Lisle looks to consultant to help navigate fight against Illinois American Water
As hundreds of Lisle homeowners face another water rate hike from Illinois American Water, village officials are turning to a consultant to help map out next steps to combat the increase.
Village trustees this week discussed hiring Hanson Professional Services, a consulting firm with offices in Lisle, to help them navigate the complexities of the Illinois American Water system that serves about 600 Lisle homes, predominantly in the Oakview subdivision.
“We’ve had a lot of conversations about this over the past year,” Lisle Trustee Meg Sima said, adding the village has spent time gathering resident input and reviewing the matter. “To me, this is the first practice step forward in what our realistic options are.”
The move comes just over a week after a public hearing on the water company’s proposed rate hikes drew hundreds of residents who spoke against the proposed increases.
Illinois American Water, which serves other Chicago area communities including Bolingbrook, is seeking a rate hike that would add about $14 a month to the average home using 3,500 gallons of water.
The $142 million rate increase comes after four other increases, totaling about $319 million, over the last decade.
While the majority of Lisle residents are part of the village’s water utility, small pockets of the village that predate Lisle’s public utilities are served by Illinois American Water, Lisle Village President Mary Jo Mullen said.
Mullen was one of several who spoke at a July 14 hearing before the Illinois Commerce Commission in Bolingbrook about the proposed rate hikes. She noted that Lisle homeowners who are part of the Illinois American Water system pay roughly three times more than residents who are on the village’s water system — even though Illinois American Water receives its water from the village.
“This is an equity issue,” Mullen said last week (In an interview). “No one should have to pay three times more for an essential resource.”
Sue Srail, an Oakview homeowner, urged trustees to include residents in any reviews or studies performed by the consultant. She noted that homeowners have spent decades investigating the issue and trying to determine who actually owns the system — a question that many suggest will likely have to be decided by the courts.
“This could be one of the most important decisions this board ever makes for our neighborhood,” Srail told trustees this week. “The biggest question for Oakview has never been answered, which is who actually owns the system.”
Village Manager Jeffrey Cook said the consultant would work with the village to guide the valuation of the system and potentially acquire it.
Lisle also plans to work with other communities to lobby state lawmakers for changes in state law that could make transfer of ownership of such water systems easier for villages, Mullen said.
Village trustees must still sign off on the consultant contract, which is expected to top $56,000 for the study. Cook said the study could take several months to complete.