Residents may receive water credit

Residents, mostly on the Village’s west side, who received bills reflecting a retroactive water rate increase should see a credit on their next billing.

The village audit and finance committee voted unanimously Thursday to recommend the government offer about $43,000 in credits to homeowners and businesses affected by the retroactive increase.

Because the Village bills in 3 cycles, with a third of residents in each cycle, some residents may not have received their bills yet, and the commission is recommending that the Board make the rates effective Jan 1st billing, in order to give residents adequate notice of the increase approved September 19th.

It will be up to the Village Board to approve the credits at the next meeting of the Board on Oct 16th.

However, a $3 fee for garbage collection will remain on the bills, although it was supposed to be removed.

“The reasons for the fee still exist,” Village Manger Craig Anderson said. “Fuel costs are at the same level, and the collection companies still have to pay for environmental permits.”

Trustee Paul Humpfer, who is also the chairman of the Audit and Finance Commission, said they will look at removing the fee in the future and replacing it with an increase in resident’s property taxes.

[Read the Courier-News article]