A proposed increase in water rates drew hundreds of Bolingbrook residents to a packed public hearing, underscoring growing anger over rising utility costs.
In response, Bolingbrook Mayor Mary Alexander-Basta is pushing for another hearing and said all five Illinois Commerce Commission commissioners should attend in person, Patch reported.
What happened?
Illinois American Water is seeking ICC approval for a $134 million increase that would add about $14 a month to a typical customer bill. After nearly 800 people showed up at July 14's ICC hearing in Bolingbrook to weigh in on the proposal, Alexander-Basta called for a second public meeting.
In a news release, the mayor said she was "deeply moved by the emotional testimony from nearly 45 residents who described the financial hardships created by repeated water rate increases."
Alexander-Basta also faulted the ICC over the fact that none of its five commissioners attended the hearing.
"The ICC scheduled this hearing, yet none of the Commissioners attended. Residents repeatedly asked one simple question Tuesday night: Where were they?" Alexander-Basta said.
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The renewed push follows a separate press conference earlier this month, when Alexander-Basta urged the ICC to reject the request. Bolingbrook Village Attorney Burton Odelson also outlined the village's ongoing legal challenge over rate increases approved in 2024, while state lawmakers including Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel and Reps. Dagmara Avelar and Natalie A. Manley voiced support.
Why does it matter?
For seniors and families already strained by inflation, a $14 monthly bump can still mean painful sacrifices in a budget that is already stretched thin.
"It was heartbreaking to hear residents, especially seniors living on fixed incomes, describe the impossible choices they are being forced to make because of these relentless water rate increases," Alexander-Basta said. "These are not statistics. These are real people struggling to afford a basic human necessity."
Rather than learning about the testimony through written recaps later, Alexander-Basta said regulators should be present to hear directly how rising bills are affecting residents' daily lives.
What's being done?
"I appreciate the administrative law judge who presided over the hearing, but there is no substitute for the Commissioners hearing these stories firsthand," she said.
She added: "The people of Illinois deserve more than a written summary. They deserve Commissioners who are willing to look them in the eye, hear their concerns, and understand the real-life consequences of the decisions before them."
The fight also fits into a broader conversation about protecting households from rising utility burdens, but advocates in Bolingbrook said conservation alone cannot solve a pricing problem that is becoming impossible to absorb.
"Water is not a luxury. It is not optional. It is a basic human necessity," Alexander-Basta said. "No one should ever have to choose between paying their water bill and buying groceries, filling a prescription, or keeping a roof over their head."
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