St. Charles Residents Could Soon See Increase on Utility Bills

ST. CHARLES, IL -- The St. Charles City Council recently approved its annual rates for city of St. Charles water, sewer and electric utility customers at an April meeting. The changes will be reflected on June utility bills.

City utility bills reflect monthly meter readings and include usage for all three utilities—electric, water and sewer and estimates are done only when meters cannot be read. While rate structures will differ by usage and season, a typical residential household using 1,200 kwh of electricity and 7,000 gallons of water and sewer will see an increase on their utility bill of approximately $5.58 per month with the new rates, which includes a $0.35 per month increase in the city’s EPA Mandate Compliance Fee, according to a news release.

Proceeds from the Compliance Fee finance capital improvements related to changes in EPA regulations for wastewater treatment. City of St. Charles electric, water and sewer costs are comparable to nearby cities, city officials said. Rates are directly tied to the cost of operations and maintenance.

“The city of St. Charles prides itself on providing reliable, well maintained and cost-effective utility services to its customers,” said City Administrator Mark Koenen. “Our utility rates are extremely competitive with rates in the surrounding area and include maintenance and capital improvement costs aimed at continued improved reliability.”

For more information, you can contact Utility Billing at utilitybilling@stcharlesil.gov or 630.377.4426.