On Thursday evening, the DuPage Water Commission Board approved its Fiscal Year 2020 – 2021 budget which will maintain the current water rate at $4.97 per thousand gallons. On May 1, 2020, the Commission’s customers, which includes most of the municipalities and private water agencies in DuPage county, will not see their water rates increase.
“I am proud of what the Commission has been able to accomplish over the last six years,” said Commission Chairman Jim Zay. “Board members and staff remain committed to the goal of maintaining our water rates as low as possible and operating the Water Commission as a best-in-class self-sustaining utility.”
Since January of 2015, the Commission has done an outstanding job at minimizing water rate increase to its customers. During this time frame, the Commission has only raised its total water rate by two cents per thousand gallons.
“Since January of 2015, if you look at household affordability, an average family of four in DuPage using approximately 10,000 gallons per month, have seen their water bills increase by only 20 cents per month due to the Commission’s water rate changes,” Zay said. “That is less than one penny per day.”
The Commission has been able to maintain and minimize its water rates going back to 2015, even considering the following:
• Water rate increases from the City of Chicago, our supplier, which total $0.27 per thousand gallons,
• Loss of approximately $35 million in annual revenue with the sunsetting of the sales tax each year since 2016,
• Decrease in the Commission’s overall water sales of approximately 3%,
• A much larger Capital Improvement Plan
In October of last year, the DuPage Water Commission was one of the only two agencies in the nation awarded the 2019 Gold Award for Exceptional Utility Performance from the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies. The Commission was recognized for its overall responsible financial performance.
