Palos Park approves water-rate hike, SCADA firewall replacement and several public-works contracts

The Palos Park Village Board on June 9 approved a series of infrastructure and procurement actions including a 2.9% increase in water rates, replacement of the water system’s SCADA firewall, a culvert repair contract to relieve localized flooding, and the final payment on a recently completed water-transmission main.

The board voted to adopt Ordinance 2025-12 amending the village code on water rates after Public Works and Streets Commissioner Patan said, “At this time it is recommended that Palos Park also increase their portion of the rate… it is suggested the village raise the rate an addition of 11¢ per thousand gallons.” The change raises the village charge from $13.85 per 1,000 gallons to $14.25 per 1,000 gallons, a 2.9% increase; an average household using 6,000 gallons would see a monthly increase from $83.10 to $85.50. The board cited Palos Park Village Code section 10.46.32 as the governing authority for water rates.

Why it matters: the adjustment is meant to cover Palos Park’s share of regional system upgrades and higher wholesale charges from neighboring utilities, and the board approved several related infrastructure expenditures funded in part from the water fund.

On cybersecurity and operational reliability, the board approved a Centric Integration proposal to replace the village’s end-of‑life Cisco ASA firewall that isolates the SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system from the internet. Commissioner Patan said Centric, which has maintained the SCADA system since 2016, proposed a Fortinet appliance with a five-year warranty and updates for a lump sum of $11,920; the village indicated money is budgeted in the water fund for the purchase.

On stormwater, the board awarded a contract to L & R Trenching to lower the outlet of a pond that drains into the storm sewer near 90 First Street and Elm Street. Public Works presented three bids—Sunset Sewer and Water ($7,155), Anchor Heavy Civil ($9,600) and L & R Trenching ($6,680)—and recommended awarding the work to L & R Trenching for $6,680 to increase pond capacity and relieve flooding for nearby properties.

The board also approved final disbursement number 5 to Spee’s Construction for the McCarthy Road water-transmission main project. The originally advertised contract amount was $1,876,684.80; the final contract cost was reported as $1,676,564.47. The final payment approved at the meeting was $172,809.38. Staff said funding for the project came from a combination of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds (noted at $644,000) and a loan from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA).

Several routine consent-agenda items were enacted at the same meeting by single motion, including: authorization for the village clerk to keep certain closed-session minutes confidential, a temporary liquor license for Durbin’s Pizza for the June 19 concert on the Village Green, ratification of purchase of two 2025 Ford Explorer police AWD utility vehicles from Terry’s Ford at $49,559 each and outfitting costs of $11,423 each by Midwest 911, and ratification of a 2025–2026 agreement with the Metropolitan Alliance of Police, Palos Park Chapter 150. The board approved the consent agenda by roll call with no recorded dissent.

The board recorded the approvals through standard motions and roll-call votes; no amendments or conditions affecting the approved dollar amounts were reported at the meeting.

Looking ahead, the village noted the concert on the Village Green on June 19 where the temporary liquor license applies, and staff said the security and infrastructure projects will proceed under the approved procurement and budget allocations.