Palos Hills Finds New Energy Supplier, $22K In Savings

Energy Supplier: Ever looking for ways to reduce a tightening budget, Palos Hills recently grabbed a 25 percent savings in its energy costs.

Public Works Committee chair Ald. Frank Williams announced on Thursday the city will change energy suppliers.

The city will now use Ameren Energy as it's supplier instead of Exelon to supply power to the water and sewer pumping stations throughout the city, the golf course and other buildings. While ComEd provides some comped services for non-revenue generating buildings, Public Works Commissioner Dave Weakley said the new energy supplier will provide savings to operations in the public works enterprise fund.

Deregulation has allowed for competition in the market place and Weakley said there has been a push for municipal business by brokers, many of whom reached out to the Southwest Conference of Mayors (SCM).

“[Ameren] had the best rate and everything corresponded to our uses and we are going to see some savings,” said Mayor Gerald Bennett.

Palos Hills will save around $22,000 a year on a two-year contract with a guaranteed, fixed rate. Bennett said after the contract is up, they will go back to the marketplace.

“We could have gone longer than two years, but with the market the way it is this seemed best,” he said.

LGDF: The mayor briefly discussed his trip to the State of Illinois Building in Chicago today to participate in a press conference regarding .

“The message was pretty clear: Don't take our money,” Bennett said.

He said the issue has brought “city after city and village after village from across the state” together, but he said with questionable support and few commitments by state lawmakers to municipalities, opponents of the legislation are still short of the 30 votes needed to kill the bill in the state senate.

“They are beyond listening to us anymore,” said Bennett, urging residents to call state leadership and tell them not to cut the funds. “Residents need to understand that this is their money that will be taken away.”

 88th Avenue: Bennett announced that next week the council should be presented with a resolution allowing to begin as soon as the end of May.

“We were looking at around a $500,000 or $700,000 cost to us, but [there are still negotiations going on] and the final numbers will come next week,” he said.