YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – City Council will consider legislation next week that would authorize the Board of Control to contract with an Akron law firm to assess the situation of SOBE Thermal Energy Systems LLC, the troubled district heating company that supplies steam to downtown buildings.

According to proposed legislation sponsored by Mayor Derrick McDowell, the city seeks to enter into a professional services agreement with Roetzel & Andress Associates “to assess SOBE’s functionality and identify sustainable long-term solutions ensuring that the steam system operates safely and reliably.”

The agreement is not to exceed $130,000, the ordinance says.

SOBE’s troubles began last summer, when Wabash Power Equipment Co., Chicago, filed a motion in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to repossess an 800-horsepower boiler at the company’s site on North Avenue after SOBE failed to make its scheduled lease payments. The court approved the motion in August 2025, and Wabash repossessed the boiler, leaving SOBE without a heating source. 

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio filed suit against SOBE, and the court appointed Reg Martin as receiver in late September to manage SOBE’s affairs. Martin succeeded in acquiring new funding and secured two boilers to serve businesses and residents, but these units did not prove sufficient to handle the bitter cold spell this winter. A third boiler also proved difficult to operate after it was initially installed. 

The court removed Martin – who agreed to resign – as receiver in February and appointed John C. Collins, an Akron attorney, as his replacement. Martin faced backlash from elected officials and downtown business interests for his handling of the SOBE matter.

According to its restated proposed cross-claim, the city would seek injunctive relief through a court order that compels SOBE to inform customers and counsel for the PUCO of any maintenance issue that might impact customers within eight hours, provide adequate and necessary service to customers required by law, order the receiver to inform the court and the PUCO within 24 hours of any temporary outage of SOBE’s systems and “any other relief the court deems just and equitable.”

In April, the court agreed to allow the city to intervene in the matter.