Franchise Opportunities in Columbus, OH

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Ohioans are expected to dish out extra dollars toward their monthly electric bills in the coming weeks.

As energy suppliers throughout the state encounter a surge in natural gas prices, Ohio’s energy companies have proposed rate increases to account for the increasingly volatile market.

Hikes to electric rates, determined at auctions held several times a year and overseen by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, will take effect in June and continue through May 2023, according to PUCO spokesperson Matt Schilling.

“What we do is have power companies compete to serve electricity that they generate,” Schilling said. “And we do that through a series of auctions that are designed to attract the lowest price possible.”

What is your energy supplier’s new electric rate?

On average, Ohioans used about 873 kilowatt hours per month of electricity in 2021, according to Schilling.

That means the 2-cent rate increase proposed by American Electric Power Ohio will result in about an $18 monthly increase for AEP customers using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month – the largest price increase the company has seen to date, AEP spokesperson Scott Blake said.

Southern residents using Duke Energy Ohio – which operates primarily in Hamilton, Butler and Clermont counties – will see a nearly 30% increase in their monthly electric bills, a $14 monthly increase for customers using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month.

AES Ohio, which primarily serves the Dayton and Miami Valley area, has the largest increase of all energy companies in the state, with a 6.1-cent boost to electric rates, Schilling said.

With rates poised to jump from 4.805 cents to 10.91 cents per kilowatt hour, electric bills for AES Ohio customers using 1,000 kilowatt hours per month will likely double, with an extra $61 each month.

Northern Ohioans using any of FirstEnergy’s three electric companies — Ohio Edison, Cleveland Electric Illuminating, and Toledo Edison — are poised to see their monthly electric payments increase anywhere between $11 and $13.

To compare rates between energy companies, visit Energy Choice Ohio.

Why are prices soaring?

Energy costs are skyrocketing across the globe, as an increase in demand, supply chain issues and the war in Ukraine have contributed to a surge in the price of fuel, which is used to generate electricity, Blake said.

“Natural gas and coal prices, two primary fuel sources for electricity generation, are at prices we have not seen in more than a decade and are beginning to impact electric prices across the nation,” Blake said in an email. “As long as global energy supplies remain tight, we expect prices to remain higher than in recent years.”

Ohio’s energy companies also rely on prices set at the federal level, but changes experienced by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission have postponed federal auctions at which power plants determine their prices, Schilling said.

Because of the delay at the federal level, Schilling said the lack of a federal price point has caused a “cascading effect” on the ability of Ohio’s utility companies to conduct numerous auctions.

Multiple auctions, he said, allows PUCO to blend different utility rate proposals together and average them out to mitigate market volatility. For instance, if one company proposed a $100 increase and a second suggested $50, PUCO would average those rates together and reach a $75 compromise.

“Some of our Ohio utilities have not been able to blend various options together, thereby mitigating the market volatility that we’re experiencing because of these two other factors, you know, the global energy crisis and the uncertainty across the world,” Schilling said.

How to save energy — and money

As Ohioans turn up their air conditioning during the summer months, Blake suggested adhering to the following tips to keep electric bills under control:

For customers struggling to meet their monthly electric payments, Blake said AEP Ohio allows customers to spread out payments throughout the year and payment assistance options.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The Columbus Taco Festival is back at Genoa Park this weekend for its fifth year, with dozens of taco vendors lining the streets for good food and a good cause.

The Taco Fest will be donating some of the proceeds from this weekend’s event to the Ohio Restaurant Association (ORA), meaning each drink ticket purchased at the event will be funneled back into the community. Organizers hope to donate 30 percent of the profits made over the weekend.

Saturday at the event, hundreds of attendees got to pick from dozens of taco options and taste test salsa or hot sauce.

A statewide advocacy group for restaurants, the ORA has a relief fund that helps local restaurants hit hard during the pandemic.

The owners of Adios Taco food truck said they were lucky to have good support throughout the pandemic but know what it is like to go through some tough times, adding they are happy to give back to their fellow small business owners.

“We have quite a few local restaurants ourselves around Columbus, so to be able to take the money and have it go back to other restaurants, we know how that would benefit other restaurants, s we are glad to be here and help other restaurants that need it,” said Adios Taco owner Carissa Parevez.

