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Council staff defend mid-year lead and copper testing; residents question volunteer selection and $50 rebate
Summary
City staff said lead-and-copper sampling this month followed IEPA requirements and that volunteers were recruited; staff also said a $50 bill credit was offered to encourage participation. Several council members and residents raised concerns about selection of addresses and process transparency.
City public works staff and council members discussed recent lead-and-copper water testing logistics after residents and elected officials raised questions about address selection, volunteer recruitment and a $50 rebate offered to participants.
Public works and utility staff said the testing is required twice a year by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) and that the city conducted the mid-year sampling to meet the IEPA schedule. Staff described the sampling as relying on resident volunteers who collect samples and notify public works for pickup and lab submission.
The process prompted multiple questions: one council member said she had provided a list of 52 addresses months earlier and said none of those addresses were used; another council member asked who determines which homes are selected. Public works staff said the lists are assembled from volunteers responding to outreach letters, door-to-door contacts and other recruitment; the staff said they had struggled to meet the IEPA-required sample counts and offered a $50 rebate on the water bill as an incentive to residents who volunteered to provide samples.
Public works staff said the rebate was approved in coordination with the city manager as a practical step to meet IEPA deadlines; staff emphasized they were trying to meet statutory testing requirements and avoid violations. Council members requested clearer documentation on who was contacted, how volunteer addresses were selected and why specific outreach lists were not used.
The meeting did not include a formal vote on the rebate; council asked staff to report back with details about the address-selection process and the authority for the rebate and to document outreach steps taken.
