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Highland Park staff recommend narrowing water leak credits; council favors limits with appeals preserved
Summary
City staff proposed tightening Highland Park's utility billing leak-adjustment policy to limit credits to internal plumbing and service-line leaks and to cap adjustments to one or two billing cycles; council members largely supported the changes while insisting on an appeals backstop.
Highland Park officials on Nov. 24 reviewed proposed changes to the city's utility billing leak-adjustment policy that would narrow eligibility for credits and limit how far back adjustments can be applied.
Christina Casiano, a Finance Department staff member presenting the report, told the Committee of the Whole that the city currently handles requests case by case under two code sections addressing maintenance of service pipes and leak adjustments. She described the calculation used now — customers pay their average bill plus half the difference between the average and the total billed — and gave an example: "if your bill is normally $200 and you receive a $1,000 bill, the city would credit back roughly $445," she said.
Casiano said the city adjusts roughly 50 accounts a year and that the eight-year total in the presentation exceeded $140,000; for 2025 staff reported more than 2,600,000 gallons were credited through adjustments. To reduce fiscal exposure and encourage maintenance, staff recommended narrowing eligibility to "internal plumbing issues and service line leaks" and limiting adjustments to a single billing cycle (with a possible second bill if directly affected).
The proposed administrative order would also set operational limits staff can apply, including exclusions for third-party liability (theft, vandalism or contractor negligence) and wholesale accounts such as nearby sanitary districts. Staff cautioned against routine credits for pool and irrigation leaks, mechanical issues that are not true leaks, and for situations where a pipe has been merely capped instead of repaired, because capping can hide unresolved problems.
Council members questioned and debated the trade-offs. Council member Woodworth, citing a personal experience with a large bill and multiple repair attempts, praised staff for their work: "The city worked with me, and they really followed the guidelines," she said, and urged continued compassion in individual cases. Another council member said pools and irrigation systems are inherently high-water uses and favored excluding those from relief. "I would not want to grant any kind of relief because somebody's pool starts leaking," one member said.
Several members said they supported the recommendation overall while underscoring the importance of keeping an appeal process for extenuating circumstances. Staff said denied cases are re-reviewed and can escalate to the city manager for additional review.
There was no formal vote on adopting the administrative order at the meeting; staff requested policy feedback and said the next steps are to prepare a standardized application and an administrative order aligning practice with city code.
Votes at a glance - Approval of minutes, Committee of the Whole meeting of Nov. 10, 2025: approved by voice vote (no opposition recorded). - Motion to enter closed session for purchase or lease of property and security, citing 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(5) and (8): passed 7 ayes, 0 nays.
What happens next Staff will draft the administrative order and an application form for leak adjustments and return with proposed language based on council feedback. The appeals procedure will remain available for residents who believe their situation merits an exception.
