Imposing a fee on customers to defray costs of programs geared toward increasing electrical reliability and canceling the ComEd franchise if reliability does not improve are two ideas being floated to improve electric service in Elmhurst.

The recommendations were formulated by a citizens’ task force that has been discussing ways to improve electrical reliability. They were presented to the Elmhurst City Council Monday.

Task force member Cathy Jordan said the committee has been meeting since Aug. 11 to discuss the ongoing problem of electrical outages in Elmhurst. The task force was formed after severe flooding affected the city in 2010 and electrical outages were identified as an on-going issue that contributed to flooding.

The fee that the task force said the city should investigate imposing would be a .50 cent a month set fee or a kilowatt usage fee to help pay for system reliability programs.

The task force also recommended that the city look into the taking ownership of the electrical distribution system if ComEd doesn’t improve reliability within a “reasonable time frame.”

Assistant City Manager Mike Kopp said the task force came up with the recommendations after it studied numerous aspects of the problems with outages including looking at reliability over the last four years and at proposed system improvements.

Other ideas the committee is recommending include establishing a city tree ordinance that would require people to have a city permit to plant trees. Another recommendation would allow city employees to go onto to private property to inspect the structural stability of trees.

Kopp said certain types of trees tend to have branches that fall and might not be allowed under a tree ordinance.

In addition, the task force recommended that all sanitary and storm water stations have back up generators and that the city look into providing home-use generators.

According to the task force, the city should develop a quality service plan for improving electrical reliability and establish a standing ComEd action committee that would include staff, residents, business owners, elected officials and ComEd representatives who would oversee reliability issues.

City council members did not comment on the task force recommendations except for Ald. Mark Mulliner who said the city should consider them within the next six weeks.

“I’d like to see us move as quickly as possible on this,” he said.