ACTION IS NEEDED!!!
The citizens of unincorporated Joliet, in the Camelot Homeowners Association subdivision need our help.
The water company there Camelot Utilities Inc. (or Utilities Inc.) are slapping these residents with a 300% water increase. This utility has not done a water quality test in 10-20 years, the citizens say the water is POOR quality, and because the water company claims they haven't raised rates in 20 years, NOW they're entitled to a 300% water rate increase. If enacted those 200+ residents of Camelot Homes will have the HIGHEST rate in the State of Illinois!
If you didn't know, District 86 runs smack-right-up against this subdivision, and if Jack McGuire (D-IL) doesn't want to help, Citizen "Ryan Alm" sure will! Because Ryan Alm cares about the community!
Here's what WJOL reported on the subject:
Link: http://www.wjol.com/Another-Water-Battle-Involves-Camelot-Subdivision/11156694
"We are quite aware of the water consortium that was formed by Bolingbrook, Homer Glen, Romeoville, Woodridge, and Lemont in their battle to take over Illinois American Water. That battle continues, but state legislation has been signed clearing the way for it to happen. There is, however, an additional battle with a "privately owned water company" going on at this time. The residents of the Camelot Subdivision in the unincorporated Joliet-Shorewood area received word last February about a water and sewer rate increase that would total well over 200 percent. The word came from their supplier, Camelot
Camelot Utilities spokesperson Steve Lubertozee says the company has spent significant money since it's last rate increase......which was a decade ago. And after all that time and all those expenses, an "increase in stages" just won't work.
The ICC will be having a hearing on the rate increase sometime next week. For now, there's an informational meeting scheduled for Thursday night, 7:30 PM, in the Leisure Lake Resort meeting room." Citizen, Ryan Alm, was there on Thursday night 10/13/11, along with a representative from Tom Cross' Office and Don Gould - Will County Board Member - District 6 - of Shorewood. Ryan Alm spoke to the crowd at the Leisure Lakes Resort and promised to engage the Joliet Community... And that's exactly what he's doing!
ACTION NEEDED KEEP READING
10/14/11, HERE IS WHAT THE JOLIET HERALD NEWSPAPER REPORTED ON THIS ISSUE FROM THE MEETING ON 10/13/11:
Link: http://heraldnews.suntimes.com/news/8189264-418/troy-township-community-fights-212-water-rate-hike.html
"TROY TOWNSHIP — Residents of the Camelot and Camelot Woods subdivisions are voicing their concerns over proposed water and sewer rate increases by their utility company.
In the past nine months, proposed increases have been in excess of 200 percent of the current rates, said Millie Dodge, a member of the Camelot homeowners association.
Dodge co-chairs a committee that deals with the rate increases. She said the rates would affect around 220 households in the two subdivisions southwest of Interstates 55 and 80. Camelot Utilities Inc. — a subsidiary of Utilities Inc., based in Northbrook — provides water and sewer service to the two subdivisions.
For a customer who currently pays around $19 a month for water service, the bill would increase to around $59 a month, the utility said Thursday.
A customer who currently pays around $40 a month for sewer service would see their bill increase to around $77 a month, the utility said.
On Thursday, the utility defended its proposal, saying that there has not been a rate increase since 1993, and that costs have risen substantially since then. The utility also has invested approximately $1.5 million in capital improvements to the water and waste-water plants since that time, the company said.
Also, the utility said the proposed increases are in line with the Illinois Commerce Commission staff position and with proposal orders submitted by an administrative law judge.
Residents’ arguments
A proposed order for a rate increase has been issued by an administrative law judge, said Steve Becker, of Becker Stephenson, a Chicago-based law firm representing the Camelot homeowners association.
However, the Illinois Commerce Commission has not yet approved the rate increase. Oral argument on the proposal is being held in front of the commission next week in Springfield.
During the various stages of the process, the numbers in the proposed increase have changed. The latest numbers are down from the original, but still represent substantial increases, Becker said.
On Thursday, Becker said his latest numbers from Camelot Utilities Inc. represent a percentage increase in the typical water bill of around 213 percent, and a percentage increase of 89 percent for sewer services.
The Illinois Commerce Commission has power to approve or reject the proposal, or send the case back for further proceedings, Becker said.
Responding to feedback from residents, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has intervened in the case and her office will present an argument next week against the proposed rate increases, he said.
Becker said the subdivisions have not had a rate increase in almost two decades. For a utility to wait this long, and then propose such a large rate increase, constitutes “rate shock,” which violates well-established regulatory principles, Becker said.
In other cases, increases of 20 percent to 30 percent have prompted ICC concerns about “rate shock,” Becker said. A proposed 200-plus percent increase is almost unprecedented, he added.
Also, residents have expressed concerns about the poor quality of the drinking water, he said.
Both of these issues will be brought up next week in Springfield, Becker said.
Company’s response
On Thursday, the utility responded to two of Becker’s arguments:
‘Rate shock’: Rate increase proposals are an expensive process, and Utilities Inc. does not take such proposals lightly, said Steve Lubertozzi, executive director of regulatory accounting & affairs with Utilities Inc.
