I remain mystified even bewildered as to just how a group of intelligent Oak Park trustees could have switched us from a green energy plan to a brown one. I suspect that they realize their mistake, but there’s nothing to be done about it other than sign up individually for green power. I have, and it only took about 10 minutes. So that’s good.
But I feel like there needs to be an autopsy as to how this bad decision was made. Now the given reason was a laudable one: to save us taxpayers on average 60 bucks a year in electric bills. It was odd that the Village is so concerned about the high cost of living here. Its part of the tax burden is considerably lower than District 200 and 97, and has been pretty flat for years. Our taxes are high because we have quite wisely voted for school and park referenda in recent years. No doubt people have had to move out because of the taxes, but the majority of villagers supported those increased taxes.
Then there is the obvious point that saving 60 bucks seems like a pretty steep price to pay for compromising an environmental issue that is overwhelmingly supported by Oak Parkers. In fact I would guess that environmentalism with all its implications is supported by almost all of us.That’s we have those little cars we can rent, and we try to be bike friendly, and we plant trees, and on and on. Green stuff. How did the trustees not know this?
How come,as far as I know, there was no discussion, hearings, expert witnesses on this. It was a done deal without any of the sometimes tedious process we hear so much about. We can have hearings on converting a home to a bread and breakfast, but can’t on an issue that ultimately impacts the whole planet. Weird.
Maybe all these new trustees’ inexperience is showing. If so please give Messrs Pope and/or Johnson a call. Hopefully, this is not Mr. Taleb’s idea of “fast tracking”. Speed up building permits. Slow down global issues.
I ‘m sure that the trustees are hard-working and capable. I voted for most of them, and will continue to do so. I would appreciate a public explanation as to how this dumb decision was made– something beyond saving 60 bucks, and you can opt out of brown if you want to. In this case on this issue, that is not sufficient. More detail, please.
