Water, sewer rate hike up for a vote in Carpentersville
Carpentersville officials are considering raising water and sewer rates to help fund roughly $5 million in upcoming capital projects.
The village board is expected to vote Tuesday on an annual 3 percent water and sewer rate increase for the next three years. Each yearly increase would generate an additional $230,000 to help offset the costs of anticipated infrastructure maintenance and improvements, Finance Director Hitesh Desai said.
If approved, the first 3 percent hike would go into effect Sept. 1, bringing the total cost of water and sewer services to $10.96 per 1,000 gallons. That means a resident who is charged an average of $83 for water and sewer services every two months - not including garbage and other fees - would see a $2.48 increase on their bimonthly bills starting in November, Desai said.
The rates would then jump to $11.29 per 1,000 gallons in September 2018, and $11.63 the following year, according to village documents. Most Carpentersville residents use between 6,000 and 9,000 gallons of water every two months.
The rate schedule, developed by Chicago-area firm Baxter & Woodman, is intended to financially support a slate of projects village officials deem necessary over the next few years, Public Works Director Bob Cole said. The company was hired last year to conduct a study of the village's water and sewer costs and services.
Upcoming capital projects include drainage improvements, lift station rail replacements, and new or extended water mains, including one along Huntley Road to serve potential future commercial development. Officials anticipate spending roughly $3.9 million on water improvements and $1.1 million on sewer upgrades, according to village documents.
"Our position has always been to remain flexible - to extend the projects out as far as they can go - so the rates aren't as large an impact on our residents," Cole said.
Carpentersville's water and sewer fund is self-sufficient and relies solely on fees, rather than tax revenue, to finance its operations, Village Manager Mark Rooney said. The fund has a balance of just over $8 million, some of which would go toward paying for the proposed capital projects.
Trustees are expected to discuss the proposed rate increase before voting at Tuesday's village board meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. The village's current water and sewer rate of $10.64 has been in effect since officials approved a 0.5 percent hike last August.