Skokie water rates could go up and Lincolnwood could soon tap into Evanston’s Lake Michigan water as Evanston officials discuss the future of the city’s water sales, according to a city report.
Evanston already notified Skokie officials that the 20-year water agreement between the two municipalities would not be renewed when it expires later this month, according to a report accepted at Evanston’s Feb. 13 city council meeting. The two towns are considering a 10-month extension to work out a new agreement that, according to the report, could mean “the Skokie rate would increase significantly.”
In the meantime, Evanston officials said they would like to see Skokie’s rates go up for the 10-month negotiating period.
“We’re just trying to find a rate that will work for us in this interim period while we negotiate a new long-term agreement,” said Evanston City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz. “We still haven’t found it.”
Right now Skokie buys Lake Michigan water from Evanston and pays for water treatment costs. But the village pays only “a low percentage” of the distribution costs, according to Evanston reports. A specific cost increase amount was not listed. More details are expected at Evanston’s Feb. 28 city council meeting.
Meanwhile Lincolnwood in “recent weeks” has been in touch about switching water providers from Chicago to Evanston, according to the report.
Evanston staff has provided Lincolnwood with a proposed water rate and could deliver water to Oakton Street and McCormick Boulevard, from where Lincolnwood would pipe it to village residents, according to the report. Talks continue between officials from the two towns.
The report on Skokie and Lincolnwood comes after Evanston in January approved agreements to provide Lake Michigan water to former Chicago water customers Morton Grove and Niles, with delivery starting as soon as 2018.
That deal will increase the number of suburban customers using Evanston water from 400,000 now to about 450,000, according to city figures. Morton Grove and Niles users are expected to make up about 13 percent of those using Evanston water.
The sale is expected to earn Evanston an additional $735,000 in revenue next year, rising to $1.2 million in 2022, according to city reports.
No water treatment plant improvements should be needed to accommodate the demand, Evanston officials said.
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