Crest Hill council approves waiver of water connection fee for 2213 Weber Road after heated debate over missing records

The Crest Hill City Council voted to waive the water connection fee for 2213 Weber Road during its Feb. 3 meeting, approving the request by roll call after more than 30 minutes of discussion about missing records and equal treatment for homeowners.

The motion to waive the fee passed after council members weighed whether the city has adequate records to prove prior payment and whether similar requests should receive the same treatment. Opponents cited policy and questions about where to draw the line; supporters said the city’s incomplete records make it unfair to force residents to pay again.

The dispute centered on whether the property should be required to show earlier payment. Alderman Scott Dyke said he would vote no, arguing the city’s ordinances and past practice require consistent application of policy and that making exceptions could “open a can of worms.” Several aldermen responded that the city’s clerk and building department records are incomplete, and that in cases where there is no record either proving or disproving payment, they would favor residents rather than risk charging someone twice.

Resident Omar Deharo, who identified himself at the meeting as the owner of 2213 Weber Road, told the council the property contains an existing house on a single PIN and that he does not plan to subdivide or add additional taps. He said he understood that if additional lots were created in the future those additional taps would require separate fees.

Council members also discussed related operational issues: several aldermen said their wards include multiple vacant lots with b-boxes (meter boxes) installed, and said the council needs a clearer policy and better record-keeping so similar situations are handled consistently going forward. One alderman asked that the matter be taken to a work session for policy review.

After public comment and council discussion the motion carried by roll call. The official vote was recorded as: Yes — Claudia Gazelle; Tina Overland; Mark Cipiti; Nate Albert; Joe Kubo; Jennifer Methvin; Darrell Jefferson. No — Scott Dyke. (Roll call recorded in transcript.)

The council did not adopt a broader ordinance change at the meeting; several council members asked staff to bring an item to a future work session to consider a uniform procedure for waivers and how to document past tap-on payments going forward.