McHenry County Blog

I admit that I do not understand what the mislabled “Smart Grid” ComEd/Ameren rate hike legislation did to raise electric rates and maybe the hikes I see by comparing my most recent 2012 bill with last year’s, but I don’t think so because they seem to have gone into effect this summer.

Looking at the bills this past year, I see I have a continuing charge for a “Smart Meter Program.”  I guess the 13-22 cent monthly charge is because ComEd credits me with $10 a month during the hot months for permission to turn off our air conditioner when their load is too high. It hasn’t been any detriment, probably because we live in a stucco home that is shaded in the summer.

In any event take a look at the “Delivery Service” charges from the same time period twelve months apart.

The customer charge was $8.41 last year. Now it is $14.25, up 69%.

Reviewing last year’s bills, this jump seems to have occurred in July.

The standard meter charge was $2.27. Now it is 2.86, up 26%.

Strangely the distribution facilities charge, which I assume has to do with amount of electricity delivered went down from 2.437 cents per kilowatt hour to 1.946 cents per kw hour a year later.

Maybe that because our electric usage was inexplicable up 23%. Maybe per kw hour charge goes down with higher volume.

(I have no clue how we could have used so much more electricity this year than last. The average temperature was 23 degrees last year and 36 this year. I would think the heater blowers would have resulted in lower usage this year, but there may be other factors.)

Then there is a new charge for “IL Electricity Distribution.”

Zero last year, now $1.89.

When I compare the totals for Delivery Services, last year the price was $40.41.

This year it is $48.26.

I’m wondering what the 19% hike was for.

This year the period since the meter was last read by 36 days, last year 33 days.

Guess that makes could explain 9% of the difference.

Looking out the bedroom window this morning, I saw footprints in the snow on the driveway.

They went to the back of the house all the way to the electric meter.

Besides the primary goal of increasing the cost of delivering electricity to its customers, Commonwealth Edison and Ameren (the Southern Illinois power company) are going to use some of the extra money to attach a meter that will do away with meter readers…at least the ones that make footprints on snowy days.

The other reminder was in a Chicago Tribune editorial cartoon.

It had the White House, Washington Capitol and a “state capitol” that looks suspiciously like the one in Springfield with money coming out of every door and window.

You know why that reminded me of the ComEd/Ameren rate hike bill, right?

If not, perhaps you should take a look at the article I wrote about contributions to Illinois’ State Senators who voted for the bill:

2011 Campaign Contributions from Those Interested in Allowing Com Ed & Ameren to Hike Electric Rates without ICC Approval

I had dinner Sunday with a State Representative and other politicos present, as well as a couple of normal people.

There was a vigorous discussion between me and the outspoken defender of the “Smart Grid” bill.

Believe it or not, I don’t think I started it.

It was someone discussing how intrusive the Smart Grid meters could be, how if you were using more electricity than some government regulator might rule “necessary” that ComEd could use the new meter to cut off your electricity.

It was after this civil liberties criticism of the legislation and its defense by the bill’s supporter that I advanced my opinion.

I explained how Samuel Insull’s secretary discovered I was a state legislator on a train ride to Springfield. He filled me in on why Insull created the Illinois Commerce Commission.

The reason was simple.

It was easier to bribe a majority of the small ICC than a majority of the Illinois General Assembly.

Now, it seems to me, history has come full circle.

Power companies cannot influence the Commerce Commission the way they used to.

So, it’s back to the Illinois House and Senate.

And influence is not peddled by putting cash into legislators’ hands anymore.

It’s done with campaign contributions.

And, on the substance of the debate, how ridiculous, not to mention illogical is is for those maintaining the electric power grid to complain that they need higher rates to repaid what they have allowed to fall into disrepair.

These folks have had state-sanctioned monopolies since Samuel Insull’s time.

In return for the monopoly power, wouldn’t you think they had the absolute responsibility to deliver electricity when and where it is needed?

And as for ComEd getting faster notice when power goes out, whenever I call–and we have power coming from the east and the west–I have no problem making a report.

In 2009, Richmond’s Ed Varga set his sights on the U.S. Senate. Now, he has downsized his ambitions to the McHenry County Board. He is running in the GOP primary in District.

Below is what he wrote about tilting with Commonwealth Edison.  It’s not a variation of “I fought the law and the law won.”

