Megann Horstead | For The Bugle
The Joliet City Council last week approved an implementation plan that will look at the efficiency of water and sewer operations to determine what, if any, savings residents can receive on their water bills.
City officials began looking into the matter last October, when officials enlisted the help of Matrix Consulting Group to perform a water and sewer operations efficiency study.
Over the years, residents have seen water rate increases that vary, according to the city. In 2009, residents saw a 35 percent increase. Those same rates jumped to 5 percent in 2010 and 2011.
City Manager Jim Hock said the culmination of activities to adopt an implementation plan means that officials will soon need to consider a water rate change. He added that officials have taken the findings of the outside consulting firm into consideration.
“Staff has worked to create this implementation of their recommendations,” Hock said. “…And we can report to you on a regular basis the progress we’re making on this implementation plan,” he said.
Jim Eggen, director of public utilities, said from a water and sewer operations standpoint, the city wants to assure the public the city is doing everything possible to keep water rates manageable.
“Overall, the findings were measures to support efficiencies,” he said. “They noted a few items now included on the implementation plan… I came to the conclusion there couldn’t be much money saved through operational change and that rate change would be needed.”
Eggen noted an area of concern that’s been pointed out to the city is crew size, and said that is one change the union argued against.
“Sometimes it forces us to be overstaffed,” he said. “That’s kind of day-to-day, not operational.”
Eggen said some the concern posed by residents recently comes as a result of the city’s lack of action taken to increase water rates annually.
“At the time, we should have been doing minor increases annually,” he said.
Eggen explained that every time his department proposed changes, they were shot down.
“By not replacing the failing infrastructure, that would increase our operational costs,” he said. “We’ve been advocating that we complete a rehabilitation plan.”
The proposed rate increase, if approved, would be established at 12.5 percent and subsequently go into effect in November.
Information on a water and sewer rehabilitation plan was last presented before the city officials Aug. 15. That plan includes projects pertaining to the east side water treatment plant, additional nutrient removal for treatment processes and the expansion of the capital program to rebuild and maintain water mains and sewers.
On Sept. 19, city staff will deliver a presentation on the rates study. Officials will need to consider a proposed rate change in October.