LINCOLN - Mayor Beth Davis-Kavelman would love to get more lighting in the city of Lincoln. But with energy costs increasing, now is not the right time.

"I think there are some places in town that definitely need more lights," Davis-Kavelman said. "But with the rising costs of electricity, who is going to pay for it?"

And the cost could increase even more.

AmerenIP has submitted a rate-hike proposal to the Illinois Commerce Commission, ranging from a 2.9 percent increase to 8.5 percent, depending on which utility service is used. On behalf of the city, the mayor contacted the Illinois Commerce Commission to voice opposition.

The commission is accepting public comments and is expected to make a decision in October.

Last week, Jeff Granda of Grand Design asked the City Council to formally oppose the rate hike, saying small businesses will be placed in jeopardy if the cost of electricity continues to rise.

"So far, the cities of Champaign, Urbana, Decatur, Bloomington and Normal have all gone on record and voiced their opposition to this rate hike with the ICC," Granda said. "I just didn't think it would hurt to have as many cities as possible opposing this increase. Maybe the ICC will notice something like that."

Granda said his business and other small businesses cannot take the hit.

"Many small businesses and homeowners are losing everything to utility companies and big businesses because of their greed," he said. "Another increase may put a lot of people out of business, and in Lincoln, we cannot have that."

Alderman Buzz Busby said city officials have had meetings with Ameren about the increased cost of electricity, but they did little good.

"It's kind of like beating your head against the wall," he said. "Our energy costs with the city have just continued to increase, and we can't afford another hike."