Big La Grange Water Rate Hike Pushed

LA GRANGE, IL – Engineers for La Grange are recommending the village enact big water and sewer rate hikes over the next few years.

They said the village's aging water and sewer system needed major improvements in coming years. And they noted the village's water rates have been flat for the last three years.

Now, the average household pays $169 every two months for water and sewer, according to engineering firm Baxter & Woodman. Under proposed increases, that bill would rise to $222 in four years, or by nearly a third.

La Grange water and sewer customers enjoy among the lowest water and sewer rates in the area. With the proposed hikes, though, the village may be on the high end.

Using a graph, Baxter & Woodman compared La Grange to towns such as Downers Grove, Clarendon Hills, Brookfield, La Grange Park and Indian Head Park, among others.

"This graph does not include any planned increases in any of the other towns," engineer Alexis Shotton said at last week's Village Board meeting. "They may need to increase their rates to fund various projects."

Without the rate hikes, the village's water fund would be in the hole by $2 million in four years. This is assuming the village would start making debt payments of $1 million a year to pay for water and sewer projects, as Baxter & Woodman recommends.

Now, the village has 59 miles of water mains, two-thirds of which are beyond the end of their useful life, according to the firm. Many are a century old.

With a healthy water system, a town like La Grange should see about 15 main breaks a year, but the village is experiencing twice that, said Carolyn Grieves, another engineer with Baxter & Woodman.

"You're starting to see infrastructure failing," she said.

It costs $2 million to replace each mile of water main, she said.

Village trustees made no decision last week on whether to increase water and sewer rates. They did not indicate their preferences.