Downers Grove Water Rates Set to Increase in March

Water rates in Downers Grove are set to increase by about 18 percent beginning next month.

Downers Grove residents can expect the current rate of $4.13 to jump to $4.89 on bills issued after March 1, according to village officials. The bi-monthly fixed charge will increase from $9.51 to $10.50.

The new rates—approved by the Downers Grove Village Council in December—means the average homeowner's two-month bill of $71.26 will jump to $83.85, village officials said.

Downers Grove Mayor Martin Tully said in December that the increase is directly tied to higher costs imposed by by the city of Chicago and DuPage Water Commission, but are also part of a multi-year plan to cover the cost of owning, operating and maintaining the village's water system.

The village's Water Rate Study, commissioned in 2010, projected required revenue increases from 2012 through 2015. The study assumed 10 percent annual increases from the DuPage Water Commission, officials said.

Last year, however, the commission—which buys Lake Michigan water from Chicago—voted to raise its water rates every year in 2015, including a 20 percent increase for 2013. The decision came after Chicago instituted a rate hike that amounts to a 90-percent wholesale increase over the same time frame.

The commission added an additional increase to replace revenue lost through financial mismanagement, officials said.

Because the increases were higher than anticipated, Downers Grove was forced to amend its water rate schedule. The increases—projected at 18 percent for 2013—will only impact the unit fee portion of the bill; the fixed fee portion foes not change from the original plan, according to village documents.

Tully expressed frustration with Chicago and the DuPage Water Commission, but said the village is ultimately responsible for covering the cost while also setting aside money for its own infrastructure.

"We're stuck with what is presented to us when it comes to water rates," Tully said. "The village has been responsible in looking to the future and figuring what our infrastructure needs are for bringing water from the DuPage Water Commission to our residents ... We look at what those long-range costs are going to be."

Water rates are projected to increase by 14 percent in 2014 and 2015, village officials said.

The following table shows the proposed water rates that will go into effect for bills received after March 1, 2013:

The following table shows the projected impact of the new water rates:

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