WARREN — Hubbard Township residents will remain in Trumbull County’s gas aggregation program thanks to the work of the county’s new supplier, Palmer Energy, and work done by the county’s prosecutor office and county commissioners.

Township residents feared they would not be able to participate in the county’s new gas aggregation program with Palmer Energy because the company did not include the township as part of the program. Palmer Energy was notified by Tom Bellish of Buckeye Energy Brokers, which is the county’s current aggregation supplier, that Hubbard Township and several other communities had planned to remain with Buckeye Energy.

The county’s new gas aggregation program is scheduled to begin May 1. However, Hubbard trustees told the Trumbull County Commissioners they never voted to move from the county’s program and should have been included with the move to Palmer Energy.

Commissioner Denny Malloy during Wednesday’s commissioners meeting noted that the debacle started because of a January email from Bellish that named Howland Township, Niles, Newton Township and Hubbard Township as either remaining or were negotiating to remain with Buckeye Energy.

“We were instructed to confirm that,” Malloy said.

When the commissioners checked with three of the four communities, they were told they had either signed with Buckeye Energy or, after a community-wide vote, decided to go elsewhere.

After talking to two of three Hubbard trustees, Malloy said commissioners still did not have confirmation on the direction the township decided to pursue.

“When it came down to the signing day, because of the letter that was sent to the PUCO (Public Utilities Commission of Ohio) and to us and to our broker, said we could not sign up with Hubbard,” he said.

Malloy said once the commissioners learned Hubbard Township had not voted to remove the township from the county’s program, the commissioners instructed Palmer Energy to bring the township into the county’s program.

It was finalized Wednesday that the township will remain under the county’s aggregation program at no additional cost to rate payers.

Commissioner Rick Hernandez previously voted against the gas aggregation program and the county’s decision to join Palmer Energy in the original gas aggregation vote, because of non-related concerns.

At the time, Hernandez argued the need to obtain a wider variety of quotes before committing to a single brokerage company.

On Wednesday, Hernandez noted he was pleased that Hubbard Township residents will receive the same rate structure over the next several years as other Trumbull communities in the gas aggregation program will receive.

Hernandez said during their research process, he contacted Hubbard Trustee Eric Lamb and was informed the township had, indeed, looked at other options.

“That had thrown everything out of proportion,” Hernandez said. “It is a good day for everyone.”

Hernandez emphasized that any Trumbull resident or business has the ability to opt out of participating in the county program and choose one of the state’s apples to apples program that would work better for their individual circumstance.

Commissioner Tony Bernard defended the commissioners’ work to solve the problem.

“I voted for the aggregation program because Trumbull County needed one,” he said. “In the long run, the rates we have right now are going to prove the board made the right decision.”

Hubbard Township Trustee Jason Tedrow said he is pleased the township will now be part of the county’s next gas aggregation program, but is concerned there will be a two-month lag between the time the program starts in May and when they will be allowed to participate in July.

Tedrow said the township residents, as well as the township itself, will be subject to the fluctuation of variable rates for natural gas during that time period.

“We may have to pay higher rates,” he noted. “We never should have been removed from the county’s program.”

While acknowledging Bellish did send an email naming Hubbard Township as one of the communities he had spoken to about staying with Buckeye Energy, Tedrow said the commissioners should not have removed them from the county’s program because the township never took a formal vote to formalize the action.

“It is the county’s responsibility to make sure it was proper,” Tedrow said.

Malloy countered that it was not the commissioners’ decision to not include any of the communities in the next aggregation program. Palmer Energy did not include them because of the ambiguity created by the January email.