Plainfield Officials: No Water Rate Increase in 2013

The village is making good on a promise to break the cycle of increasing water rates.

Director of Public Works Allen Persons on Monday announced that Plainfield water rates will not increase for fiscal year 2013-14.

Water and sewer rates will stay steady — a welcome change from the increase residents saw in 2012, after the City of Chicago hiked the rate for Lake Michigan water by 25 percent.

READ ABOUT THE 2012 INCREASE

At last month’s State of the Village luncheon, Plainfield Mayor Mike Collins said he hoped the village would avoid another rate hike in 2013 after several years of increases.

Join the conversation — sign up for the Plainfield Patch newsletter, and add Patch on Facebook.

Despite yet another rate increase by the City of Chicago, Collins said the village has been able to keep water costs down — even though this year’s drought meant Plainfield customers logged the second-highest usage in village history, and July 2012 ranked as the month with the highest usage ever.

According to Persons, cost-saving efforts, reduced water loss and infrastructure improvements by the village have offset the impact of the Chicago rate increase.

Chicago’s 2013 rate hike represents a 15 percent increase, and consumers can expect more of the same for the next few years. Rates for Lake Michigan water are expected to increase by another 15 percent per year in both 2014 and 2015, according to the City of Chicago.

While Plainfield is not passing on the increased rate to residents this year, other towns that use Lake Michigan water weren’t so lucky. Some municipalities, including Chicago Heights, Orland Park, Palos Heights and Mokena passing on the Chicago price hike to residents.

------------------ 

RELATED: