St. Charles utility rates headed for major increases
St. Charles residents would see their utility bills jump a total of $9.29 per month, on average, by October under a new plan that officials say would maintain the city’s status as having the cheapest utility costs in the Tri-Cities.
Electric, water and sewer rates would all increase under the plan. Some of the impact would hit bills as soon as May 1, while other increases wouldn’t phase in until October.
The additional monthly charge works out to a hike of about $112 per year for the average city resident. For comparison, the St. Charles Public Library’s failed tax increase attempt this past November would have cost the average homeowner about $81 per year.
City Finance Director Chris Minick said rate increases are needed to support the everyday operating costs of the utilities and to finance projects related to the utilities such as water main replacements and new streetlights.
“We will still have the lowest annual utility charges compared to the other Tri-Cities and as compared to ComEd,” Minick said of the plan. He presented numbers indicating the increase would still leave local utility bills with total average annual cost of $1,797.
Geneva would be the next cheapest with an average total annual cost of about $1,850. Batavia residents pay about $1,870 on average in the same costs.
However, the breakdown of the numbers show the only reason for St. Charles having a lower annual cost is a significantly lower water rate. Costs for electricity and sewer utilities in St. Charles will be the highest in the Tri-Cities under the plan.
Specifically, the monthly service charge for electricity, paid regardless of consumption, will increase from $5.84 to $8.50 on May 1 when the city’s new fiscal year begins. The city will then ratchet the non-summer electricity rate up in October, adding to the total impact.
For water, the flat monthly charge will increase from $3.67 to $4.96. The rate per 1,000 gallons of water used will increase from $1.72 to $2.08.
To get a feel for the potential impact of that increase, a typical faucet pumps out about 5 gallons of water each minute it is turned on. The city’s charge for excess water consumption, typically related to watering lawns in the summer, will increase from $2.91 to $3.52 per 1,000 gallons of water used. The excess charge kicks in once a household uses 130 percent more water than they averaged during the winter.
Those changes would be phased in with a partial increase in May and rise to the full increase in October.
Finally, the monthly service charge on the sewer rate will increase from $8.90 to $9.43. The monthly volume charge, based on water usage, will increase from $3.53 to $3.74 per 1,000 gallons of water consumed.
City residents have a chance to comment about the proposed changes at a public hearing April 18. That’s the same night the changes would get locked in via a city council vote on the budget.