Naperville is standing at a critical energy crossroads. In the coming weeks, the Naperville City Council must make decisions that will shape our electricity supply, costs and reliability for decades. The stakes couldn’t be higher — and the cost of delay will be felt by every household and business in our city.
Thanks to decades of foresight, Naperville owns its own electric utility and is part of the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA), a nonprofit energy consortium of 32 communities. IMEA has delivered stable, affordable, and reliable electricity. Most cities would envy our position.
But now our future with IMEA is at risk.
Due to Illinois’ new energy law — the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, which mandates the full retirement of fossil fuel power generation — IMEA is asking member cities to recommit to a new long-term contract beginning when the current one expires in 2035. Nearly every member community has signed on. Naperville, despite holding the vice chair position on IMEA’s board, has not.
Some council members, and the public, have raised seemingly reasonable questions: Why sign a contract so far in advance? Why not ask for guarantees on future pricing or renewable energy options? Why not shop around?
Here’s the reality: no utility provider can guarantee rates or energy sources for 2035 and beyond. What IMEA is offering isn’t certainty, it’s influence. Signing now secures Naperville a seat at the table during a crucial planning period. Waiting too long could mean losing that seat — and our voice.
And let’s be clear: IMEA is not a bad actor in this story. It is a nonprofit governed by its member communities. IMEA employees work for us. Naperville doesn’t have leverage because IMEA needs us — we have leverage because we’re a partner.
But IMEA must know now whether to plan for our future energy needs. For example, solar and wind farms can take up to a decade to develop and require 20-year contract commitments.
Delays and indecision have already cost us valuable time. IMEA presented the new contract back in February 2024 with a deadline of April 2025. City staff recommended hiring an outside consultant — a prudent step — but the council initially declined. By the time we hired one, we were already racing the clock.
But despite the costly and unnecessary delays, we have the information we need. That consultant, hired with taxpayer dollars, has recommended renewing our contract with IMEA. Our Public Utility Advisory Board, after more than 15 hours of review, did the same with a 4-3 vote. The facts are in. Expert advice has been delivered. The question now is whether the council will act.
We’ve already missed the April deadline. IMEA is considering a final extension, possibly until Aug. 21, as a gesture of good faith to allow us to complete our due diligence. But at the May 20 council meeting, my request for a public workshop where council members could question the expert consultants directly was met with considerable resistance. The council did ultimately concede to a public discussion but with conditions that it involve an undefined “series” of workshops, with no finish line, and a suggestion they don’t begin until September.
Pardon my skepticism, but this appears to be an intentional delay meant to blow well past the possible August deadline. But make no mistake — no decision is a decision.
If Naperville tries to rejoin IMEA later, it will surely come at a steep cost. When we joined late in 2011, our “late entry” fee was estimated at $50 million. That wasn’t a penalty but to protect other communities from the financial risks of our delay.
So what’s really behind the hesitation? The truth is it’s Naperville’s historic investment in two clean coal plants through IMEA. Coal plants are already scheduled to close under the state’s Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. But for some on the council, the optics are politically inconvenient. Walking away from IMEA doesn’t stop the energy transition. What it does do is remove us from the room where the future is being planned.
And let’s not forget, Naperville is on the verge of paying off bonds related to our current power infrastructure, which still makes up 20% of our electric costs. Walking away now would be like paying off your mortgage and then handing over your house keys.
Outside of IMEA, communities are already facing the reality of Illinois’ energy transition: higher rates, shrinking supply and blackout threats. If we fail to act, Naperville could face the same — or worse.
This is not about fossil fuels vs. renewables. That decision has already been made in Springfield. This is about whether Naperville will have a voice in how that transition happens or whether we’ll gamble our energy future on wishful thinking.
The risks of inaction are real. The costs of delay are growing. It’s time to act based on facts — not politics — and secure the best possible future for Naperville.
Josh McBroom, a former Naperville Park Board commissioner, has been a member of the Naperville City Council since May 2023.
