Urbana City Council will discuss approving an electric aggregation program at their meeting Monday.

The public voted in favor of the program on March 20, and the city can now officially approve it. Charlie Smyth, Ward 1, said he is confident that the council will vote in favor of the program.

“I’m very supportive of the aggregation effort and worked on it with city staff,” Smyth said. “It’s a great way to save residents the most money in the city … $150 per year on average.”

Independently held companies on a state-approved list provide and produce electricity for residents. These companies have a better rate for the production of electricity and specify where that energy comes from, Smyth said.

Smyth is optimistic that the new program will begin saving residents money in the next few months.

“Our goal in Urbana is to start saving people money in July,” he said. “I hope to have it done July 1.”

If most of the council members’ questions are answered at Monday’s meeting, the issue will be approved for next week’s meeting, where it can be made into law.

“We’ve got a good plan for a grasp of governance. There’s a good chance we’ll be able to go for bid in the next couple weeks,” Smyth said

Council members have preselected three different companies to work with.

Champaign passed the same referendum. Smyth said the two cities are following similar steps, though they differ slightly.

“I think Urbana city staff have worked very hard on this. We’re very happy to see the public approve it,” Smyth said. “Right now, we’re just trying to save people as much money as we can.”