Village officials in Lisle looking at takeover of private utility over water bill complaints

After a year of water bill complaints in part of Lisle, Illinois, the village board is officially moving forward with a plan to review those issues and possibly have the village take over for the private utility that supplies water to part of the village.

The water woes in Lisle hinge on a section of the village forced to get their water from a private company at a rate up to three times higher than neighbors who get water from the village.

Lisle Village Manager Jeffrey Cook said the village board is taking a closer look at taking over for Illinois American Water.

This year, village officials started hosting open houses to get a better idea of how to address the problem.

"It always comes down to how much is it going to cost and who is going to pay for it?" Cook said.

Those open house meetings resulted in an overwhelming no to paying for rebates for Illinois American customers, but yes to the long-term proposal of the village taking over the private water supply.

"Those residents served by a private utility could potentially, some day in the future, be connected and be served by the village of Lisle," Cook said. "The question becomes what does it take to actually acquire the system."

The village board here is in a review process, looking for an evaluation of what it would take.

A spokesperson for Illinois American Water declined a request for comment on the latest move.

In Missoula, Montana, the city recently bought back their water supply from a private company.

"We should have, frankly, had the lowest water rates in the state, because of the ease of delivering the water, and we had the highest water rates in the state," former Missoula Mayor Jordan Hess said.

Following a lengthy legal battle, the buyback cost Missoula more than $106 million.

Their goal was to get control over their local water supply like their neighbors, in order to upgrade deteriorating infrastructure and rein in rising water rates.

Hess offered some advice to officials in Lisle considering a similar move.

"From a public service standpoint, you've got to just buckle up for the ride. It is a long process," Hess said. "Do your homework, and if everything checks out and you move forward, then jump in with both feet."

Cooks said, generally speaking, Lisle could use Missoula and other communities that went through similar situations as a road map.

The Lisle Village Board is moving to seek independent evaluations to determine the cost of taking over the water system. They meet again next Monday.