Sarah Trafton is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Athens Village Board May 13 approved a pricing schedule through the Community Choice Aggregation Program. Athens joins Cairo, New Baltimore and the village of Coxsackie in the program, which matches up municipalities and aggregators that lobby for lower rates with electric companies. “We are delighted to be able to catch this sweet spot in the market when electricity rates are quite low, to lock in a low electricity rate for our residents for 24 months starting in August,” Mayor Stephan Bradicich said. The village has entered an agreement with Good Energy, of Allendale, New Jersey. Good Energy secured a two-year agreement with Constellation at a rate of 5.34 cents per kilowatt hour, a savings of 11 percent based on current market pricing. The program is optional for residents. The village will use its website, social media, radio and the local newspaper to get the word out, according to village board member Joshua Lipsman. Depending on social-distancing rules, there could also be in-person meetings before the program starts. The village of Athens will hold a public hearing Wed., May 27, on a plan to create a Conservation Advisory Council. Under the law, the CAC would be made up of six residents appointed by the village board as well as three village officials. More than 300 communities statewide, including municipalities in Columbia and Greene cos., have registered for the program, but none have yet been certified. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.