Hanover Park holds off on raising water service fines

Residents who get their water shut off in Hanover Park won’t face larger fines to get it turned back on, thanks to several trustees who noted that it would be inappropriate to add to village residents’ current financial struggles.

The current structure, which is still under review, states that residents incur a 5 percent penalty if water bills are paid after the due date and a $10 penalty if payment is not made 32 days after the billing date. Water is shut off if the bill is unpaid 45 days after the billing date, along with another $10 fine.

Village officials say their rates are lower than in other communities, and cite that the actual cost to turn water off is closer to $50 during business hours and $100 an hour after-hours, Village Manager Ron Moser said Thursday.

The village currently gives residents an option to pay a higher rate to get their water turned back on after-hours. But that could be eliminated if the cost to send an employee to the residence after-hours continues to be larger than the fee residents pay for the service.

“I don’t think a rate hike for anything would be acceptable. People’s water gets shut off for a reason,” Trustee Ed Zimel Jr. said.

Trustee William Cannon said he would like the proposal to be revisited in the future, but doing it now is the “wrong time to be throwing gas on the fire.”