Politics & Government

Village Board Jump-Starts Aggregation with Outside Help

With little knowledge into how to secure an electrical supplier for electrical aggregation, the Village of Mokena will use an outside source to try to secure a lower electricity rate for residents and small businesses within the village.

on March 20, village leaders knew that work towards securing lower costs for electrical supply would be a tough job.

During the April 23 meeting, Assistant Village Administrator Kirk Zollner reiterated this point by presenting a professional services agreement between the Village and the Northern Illinois Municipal Electric Collaborative (NIMEC).

The board decided earlier that outside help was needed.

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"We agreed at that time that some type of professional aggregation support was needed," Zollner said. "To support things moving forward, and as a solution to a more technical basis in this process. There's a lot of things involved, which we really don't have experience with at a staff level to work with."

The agreement, which lasts one year, will allow NIMEC to seek out bids from electrical suppliers, on behalf of the village. The agreement passed with a 5-0 vote by the board.

Find out what's happening in Mokenawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Zollner pointed out that administrators already have a working relationship with NIMEC, which made the company an easy choice. NIMEC currently handles the Mokena's accounts for water and sewer services.

The agreement will not cost the Village—nor residents—anything, Zollner said. NIMEC will receive about $15,000 in payment from the chosen electrical supplier. If no rate can be secured for cheaper electrical services, no payment will be made.

The board will hold two public hearings on the subject of electrical aggregation, scheduled for May 14 and 29.


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