Politics & Government

Village Board Briefs: Board OKs Deal for Cheaper Power, Creates Drainage Assistance Program

Trustees met Wednesday, March 7.

The village will save more than half a million dollars on electric bills next year, according to Finance Director Kirk Openchowski.

After seeking bids through the Northern Illinois Electric Cooperative, the village was able to snag a one-year deal that set rates for its water and sewer facilities at 3.85 cents per kilowatt — a 21 percent decrease over its current rates, Openchowski said. 

Noting that the bids went out Feb. 14, Openchowski called the bid from Exelon “a sweetheart of a deal.”

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The deregulation of Commonwealth Edison means the company is no longer the sole provider of electricity in Northern Illinois and allows municipalities to seek bids from competitors to cut their electricity costs.

The contract expires on May 31, 2013.

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The pact is unrelated to the electric aggregation referendum that will appear on the March 20 primary ballot. The question seeks voter approval to allow the Will County Governmental League to seek bids on behalf of residents by bundling, or “aggregating” the electric loads of member communities to seek bids for lower rates.

For more information on electric aggregation, visit www.willelectricaggregation.org or click here to view a video explaining the process.

Program will track public works data

Trustees also signed off on a deal to expand the system it uses to track public works utilities.

The village will pay a maximum of $96,580 to enhance its existing Cartegraph system, currently used to track sewer, water and streets.

The enhanced system will allow staff to track work orders, and inspection histories and more for pavement, signs, traffic signals, street lights, bridges, trees, parks and trails.

Assistant Village Manager Dawn Caldwell said the technology will improve efficiency.

A mobile “Your Gov” app will also allow residents to request services and repairs.

“There are so many uses [for this],” Mayor John Noak said.

Help for drainage issues

Residents plagued by stormwater drainage issues could get some help from the village.

The Residential Stormwater Drainage Assistance Program was six years in the making, according to Village Manager Steve Gulden. The program will provide between 25 and 75 percent of the cost of qualifying repairs, depending on the drainage issue.

Gulden said some of the village’s older subdivisions, planned in the 1950s and ’60s, experience drainage problems.

“We have a lot of complaints about drainage, water ponding in backyards,” he said.

The village will determine how much assistance will be provided based on a three-tiered structure:

  1. Health and safety issues, such as algae forming due to drainage problems, can be funded up to 75 percent.
  2. Structural living issues, such as water entering basements or living room additions, can be funded up to 50 percent.
  3. Nuisance issues, such as water ponding in a backyard, can be funded up to 25 percent.

 The village will provide a maximumum of $1,500 per repair.


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