BLANCHESTER — Concerns regarding recent Board of Public Affairs bills were addressed during Thursday night’s Blanchester Village Council meeting.

Blanchester residents have been expressing opinions across social media that BPA rates are very high — especially recently.

One resident wrote Thursday to the News Journal — in response to the newspaper’s request for input on the issue from residents for a future story — “Thank you for helping this community fight the monopoly that is the BPA. The BPA is the reason people don’t move to the village and the reason people move out of the village.”

Another wrote, “This is ridiculous and we really don’t have a choice since DP&L supplies the electricity. I think it’s price gouging. They can, so they do.”

BPA manager Jim Myers told council and the attending residents Thursday night that January, February and sometimes March usually result in higher bills due to the use of electric heating. Myers noted that this winter season resulted in some extreme temperatures.

He also said there’s a miscommunication about the BPA’s rates. He referenced a letter to the editor published Feb. 21 in the News Journal that compared Blanchester’s BPA rates to the Clinton County aggregation rates.

“(The letter was) saying that the members of the Clinton County aggregation are paying 6.45 cents per kilowatt-hour,” Myers said. “That’s a misnomer. That’s part of the calculation of the rates, but that’s not the total bill. That’s the energy portion of the bill. Not the transmission, the customer charge.”

One local resident emailed the News Journal, “Please understand that not everyone in Blanchester has issues with the BPA. I have never experienced an unusually high bill… Please do not make this story one-sided. Some of the people complaining do not do the necessary planning for winter months.”

Myers told residents Thursday night that if anyone has any questions or concerns to call the Board of Public Affairs at 937-783-2141.