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Kenilworth discusses lead service-line replacement plan, proposes $3,000 homeowner incentive
Summary
Management Analyst Jordan Schmidt presented Public Works Committee recommendations to meet the Illinois Lead Service Replacement and Notification Act: codify ownership, launch a cost-sharing program with up to $3,000 toward homeowner costs, and run a FY2026 pilot ahead of an April 15, 2027 plan adoption deadline.
Management Analyst Jordan Schmidt told the Village Board that state law requires Kenilworth to adopt a plan by April 15, 2027 to replace lead water service lines and to complete all replacements by fiscal year 2042. He reviewed the village’s inventory by pipe material, recounted the 2014 change in ownership policy that gave the village control of the line from the water main to the B-box, and said the remaining private-side line runs from the B-box to the household meter.
Schmidt said the Public Works Committee recommended two linked steps: revise Village Code Chapters 50 and 150 to clarify service-line ownership, and adopt a cost-sharing program that covers the village’s portion of work and contributes up to $3,000 toward the homeowner’s replacement cost to encourage voluntary replacements. He presented low-range and high-range cost projections, explained the modeling assumptions, and said state and federal grant sources were constrained by eligibility or limited availability. The plan recommended a FY2026 pilot program to refine budgeting and vendor processes ahead of full implementation.
Board members pressed for details on participant prioritization, vendor hiring and payment methods, and how unpredictable demand would affect the Water Fund and competing capital projects. Superintendent of Public Works Donald Leicht answered operational questions about reconnection restrictions under Illinois Environmental Protection Agency rules and scenario-specific constraints. Resident commenters sought clarifications on legal responsibility, the effect of new construction on B-box placement and use of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds; staff agreed to further legal review and additional data collection before formal adoption.
The Board did not vote on the code amendment or program at the meeting but directed staff to prepare formal zoning code language and an in-depth pilot program proposal for consideration at the next Board meeting. "The final requirement of the Act is that once the replacement plan is adopted, to complete the full replacement of all lead service lines by FY 2042," Schmidt said during his presentation.
