Although voters passed a referendum Tuesday to give the village authority to seek cheaper and aggregated electricity rates, some legislation in Springfield could hold up the process a bit until residents get a break on the utility bill.

About 60 percent of voters favored the referendum on Election Day, and now the village will work with the Northern Illinois Municipal Electric Cooperative to educate residents and find the best option for the village.

"I'm glad it passed," Mayor Tim Baldermann said. "But we still have to keep educating our residents. I think that even though we did a good job of getting the word out, there are still some people who don’t completely understand it."

The state deregulated the generation of electrical power in 1996, giving residents and the businesses the option to move from ComEd to lower-cost suppliers. And though about 76 percent of the commercial market has moved away from ComEd, few residents have because suppliers could only offer an opt-in program.

New Lenox joined 18 other Chicagoland municipalities out of 23 voting on similar referenda, and can enter an opt-out program in which all residential accounts within village limits would be moved to an electricity supplier of the village's choice. Residents could have the option to stick with ComEd, but it's important to know that ComEd is currently only a distributor of electricity, not a provider.

And while village officials are optimistic they'll lower rates, some state legislation could hold up the process. A key component is that ComEd is prohibited from releasing account information to electricity suppliers, NIMEC Director David Hoover said. That would be essential if the village switched provider, because ComEd would still handle billing but the new provider would need account information.

"If the (Illinois Commerce Commission) allows this quick fix, then we’re full steam ahead," Hoover said.

Besides clearing that hurdle, the village and NIMEC are also required to hold two public hearings to help educate residents about the various options, including the opt-out program residents can take part in if they don't like the decision the village makes. Dates are not yet set for the public meetings.

"The purpose of the public hearings is just to familiarize the residents with the program and how it’s going to work," Hoover said, adding that he hopes there would be some indicative pricing to give the residents.

Bids would then be sent out, and the Village Board will eventually be presented with the option that meets requirements the village will lay out. For example, Baldermann said the village will request to keep the monthly budgeting option currently allowed.

"Whatever we think needs to be part of the proposal, we’ll let NIMEC know so when they go out there we can get the best choice for the residents," he said.

If residents are unhappy with their electric bills, they have the option to switch to another supplier right now. But Baldermann suggested waiting for the village aggregate to get the cheapest prices possible. Hoover hopes that residents could start seeing lower rates by August or September if everything goes as planned.

"They can always make that change, but we think it would be better to buy in bulk and get the cheapest rates," Baldermann said.

For more information and video explanations of the referendum, see our 2011 Election Page.