Energy Giant

(I took the picture to the left today [12-15-11].

It is a relief stone on a building which houses a power substation across from Daley Plaza.

It resonates with me not only for its art deco features but also how it depicts an energy giant, controlling the power allowed to come into our homes, offices, and factories.

The giant is depicted as muscular and lording over our population, and definitely made me remember why I was downtown.

The following was hand written in parts today as I undertook to attend a hearing at the ICC regarding a complaint I filed over my Commonwealth Edison Bill.

I am transcribing it as best I can with edits for clarity.

Here is the link to the ICC website if you want to read more about the case : http://www.icc.illinois.gov/docket/casedetails.aspx?no=11-0467.)

Merry Christmas from the eighth floor of the Bilandic Building at 160 N. Lasalle, Chicago, Illinois.

This is where the offices of the Illinois Commerce Commission are located and where I find myself today, at the end of a long path that began almost a year ago.

It was in January of 2011 when I received the bill for my December 2010 electric usage and found that it indicated I used almost 300% of the electricity I did the year previous in the same month.

That is right, somehow what I was able to do in my house in December of 2009 with 1,031 kwh (kilowatt hours) required 2,646 kwh in December of 2010.

The Engineer and ComEd customer in me said something must be wrong with my meter.

This one simple hypothesis led me here, to room N808, where I sit now, waiting.

What started as repeated phone calls to ComEd customer support, a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office, and a replaced electric meter, is now ending with a hearing in response to a complaint I filed in June of this year when ComEd refused to adjust my bill.

I am told by the judge who will be conducting the hearing I will have to wait because there is another hearing involving ComEd where their attorney who will be present for my hearing is making an appearance first. 11:15 am and it looks like things will get started now.

(The following was hand written in the train on the way home after the hearing)

The hearing began finally at 11:18 and was recessed almost immediately as the judge asked if the parties had a chance to discuss matters.

Since we had not she recessed the hearing and left the room while we talked.

It took almost a half hour with me being repeatedly questioned by two attorneys in our discussion how I came up with the conclusion the meter was wrong.

I thank God for my engineering background and German persistence as I was able to demonstrate over and over how the collected two years worth of data indicated a pervasive increase in usage culminating in the spike in December of 2010.

11:45 am and the ComEd attorneys left the room.

Five minutes later they came back with an offer to settle.

The amount was an estimation of the overcharge in December of 2010 and the late fees accumulated from me refusing to pay the bill. I accepted.

The amount of the settlement does not matter.

To some it may be small but to me it was fair.

No matter how small the amount, I am smiling as the train rocks me back and forth, because I won. I won!

I stood up to the energy powerhouse to which there is no rival, their two attorneys, and the ICC office where apparently everyone knew each other but me.

I was the stranger in a strange land and I knew their information was wrong and I saw it through.

And in the end, we shook hands, wished each other happy holidays, and went home to our families.

It feels good, being able to do something for others, to stand up for others, to stare down the overwhelming odds and state your case.

I hope to be able to do that as a representative on the County Board soon.

Right now it is time to find a comfortable spot on the window to rest my head and grab a nap.

I didn’t sleep well last night at all.

An email from State Rep. Mike Tryon:

Our second week of veto session has ended, and while typically this would signify the end of the fall veto session, legislators are being called back to Springfield on Tuesday, November 29 to consider additional business. However, during the last few weeks several noteworthy votes have occurred.

House Bill 3793: Limits Property Tax Increases in Declining Housing Markets

Limiting property tax increases during times when housing values are declining is a discussion that needs to occur. The same tax cap laws that protected taxpayers in the years of unprecedented growth and prosperity in this area are now causing property taxes to increase while housing values are going down.

I am very sensitive to the issues faced by taxpayers in this declining economy and believe the taxing laws must be changed to protect taxpayers when their property values are decreasing.

As I have said many times, the economy is contracting and people are adjusting their budgets and getting by on less.

I believe the public sector needs to do the same.

This week I voted in favor of House Bill 3793.

The bill failed by a large margin.

The bill would have amended the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL) to prevent any taxing body in a tax capped county from collecting an increase in funding during a year when the area’s total assessed value decreases.

There was fierce opposition to the bill by

• school districts,
• municipalities and
• other agencies which rely on public funding for their operations.

I understand this opposition because property taxes are a primary funding source for these agencies, which provide important services that we all expect and rely upon.

