Senate gives SW suburbs OK to take over water company

[Drale]

The Illinois Senate voted Friday to arm six southwest suburbs with the power to forcibly take over a private water company that has steeply increased rates in parts of Will and DuPage counties.

Legislation pushed by Sen. A.J. Wilhelmi (D-Joliet) passed the Senate 34-21 and takes aim at Illinois American Water, which serves Homer Glen, Lemont, Bolingbrook, Plainfield, Woodridge and Romeoville.

Wilhelmi’s bill arises out of persistent complaints by residents about water rate hikes that he said have been as high as 84 percent since 2003. It would change state law so the suburbs, which recently created a water consortium, could forcibly assume the utility’s operations in their towns.

“The bottom line is the people in my community have spoken,” Wilhelmi said. “They want their municipalities to take control of this water system, and they want to see the accountability and respect they deserve.”

http://southtownstar.suntimes.com/news/4859953-417/senate-gives-sw-suburbs-ok-to-take-over-water-company.html

Obama must a be socialist just like the freepers say because he is from Illinois! :sarcasm::rofl:

EDIT: Woops sorry forgot the link

[SoCalDem]

1. It has to start this way.. communities have to grab back the facilities

that deliver necessary services to the commons.. When these are "outsourced", they lose any control over things they all need.. There was a time when towns owned their waterworks and their own power generation facilities. Of course one recession after another for decades led too many of them to scramble for money, so shifty types started showing up offering to "take those old outdated plants off their hands" and regaled them with stories about how they would fix it up, run it, and give the community cheap <water-power-etc>..

We have all learned by now what really happens.. prices go up, and profits go to the top 'o the heap & stockholders instead of for upgrading/expanding ...they run it to the bone and then demand that a bond issue is passed so that a new state-of -the -art facility gets built..and then they sell it to someone else who raises rates again..rinse repeat

[sasha031]

2. wonderful news this is needed throughout the country

[madrchsod]

3. people in here in ronnieville are pissed at the city water company...

we just rebuilt our entire water filtration and sewage system to meet federal arsenic and radon regulations. we are good to go for another 20-30 yrs. i tell those who complain we are lucky to have our own water system because a company would charge a lot more because they have to make a profit. of course this just gets lost on the idiots in this town....

[MedleyMisty]

4. Good.

Fight the hell back. It's time to fight the hell back or lose everything. Good to see some people have a spine.

[alfredo]

5. A link please. Our foreign owned water company is gouging us.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

6. Sounds like gloried emminent domain

Be interesting how the valuation process will go...I doubt it will be cheap to take over.