Voters in Bloomington get another opportunity to vote on an electric bundling program which is projected to save residents upwards of $200 annually. A similar referendum was voted down in a surprising vote earlier in the year. Voting 7-2, however, the City Council has decided to try again, putting the referendum on the April 9th ballot. According to Aldermen Karen Schmidt and Jennifer McDade, residents have been calling to demand that the referendum be put back on the ballot. Voters are requesting that politics not get in the way of real savings.
The results are obvious to many in Bloomington, even though some council members and residents remain unconvinced. Normal also voted down the referendum last year at the same time as Bloomington. In November, Normal again put the referendum on the ballot and residents voted for aggregation. Negotiations ended recently for Normal, with the net outcome of a 0.04099 cents per kilowatt rate, landing a 27% savings against the current Ameren Illinois delivery rates for residents who did not opt out.
Philip Carr, the business development director for electric aggregation consulting firm Good Energy, said, “It’s about having a choice. If this thing is approved, you don’t have to do it. You can get out of it.” There is an opt out clause within the referendum, which grants the ability for residents who do not wish to take advantage of the lowered rates to remain with their current provider. He also noted that Good Energy would increase its educational campaign to help residents understand aggregation and to promote a positive result.
If you would like more information about Municipal Eletric Aggregation, click here. For the full article, see below.
Source: Pantagraph.com
