HBAC 170: Electric Aggravation, Flock Vexation

On this edition of the Audio Companion we sift through a full week of Hilliard happenings and big decisions affecting you!In a first since 2011…After a brief discussion of the shooting we reflect on our chat from last week with other local journalists and share our thoughts on their approach and our collaborative effort. Kevin reminds us that he usually looks to step up the posting rate with Council back in session and setting the pace. So, keep an eye out for additional writing on the website and your email inbox.Tubi TimeKevin - Refuses the siren song of Tubi for now - Tim offers to come over and download the app for himJordan - The Iron Circle - a Bruce Lee inspired fever dream memorable (to me) only for Eli Wallach’s brief, bizarre appearance. Jordan also watched Krull for some reason.Tim - The truly unimpeachable Rambo: First Blood, some assorted so-so documentaries and from the category “confusing VHS your grandparents owned,” The Giant of Thunder Mountain. Richard Kiel and Jack Elam? What do you mean this was a limited release?Housing Study IssuedSharing a link to the final product of the Housing Steering Commission’s work detailing Hilliard’s ongoing approach to adding rooftops in the 43026. We hope to return Jackie Yeoman (and hook up her microphone directly, this time), Vince Papsidero or Curtiss Williams to speak to the document directly but wanted to share this piece of information immediately with more analysis to come. This is precisely the type of long term story the Beacon loves to cover and we’re happy you’re here too.Electric Aggregation Agreement Ended 20:34 - 28:30We discuss the timing of the decision and whether or not a “guarantee of best price” was really all the Agreement was about. Given that the program was instituted in the rocky 2022 post-Covid economy and still saved 4.5 million dollars, one wonders at the logic of abandoning that same program with traditional energy markets in total freakout over data centers and the Strait of Hormuz.Jordan suggests a program that won approval with 61% of the vote was about embracing a community approach, using pooled buying power to create savings through concerted choice and gradually changing the shape of our electricity consumption.Instead of those embraced ballot values, residents are now back in the deregulated Ohio energy buying system they voted their way out of and comparing Apples to Apples at the most volatile moment in market memory. The city anticipates a traditional price dip in October.Hilliard Withdraws Appeal to Ohio EPA28:40 - 33:20Kevin’s reporting on the Fuel Cell issue and our subsequent discussion highlight the shifting ground of these major development decisions.We Talk:* State Legislature impacts* Standing issues * Ohio Power Siting Board* Increasing polarization at earlier and earlier points in the processFlock Cameras Paused33:20 - 43:20As national backlash mounts over ALPR technology and its deployment Hilliard City Council has chosen to pause the contract and re-evaluate the relationship.Jordan discusses the case of Lindsey Isaacs, a Florida woman wrongfully jailed for 13 days after a months long police investigation.Interestingly, Lindsey herself places blame on Police misuse and mistakes rather than the technology itself. It’s noted that Lindsey’s defense used a Flock hit on her vehicle in a certain location to actually provide her team with the ability to plainly state she could not have been at the scene at the time of the accident.Just one of an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/09/high-crime-lmao-how-co