Ellwood City Borough Council voted to amend the Electric Ordinance, specifically the schedule of rates and charges to be effective with the January 1, 2025 usage and reflected on the February 2025 utility bill and to establish a stabilized Purchase Power Adjustment (PPA) for the 2025 electric usage as $0.008/kwh sold.
The move came following a significant rise in PJM (Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland interconnection) capacity prices. PJM is a regional transmission organization (RTO) that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia. Consumers, including Ellwood Electric customers will see a surge in rates in the new year. American Municipal Power, Inc. (AMP), which provides electric power to the borough will work with the borough and other municipalities to mitigate the rate impacts in the coming years.
According to a borough press release, residents will see the PPA decrease from 0.018 to 0.008. The base rate will increase by .03672 per (kWh).
“Although the Borough base rates are going up they are still considerably lower than other local providers,” the release said. “Hopefully future auctions will come down and prices can be adjusted accordingly. The future costs of these capacity costs are still unclear at this time.”
To read the press release and FAQ, click HERE.
Council also passed a motion to adopt an ordinance amending the sewer ordinance designating rates and effective dates, specifically effective February 1, 2025, for usage beginning January 1, 2025, $8.94 per 1,000gal of water and $8.94 per customer per month.
In other council news:
Borough Manager Kevin Swogger announced that the Wampum Avenue Pump Station Project is about 91 percent completed and is ahead of schedule.
The Borough had announced the start of the project in October of 2023 in an effort to improve the infrastructure in the area. The project is a sewer upgrade for multiple existing sewer transport lines in the wooded area East of Wampum Ave. The tentative construction completion date of the project is April 2025.
Swogger also said that PennDot has completed 90% of the paving projects including work on Lawrence Avenue, Crescent Avenue, and Fifth Street.
Ellwood City Façade Improvement Program continues through June 2025 with 50/50 match grants. Applications are available on the Borough’s website at the top of the page.
“We have money there, let’s try to get it used up,” Swogger said, encouraging businesses to take advantage of the opportunity.
Eligibility requirments include: Must be a commercial or mixed-use building; must have a primary street-facing façade in need of exterior improvements; must be located in the designated Ellwood City Revitalization area; open to business owners and tenant business owners.
Interested businesses should contact Amy McKinney: 724-656-2193 or amckinney@lawrencecountypa.gov.
Other motions passed:
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- A motion to approve the Minutes of the Regular Meeting held 11/18/24, as submitted.
- A motion to approve the Pre-Paid Voucher List dated 12/12/24, in the amount of $83,393.65, and the List of Vouchers to be Paid dated 12/12/24, in the amount of $283,278.90.
- A motion to approve the Departmental Reports, as submitted.
- A motion to adopt an ordinance, as submitted, establishing the real property tax rate at 8.75 mills for the year 2025.
- A motion to adopt an ordinance, as submitted, amending the traffic ordinance for specifically prescribed speed limit areas, namely Beaver Avenue between Fourth Street and Eleventh Street 25mph, and Beaver Avenue between Twelfth Street and Thirteenth Street 15mph.
- A motion to adopt an ordinance, as submitted, approving the editing and inclusion of certain ordinances and resolutions as parts of the various component codes of the codified ordinances.
- A motion to adopt a resolution, as submitted, adopting a 2025 Budget.
- A motion to adopt a Resolution, as submitted, requiring contributions to the police pension fund by the police department in the amount of 4.5% for all current employees and 5% for any employee hired after 1/1/25 for the year 2025.
- A motion would be in order to make the following appointments:
- ZONING HEARING BOARD – Three Year Term-1 vacancy, 1 applicant: Tim O’Brien, 628 Hillcrest Drive
- ZONING HEARING BOARD ALTERNATE-Three Year Term-1vacancy, 1 applicant: Frank Lordi Jr, 727 Crescent Avenue
- ELLWOOD CITY PLANNING COMMISSION -Four Year Term- 1vacancy, 1 applicant: Earla Marshall, 319 Mt Vernon Drive
- ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY-Five Year Term-4 vacancies, 3 applicants: Chuck Rubino, 508 Park Avenue; Brad Ovial, 866 Constitution Avenue; James Johnson, 734 Crescent Avenue
- ELLWOOD CITY LIBRARY BOARD -Three Year Term – 2 vacancies, 2 applicants: Andrea Houk, 7 Grant Road Barbara Wilson, 729 Clover Ave
- BOARD OF HEALTH – Five Year Term – 1 vacancy, 1 applicant: Ralph Chiappetta, 311 North Street
- RECREATION BOARD – Five Year Term – 1 vacancy, 1 applicant: Jeremy Newton, 908 Plymouth Lane
- A motion to appoint the following individuals to serve on the Comprehensive Plan Committee:
- Frank Keally – Resident
- Earla Marshall – Resident
- Caleb Cragle – Council
- A motion to advertise an amendment to the traffic ordinance establishing a stop intersection on Orchard Avenue at North Street (northbound & southbound).
- A motion to approve the quote from Mtech in the amount of $11,499 for a push camera for sanitary sewers. This amount will be paid from the Sewage Fund.
- A motion to approve the Local #964 Memorandum of Understanding (Laborers & Clerical), as submitted, pertaining to Vacation Benefits.
- A motion to approve the year 2025 cost of living adjustments for retired police officers Brian Damon, Jon Disher, Patricia Forester (QDRO), David Kingston, Matthew Liberatore, Richard List, John Lubich, Wayne Parsons and Robert Magnifico (DROP), as submitted by the Actuary.
- A motion to establish salaries/wages for the following part-time employees effective with the first pay in January, 2025 (figure 1)
- A motion to establish wages for the following Non Union full-time employees effective with the first pay in January, 2025 (figure 2)
- A motion to approve the 2025 fee schedule as submitted by Herbert, Rowland, & Grubic, Inc. (HRG) for engineering services.
- A motion to approve the Police Contract effective 1/1/25 J 2/31/28, as submitted.
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