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Lisle resident tells board contractor tore out homeowner's B-box, warns residents may be billed
Summary
During public comment a resident, Susan Israel, said a village-hired contractor tore out a homeowner's B-box without obtaining a DIG number, Illinois American performed the repair, and Israel said the village should reimburse homeowners rather than allow costs to be charged back.
Susan Israel used the Committee of the Whole public-comment period on Oct. 6 to describe a sidewalk-replacement incident she said damaged a homeowner's private water box (B-box) and to criticize how the village and its contractor handled the repair and permitting.
"The company, which was TCD Concrete Works and Company, did not bother to get a DIG number, and they tore out a B box to a homeowner's residence," Israel said, urging the village to take responsibility because the contractor was hired by the village. She said Illinois American Water performed the repair and told her the work was part of normal operations and maintenance, but Israel argued that repairing a torn B-box is not normal maintenance and could be charged back to homeowners through rates.
Israel also said she had discussed the matter with a village staff member (Mr. Cook) who arranged a prompt response, and she said she was awaiting a copy of the contract and permit for the sidewalk work. She asserted that the contractor's failure to obtain a DIG number is a state violation and questioned why village staff had not reported the contractor.
Separately, Israel questioned the allocation of a so-called "wheeling" fee she said generated about $300,000 annually (she estimated a $6 million cumulative balance) and criticized a front-footage fee cited to Oakview residents of approximately $407 per foot compared to $85 per foot charged to unincorporated areas. She urged the village to consider those funds and fee disparities when discussing responsibility for repairs.
The chair moved the meeting on to the regular agenda after Israel concluded her remarks; no formal action on the allegation or on billing was recorded in the transcript.
