Warrenville council declines proposed $110,000 water/sewer rate contract, sends study back to work group

A proposed contract for a comprehensive water and sewer rate study drew prolonged council scrutiny and was not approved at Warrenville’s April 20 meeting.

Public Works Director Bill Cougler presented a proposed engagement with Stantech (listed in materials as Stantech/Stantech Consulting Services) to evaluate water and sewer rate structure, enterprise fund balances and alternative rate scenarios. The consultant’s negotiated cost in materials was roughly $110,000; staff said it would deliver recommendations and a final report by November.

Several aldermen said the city has invested significant staff time and earlier modeling on rates and questioned whether the full external study was needed now or could be scoped more narrowly. “I need to see a clearer separation of the cost for sewer and water,” Alderman Nashar said, arguing staff could do preparatory separation work before hiring a consultant. Other members, while acknowledging in‑house work, said an outside review could bring needed comparative experience and credibility.

A motion to direct staff to present a resolution approving a contract with Stantech failed on a voice vote. Councilors then voted to refer the proposal back to the CMRP/EMRP work group to refine scope, reduce cost if appropriate, and return a revised proposal to council.

Mayor Andrew Johnson and several council members described the study as a necessary step to ensure rates are fair and defensible, but members also sought options to phase or pare work and asked staff and the work group to return with clearer deliverables and cost breakdowns.

Next steps: the EMRP work group will review the vendor proposal and the requested tasks and return to the council with a narrower scope or alternate costing for council consideration.