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Kincaid trustees debate repealing ordinance that lets unpaid bills trigger water shutoffs
Summary
Trustee Paso urged removing Ordinance 903, calling it punitive and discriminatory, and recommended a committee draft a remediation process with clear steps before collections or shutoffs; the board agreed to further review and put the item on a committee.
The board spent significant time discussing Ordinance 903, a village rule that links property maintenance and unpaid charges to water shutoffs. Trustee Paso said the ordinance — originally intended as an incentive to keep properties maintained — now functions as a punitive measure and should be redacted and replaced with a process that provides due process and step-by-step remediation before a water shutoff or referral to collections.
Attorney Rahar confirmed the ordinance has been revised several times, most recently in 2023, and encouraged sending the matter to a committee for careful drafting. Paso questioned using water shutoffs as punishment for issues such as tall grass or junk and argued the village should consider alternative remedies and formal grievance or payment-plan procedures.
