Homewood increases water rate

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Updated: February 13, 2012 9:21AM

Just as in most of the 123 suburbs that obtain Lake Michigan water through the city of Chicago, water rates in Homewood are going up.

Chicago on Jan. 1 increased water rates 25 percent this year and 15 percent annually in 2013 through 2015.

Homewood’s director of finance, Dennis Bubenek, said village residents won’t see their quarterly water/sewer bill increasing by 25 percent. Instead, only the 45 percent portion of the bill which represents actual water usage will increase at that rate.

Village increases in labor and capital expenses will be 3 percent over the same 2012 to 2015 period, he said.

Bubenek said the average family of four using about 30,000 gallons of water per quarter will see an increase in their water/sewer bill of about $53 in 2012, $26 in 2013, $29 in 2014 and $31 in 2015.

At Tuesday’s village board meeting, Chicago Heights resident Charles Dieringer urged the board to look at alternatives to purchasing Chicago water.

Trustee Tom Kataras agreed the village should be looking at other options.

“I feel we’re being held up by the City of Chicago,” Kataras said. He said local communities should work together to find alternatives. “The city of Chicago should not balance their budget on suburban communities’ backs,” he said.

“I can assure you we are looking at alternatives,” Mayor Richard Hofeld said.