At a time when the State is not making timely or full payments to them, the passage of House Bill 3793 would have created a significant hardship.

I have plans to file a bill which will require taxing bodies to publish in the newspaper the percentage increase of their tax rate as budgets are being finalized. I believe this new level of transparency would allow stakeholders to have additional information and an increased opportunity to be involved as taxing bodies’ budgets and levies and finalized.

Senate Bill 77: Unemployment Insurance Reform

It was with pleasure that I joined all other members of the House of Representatives in supporting Senate Bill 72, which reforms Illinois’ unemployment insurance system. Today the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund has a projected deficit of $2.4 billion. This staggering sum threatens the very sustainability of this important safety net for working families. Through this bill, the fund will become fully solvent by 2018 and it will provide $400 million in cost savings for employers across the state. Most importantly, these reforms will be accomplished without raising taxes. The provisions of the bill should also help create private sector jobs and reinvigorate the Illinois economy.

Senate Bill 2147: Funding for Regional Offices of Education

Governor Quinn used his veto power several months ago to eliminate funding for Regional Offices of Education (ROEs) and their employees. Because of his veto, Regional Superintendents have not been paid since June. In fact, in McHenry County, the veto led to the current Regional Superintendent retiring early and the individual who had been elected to replace him declining the job. As a result, Lake County officials have been taking care of McHenry County’s ROE needs for the last five months.

I am a strong supporter of Regional Offices of Education and the statutory services they provide, and I voted in favor of restoring the funding for the remainder of this year from the personal property replacement taxes that are distributed to local governments each year. At the conclusion of this fiscal year funding for ROE’s will revert back to the General fund where I believe it belongs. The bill also creates a 15-member streamlining commission that will look for opportunities to consolidate some offices and duties. I favor the creation of this commission and look forward to learning about how we can increase efficiency and save money in these offices.

Senate Bill 1701: Emergency Medical Services Access

This bill amends the Illinois Controlled Substances Act and the Methamphetamine Control and Community Protection Act by providing that any person who, in good faith, dials 911 or seeks medical treatment for someone experiencing a drug overdose shall not be charged with a crime. I voted against this bill because I know that today in our area those who call in an expected overdose are usually not charged with a crime.

The bill creates a situation where drug dealers who administer a fatal dose of a tainted drug could escape prosecution. I believe strongly that drug dealers need to be prosecuted. The “common sense” approach currently used in our area appears to be working and I think we need to continue to look at each drug overdose case individually. However, the bill passed in the House and is now pending in the Illinois Senate.

Senate Bill 1652: Com Ed Smart Grid

Today, 44 states have some level of smart grid technology in place, and when Illinois lawmakers approved a bill several months ago to modernize Illinois’ grid, Governor Quinn vetoed it. During the first week of veto session, members of the House and Senate voted to override Governor Quinn’s veto. I voted in favor of the override and did so in part so that Illinois could become more competitive in attracting new businesses and jobs.

The override means that once the improvements are in place, Illinoisans will have fewer and less widespread power outages than we have today. It will also provide the framework for Commonwealth Edison and Ameren to respond more quickly to network problems.

The need to upgrade our electrical grid was never more obvious than earlier this year when many collar county residents were without power for extended periods of time due to storms. But Oak Park, which has been using the smart grid technology on an experimental basis since 2010, escaped the summer’s widespread storm outages while communities all around it suffered significant power outages. The Smart Grid improvements would not only help prevent widespread outages, but it would also provide for a wholesale technology upgrade that will eventually lower overall electrical costs.

A trailer bill presented the first week of veto session included language that lowers the profit rate for Commonwelath Edison and Ameren to rates that are lower than what the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) has allowed in the past.

The new language also toughens the performance standards they must meet and increases the amount of money they must spend to improve the infrastructure. The trailer bill also calls for the creation of a fund to help those of lower socioeconomic circumstances pay their electric bills. Based on the changes included in the trailer bill, a consortium of 42 suburbs withdrew its opposition to the bill prior to the override votes.

Gaming Expansion in Illinois

A new gaming bill that scaled back a gambling expansion package approved by the General Assembly several months ago was soundly defeated by the House last week. I voted against the gambling expansion bill when it was originally presented almost six months ago and I voted against the scaled back version last week. The new bill dropped a provision that would have allowed for slot machines at Chicago airports and the state fairgrounds, and addressed concerns by some that regulations were not stringent enough. However, the new plan still allowed for five new casinos in Illinois and permitted racetracks to operate slot machines.

