Mayoral Candidate Morgan projects Frankfort sewer rates to double in the next two years

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Todd Morgan, 815-464-1730, Morganformayor2017@gmail.com

Mayoral Candidate Morgan projects Frankfort sewer rates to double in the next two years

Frankfort Mayoral candidate Todd Morgan predicts that sewer rates will double over the next few years. He contends that with the recent undertaking of the closing of two of the wastewater treatment plants and the expansion of the regional plant to accommodate those closings, the Village of Frankfort has had to commit to borrowing over $60 million dollars for the 20 year consolidation project. Morgan stated, “That's more money ever borrowed in the history of Frankfort by far and that debt will have to be repaid by the citizens, most of which will start right away. Looking over the numbers I don't see where the Village will not have to charge the citizens twice what they are charging now and do it as fast as possible to keep up with the debt service.”

With the current rate at approximately $4.00 per 1,000 gallons, Morgan believes it will go to almost $8.00 per 1,000 gallons, which may be the highest cost in the region. He stated, “I think that the Village Board needs to clearly explain this issue to the citizens at every step so that they don't wake up one morning and realize what is happening without clearly understanding why.” Morgan continued, “Much of the project’s costs are unavoidable since the Village needs to make the upgrade. However, I don't think the message has been clear as to who's paying what and when. I keep hearing that Frankfort has no bond debt, zero. That is slightly misleading since the money that Frankfort is using is from an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) loan. This may not be your traditional form of debt, but it is still debt you have to pay back.”

If elected, Morgan will make sure the community knows in advance what is going to happen to their utility bill so that there is no confusion later. While Morgan feels the Village has been trying to get the message out, he doesn’t feel that it has been an effective effort. Mayoral candidate Todd Morgan may be contacted at 815-464-1730 or Morganformayor2017@gmail.com.