The Normal Town Council approved new electric alternative contracts and heard more input from firefighters during its meeting on Monday.
The council approved a contract with Stone River Group to act as broker and consultant for Normal’s electric aggregation program. Electric aggregation allows residents and small commercial customers served by Ameren Illinois to pay for energy from alternative suppliers at a locked-in rate for a 24-month period.
Stone River has had this partnership with the town since 2012, when a referendum was passed to allow for municipal aggregation. Town staff said historically, the program has lowered electric rates for participating customers. The new contract is for five years.
The council also approved a measure to allow the execution of contracts with the alternative energy supplier that Stone River Group finds for the town. Most recently, the town contracted with Constellation NewEnergy for a 12-month fixed rate of 0.10899 per kilowatt hour.
The bids Stone River Group will solicit are not expected to last a long time due to rapidly changing market conditions, prompting council approval of execution of a contract Monday to avoid the expiration of bids.
Before the new contract takes effect, all eligible customers will receive opt-out letters from the chosen electricity supplier. Customers, both residential and commercial, will be automatically enrolled in the new aggregation program if the letters are not returned.
In another matter, the Normal Liquor Commission approved a license for video gaming at Maggie Miley’s in Uptown. The action allows for three machines to be installed at that location.
Firefighter response
Normal firefighters responded to the council's discussions on fire department efficiency that took place at a meeting last month.
Firefighters requested more clarity on whether Normal was seeking a 4- or 6-minute response time for the fire department. Blake Chausse said statements during the previous meeting that the town has used a 6-minute standard for three decades was news to him.
“There are multiple internal documents created by town staff specifically stating that the town was holding itself to the 4 minutes NFPA 1710 response standard,” said Chausse, secretary and political action chair for Normal IAFF Local 2442.
Chausse also said he thinks the fire department needs to add more staff, saying the Normal Fire Department does not have a fully-staffed ladder truck, and adding it does not have the staff needed to effectively and safely respond to the most common structures in the community.
“This is a recipe for disaster because not only are we showing up later when fire has had more time to grow, but we are showing up with an inadequate amount of manpower and resources to address the increased hazard,” said Chausse.
“We want to work with town staff to find a solution that will bring peace of mind to the community and security to our local members.”
Last month, fire chief Mick Humer said while Normal strives to reach a 4-minute response time, most fire departments never reach that goal.
