Town takes electric rate reduction to referendum

Residents of Carroll County, Illinois, will have the opportunity to lower their electricity bills when they head to the polling stations in November after the county board agreed to put such a referendum on the ballot, the Northwest Illinois Prairie Advocate reports.

Should the voters pass the referendum, the county would then be able to choose which retail energy provider its residents and small businesses would receive their power from. The idea started in May when the county board first proposed a referendum that would help rural ComEd customers lower their energy bills by 30 percent.

The idea for the referendum gained momentum quickly, as Illinois recently passed energy deregulation laws that allow its residents to put such a measure on ballots, allowing residents to choose which electricity provider they would like to use, according to the news source.

Illinois towns are benefiting specifically from a law that allows municipalities to negotiate lower electricity rates on behalf of the whole community.

According to the St. Louis Herald Review, many residents in Illinois are taking advantage of the laws, which have come into effect amid falling electricity demand and lower prices.