I am not opposed to a modest expansion of gaming in our state such as the addition of slot machines at racetracks. The racing industry is a large part of the McHenry County economy. In my current legislative district, there are 13 thoroughbred farms and several other farms which supply crops and feed for the horses. My issue with the bill was the large nature of the expansion and the way in which the revenue would be spent. It is my hope that a new, scaled back version can be considered when we return to Springfield on November 29.

Coming Up… The Status of Pension Reform and, the Proposal to Close Seven State Facilities and the Sears EDA

Pension Reform…

There are a few other issues that may be debate and/or resolved when the General Assembly returns to Springfield on November 29. I am a member of the pension reform committee and we have met many times to discuss ways to stabilize the state’s pension system.

Today’s pension system includes an $86 billion unfunded liability. Those negotiations are ongoing and I look forward to reading Senate Bill 512 when it reaches its final form.

It is imperative that we solve the pension crisis, but we must do so in a manner that once and for all stabilizes the system without placing the $86 billion liability onto the backs of the taxpayers.

Facility Closures…

As you have probably heard, Governor Quinn recently recommended closing seven state facilities due to budget shortfalls. His announcement was premature, ill-thought out and included no plan for how the patients and inmates would be transitioned to new facilities.

It was nothing more than a political move on his part, and yet another attempt to press for additional funding by using some of Illinois’ most vulnerable citizens as pawns.

I also serve on the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, and as a group we have been visiting these facilities and holding hearings over the last several weeks.

On Oct. 27 we voted against closing the Murphysboro juvenile detention center, Mabley Developmental Center in Dixon, Singer Mental Health Center in Rockford and Chester Mental Health Center.

Last week we voiced similar concerns by recommending against the closure of the Logan Correctional facility in Murphysboro, the Jacksonville Developmental Center and the Tinley Park Mental Hospital.

I am very much in favor of looking for opportunities to blend services so that efficiencies for providing services can be optimized. I also welcome an opportunity to review a comprehensive plan which includes a thorough cost-benefit analysis. To date, we have seen no plan and no cost-benefit analysis.

As the issue moves forward, I feel strongly that any ultimate changes would need to include a provision for a smooth transition for the individuals served by these facilitates.

Sears EDA…

Lastly, there has been much discussion and debate lately about Sears EDA in Hoffman Estates. As the 23-year tax incentive that brought Sears to Hoffman Estates approaches its 2013 expiration date, Sears is looking to the General Assembly to extend the terms of the EDA for an additional 15 years.

I am firmly opposed to the 15-year extension.

For the last 22 years, Sears has operated out of their space along I-90 between Beverly Road and Route 59 while enjoying significant property tax relief. I favor those original incentives and believe that at the time they were a necessary “carrot” that lured Sears and other businesses to the Hoffman Estates location. Jobs were created and the economic impact was very favorable.

District 300 officials have waited for the day when the EDA would expire so they could begin collecting the property tax revenue that rightfully belongs to them. Some legislators are trying to push through an incentive package that places the lion’s share of the sacrifice onto the backs of District 300 taxpayers. Simply put, it isn’t fair. It is my hope that my colleagues in the House and Senate slow down, take a step back, and create a piece of legislation that entices Sears to stay in Illinois while still being fair to the District 300 taxpayers.

I believe strongly that the next incentive package should be structured like the package we used to keep Motorola and its jobs in Illinois. The State gave Motorola a $100 million incentive package based on “EDGE” credits, whereby a percentage of the income taxes paid by Motorola employees was rebated back to the company. It was an incentive that was very lucrative for Motorola, and it wasn’t done at the expense of local taxpayers.

Clearly, all of Illinois is enriched by the economic activity that Sears brings to our state.

Therefore it is not equitable for the taxpayers of one school district to provide the overwhelming majority of the financial incentive that keeps Sears here. Since everyone benefits if Sears stays in Illinois, everyone should share in contributing toward making that happen.

As always, it is a pleasure to serve you in Springfield and at home. If I, or a member of my staff, may be of assistance to you in any way, please do not hesitate to contact my Crystal Lake office at (815) 459-6453 or at mike@miketryon.com.

