Villa Park board backs 50/50 cost-share up to $5,000 for residential lead service-line replacements, waives permit fees and offers 36-month repayment

The Village of Villa Park Board of Trustees on March 24 discussed a series of options to help residents replace lead and galvanized water service lines and signaled support for a cost-share program that will pay 50% of private-side replacement costs, capped at $5,000, with the village waiving permit fees and offering a 36-month, interest-free repayment plan.

Director of Public Works Michael Guerra presented the background, cost estimates and program options. Guerra said the village has been preparing inventories and test digs ahead of spring construction and that the village’s prior rate study and current reserves shape how much the village can cover. He told the board that private-side replacement cost averages used in the analysis are about $8,000 per service and that replacing 33 private services per year would cost roughly $264,000. Public-side exploratory digs were estimated at up to 600 services per year at about $300,000, producing a combined annual cost of roughly $562,000 under a full-replacement scenario.

Guerra said those estimates translate to an estimated utility impact of about $1.11 per 1,000 gallons or roughly $7 per month for a household using 6,000 gallons. He reviewed alternatives…