Bolingbrook Mayor Urges Second Public Hearing For Water Rate Hike, Requests ICC Commissioners Attend

BOLINGBROOK, IL — After a crowded public meeting on Tuesday discussing Illinois American Water's proposed rate increase, Bolingbrook Mayor Mary Alexander-Basta is calling for a second public hearing, and asking all five Illinois Commerce Commission Commissioners to attend in-person this time.

Alexander-Basta said in a news release that she was "deeply moved by the emotional testimony from nearly 45 residents who described the financial hardships created by repeated water rate increases."

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Nearly 800 people attended the ICC public hearing on Tuesday, which was held in Bolingbrook.

“It was heartbreaking to hear residents, especially seniors living on fixed incomes, describe the impossible choices they are being forced to make because of these relentless water rate increases,” Mayor Alexander-Basta said in a news release. “These are not statistics. These are real people struggling to afford a basic human necessity.”

Mayor Alexander-Basta also expressed disappointment that none of the ICC’s five Commissioners attended the hearing, despite it being an official ICC public meeting.

“I appreciate the administrative law judge who presided over the hearing, but there is no substitute for the Commissioners hearing these stories firsthand,” she said in a release. “The people of Illinois deserve more than a written summary. They deserve Commissioners who are willing to look them in the eye, hear their concerns, and understand the real-life consequences of the decisions before them.”

“The ICC scheduled this hearing, yet none of the Commissioners attended. Residents repeatedly asked one simple question Tuesday night: Where were they? If the Commission truly values public input, then the Commissioners themselves should be present to hear it.”

Mayor Alexander-Basta is now calling on the ICC to schedule a second public hearing and ensure all five Commissioners attend.

Alexander-Basta held a press conference earlier this month, asking the ICC to reject the water rate hike request. At that conference, Bolingbrook Village Attorney Burton Odelson detailed how the Village remains in a legal fight over rate increases approved in 2024.

Several Illinois legislators also showed support at the press conference including State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel (49th Dist.), State Rep. and Assistant Majority Leader Dagmara Avelar 85th (Dist.), and State Rep. Natalie A. Manley (98th Dist.).

Illinois American Water has asked the ICC to approve a $134 million rate increase. This would add about $14 per month for a typical customer.

“We are here because Illinois families cannot absorb another blow to their household budgets,” Alexander-Basta said during Tuesday's meeting. “Today, Bolingbrook is taking the lead in saying what families across Illinois have been saying for years: enough is enough. Utility companies continue to come before the Illinois Commerce Commission asking hardworking families to pay more while they continue to generate enormous profits.”

“Water is not a luxury. It is not optional. It is a basic human necessity. No one should ever have to choose between paying their water bill and buying groceries, filling a prescription, or keeping a roof over their head.”

Mayor Alexander-Basta also stressed that residents have already made significant sacrifices in response to rising inflation and increasing living costs.

“The people I represent have done everything asked of them. They have tightened their budgets, made sacrifices, and found ways to stretch every dollar. They should not be expected to shoulder the burden of yet another massive utility rate increase.”