Darien Could Be Adding An Extra $2 to Residents' Water Bills

Darien residents could soon be adding an extra $2 to their existing water use fees, according to the City of Darien.

The new cost would be $9.75 per 1,000 gallons, plus the additional fixed cost of $10.

Governmental staff evaluates cost per 1,000 gallons, needs for current and future operating expenses and necessary cash reserves in determining the price they will present to the Darien City Council each year.

The current water fee for residents is $7.75 per 1,000 gallons of water, with an additional fixed cost of $10 per bill. The fee wasn’t raised last year, and city officials realized upon this year’s evaluation that charges would have to be raised in order for the water systems in the city to operate on a self-sustaining basis.

Approximately 70 percent of water fund expenses in Darien are for the purchase of water from Lake Michigan from the DuPage Water Commission. The money also goes toward operating expenses, capital projects, creating cash reserves and setting aside funds for when fixes or replacements in the system are needed. Evaluating all these factors is how the Darien government determines a fair water user fee each year.

Although the new budget would tack an extra $2 onto the $7.75 figure, the fixed fee of $10 will remain the same. That $10 helps to pay for administrative costs of meter reading and billing, among other things.

City officials wish to create a sufficient operating reserve for the city’s water system, and even with this $2 increase, the balance in the Water/Depreciation Fund wouldn’t provide for three months of operating reserve based on the projected capital expenditures in future years.

Darien officials also pointed out they aim to keep water user fees to a minimum every year, even if it means there won’t be sufficient money to cover all projected expenses that go into the system.

For more information, check out the City of Darien’s website.

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