Sincerely,

Michael W. Tryon
State Representative, District 64

Previously, McHenry County Blog has reported on the contributions from Commonwealth Edison, Ameren and others to State Senator Pam Althoff and State Rep. Jack Franks.

Both voted to override Governor Pat Quinn’s veto, Franks a last minute switch.

State Senator Dan Duffy gave a scorching speech against the bill, addressing the

• business end, which he said required an outside audit to see how efficiently Com Ed is operating, and the
• ethics’ side, pointing out that the father of bill sponsor Mike Jacobs was a Com Ed lobbyist.

Newly-appointed State Rep. Kent Gaffney also voted “No.”

I figure that balance requires me to look at the donations that State Rep. Mike Tryon, who supported the bill, received.

The figures you see below are taken from the Committee on Political Reform’s data base, a compilation of businesses and executives thereof who the Committee judged to have a financial interest in the Senate Bill 1652′s veto override.

The total is $5,750.

To put this in perspective, here are the totals of contributions Tryon reported to the State Board of Elections for the first three-fourths of the year:

• 1st Quarter – $1,754
• 2nd Quarter – $30,714
• 3rd Quarter – $21,690

Total – $54,158

So contributions that the Committee for Political Reform consider linked to companies supporting the electric rate hike bill total 10.6% of Tryon’s contributions for the first three-quarters of 2011.

Each year for the next ten years, Commonwealth Edison and Ameren, its Downstate counterpart will be increasing our electric rates, compliments of State Senator Pam Althoff and State Representatives

The State Senate voted to override Governor Pat Quinn’s veto this afternoon by the slim margin of one vote. 36-20-2.  One of those “Yes” votes was that of McHenry County State Senator Pam Althoff.  Without that vote, the rate hiking process would not be able to go into effect.

Here is the House roll call on the veto override:

Reversing his vote on the original bill, State Rep. Jack Franks voted in favor this time around. Check out his contributions from some of his union supporters who wanted a “Yes” vote.

State Rep. Mike Tryon also supported the bill, as he did on original passage.

Newly-appointed State Rep. Kent Gaffney voted in opposition to the bill hiking Com Ed electricity rates.

Here’s the roll call for the so-called trailer bill that supposed to make the Com Ed/Ameren rate hike bill better.

Governor Pat Quinn, who cut some of his community organizing teeth creating the Citizens Utility Board, doesn’t agree that it is enough of an improvement.

I found this press release from State Senator Shane Cultra, who voted against the bill:

SPRINGFIELD, IL – State Sen. Shane Cultra (R-Onarga) offered comments on House Bill 3036, which was designated as a trailer bill containing “so-called” consumer protections to the controversial “smart grid” legislation vetoed by Gov. Pat Quinn this fall.

“I voted against the legislation because I am not comfortable with the level of assurances that have been offered up by the utility providers,” Cultra said. “Illinois citizens have been socked with massive tax increases and it is not a time to send them an additional charge on their Ameren or ComEd bill courtesy of the Illinois General Assembly.”

Senator Cultra does not plan on voting to override the veto, citing a need to protect consumers.

Little wonder that supporters don’t want their constituents to know how they voted.

And speaking of that, I can’t find a Senate roll call on SB 1652, the main electricity rate hike bill.

The Governor’s veto was overridden 37-20.

A letter dated Wednesday, August 3, 2011, to the Crystal Lake City Council from Paul Greenlee, who lives on Bennington Drive, expresses concerns Commonwealth Edison service failures in his neighborhood:

Mayor Shepley and Members of the City Council:

When I arrived home from work yesterday, I found our home had lost power.

Based on the time my family left home for back to school shopping and my return, the power had been off some time between 10:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.

So apparently there had been a power failure on a very hot and uncomfortable day before peak power usage had been reached.

A similar incident occurred on Saturday, July 30, sometime between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Com Ed line in McHenry County with a problem.

It was another instance in which on another almost painful weather day there was a power failure.

This time it occurred on a weekend day which is not a peak power usage day. I am again grateful we weren’t home for the inconvenience as well.

I don’t want to complain about something that is an inconvenience, as people often gripe about minor issues.

However, for what we pay in utility costs and taxes, reliable power supplies should not be an issue especially in less than peak usage periods.

Com Ed dispatched a number of trucks to repair this fallen tree problem on Lake Avenue near the Crystal Lake-Lakewood line.

