Algonquin ready to hike water fees

You might want to rethink taking those long showers if you live in Algonquin.

The village board Tuesday likely will approve rate increases for water and sewer service that would kick in next year and run through 2013, Assistant Village Manager Jenna Kollings said.

The plan calls for increases of 7 percent each year.

The last time the village approved a rate increase package was 2004, when residents paid $4.34 per 1,000 gallons. The rate then increased each year until it hit $5.57 this year.

The average Algonquin household uses 6,000 gallons of water a month, officials said. The monthly bill for that this year would be $33.42. Next year it would rise to $35.76.

In 2013, that would rise to $46.92, a 40 percent increase over current rates.

With rising costs in the system's maintenance, fuel, electricity, gas and other elements eating into revenues, the rate increases are necessary, Kollings said.

Officials say that this plan, one of three proposed by consultants, helps ensure adequate funding for large improvements and cash reserves, as well as daily operating and maintenance costs.

On the business side, connection fees will likely rise 2.5 percent for water and 10 percent for sewer during the same time frame.

Baxter and Woodman, the consulting engineers the village hired to help set the rates, actually recommended that both business fees be doubled, Kollings said.

But citing slowed development and the desire to expand its corporate campus, officials are considering slashing those rates in half, Kollings said.

Developer connection fees, on the other hand, help fund major capital improvement projects related to the system's growth, such as ongoing plans to expand water treatment plant No. 3, Kollings said.

"We really want the growth of the community to be paid for by the growth," she said.

The village's committee of whole recently approved the proposed rate hikes. Trustees will vote on them Tuesday.

And if you're interested in conserving water to save money, your bill tells you exactly how much you used each month, Kollings said.

"The nice thing about Algonquin's system is you're only paying for what you use, whereas in other communities, you pay a flat rate," she said.

Algonquin water table

Today, you're paying $5.57 for every 1,000 gallons of water you use. Here's what a typical 6,000-gallon usage will cost you each month this year, and each of the following five years under the new proposal:

Rate Bill

2008 $5.57 $33.42

2009 $5.96 $35.76

2010 $6.38 $38.28

2011 $6.83 $40.98

2012 $7.31 $43.86

2013 $7.82 $46.92