ROCHELLE – The City of Rochelle is reviewing a potential $500,000 plus reimbursement related to mutual aid received during the March 15th windstorm, a cost that represents just 1.3% of the electric department’s cash reserves. The total does not include waived fees from mutual aid partner St. Charles. While the expense is a small portion of the utility’s budget, city officials are considering the impact such a large claim may have on future risk insurance coverage. City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh said having cash reserves for situations like this is important for Rochelle.
“It sounds like a lot of money and it is, but when you run the sixth largest electric utility in the state, that’s really not that much money. And one storm can come through and cost a half a million dollars,” he said. “And the one thing that people expect when they pay their bill is for their lights to be on.”
