West Dundee water, sewer rate hike to address capital needs

West Dundee residents will see an increase on water and sewer bills next fiscal year, thanks largely to a new capital fund created for maintaining and upgrading infrastructure.

Starting with the June billing cycle, the village is enacting a 2.5 percent rate increase for operating expenses, according to village documents. The hike, which is expected bring in an additional $25,000 annually, was originally approved last year but was never implemented.

Additionally, water and sewer rates are expected to rise another 5 percent to pay for capital needs, documents show, and residents will be charged a new $15 capital fee every other month.

In the past, the water and sewer fund has been borrowing money from the village's general fund to pay for water and sewer projects, Trustee Michelle Kembitzky said.

"The gist of it is, we need to work the water (and) sewer fund to an enterprise so it's self-sufficient," she said. "We're making positive strides."

The village board voted 4-1 this week to approve the new rates for next fiscal year, which begins May 1. Trustee Dan Wilbrandt cast the lone "no" vote.

For a resident using 4,000 gallons of water every two months, their water and sewer bills are expected to increase from $48.82 to $66.18, according to village documents. Residents using 10,000 gallons will likely pay $109.44 - about $20.36 more than their current bills.

Finance Director David Danielson said the increased rates address a critical need by allotting money for maintaining and upgrading West Dundee's $22 million water and sewer systems.

The last time the village raised its water and sewer rates was in 2015, when officials approved a 2 percent increase.