DuPage towns jack up water rates

Most of the 25 municipalities serviced by the DuPage Water Commission have increased customers' rates in excess of the 36-cent hike recently implemented by the agency.

In some cases, the increase to consumers was two or three times the commission's rate increase. Infrastructure, maintenance and operational costs were the explanations most municipal officials gave for the additional costs.

In April, following revelations that accounting errors had led to the commission depleting its $69 million reserve fund, commissioners approved a 36-cent rate increase from $1.72 to $2.08 per 1,000 gallons used to help shore up the agency's finances. Municipalities soon followed suit with rate hikes. All but five of the 25 municipalities who receive Lake Michigan water through the commission passed along more than the 36-cent hike.

“We did not increase ours the last time the water commission increased their rates,” said Lisle Village Manager Jerry Sprecher. “I haven't seen the other rates, but I would guess we're still in the bottom four or five communities in terms of rates. We've had a healthy water fund.”

Lisle's rate increased 60 cents compared to last year. Residents now pay $3.50 for a 1,000 gallons of water. Only Wheaton and Naperville residents pay less.

Lombard, Westmont, Wheaton, Woodridge and Itasca all reported rate increases either at or below the commission's. However, Itasca Village Manager Evan Teich said board members there are expected to approve a 74-cent increase next month. Some of the increase is needed to help pay for a $3 million utility move when the state widens Rohlwing Road, he said.

Some municipalities' rates are higher than others' because they hooked on to the system later and are paying for their share of the original infrastructure.

Unincorporated residents of the county who receive service from Oakbrook Terrace have the highest rate at $10.71. But Clarendon Hills residents pay the most of any incorporated residents at a rate of $7.93 per 1,000 gallons, up $1.36 from last year's rate. Hinsdale residents saw the largest increase at $1.82 and now pay $7.69 for every 1,000 gallons.

The typical household uses 7,800 gallons of water each month.

Darien residents also experienced a hefty bump of $1.27. They will now pay $4.90 per 1,000 gallons, a 35 percent increase over the previous year's rate. Officials there also said it's because rates haven't been increased in some time.

“You can't look at one year by one year,” said Darien Assistant City Administrator Scott Coren. “Many towns have been increasing rates gradually, but we have not increased since 1992 and actually decreased our rate in 2007.”

For years, the commission's rates to municipalities had been declining from the $1.95 figure in 1992. Rates had dipped to $1.25 in 2007, but started rising the following year when Chicago began increasing the rate it charges the water commission.

Debra Fulks, a member of the watchdog group DuPage United, said municipalities also overestimated water sales in recent years and lost money when use declined.

“If you're depending on a certain amount of money coming in and the purchase by your residents goes down, you have to make up the difference somehow,” she said.

Winfield residents will pay 87 cents more for a thousand gallons of water this year. Village Manager Curt Barrett said some of that increase is due to budget shortfalls, but most is because of rate increases from the commission. He said the village was planning to raise the rates 40 cents before the commission's financial irregularities came to light. The village had increased the rate 40 cents each of the last two years as well, Barrett said. That translates to a planned $1.20 increase for residents, while in reality the cost of water to the village during the same time period even with the emergency increase caused by the commission's financial woes increased 83 cents. He, too, cited operational and debt costs related to the village's water system for creating the need to increase the rate above the cost they are paying for water.

Fulks said the rates were “artificially low” because the commission used to charge municipalities less than what they were paying Chicago for the water.

“Now it looks like a huge increase,” she said. “But what are people going to do? They're not going to stop cooking. They're not going to stop taking showers.”