Norridge placing question on ballot

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Updated: February 27, 2012 8:24AM

Norridge will place a referendum on the upcoming March ballot to determine whether residents would like the Village to pursue municipal aggregation for their electrical power.

“We currently aggregate for our street lights and pumping station,” said Douglass Strempek, Norridge’s IT/public relations person. “We’re opening this (opportunity) to our residents and businesses. It’s an Opt In program and we’re going out with about 5,000 Norridge residential homes. We’re not aggregating with any other municipality, just our residents.”

A letter will go out to residents explaining municipal aggregation and the process.

Municipal aggregation allows the village to solicit bids on behalf of residents and businesses to purchase electricity.

As of today, 19 Illinois communities are buying electric power from suppliers other than ComEd, according to Strempek.

“The goal is to secure lower electric supply rates for residents and businesses in our community,” Strempek said. “The average resident is saving $125 per year.”

Since Illinois changed ther law regarding electric power providers, many commercial customers are buying power from sources other than ComEd.

Norridge will ask residents on the March 20 ballot for authority to arrange for electric supply for residents and small commercial retail customers who have not opted out.

If the referendum passes, the village can solicit competitive bids and determine whether the terms and prices are good enough to move residents’ accounts en masse.

ComEd would continue to manage and maintain the network that delivers the electric power and residents will continue to call ComEd in the event of a power outage.

ComEd will still charge for line maintenance.

Two community meetings on municipal aggregation are scheduled for 7 p.m., Feb 7 and March 8 at the Estelle Sieb Community Center, 7774 W. Irving Park Road.

For more information, call (708) 453-0800, ext. 235.