Franklin Park residents are reeling from water bill sticker shock after the installation of new water meters has led to unexpectedly high charges, with some bills skyrocketing to nearly tenfold their usual amount. NBC Chicago reports that during a board meeting this Monday, residents, like Angela Hantosh who was handed a $2,500 water bill, voiced their frustrations and demanded explanations. Her usual monthly expenses were around $70 and now she's grappling with figures tripling that amount. Officials have indicated that this surge can be attributed to the transition towards more precise meter readings or catch-up billing for previously estimated usage.
According to WGN-TV, one resident, Jennie Estrella, expressed her disbelief when faced with a water bill of $1,600, stating, "I get this bill open it and it's like $1,600 and I'm like 'Okay, I don't remember using that much water,'" certainly not aligning with her family's typical usage of less than $200 a month. Similar cases abound in the community, with reports of neighbors receiving bills up to $2,000 and $3,000, and some even facing liens against their homes.
Mayor Barrett Pedersen has assured the community that the village is committed to resolving these issues, outlining steps like setting up payment plans, waiving late fees, penalties, and even reimbursement, totaling nearly $27,000. Yet this assurance comes as cold comfort to residents bracing against the towering costs, as utilities Commissioner Joe Thomas advised that delayed meter replacements or repairs result in billing based on actual historical usage, which gets tallied up cumulatively.
At this point, village officials have indicated more than 200 residents have yet to respond to calls to replace or repair their meters which the village has stated is critical both for accurate billing and avoiding further financial burdens, but even with such outreach over 2,600 meters have been impacted with more than 300 still pending work, according to both news avenues. The situation has left residents like Jennifer Correa, who recounted to NBC Chicago, "I have three jobs, I'm a single mother of three children, and so this is really rough," highlighting the personal strains many in the Franklin Park community face.
