Prospect Heights unanimously approves tripling sewer rates
Sewer bills for most Prospect Heights residents will triple now that the city has approved new rates.
Aldermen unanimously approved a plan Monday to increase rates for homeowners to $20 per month from $6.50. Businesses would pay $24.50 per month. The rate hike takes effect retroactively over the last billing cycle, meaning residents will notice the increase when bills for the months of April, May and June are mailed in early August.
The rate hike has faced little opposition since the city announced the proposal during a town-hall meeting in April.
The city has been operating the system at a loss since absorbing the Old Town Sanitary District in 2015, when state lawmakers passed a bill dissolving it.
The sanitary district had been charging an artificially low rate, city officials say, because it had not completed infrastructure improvements or built up reserve funds. The city continued billing the same amount as the sanitary district.
However, rates will likely decrease for residents in special service areas, because they have been paying different rates based on home values. The average homeowner in special service areas has been paying $300 annually, or roughly $25 per month.
Revenue received from sewer bills can only be used for expenses related to the system.