Were these issues that came from brown-outs, planned or otherwise?

If they were, I don’t think the residents of our area got that memo.

Crystal Lake and McHenry County were especially devastated during the storms of early and mid-July.

Commonwealth Edison, in my opinion, took their sweet time in making repairs (even realizing the enormity of the situation, they were slow in responding and their communication was horrific and only added to the frustration suffered by many).

With subsequent power failures even after those repairs from the big storm, apparently the repairs were not of a quality nature.

That sets the stage for unnecessary future problems.

And Com Ed has NEVER been a very forthcoming utility when it comes to providing information.

A Com Ed lineman fixes a problem on Lake Avenue in Lakewood.

I urge you to haul Com Ed representatives before the City Council and hold them accountable for the poor service.

It’s not just a matter of frustration from the big storm, although their poor communication should be addressed so they don’t fail the public again.

It is the apparent ongoing occurrences of power failures that should be acted upon now so there isn’t a greater consequence to an individual or a community later.

Personally, I think they should have to face the public in an open forum.

However, I trust that if you and the members of the Council compel Com Ed (and not just some P.R. flak) to appear and address these issues, we might well see a change in their behavior.

I don’t like to use utilities or big business as scapegoats for any problem.

I work in property and casualty insurance, an industry often vilified and sometimes even correctly.

Utilities, just like elected officials and public employees, have a responsibility to deliver services and be accountable for their actions and their failures in fulfilling their obligations.

I hope you address this issue in a way to protect the community in the future.

Paul Greenlee

Maybe this other email from a reader explains more than Com Ed would like people to know. The author is an engineer:

The essence of the explanation of the lead person (my presumption) was that CoEd found it less expensive to repair problem equipment rather than replacing it.

Of course, this is understandable from a surface analysis but is only viable when you have a captive customer base.

The cost to the customer is very difficult to determine but reasoning of that type would be unacceptable in a competitive market.

Obviously, many of the customers would switch to a competitive service.

My question to the service person was initiated because we had an excessive number of outages in comparison to another group of houses on our street. They would have service and our group would be in the dark.

Articles of potential interest:

“Com Ed’s Infrastructure and the Last Com Ed Scam” (The rate hike bill passed by the Illinois General Assembly this year and the deregulation bill of the late 1990′s)

“Fire and Brimstone” (August, 2010, high power line failure next to Best Buy in Crystal Lake.)

“McCullom Lake Is Last in Com Ed Reliability” (list of all towns in McHenry County in descending order of the quality of Com Ed service, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.)

Well, they’re not quite lumberjacks, but they’re as close as we come.

If you haven’t driven on the road between Crystal Lake and McHenry, you are going to find it a lot more light next time around.

The tree canopy will be missing when you pass get near Edgewood south of the “s” curve.

The trunks still stand, but the trees have been topped by the tree trimmers.

Why?

Two reasons, according to a supervisor from the tree removal company.

There is going to be a new Commonwealth line, presumably bigger than the one there now.

And, he said the McHenry Blacktop, as we Crystal Lakers call it, is going to be widened.

Checking with what used to be called the McHenry County Highway Department led me to the five-year plan.

All sorts of interesting stuff in there, including this about the Crystal Lake Blacktop, if you are from McHenry. Go to the operational improvements section and you’ll find this:

Walkup Road Operational Improvements (TIP#11-03-0019) This funding is for operational improvements to 5.0 miles of Walkup Road in the City of Crystal Lake, the Village of Bull Valley, the City of McHenry, and Nunda Township from Illinois Route 176 to Bull Valley Road. Improvements will likely include but not be limited to the construction of a continuous center left turn lane, a new bike path, roadway resurfacing, and intersection improvements. Total Phase I and Phase II Engineering initiated prior to 2009 will cost approximately $2,400,000. Land acquisition initiated prior to 2009 will cost approximately $3,750,000.

Construction Engineering and Construction are estimated to cost $23,000,000. At this time, sufficient funding to make improvements up to Cyrstal Springs Road $14,656,000 has been identified. Additional funding will be sought.

Federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funds ($8,471,601) will be used to offset no more than 80% of total costs. The State of Illinois will be conducting the letting for this project. The State will pay contract amounts before sending McHenry County a bill.

