The Village of Saugerties has been discussing joining the Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) for several months and decided to continue investigating it by a vote of 4-3 at its March 15 meeting.
“It is an option that won’t be available unless you sign up,” said Saugerties resident Marcus Arthur. “It’s not like the other choices out there that are basically private companies.” The CCA model is a partnership between the municipalities involved and the organization. Mayor Bill Murphy asked whether Arthur could provide information about how CCA worked with other villages and towns; Arthur agreed to get that information.
Murphy said he appreciates the effort Arthur has put in to inform the board on the issue.
Bill Barr said the CCA plan seems like “a win-win situation,” noting that it is good for the environment and can save money. He warned that there are a number of scams in the electricity supply business, especially aimed at people who have solar panels on their homes. He cited one salesman who was “trying to make an unauthorized attempt to get me to buy electricity from them. I checked with Lisa [Village Clerk Lisa Mayone], and they didn’t have any authorization to go door to door, and I called [town Supervisor] Fred Costello, and he said no authorized sellers.” On the other hand, Joule [Energy] “is a reputable outfit that has a good track record.”
Justine Tomkiell said she is interested in the environment and is trying to reduce her carbon footprint. She also said that she appreciated the lower cost for electricity, as it helps reduce the need for government support.
Murphy said many people, including himself, appreciated the guaranteed savings. The next step will be to pass a local law authorizing Joule Energy, which would contract with the village to allow residents to receive their power from Joule, to send information, hold seminars and generally present the details of its proposal to residents. “We’re not locking into it; there will be a three- or four-month period where information will get out to people and people can evaluate it.” In addition, Murphy said, he is looking for a way to help people who want to opt out of the program to do so.
Trustee Jeannine Mayer, who first raised the issue with the Village Board, said, “I’m glad we’re looking into it and we can offer that option to our people.”
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