By Dee Longfellow
For The Elmhurst Independent
At a meeting held Monday, April 19, the City Council agreed with a recommendation of the Finance, Council Affairs and Administrative Services Committee (FCAAS) to increase the water and sewer rates effective May 3, 2021.
Committee Chair Noel Talluto (4th Ward) began by thanking City staff, Committee members and representatives from Baxter & Woodman, the consulting company that conducted a water rate study.
“Everyone worked together for a financially responsible long-term plan to ensure our water distribution and wastewater system will continue to deliver the high-quality service that Elmhurst expects at a reasonable price,” she said.
Talluto said the question heard most often from the residents is, why are water bills so high?
“There’s no simple answer to that, but there are three reasonable explanations,” she said. “First of all, comparing Elmhurst’s water bills with other cities is never going to be apples-to-apples. Some [communities] have water districts, some have fees, some have additional fees beside water on that bill.
“Also some cities simply have newer facilities, which is not a fair comparison. Newer facilities are easier to maintain, have more technology… The Elmhurst wastewater plant was first built in 1930 and its most recent update was in the 1980s.”
She then said Elmhurst had not yet completed the multi-million-dollar upgrades needed to meet the EPA-mandated phosphorous removal targets. Talluto was happy to report that this long-term plan allows for the completion of that project, but that will drive water rates higher.
The FCAAS Committee reviewed the final ten-year projections proposed by staff and Baxter & Woodman for the water, sewer and capital investment recovery charges (CIRC components) of the Municipal Utility Fund (MUF) and made the following recommendations:
1. The water rate would increase 2.5%. The DuPage Water Commission (DWC) water rate would remain unchanged from the May 2020 rate of $4.97 in 2021.
2. The sewer rate would increase 4.5%.
3. The CIRC charge is currently estimated to increase by a flat rate of $3.98 annually through 2030 for an initial increase of 13%.
Talluto went on to explain that a typical family of four using 9,000 gallons per billing period would see an overall increase in its water/sewer bill of $8.23 for the two-month period.
Baxter & Woodman confirmed that several communities are also looking at rate increases to update their systems and to comply with the EPA mandate. This will result in those communities’ rates being more comparable to the City of Elmhurst in the near future.
The rates will be effective for usage billed on or after May 3, 2021.
“Tonight we are only asking for the increase in rates for this year,” Talluto said. “We will continue to study and monitor and make changes where appropriate.”
When the vote was taken. the measure passed by a vote of 12-0 with two absent (Park, Cahill).
For more information, visit elmhurst.org.
