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Skokie staff outlines lead service-line inventory, outreach and funding uncertainty
Summary
Public Works Director Max Slankard updated the Village Board on lead service-line letters, inventory work, and replacement planning under state and federal rules; staff described outreach, a cost‑share program and unknown final federal timelines.
Public Works Director Max Slankard told the Village Board that recent mailings about lead service lines came from state and federal requirements and that the village will continue annual outreach as its inventory is completed. “I will first start out by apologizing for not doing a better job of preparing the community to receive this mailing,” Slankard said, explaining the letters followed the Illinois Lead Service Line Replacement Notification Act and the U.S. EPA’s 2024 Lead and Copper Rule Improvements.
The change matters because Illinois law and the federal rule require communities to identify service-line materials and accelerate replacement planning. Slankard said the state act prohibited partial replacements and the federal improvements both shorten timelines and require yearly notices to customers with lead, galvanized or unknown service lines. He urged residents to help by self‑identifying line materials on the village website and said the village will continue annual submittals of its replacement plan.
Village staff described steps residents can take now and the funding challenges. Environmental Health Supervisor Cameron Hendricks said system monitoring continues and that EPA testing requires 60 locations sampled twice a year. Slankard said Evanston, Skokie’s wholesale supplier, adds orthophosphate at the treatment plant to limit lead release and that the only definitive way to know a home’s levels is a certified lab test. He warned consumer test kits from general retailers “are notoriously inaccurate.”
On costs and program design, Slankard said the village has a shared‑cost program that caps many private‑side resident expenses at $3,000 (the board later considered a technical inflation adjustment discussed in a separate agenda item). Typical private‑side replacement costs now run about $6,000–$8,000; public‑side costs range about $9,000–$12,000. The village views financing, capital planning and possible internalizing of some work (directional boring equipment and in‑house crews) as ways to manage contractor-market pressures and overall program cost.
The village made no formal policy decision at the meeting; staff asked the board to note ongoing submittals and outreach and to support continued planning. Slankard said the final compliance timeline under federal rulemaking remains uncertain (the state originally contemplated a 34‑year timeline while the federal rule includes shorter options), meaning replacement rates and schedules are still being developed.
Board members pressed for clearer resident communications and translation/“bite‑size” outreach, and asked staff to explore funding and finance options for residents who proactively replace private lines. Slankard and Village Manager John Lockerbie confirmed the village offers low‑interest amortization (for eligible participants in cost‑share scenarios) and that staff will continue to pursue capital funding and monitor federal and state programs.
The presentation closed with staff offering links and an earlier, more detailed January presentation on the village YouTube channel for residents wanting a deeper technical briefing.
