Mount Prospect puts power in voters' hands

Mount Prospect trustees Tuesday night voted to place a referendum on the March 20 ballot, asking residents whether they want to join neighboring towns in seeking lower electricity rates for residents and small businesses.

Under electrical aggregation, ComEd would continue to be the distributor of electricity. But the supplier would be a company chosen by the consortium.

Proponents say that towns joining to purchase power from a supplier other than ComEd could benefit from cheaper electric bills.

Residents would have the choice of opting out and going with ComEd or another supplier. If the referendum passes, the village is not obligated to select an alternative supplier.

The vote, save for one trustee, was unanimous to put the question on the ballot.

The one trustee who didn't vote was Arlene Juracek, who abstained because of her position as head of the Illinois Power Agency, where it is her duty to advise municipalities that are considering electrical aggregation.

She said there is no direct conflict, but she wants to avoid any perceived conflict, she said.

The village board waived a second reading of the ordinance in moving ahead. Trustee A. John Korn said his informal polling indicated residents want to “get going on it.”

“This would be a binding referendum,” Korn added. “But it would be binding only to the extent of allowing the village to look into the rates.”

“I don't understand where the downside is on this,” said Trustee Paul Hoefert, noting that there is always a fallback to ComEd, which, he said, may wind up charging better rates.

Trustee Steven Polit said he was concerned about how the village would educate the public without it costing Mount Prospect an exorbitant amount of money.

One possible cost would be hiring a consultant, something other communities are looking into. But Assistant Village Manager David Strahl said,

“Staff is extremely sensitive to the economic conditions, and if there is a way to minimize the cost (by) not using a consultant, we would obviously do that.”

“I trust the voters of Mount Prospect,” said Mayor Irvana Wilks. “We have a very sophisticated voter in the village of Mount Prospect,” and she is confident in their ability to educate themselves.