Sydney Kondas, co-owner of the festival, said a new organization is selected each year to receive the donation.

Kondas said giving back to Ohio’s restaurants was a no-brainer for them because, without the organization, the Taco Fest wouldn’t be the same.

“After the pandemic, we were looking for the best way to help people around here and we work so closely to different restaurants, they are so close to our heart,” Kondas said. “We love our vendors so much. We wouldn’t be here without our vendors, so we wanted to give back.”

She said a lot of the vendors at the event had to overcome some obstacles to still be able to participate in the event.

The event continues Sunday from noon until 8 p.m. with more food and live music.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The influx of out-of-town and private investment firms seizing single-family homes in Ohio led one state lawmaker to devise a plan to even the playing field for local homebuyers.

A bill introduced by Sen. Louis Blessing (R-Colerain Township) on Monday aims to stifle investors’ ability to buy foreclosed homes at public auctions in Ohio, give individual tenants, homebuyers and housing nonprofits a leg up in the bidding process.

“You start reading and hearing stories about people trying to buy homes and getting, you know, shut out because they lost to an institutional investor that was able to bid $50,000 cash above asking price,” Blessing said.

To even the playing field, Blessing said Senate Bill 334, modeled after similar legislation in California, bars investment firms from placing a bid on a foreclosed property until 45 days after the home is listed for sale.

Tenants living in the property are in the first tier of eligible buyers, and residents looking to buy the house for at least a year are next in the line-up.

If no bids are placed, housing-oriented nonprofits and local governments can place a bid – a tiered system that will give individual residents and nonprofits the opportunity to beat wealthy investment firms to the punch, Franklin County Auditor Michael Stinziano said.

“The goal of the legislation is again to get local residents to that first bite at the apple,” Stinziano said. “Doesn’t prohibit (private investors), but at least gives a window of time in which local residents would be able to invest in their own community versus outside entities.”

‘Feeding frenzy’: Single-family homes owned by investors doubled from 2015 to 2021

In Ohio’s three largest cities – Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati – real estate investors funneled about $750 million toward purchasing single-family homes in 2021, according to an analysis by real estate company RedFin.

Those investors accounted for 16% of Franklin County’s single-family home purchases in 2021, more than double its rate six years ago, Stinziano said. That percentage is even higher in majority-minority neighborhoods, he said.

“It is something that we feel is in response to the impact COVID and real estate market has had and where outside money is able to come in and make a big dent in the housing availability,” Stinziano said.

One of the largest real estate investors in Franklin County is Vinebrook Homes, a company that specializes in acquiring and leasing single-family homes, according to its website.

The company – whose website states that it’s plugged into the housing market in 23 major U.S. cities – purchased at least 637 single-family Franklin County properties in 2021 alone, according to data provided by the auditor’s office.

Private investment firms with a “boatload of resources” and cheap debt often place cash bids on homes just hours after they’re listed online, according to Carlie Boos, executive director of the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio.

When corporate investors are willing to waive contingencies and purchase homes with no inspection, sight unseen, Boos said they’re contributing to a “feeding frenzy” that’s leaving the “average Joe” high and dry.

“That’s just not a fair fight,” Boos said. “In that scenario, a human being is going to lose to a computer algorithm from Wall Street every single time.”

Benefits of local homeownership are widespread, housing experts say

Jeaneen Hooks, an associate vice president of the Columbus Urban League, said out-of-town investment firms aren’t always readily accessible to tenants living in their properties.

Maintenance concerns are less likely to be addressed by foreign investors, resulting in an uptick in code violations, Hooks said. And private companies often jack up rent and mortgage payments – hitting low-income, marginalized Ohioans the hardest.

“Some of those relationships that we’ve seen with outside investors have been unproductive, unsafe, and have created some unfair situations and living conditions for our residents,” Hooks said.

While Blessing said he’s not out to get private investors through his introduction of SB 334, evening the playing field for local residents has benefits that extend beyond maintenance issues and rising rents.

“The ability to purchase a home that’s affordable, form a family, build intergenerational wealth and really have a solid stake in the community, which is hard to do if, you know, your rent or your mortgage is eating up 50% of your paycheck or more,” Blessing said.

