Mark Pruitt of ICCAN explains aggregation to the Pontiac City Council

By Todd Wineburner

The consultants supervising Pontiac’s proposed electrical aggregation plan explained some core concepts to city council members at a meeting last night. Steven Smith of the Farnsworth Group and Mark Pruitt of the Illinois Community Choice Aggregation Network, or ICCAN, told council members that an aggregation plan does not put Pontiac in the electricity business--it simply creates an opportunity to negotiate a lower cost of electricity for residents who choose to participate. When asked about Commonwealth Edison’s role in the aggregation process, Pruitt explained that ComEd will remain the city’s power distribution company, and that they won’t be dramatically affected by aggregation. According to Pruitt, ComEd's profits come from electrical distribution, and their services in that capacity won't change.

The aggregation plan for Pontiac will appear on the April ballot. Should it pass, no one will be required to participate, and anyone can opt out of the city agreement and accept kilowatt hour rates offered by ComEd, or can negotiate agreements on their own with independent providers. Should the measure fail, Pruitt says the city could still create a plan and give city residents the opportunity to opt in. Regardless of what happens, Pontiac’s decisions apply only to Pontiac residents.