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Highwood council approves lead service-line fee and raises water rate to $5.65 per 100 cubic feet
Summary
On March 4, 2025 the City of Highwood City Council approved an ordinance adding a lead service-line compliance fee and raising the water rate to $5.65 per 100 cubic feet; council also adopted an amendment specifying the fee remains until the council determines it is no longer needed under applicable laws and regulations.
The City of Highwood City Council on March 4, 2025 approved an ordinance amending the city—omprehensive fee schedule to add a lead service-line compliance fee and raise the municipal water rate to $5.65 per 100 cubic feet.
The amendment offered by Alderman Peterson and adopted by the council states, in full, that the lead service-line compliance fee "shall remain in effect until determined by the city council to no longer be needed to meet the obligations imposed on the city to address lead service line replacements, in accordance with applicable laws or regulations." The council voted unanimously to adopt the ordinance with that amendment.
Why it matters: Council members said the fee will create a dedicated fund to pay for lead service-line work and to meet obligations tied to replacement programs. Council discussion clarified the fee is intended to be a project-specific revenue source similar to a prior water meter fee the city had used in earlier years.
Council and staff gave these specifics during debate: the compliance fee is $10 per month per billing address ("It oes equate to water meters," said Scott, city staff), which the meeting record said "equates to $20 per bill" under the city's bi-monthly billing structure. The ordinance also raises the water rate to $5.65 per 100 cubic feet. Staff said the city expects lead service-line replacement costs to exceed the initial revenue from the fee and that the fee is a start at building a fund for replacements.
The council recorded the vote by roll call: Alderman Slavin, Alderman Fallberg, Alderman Peterson and Alderman Hospadarski all voted in favor. No votes against or abstentions were recorded.
The ordinance text adopted at the meeting directs the fee to remain in place until the council determines it is no longer needed to meet applicable legal or regulatory obligations for lead service-line replacement. The council did not set a specific sunset date during the March 4 vote.
The city also clarified that the effect on individual properties depends on how many meters serve a given address; staff noted the development named Arrive has one water meter and said other locations could be affected differently depending on meter configuration.
Next steps: The ordinance takes effect according to city process; staff will administer the new fee and apply proceeds to the lead service-line program. The council did not adopt an explicit timeline for replacement work at the March 4 meeting.
