McHenry County Board mulls referendum to lower electricity rates

Is this something which Boone County’s board should look into?

The following is taken from:  http://www.nwherald.com/2011/09/08/county-board-mulls-referendum-to-lower-electricity-rates/argl8hr/

County Board mulls referendum to lower electricity rates

By KEVIN P. CRAVER - kcraver@shawmedia.com

WOODSTOCK – The McHenry County Board may put a referendum on the ballot asking unincorporated residents whether they want the county to seek lower electrical rates on their behalf.

Voters in Harvard and Fox River Grove already have approved the idea. Should it go before rural voters next March and pass, the county then could bundle willing residential and small-business accounts into one and shop around competitively for electricity.

The board’s Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee will discuss a possible referendum after talking Thursday with David Hoover, executive director of the Northern Illinois Municipal Electric Collaborative. Hoover said that residential and commercial users in municipalities that have done so have saved an average of 23 percent on their electric bills.

Recent legislation has allowed municipalities and other governments to “aggregate” their users and shop around for the best deal, if approved by voter referendum. Voters in all but four of the 23 municipalities that have asked the question have approved it.

“To me, that’s really changed the game,” Hoover said.

The committee intends to invite Hoover to speak before the County Board at its Oct. 4 meeting, and could decide at its Oct. 18 meeting whether to put the issue on the ballot. If approved, it would affect only the county’s 70,000 or so unincorporated residents.

Governments have until Jan. 3 to put a referendum on the March 20 ballot, County Administrator Peter Austin said. If approved, any resident wanting an opt-out can stay with ComEd as their provider.

Committee Chairman James Heisler, R-Crystal Lake, said he would like to invite McHenry County municipal leaders should Hoover talk before the County Board. Austin, who regularly meets with local city managers and village administrators, said talk of following Harvard’s and Fox River Grove’s lead was growing.

Hoover gave a similar presentation to the Marengo City Council last month.

“So often we talk about spending more, maybe we should talk about saving more,” Heisler said.

About a dozen energy suppliers are authorized to sell to residential consumers, Hoover said. Committee member Ersel Schuster, R-Woodstock, said she was concerned about future savings if smaller providers were acquired by big ones and “we’re right back to a monopoly.”

Hoover said consumers always would have an option of sticking with or going back to ComEd.