Last night, the city council voted (6 to 1 with 2 abstentions) against the Karis data center proposal. The level of civic engagement throughout the process was exceptional, allowing all facets of this complex issue to be explored and understood.

Another major local issue is on the February 3 City Council meeting agenda. They will vote on whether to skip the formal procurement process and sign a $2+ billion no-bid extension with IMEA through 2055, or to wait until closer to 2035 and potentially consider other vendors.

NEST is advising the City to explore all our electricity options, as IMEA is consistently much more expensive and generates billions of pounds of air pollution annually.

We invite you to watch this video IMEA Extension Recommendation that explains why we believe the city should explore competitive bids. The video summarizes clear evidence that Naperville ratepayers have been paying significantly more for electricity than the market rate, while also facing growing risks—including rapidly rising transmission costs, limited flexibility, and a contract structure that locks us in until 2055 with little local control. 

The video also highlights the environmental impact of staying tied to IMEA’s main plant, which produces more pollution than any other in Illinois. Naperville has the opportunity to choose lower‑cost, lower‑pollution suppliers. 

We also welcome you to attend the February 3 city council meeting to make a public comment or just to hear more about this important issue. You can directly share your perspective with the council using the email addresses below. When the city’s agenda is posted, we’ll send out the link so you can provide written comments. 

Thank you,
NEST

Naperville City Council contact information:
WhiteB@naperville.il.us
HolzhauerI@naperville.il.us
KellyP@naperville.il.us
WehrliS@naperville.il.us
WilsonN@naperville.il.us
McbroomJ@naperville.il.us
GibsonM@naperville.il.us
sayeda@naperville.il.us
jains@naperville.il.us