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Bolingbrook files appeal of ICC water-rate decision; officials urge residents to contact governor
Summary
Village attorneys filed a Notice of Appeal to the Illinois Third Appellate Court challenging an ICC decision that approved a water-rate increase; officials said Bolingbrook is the only municipality to file and urged residents to contact Governor Pritzker. Trustees also reported increased tax receipts and offered community announcements.
Bolingbrook’s Village Attorney Burt Odelson told the board on Feb. 11 that attorneys finalized and filed a Notice of Appeal to the Illinois Third Appellate Court earlier that evening challenging an Illinois Commerce Commission decision that approved a water‑rate increase. Odelson told the board the village is, to date, the only municipality to file such an appeal and said the attorneys will prepare a brief arguing the constitutional right to affordable water.
Trustee Michael T. Lawler urged residents to continue contacting Governor J.B. Pritzker to request denial of the increase. Separately, during board comments Lawler also spoke about suicide and the availability of the 988 mental‑health hotline, encouraging residents to use it and sharing personal remarks about grief.
The minutes also include a brief finances update: November 2024 state income tax receipts of $1,350,852 (a 14.6% increase year over year) and October 2024 sales tax receipts of $3,708,281 (a 10.1% increase year over year). The meeting record lists no public opposition during the session and shows the board continuing to pursue the appeal as its legal remedy.
The minutes do not include the ICC order’s docket number or detailed legal grounds beyond the general statement that the brief will be based on constitutional arguments about affordable water. The Village Attorney’s remarks indicate ongoing legal work rather than a completed court decision.