If you have skipped that long section, the guts of it are that a left-turn lane will be built from Route 176 to Crystal Springs Road, but the plan is to widen Walkup Avenue Road all the way to Bull Valley Road in McHenry.

I was told that the oaks hanging over the road near the church would remain, that the road would be moved east to allow that.

We’ll see.

With the growth requiring widening the road for a left turn lane and all the empty farmland between Crystal Lake and McHenry, it is easy to envision the need for a five-lane road here.

Then, there will certainly be nothing left of the oak canopy.

Glory be!

Look at the gift our Illinois General Assembly has blessed me with.

A cut of $85.91 in my October electric bill. (Click on bill to enlarge.)

We only have to pay 5.34 this month.

The rest has mysteriously disappeared thanks to that super-electric rate regulator, the Illinois General Assembly.

It’s really a throwback to the days before the Illinois Commerce Commission.

Electric magnate Sam Insull used to have to buy the favors of the Illinois General Assembly. He got tired of doing that, according to his secretary, and got them to create the Illinois Commerce Commission.

Fewer people to buy is what I was told.

Now, Insull’s successors run Commonwealth Edison.

The free market advocates of the late 1990’s, not to mention then-ComEd Exec Sam Skinner (no relation), pressed for an auction system.

It would lower ComEd’s rates from being the highest in the Midwest to, maybe average.

Somehow, I don’t think it worked out that way.

ComEd got permission to sell of the very-costly-to-build and really-inefficiently-run (at least in 1980, when I last got monthly reports on the subject) nuclear power plants.

So, the nuclear power generation benefit Illinois rate payers paid dearly for over the decades was bartered away for, what, a ten-year rate freeze.

I certainly didn’t figure out that part of the complicated bill out. Frankly, I doubt that many members of the General Assembly knew the implications of the proposal.

In any event, when the ICC held the free market auctions, the bids came in quite high.

The competition promised by the de-regulation advocates did not materialize.

Instead much higher bills–up 24%–in ComEd began arriving in customers mail boxes. In the non-Com Ed, mainly Ameren territory, the electric bills were much, much, much higher.

Folks in northern Illinois who are regularly taken to the cleaners by the tollway, the RTA and, in the collar counties, but not in Cook County, by much higher property taxes pretty much shrugged and paid the 24% higher bills.

In Central and Southern Illinois, however, the folks went ballistic.

It became the “you son of a b—-h, if you don’t lower these rates, we’ll kick you out of office” issue of the year.

The result was that northern Illinois folks got screwed to the wall again. Upside down. With money falling out of their pockets.

With 70% of the residential customer base, ComEd and its parent company ponied up 80% of the approximately half billion dollar of refunds, but its customers only got half back.

Too many northern Illinois legislators allowed a disproportionate share of the money pried out of our electric company’s pockets to be shunted to Central and Southern Illinois ratepayers.

Here’s what CBS Channel Two Mike Flannery’s reported:

“Some representatives complained that the northern Illinois ComEd service area was getting an unfair small share, with ComEd and its corporate parent, Exelon, contributing 80 percent and downstate Ameren only 20 percent of the funds.

“But the actual rate relief cash was being split 50-50, a net transfer of nearly $300 million from the Chicago area’s 3.8 million ComEd customers to Ameren’s 1.2 million customers downstate (emphasis added).

“’I think if you represent a ComEd rate-payer, you have to ask yourself why is the rate-payer in ComEd having to subsidize the rest of the state,’ said Rep. Michael Tryon (R-Crystal Lake).“

$85.91 was cut from my family’s bill, which apparently was higher than average. (I’ll have to do more to follow Jimmy Carter’s White House example by flicking off more lights.)

Ameren customers were guaranteed a $100 rebate.

What did that Reform Party presidential candidate Ross Perot say about hearing a “great sucking sound?”

At least in Illinois we know where it is going?

But, hey, it couldn’t have been much better for incumbent state representatives and senators…unless the “General Assembly Rate Relief Credit” (look at the bill; that’s what it says) had arrived on January’s electric bill—right before the February 5th primary election.

But more research tells me I’ll get about $10 a month on each of the rest of this year’s bills.

Presumably the General Assembly will get political credit each time.

And the last bill will come the month before the primary.

How convenient for incumbents.

In other news, ComEd shares went up over 2% the day rate relief bill passed, stockholders were so relieved that a rate freeze was dead.

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