Shorewood may add $6 fee to water bills
By Clare Walters Correspondent February 27, 2013 8:00AM
Scenic shoreline: Tucked away in Shorewood, Shorewood Glen offers new models for residents 55 and older, plus the ambience of a scenic community with 52 acres of open space.
Updated: April 1, 2013 7:25AM
Shorewood officials are considering tacking a new fee onto residents’ water bills.
The village board gave initial consideration Tuesday to a measure that would add a monthly $6 capital improvement fee to water and sewer bills. The fee would apply to both residential and commercial accounts. It also includes accounts within the village limits but serviced by the city of Joliet.
Mayor Richard Chapman said the need for the fee came about as the village studied its water system and discovered that it would need to build an above-ground tank to meet the needs of its growing population.
“Even though it’s painful, we find it necessary to implement the fee,” he said. “This board would not even be talking about a fee increase if it weren’t necessary.”
The revenues from the fee will pay for improvements to the village’s water system that will be needed over the next five to 10 years. The fee amount will be re-evaluated each year to make sure it’s meeting the village’s capital improvement needs, Chapman said.
The fee is expected to be up for a vote at the next village board meeting. If approved, the monthly fee would commence April 1.
In other business Tuesday, the village board approved the reallocation of its share of the 911 surcharge fee to the Western Will County Communications Center, better known as WESCOM. The surcharge is collected by telephone service providers on all land and cell phone lines.
Police Chief Aaron Klima said the village and the other agencies that use WESCOM annually dedicate the money they are allocated from the Will County 911 Telephone System Board to the communication center.
Pooling the partner agencies’ money helps to achieve “a greater degree of public safety in our communities,” he said.
WESCOM serves the fire agencies of Plainfield, Troy, Channahon, Lockport, Northwest Homer, Rockdale, Wilmington and Minooka. It also serves the police agencies of Plainfield, Shorewood, Channahon, Lockport and Crest Hill.
