Water rates may rise in Bartlett

Bartlett residents may soon have to flush more money down the drain.

The village is proposing a 9.5 percent increase in the water rate to $4.94 per 1,000 gallons and a 14 percent hike in the sewer rate to 67 cents in Cook and Kane counties and $1.68 in DuPage County.

"I wish I could bring a brighter picture to the table," said finance director Kathryn Booth.

That means residents in Cook and Kane using 8,000 gallons of water each month - Public Works Director Paul Kuester says that's about average for a single family home - can expect to pay $61 more per year for a grand total of $634. Those in DuPage will see their bills grow by $75 annually to $748.

The Bartlett village board will likely approve the proposed rate increases, which would go into effect May 1, at its next meeting.

The hikes aren't going toward any particular capital improvement project - the village typically issues bonds to pay for those.

The increased revenue will instead try to offset the village's higher electricity costs, as well as a slightly steeper bill from Elgin.

Bartlett buys about 60 percent of its water from Elgin at an annual cost of more than $3 million. Elgin's bill to the village typically rises by about 3.5 percent each year, but this time it'll be more.

A project to remove radium from two wells is also contributing to the water rate increase, as well as the need to build a reserve fund for equipment such as pumps, motors and generators. Wells account for 40 percent of Bartlett's water supply.

Bartlett brings in between $7.5 million and $8 million in water and sewer revenue.

Bartlett's current water rate of $4.51 per 1,000 gallons already ranks at the high end when compared to most area towns. The proposed $4.94 rate will be nearly $1.50 more than in Elgin, Hanover Park and Streamwood.

But the comparison isn't apples to apples.

Unlike most of its neighbors, Bartlett isn't a member of the DuPage Water Commission, which partially offsets water rates through sales tax revenue. Lisle's water rate, for example, is $2.90 per 1,000 gallons.

"That makes a lot of difference," Booth says.

And other towns like Hoffman Estates and Streamwood get their water from Lake Michigan, which also changes the cost structure.

The village will review its water and sewer rates again in two years - but don't expect them to drop. That reality may change some behavior.

"I guess I'll have to start cutting back on showers," Trustee Dennis Nolan joked.