Lubertozzi said that, had the utility made more frequent requests over the past two decades, the costs of those requests would have had to be passed on to consumers.
Also, phasing in a rate increase does not give the company the needed cash flow to pay its operating expenses as they come due, Lubertozzi said. Also there would be inflationary pressures.
Costs would continue to rise year after year, as the cost of water and sewer maintenance is rising faster than general inflation, Lubertozzi said.
Lubertozzi said the utility also takes water quality concerns seriously. He said the system is in compliance with drinking water quality standards.
He said half of the $1.5 million investment paid for a water system study and well rehabilitation.
Since 1993, Lubertozzi said, the company “has stayed away from increasing rates as long as we possibly could.”
Also, the utility has invested the additional $1.5 million in capital upgrades, he said.
That investment is driven by more stringent Environmental Protection Agency guidelines for wastewater treatment and for water, he said.
In 2010, the utility decided that it no longer could stay at 1993 rates, based on cost increases and investments made, Lubertozzi said.
HERE'S WHERE YOUR ACTION IS NEEDED
The I.C.C. allows ANYONE to post a comment on this case! The MORE the BETTER!
Visit this link: http://www.icc.illinois.gov/docket/PublicComments.aspx?no=11-0141
and then go to the "Consumers" tab and then click-on "Comment on a Case"
THEN LOOK FOR:
11-0141
Camelot Utilities, Inc.
Proposed general increase in water and sewer rates.
Details | Comment <=== Click on Comment
THEN:
All you need to do is fill-in your name, your e-mail address and your city, and of course post your message (do not exceed 5000 characters - which includes spaces). Then input the verification code and submit! ITS EASY AND EVERYONE IS ENCOURAGED TO DO SO!
On 10/14/11, Ryan Alm submitted the following:
========================================="PART 1 of 2
My name is Ryan Alm, and District 86 runs right-up against The Camelot Homeowners Association subdivision. Not only am I a Candidate, but I’m also a Joliet’s Precinct Committeeman, a Certified Paralegal Professional with an additional 3-years of juris-doctorate law school education and close to 10-years of legal experience (both in criminal and civil law).
I was contacted by the homeowners in this subdivision and would like to comment on this approximate 200-300% water/tax increase. I know currently as it stands there is a “proposed order” that knocks the rate increase (approximately) from 254%-Water/102%-Sewer, down to 213%-Water/89%-Sewer. This is still unacceptable. These people will suffer an extreme “rate shock.”
I personally find this situation deplorable in today’s society and economy. The Camelot Homeowners Association is situated in Will County, and as such this County currently has around 10-13% unemployment. Further, the County has seen the highest foreclosures - higher than adjacent counties - for the past 5-years. In addition, the County, as well as the rest of the State of Illinois, has seen a 67% personal income tax increase and a recent City of Joliet sales tax increase which directly affects the citizen’s pocketbooks. A water/sewer rate increase of 300% would be devastating on the residents of Camelot Homes. They simply can’t afford this much “shock” to their pocket books. Justice is needed where inequality exists.
According to the Illinois State Water Survey conducted by the Prairie Research Institute: "Water rates in most Illinois communities have grown over time, generally keeping up with the rate of inflation."
A 200-300% increase does not keep with the rate of inflation. It shows corporate greed run "amuck" and a gross miss-management for failure to raise rates in an incremental fashion for over the past 20 years, all without testing and maintaining the quality of water for its customers!
According to the June 2011 Food and Water Watch Report entitled "Selling Out Consumers" ... It states that "For-profit water companies usually hike household water prices after buying municipal water and sewer systems. Many companies employ an aggressive rate increase strategy to recoup their investment and boost profits, usually aiming for a new hike every other year. Over time, this can add hundreds of dollars to a consumer’s annual water bill."
Camelot Homes and its residents are situated in unincorporated Joliet, but are still considered by many to be Joliet citizens. As such, even the city of Joliet (who operates their own municipal water), in 2011, effectuated a rate increase of 45% upon its citizens, but is nothing like the proposed “hike” against the citizens of the Camelot Homes. The City of Joliet rate increase was to increase the quality of the water for its some 100,000+ residents. However, in contrast, how can Utilities Inc. claim to need an egregious increase 200-300% against a residential population of just 200+ individuals and families, when the residents claim the water quality is so poor, and, the water quality hasn’t been “tested” by Utilities Inc. in well over 10 years!
Mismanagement for 20 years, failure to keep with the rate of inflation and failure to test and maintain quality water are all poor reasons for the justification of a 200-300% rate increase on the “backs” of the Citizens. The “rate shock” to the citizens will, in-essence, “triple” their water bills, this is unacceptable and if I may quote a famous legal phrase “justice abhors inequality.” Many of these Camelot Homes residents are unemployed, on Social Security and have fixed incomes. Simply put, these citizens can not afford this rate hike. Please strike the proposed order in its entirety and instead replace it with a more fair and equitable rate of increase, after it improves its water quality!
END OF PART 1 of 2"
No comments:
Post a Comment