PLAINFIELD – The village of Plainfield’s water and sewer fund is healthy, and water rates continue to be comparatively low, officials said Monday.
The water and sewer fund is budgeted for $16.78 million for the 2016-17 fiscal year, a 3.79 percent increase from this year, Director of Management Services Traci Pleckham said.
“Relatively speaking, you’re looking mostly at contractual services increasing primarily because of the cost of water per gallon we’re paying as a village,” Pleckham said, noting the water charge was included in an increase of $648,200 in contractual services.
An increase in revenue sources, including a $381,391 hike in charges for services collected and a $196,500 increase in license and permit fees, are offsetting the expense growth, Pleckham said.
The village uses Lake Michigan water and paid a wholesale water purchase cost of just less than $7 per 1,000 gallons, according to village documents.
Public Works Director Allen Persons said a Lake Michigan water rate survey by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources – which didn’t take into account other administrative charges – concluded that Plainfield’s average total water rates to customers are 2.4 percent below other communities that rely on the water source.
The village’s rate was at $7.78 per 1,000 gallons this year.
Persons said the village has made strides in water capture efficiency.
Water loss in 2008 was at 8 percent, but it dropped to 2 percent in 2012 and has stayed at that level. Also, water use in the village has gone down 12 percent in the last 10 years.
The Route 30 water main updates have been completed, but the village will be working on water infrastructure improvements off Route 30 near the Diageo and Kuusakoski industrial buildings.
Persons said the water and sewer fund has been improving in recent years because of improved bond ratings and efficiency from the consolidation of facilities and services.
Eventually, Persons wants to make the fund sufficient enough to eliminate the average $1.65 million in home rule sales tax supporting the fund. But rising water rates from Chicago make that difficult.
“We’re doing everything we can to keep the water rate as low as possible,” Persons said.