Senior citizens will get a break on their water bills after the City Council approved changes to make the rate reductions possible.
City officials revised the 1998 budget to allow for a 10 percent reduction in water rates for about 4,500 senior citizens.
The first 5 percent rate reduction will take place with meter readings made after June 30. The remaining 5 percent reduction will occur with readings made after Dec. 31.
The changes will produce a $1.12 savings per month for a senior citizen who is an average water user, said Dennis Duffield, the city’s director of public works and utilities.
The reductions will cost the city $31,297 in 1998 revenues and $41,730 in 1999, City Manager John Mezera said. The city will cover the losses by depositing less money into a savings account for a possible new water intake station on the Kankakee River, Duffield said.
