Mt. Vernon, IL – A draft version of the Rules of Operation and Governance for Municipal Electricity Aggregation is now available for public viewing and input. A series of public meetings will also be held in the upcoming weeks to present the proposed Rules to the public and allow for questions and input. A schedule of the public meetings can be seen at www.AffordableElectricRates.com. For those communities who approve the March 18th, 2014, ballot referendum, these Rules of Operation and Governance will be adopted as the rules that guide the process for securing lower electricity rates for residential and small commercial customers who are on Ameren IL’s default tariff rates.
The Rules spell out who is eligible, the process for opting-out should someone choose to opt-out of the program, covers the topic of continuing to receive electricity bills from Ameren IL, paying Ameren IL and continuing to call Ameren IL for service issues. It also covers details on the bidding process, the process for vetting qualifications of alternate retail electricity suppliers (ARES), etc.
“The community officials of each of our represented communities wanted to make the Rules of Operation and Governance available prior to the election so the residents know exactly what they will be voting on in March”, said Jeff Haarmann of Affordable Gas & Electric, the consultant on the matter. “The purpose of municipal electricity aggregation is to take advantage of economies of scale and group purchasing to reduce the price you pay for electricity. Nearly 80% of Illinois communities have overwhelmingly passed these referendums and are already saving significant money on their electricity bills.”
Residents from Carterville, Litchfield, Unincorporated Jefferson County, Albion, Addieville, Richview, DuBois, Venedy, Irvington, Alma, Kell, Wamac, Cisne, Norris City, Omaha, Farina, Lawrence County, Sumner, Bridgeport, St. Francisville, Edinburg, Worden, Mulberry Grove, Sorento, Sigel, Windsor, Strasburg, Stewardson, Farmersville, Irving, Taylor Springs, Nokomis, Coalton, Raymond, Butler, Witt, Waggoner, East Gillespie, Virden, Medora and Shipman will be combined to form a larger negotiating group, but each community will approve their own community’s rate plan..
For more information, visit www.AffordableElectricRates.com or residents can call (618) 207-3450 with specific questions. Also, join http://www.facebook.com/AffordableElectricRates on Facebook for updates and answers to frequently asked questions.