Water Rate Increases Coming To Geneva Bills In May

GENEVA, IL — Geneva residents' water bills will increase starting May 15 after City Council approved a five-year rate plan at its April 3 meeting.

Rates will go up incrementally over the next five years, starting with 7.5 percent in the first two years followed by 5 percent in each of the remaining three years.

A residential water user, which uses about 700 cubic feet per month, will see an annual average increase of $5 per month through April 2028. A household that uses more water during the summer, about 2,000 cubic feet per month, will pay roughly $12 more per month on average, according to city officials.

Money collected from the increase will be used to pay for upcoming water main and lead service line replacements, a sanitary line crossing the Fox River, upgrades to the Wastewater Treatment Plant and other water-related capital projects, officials said.

The last time a five-year water rate plan was implemented was in 2016. Rates have not changed in the last several years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the city.

Water bills won't be the only ones to see changes in the coming months.

Going forward, new customers will no longer need to put down a deposit to have water and electric service installed. Previously, the city would refund the money deposited — $200 for residents and $500 for businesses — after two years of “satisfactory payment history.”

Customers who have already deposited money will automatically be refunded on their May bills, officials said.

Additionally, starting in April, customers will only be permitted to waive one utility bill penalty per year.

City staff will also begin reviewing cross-connection fees monthly as opposed to annually for customers with lawn irrigation, fire suppression systems or other backflow devices. Residents will instead be charged $2 a month.

Anyone with questions about rates and capital projects can call the Geneva Public Works Department Water Division at 630-232-1551.