Electric aggregation plan for Dover before City Council at Jan. 25 meeting

posted on 1/20/2023

The City Council will consider approving the Electric Aggregation Plan (EAP) at its meeting this Wednesday, Jan. 25. Adopting EAP is the first significant step in creating a Dover Community Power Program. If approved, the plan would then be submitted to the Public Utilities Commission for review, among other steps.

The EAP would serve as the Dover Community Power program’s operation blueprint. The Energy Commission, which Dover’s City Council designated as the city’s Electric Aggregation Committee (EAC) for the program, held public hearings on the plan on Nov. 16, 2022, and Dec. 14, 2022. At the Energy Commission’s Jan. 18, 2023 meeting, it unanimously approved the EAP and recommended its adoption by the City Council. For details on the EAP and Community Power, visit bit.ly/dover-community-power.

The Community Power program is authorized under state law RSA 53:E. It allows municipalities and counties to aggregate retail electric customers to “access to competitive markets for supplies of electricity and related energy services” on a voluntary basis. The program would only launch if it can initially offer residential default electricity rates lower than those provided by Eversource; it would be self-funded through revenue generated by participating customers and not use taxpayer funds to cover program expenses.

Once operational, as envisioned under the current draft plan, residents and businesses utilizing the default electricity supply through Eversource would be enrolled in the Dover Community Power program. Default customers would receive a notice well before the potential launch date that they will be enrolled in the program and can opt out or choose another supplier before its launch. The program is voluntary; customers can return to the default electricity supply or choose another competitive supplier. Customers with competitive suppliers can opt into the program – they would not be automatically enrolled. The estimated launch date could be around the start of 2024, depending on the approval process and market conditions.

The Dover Community Power program is part of the non-profit Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire (CPCNH) initiative, of which the City of Dover is a founding member. CPCNH is overseen by a board of directors appointed from participating communities. The goal is for the participating communities to use their combined purchasing power to create savings and new value for customers, including expanded product options with higher mixes of renewable energy.

Other resolutions related to Dover Community Power are also on the agenda. One would change Dover’s voting member on the CPCNH board of directors to the city’s Resilience Manager, currently Jackson Kaspari; the voting alternate would be the chair of the Energy Commission, currently William Baber. The other resolution would approve an amendment to the Joint Powers Agreement (JPA), which the City Council authorized as part of participating in CPCNH. The amendment would enable members to vote on changes to the JPA at any board meeting instead of once a year; the amendment also provides notice requirements for members for any proposed changes.

Readoption of the Veterans’ Tax Credit and Veterans’ Property Tax Credit

The Council will consider a resolution to readopt the Veterans’ Tax Credit and the Veterans’ Property Tax Credit. The state legislature passed a bill that would expand eligibility to include those on active duty in the armed forces, including those in active duty or reserves for the National Guard. The Department of Revenue Administration informed the city that it needs to readopt the credit for veterans to be eligible for the $750 credit the City Council had previously adopted. Currently, 998 veterans received the $750 tax credit; however, the city is unclear how many more would be eligible. It estimates the new eligibility may result in 75 additional tax credits to a total of $56,250; the city estimates the tax rate impact would be 1 cent per $1,000 assessed valuation.

Public hearings

There are two public hearings on the Council’s agenda. One would be on the resolution to accept and expend a $56,354 Assistance to Firefighters Grant funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Accepting the grant requires a city match of 10%. The Fire Department plans to use the grant enhance its health and wellness program by purchasing new exercise equipment for each fire station and providing each employee with an individualized training program.

The second public hearing is on a resolution authorizing the City of Dover to conduct its annual appraisal of real estate for FY2024 (Tax Year 2023). The city has conducted the annual assessment since 1998 to follow market trends to ensure proportionality so that assessments remain between 90% and 110% of market value, and to avoid extraordinary changes in assessments and resulting tax bills, according to the resolution. This will be the first of two public hearings on the resolution. The second one is scheduled for the Council’s Feb. 22 meeting; a vote would occur at its March 8 meeting.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in City Hall’s Council Chambers. The meeting will be televised on Channel 22 and online at dovernh.viebit.com, where it will also be available for on-demand viewing. Click here for the complete agenda and meeting materials.