It is good to hear trustees at the Riverside Village Board table express concern and empathy for residents of limited financial means as, during one meeting, they vote to raise both water and electric rates for constituents.
It is easy to lose track, as one drives down Riverside’s lovely streets, that there are neighbors living on fixed incomes who feel it acutely when basic living costs rise. So good for elected officials who do not take it for granted when they increase fees.
That said, the current realities are that municipalities at the end of the pipe from Lake Michigan are in a limited position to bargain on the cost per gallon of water being drawn from this great Midwestern freshwater asset. Further reality is that there are two immediate and ongoing water-related infrastructure projects that need funding in Riverside. And tacking costs onto water bills is a logical way to create dedicated revenue streams to fund those costs.
One is what is now recognized as a perpetual need to pay for water and sewer infrastructure. The pipes under these streets are only getting older, more prone to leaks and water waste, and flooding events will only become more extreme as our climate changes. Riverside in recent decades has been fairly proactive in investing in its water infrastructure. Higher water fees are key to paying those perpetual costs.
In recent years, America has also begun to come to grips with the hazard of lead in our water systems. Flint, Michigan became the symbol of all that can go wrong with public water utilities. Wisely, the state and federal governments have imposed mandates for local government to replace the lead service lines which bring water from the street and into homes and businesses. There is a fixed timeline and for more affluent communities such as Riverside little to no chance of receiving funds from the state or feds to pay for this expensive and essential work. And so we need to create a local fund to pay a portion of this cost.
Meanwhile, the village board stayed true to its goal of support for an electrical aggregation program that makes use of green energy sources. Riverside has been a recognized leader on this front since 2012. Some years it is easier than others to stay true to this vital climate cause. This year the costs from a trusted green aggregator and ComEd made it a more difficult choice. But the village board chose to sign on for another year with Illinois Aggregation Consultants and its 100% green power supply.
Any resident or local business may opt out of the agreement with the aggregator and return to ComEd. But the percentage of households that opt out is small, which confirms for Village President Doug Pollock that, overall, Riverside is committed to this worthy climate action.