I missed the biggest news of Tuesday night.
It wasn’t the Grafton Township Electors voting to ratify the deal that the Township Trustees cut with Road Commissioner Jack Freund for the Town Fund to repay the loan taken out to buy the Town Hall property over a three-year period.
The 5% loan interest to finance the loan is higher than the under 1% interest being paid Grafton Township by investing it, but that issue didn’t surface and the practice will continue until the Road Commissioner pays back the last $300,000.
That savings pales in comparison to what I personally and what residents of
- Cary
- Crystal Lake
- Huntley
- Lakewood
- Prairie Grove
- Ringwood
- Woodstock
will save once a contract is signed with a supplier of electricity other than Commonwealth Edison.
Erin Smith
“The first bids came in with several rates between 4 and 5 cents per kilowatt.
“We pay approximately 6.7 – 7.1 cents today, depending on the season. 🙂
“Many contract details will need to be worked out before anything is final, but we are very encouraged by the first proposals.”
Citizens will probably save 25% to 30% once the contracts are in effect, based on current Com Ed rates and the “soft” bids to which Smith refers.
There is a requirement that two public hearings be held. No one showed up at the first Lakewood hearing.
The second was Tuesday night, the same night as the Village Board meeting.
One lady showed up.
Then, the Lakewood Village Board voted to go ahead with the “buying club.”
Customers have a right to opt out for 21 days after a letter has been mailed. Lakewood’s letter has not yet hit mailboxes.
If your municipality or unincorporated area is not on the list above, you can find the election night results here. (There were slight changes in totals, but no changes in results, after the late votes were added.)
Why are public hearings scheduled prior to bids being finalized?
I would think the best course of action would be to have final bids first so residents can make an informed decision as to whether to “opt out”.
wait…this is IL government in action.
If they can really get 4 to 5 cents per kilowatt that will be even cheaper than the electric provider I spent quite a bit of time searching for.
I would dump my existing plan and “opt-in” to get that even lower rate, depending on how long the term is.
The electric rate landscape is going to completely change once ComEd’s existing contracts expire.
Remember, less than a month ago, when some morons decided to vote AGAINST lower electricity rates?
I am looking forward to Crystal Lake’s reduced rates.
I have a deep concern over all this.
The government has unilaterally forced people to use a particular power company.
Is this the USSR all over again?
If we don’t react in time, this law allows McHenry to steal our our personal information from a utility company we have private agreement with and give it to another without our knowledge or permission.
We are then presented bill we must pay or risk hurting our credit or turning off our power.
How the heck did this happen and why aren’t people lined up with pitchforks in front of the County Admin. building?
The Constitution includes the right of privacy.
No one law or vote can over turn the Constitution except by 2/3 majority of all states.
This is a local law and not a well written one as it made no mention of these sweeping powers the County believes it offered.
Asking permission to negotiate lower rates for power is far different than forcing us to use their low bidder.
I don’t mind learning there is a less expensive option out there.
What I mind greatly is requiring us to opt-out even though we never opted in.
Its difficult to describe how bad this is except through examples.
Imagine this in wide spread practice in our society.
For example, a retailer is given the power to ship every man, woman, and child within 10 miles of his store clothing he sells and sends them a bill whether they like them or not.
This is exactly what the County just did to all of us and they’re patting themselves on the back in the process.
Where does this really all lead to?
Will the County next decide what religion we should all be?
For example, the County could send a letter to your church indicating you are no longer attending or tithing, then sign us all up at ‘ABC Church’ – a government-preferred church in McHenry County, all culminating in sending us a bill in the form of tithing.
What’s to stop them?
Heck maybe they’ll deduct 10% in tithing directly from your paycheck to ensure compliance.
Just one more poorly written ballot initiative and they are on their way.
The good news is, most people realize that freedom of religion is a constitutional matter and would object.
What’s disappointing is the loss of the freedom of privacy this power law is doing is not having the same visceral affect.
This bad law should be subjected to a constitutional challenge.
If it fails, everyone who supports it in an elected position should resign or be voted out.
We founded this Country with a Constitution that specifically restricts the government; not the People who wrote it.
Where do you stand?