UPDATED: Trustees Approve Municipal Aggregation Referendum

Monday village trustees unanimously approved to place a referendum for an opt-out program, which will appear on the March 20 primary ballot.

Wednesday afternoon Village staff added information on the program options to the village website, which includes frequently asked questions and contact information for Administrative Services Director Eric Ertmoed.

"This program is a ‘win-win’ for customers of ComEd. Any electric supply
contract approved by the Village will ensure that the rate can never be higher than ComEd’s," Mayor Joe Broda said in a statement.

Should the referendum pass, the new aggregated rate would go into effect in August 2012. Any residents or businesses who wish to pursue an independent supplier would need to 'opt out' prior to that time.

Monday trustees also endorsed an option for residents to join the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Clean Air Counts Energy Savings Program, which Village Manager Jerry Sprecher said could lend residents near-immediate savings. The program offers residents a rate of 6.2¢/kWh through June 2013.

"The aggregation is something that has to play out on its own via the referendum and future billing, and the opportunity for residents to opt out doesn't come to a conclusion until later this summer," he said. The Village is endorsing the MMC program "because truth be told, greater savings are now versus later."

Sprecher said residents who switch to the Clean Air Counts program would likely see savings on their next bill. However, these residents would not be eligible for the village's aggregated rate this summer. Sprecher said residents would likely face penalty fees to terminate their contracts early, or make the transition to the village rate upon the program's expiration in 2013.

Original story (Oct. 18, 2011):
Are lower electricity rates in residents' futures? Trustees expressed interest in aggregating an electrical supplier for residents and small business owners during Monday night's regular board meeting. The Illinois Power Agency Act allows the to bid as a group, and possibly attain a lower rate than currently charged through ComEd. (Industrial and other large businesses are already eligible for lower rates.)

Should trustees pursue this option, a referendum option is likely to appear on the March ballot.

"This is not about removing CommonWealth Edison," emphasized village manager Jerry Sprecher during the meeting. Thirty precent of customers' bills would still be paid to ComEd, which is responsible for bill distribution and collection, and maintenance during outages.

Aggregation can be implemented two ways. Trustees could issue the referendum next year for an 'opt-out' agreement, which would allow residents and businesses who do not want the aggregated rate to stick with their current electrical provider.  Residents who don't 'opt out' would automatically be considered included. More than 20 Illinois municipalities have passed opt-out aggregation referendums this year.

Or the village could choose an 'opt-in' program, which will allow individual residents to join the rate group at their discretion.

Trustees approved a motion to hire a consultant, who will assist the trustees throughout the process and facilitate bids. Administrative services director Eric Ertmoed told Patch that trustees could approve a motion in late November or early December.

If they choose to referendum, it must be submitted by early January to make it on the 2012 ballot, according to Ertmoed. If a referendum passes, the village will hold two public hearings, and publish formal notice when the program is implemented allowing residents to opt out. Should the referendum fail, trustees could still pursue an opt-in option.

There's been no discussion about pursuing alternative forms of energy at this point, Ertmoed said.

Learn more about municipal electric aggregation from the Illinois Municipal League.

What do you think of municipal aggregation? Share your opinion in the poll at the bottom of the article.

Ogden Avenue 7-Eleven cleared to offer prepackaged liquor
The board will review a request from the owner of the Ogden Avenue to sell prepacakged liquor at the franchise. The liquor will be kept behind the registers, accessible to clerks only. Trustees granted a request last month for the .

Changes to solicitation code
Trustees also approved several updates to the village code concerning soliciation, including:

• Applications are now valid for 90 days, with a $45 fee for commercial requests
• Soliciation in residential areas is extended until 9 p.m. for noncommercial efforts (non-profits, political and religious organizations), with commercial solicitations ending at 8 p.m.
• The age for solicitation is increased to 18 years of age for train and highway solicitations
• Highway solicitation will be prohibited between the months of November-March

FOIA code changes
Last month trustees approved a $10 per hour fee for commercial FOIA requests that require more than eight hours to compile. In accordance with , other changes to the village code establish 'recurrent requestors' and extends the village's response time.