Blessing acknowledged that his legislation is not a panacea for solving Ohio’s affordable housing crisis. But, he hopes it will be a drop in the bucket in giving local residents the upper hand at having a stake in their community.

“Is it such a bad thing to give an individual the opportunity to put some sweat equity into that, live in it, and now they’ve got, you know, they’re building wealth?” he said. “I think that’s a good thing.”

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Advocates of expanded passenger rail service in Ohio are cautiously optimistic and encouraged by Gov. Mike DeWine’s recent request to have the Ohio Rail Development Commission work with Amtrak to determine the feasibility and projected cost of new passenger rail routes in the state.

In a statement from his spokesperson, Gov. DeWine didn’t go as far as to endorse or announce support for Amtrak’s expansion proposal, but, instead, it marked the first time since Amtrak’s plan was announced that the governor has expressed interest in learning more about it.

“We’re very optimistic at this news. I should say that we certainly thank the governor for taking this step because it is an important step to get the process started,” said Stu Nicholson, the executive director of the advocacy group All Aboard Ohio.

Last year, Amtrak detailed future expansion plans, including a significant investment into Ohio through the creation of new passenger rail routes that would connect Cleveland, Dayton, Cincinnati and Columbus — also known as the 3C+D route.

Gov. DeWine’s request of the Ohio Rail Development Commission would kick off the state’s participation in some of the preliminary work needed to determine the most effective routes for new rail service as well as a cost estimate.

Amtrak has previously labeled Ohio as one of the most underserved states when it comes to passenger rail service.

“The lack of passenger rail connecting cities in Ohio — not just the lack of it but the lack of timely frequent service — is a huge hole in our transportation system here in Ohio,” Nicholson said. “They viewed the 3C+D corridor as a priority. They felt that it was the best unserved corridors that they could see in the United States.”

Amtrak’s expansion plans also include more regional rail connections to and through Cleveland, essentially turning the city into a hub.

Coinciding with the governor’s directive, the Federal Railroad Commission detailed the criteria and guidelines of how future passenger rail routes would be identified and developed as part of last year’s infrastructure bill. The legislation has earmarked more than $60 billion to improve rail transportation across the country as well as the largest expansion in Amtrak’s history.

“I think it is a good sign that [DeWine] shows the realization that we need to have the Ohio Rail Development Commission work with Amtrak and start putting together the answers that people are going to want to have answers for,” Nicholson said.

The feasibility and cost studies are expected to be completed sometime in 2023.

As gas prices continue to increase across the nation, some residents are turning to electric bicycles as supplemental transportation.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — As gas prices continue to increase across the nation, Columbus residents are turning to electric bicycles as supplemental transportation.

Scott Seneff, who is the co-owner of Pedago Electric Bikes in Powell, said sales have already doubled from this time last year and they just opened for the season on April 2.

“We've been extremely busy, the community's been great. I don't see it slowing down anytime soon, especially with the gas prices,” Seneff said.

Seneff said it cost on average to charge an electric bike around 25 cents and you're going to pay $20 to $30 a year to charge it.

“I am trying to take my new electric bike anywhere I can,” Rachel Griffiths said. “I just think it makes traveling to and from work more fun.”

Griffiths, who works at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, said the electric bike allows her to get to work without being sweaty and also allows her to supplement other transportation like grocery store stops and going out to eat.

For Griffiths, because her commute is so short, she believes she’ll save at least $1,000 a year on gas, but is happy to have less impact on the environment.

“I'm not putting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which is good for the environment, good for the animals at the zoo and good for people too,” she said.

Rachel Deam at Roll Bicycles in Upper Arlington and Bexley say they doubled their profit last year and are set to double it again this year.

“More and more people are turning to bikes and e-bikes specifically because a lot of times it cuts down your commute or it's about the same,” Deam shares.

Deam says initial e-bike investments can start at around $1,700 but can save thousands in the long run.

The team is seeing older riders and injured riders opting for electric bikes.

“It's a struggle to get up that hill and it's hard to get on your bike and go a few miles and now they can go 20 miles very easily,” Deam said.

For all those who might be nervous to get on a bike again, Deam says anyone can do it.

“I've had people come in that haven't ridden in years and they come back with smiles on their faces because it comes back to you,” she shares.