Joliet lays out plans for annual hikes in water and sewer rates

Joliet residents likely will see increases in water and sewer rates at about 12% in coming years.

The City Council is expected to vote next month on proposed increases that would begin in November and raise the average water and sewer bill to $113 a month by 2026.

An 8% increase in the average residential bill is planned for November. Increases in the three following years would average 12%.

Much of the increase is connected to the Lake Michigan water project now expected to cost more than $1 billion, according to a presentation made to the City Council last week.

“This funding allows continued implementation of the alternative water source program, including meaningful efforts to reduce unaccounted for water,” consultant David Naumann told the council in the presentation. “It allows you to be proactive in replacing aging infrastructure.”

The city is engaged in a $594 million water main replacement program to replace leaky pipes in addition to the Lake Michigan water project now estimated to cost $1.04 billion.

Joliet is not alone in facing rising costs to deliver water as municipalities deal with growing infrastructure costs and increased regulatory requirements. Even with the rate hikes, Joliet residents would pay close to a regional average for water and sewer costs, according to the presentation.

The proposed increases include rate variations that would charge more to customers with higher water usage and continue to provide discounts to senior citizens.

The rate increase for residential customers in November would be 8% because the city plans to offset residential rates with higher charges for commercial and industrial customers, Utilities Director Allison Swisher said. But increases planned for the following three years would average 12% across the board.

Even so, one council member suggested that the city look for alternative ways to fund water and sewer costs that go beyond charging users. The city’s water and sewer system now is funded primarily by water and sewer fees, although Joliet also gets state and federal grants for infrastructure improvements.

“I’m having a hard time with the burden being squarely on the residents,” council member Suzanna Ibarra said at last week’s meeting. “This is really a huge issue for our lowest-paid workers and our senior residents.”

The average monthly combined water and sewer bill in Joliet now is $75.05, according to the presentation.

That makes rates in Joliet fifth lowest among 18 communities in a comparison with neighboring municipalities and similar-sized cities in the Chicago region.

Joliet would move from fifth to 11th on that chart by next year when the average combined rate would raise to $80.94 a month, although that comparison does not take into account likely increases in the other communities.

The proposed Joliet increases are more than twice the regional average of 5% a year, however, according to the study done by engineering firm Burns McDonnell.

The Joliet increases include annual increases in water rates of 17.25% while sewer rates go up 6% a year.

Even bigger hikes are proposed for water and sewer connection fees charged when construction brings new users come onto the system. A proposed 25% increase would raise that fee from $6,000 now to $7,500.

But the proposed fee also is not out of line with what is paid elsewhere, Naumann, a project manager with Burns McDonnell, said.

“It represents very close to the average that’s being charged in the region for residential connections to the water and sewer system,” he said.

The council vote on the proposed rates will likely be at the Oct. 3 meeting.