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Sleepy Hollow trustees weigh $50 monthly fee to fund aging water mains
Summary
Trustees discussed a plan to build reserves for multi-million-dollar water-main replacements by asking residents to contribute roughly $50 a month into an infrastructure fund; finance committee review and a possible referendum were set as next steps.
Trustee Hough told residents and trustees the village must address aging water mains and outlined a proposal to collect roughly $50 a month per household to build a reserve for the village's multi-phase replacement plan. Hough said the $50-a-month figure would generate an estimated $630,000 a year for the village and help pay cash for immediate projects rather than borrowing and paying interest.
The proposal emerged as trustees reviewed the first-priority water-main projects on the east side. Hough said the first project under consideration is just under $1 million and that the village has about 22 miles of water main overall. “We can’t wait any longer,” Hough said, arguing the charge would get the village ahead of recurring breaks and emergency repairs.
Board members and residents pressed for more detail on how the fee would appear on bills and whether it could be labeled as a capital or infrastructure line item. Staff said the village billing system has a limit on the number of bill-line items but that an infrastructure fee could be structured into the demand charge used to support system operations and improvements. Hough said more granular breakdowns and estimates will be provided to the finance committee and invited residents to attend an upcoming finance meeting scheduled for March 12.
If trustees decide not to use a utility fee, trustees discussed the alternative of placing a referendum before voters to authorize an increase in local taxing authority to cover water projects. Several trustees cautioned that a referendum is not guaranteed to pass and would carry timing and political risk; the board agreed further modeling and public outreach were required before any final action.
The board did not vote on the fee; trustees directed staff to run more detailed estimates, include the proposal on the finance-committee agenda and return with options for itemized billing or alternative funding mechanisms.
