Don’t rush to renew electricity contract

The electricity provider for the city of St. Charles, the Illinois Municipal Energy Agency (IMEA), is asking for an early renewal and extension of their contract. On June 24 at 7 p.m. at City Hall, IMEA will make a presentation to the city council explaining the new contract.

The current contract with IMEA ends in 2035, but the city is being asked to renew and extend this contract for 20 years until 2055. That is 30 years from now. This request is being made six years before we are required by the current contract to decide whether to renew.

This contract is worth $800 million over the course of the contract. St. Charles is being asked to renew now, which gives the city no time to investigate other providers of electricity and put a contract out for bids. That is a lot of money to commit to without a bidding process. The terms of the contract are non-negotiable; it is “take it or leave it.”

If St. Charles does not renew now, we will still have the same electrical service we now have until 2035. We will have time to investigate other options. St. Charles City Council should not be rushed into making such a huge long-term decision. This is a complicated issue and the Alderpersons should give themselves time to make the best decision for the city of St. Charles.

Please urge your alderperson to vote no on renewing/extending the contract with IMEA at this time. It is premature and doesn’t benefit St. Charles. You can find your ward and Alderperson at stcharlesil.gov.

Please attend the June 24 meeting to become informed about this critical issue.

Hewlett Prucher

St. Charles