Politics & Government

Village to Hold Presentation on Electrical Aggregation Referendum Feb. 21

The presentation will take place at 6 p.m. on Feb. 21 at the Village Hall.

The will hold an information presentation regarding the village's electrical aggregation referendum on the March 20 ballot. 

The presentation will take place at 6 p.m. on Feb. 21 at . 

The  voted in November to consider switching the community's energy supplier. 

Find out what's happening in Woodridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Woodridge residents will vote next month on this referendum: 

Shall the Village of Woodridge have the authority to arrange for the supply of electricity for its residential and small commercial retail customers who have not opted out of such program?

Find out what's happening in Woodridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Sixteen other DuPage County communities have proposed similar referendums for this spring, including Aurora, Bolingbrook, Downers Grove and Lemont.  

More communities in Cook and Kane counties have proposed referendums, as well. 

The benefits to switching are cost savings for residents and small businesses. The downside is a labor-intensive process for village staff and confusion for residents. Plus, benefits may only last until 2013, when Illinois’ contract with ComEd will expire.

The 15 Illinois municipalities that have pursued aggregation have seen an initial savings of $175 a year per household, according to Village Administrator Kathleen Rush told the village board in November. Small businesses could save about $500 to $600 a year, she said.

A recent effort by Oak Brook, Grayslake and Lincolnwood will save households about $235 a year, Rush said. 

The barriers to switching are the many steps for the village in accordance with the law, including passing a referendum, drafting an ordinance and plan of operation, holding two public hearings and otherwise educating the public.

There’s also the question of whether the short-term benefits would be worth the effort. 

Once ComEd’s contract with Illinois expires in 2013, it is expected electricity costs will be reduced when the Illinois Power Authority goes out to bid for its next energy supplier.  

To recoup savings and reduce workload in the meantime, municipalities have at times teamed up with one another to share resources. Downers Grove has approached Woodridge with interest to do so, Rush said, and Bolingbrook and Willowbrook are other options.

But the village board favored another less time-intensive option: to authorize the Will County Governmental League to act on its behalf.

The WCGL will pursue a one-year switch for municipalities who submit a letter of intent and will handle much of the grunt work the state requires. 

Once the year passes, Woodridge will have the option to continue with the WCGL if the option is available or join another municipality. Kagann said he favored going with WCGL as Woodridge learned more about the process. The village could then work with another municipality after it became more comfortable, he said. 

Four of the five trustees present at the November meeting voted in favor of pursuing electricity aggregation. Trustee Greg Abbott said the uncertainty and confusion wouldn’t be worth the short-term savings. Trustee David Pittinger was absent from the meeting. 

In 2011, 21 Illinois municipalities proposed a referendum regarding electricity in aggregation. More than that will have the referendum on their ballots next month. 

Whether or not to switch energy suppliers has been a popular topic in Illinois since a state law that went into effect Jan. 1, 2010,  their residents into one negotiating body with the goal of getting a bulk discount. ComEd currently supplies Woodridge’s electricity.

Darien, along with 20 other Illinois municipalities, passed a referendum regarding aggregation last April. Darien's referendum failed, the only one of the 16 proposed in the Chicago area to do so. 

 The 2011 referendum failed 51.39 percent to 48.61. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here