage reporting, but Greathouse stressed that Ohio Edison should bear the responsibility for maintaining its infrastructure. “They’re billing us for maintenance they’re not doing,” he said. Beyond recovering funds, Greathouse aims to force a policy shift, potentially taking the issue to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.

Representatives from FirstEnergy said they don’t comment on pending litigation.