Palos Heights Water Rates to Rise By 22 Percent
Palos Heights water bills will be increasing as a result of rate hikes from Alsip and Chicago.
Palos Heights residents should brace themselves for rising water bills.
This week the Palos Heights City Council voted to approve a water rate increase of 22 percent. Alsip provides Palos Heights with water, and they are raising rates by 25 percent. The city is picking up the three percent difference.
"We have always managed to to make our increases significiantly lower than the increases we got from Alsip," said Alderman Alan Fulkerson.
Alsip has been steadily raising water rates over recent years as a result of the rising rates coming from the city of Chicago, the entity that controls the area's water flow out of Lake Michigan.
Chicago claims that the rate increases are all going toward infrastructure improvements.
Fifteen percent increases are expected for each the next three years, Fulkerson said.
"This is a situation where the City of Chicago is holding us captive, we don't have an alternative," said Mayor Bob Straz.
Area mayors have met with Chicago officials to discuss the rapidly rising rates, and there is discussion about possibly making the issue a federal one, Straz added.
As for now, residents can expect to keep paying more for what comes out of the tap.
H. E. Kraeger
10:21 am on Friday, February 10, 2012
Water rate problems need more investigations than just looking to Chicago as the culprit. Water rates are a right to know and any village or town will give you that information. For instance, Alsip sells water to Palos Heights for $3.09 per thousand gallons who then raise it 22% and new rate will be $6.40. this is happening in all 125 suburbs who use Chicago water. some towns are even higher, for instance Worth charging $7.10 on new rate. There is an interesting web page that explains a lot on this subject. http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=8392533. Also, look up Chicago water rates. The small majority of metered household in Chicago pay 2.10 per thousand. Unmetered receive their bills only 2X a year and average about 10.00 a month and that includes sewer charge. Water has become the cash cow.