Tapped out

For any hard-core fans of municipal hijinks, next Monday night should prove exciting.

The agenda for the Nov. 17 city council meeting is packed full of action,  from the election of a new mayor pro-tem, to a ward map discussion, to new measures to deal with the booming number of vacant residential properties in Aurora neighborhoods.

What may be of most immediate interest to the casual observer, however, is the final vote scheduled for new water rates in 2009. Approved by an 8-1 margin during the Oct. 20 council meeting, the new structure would see increases of 8 percent next year and 7.5 percent the following year, a spike that would raise monthly water bills for the average home $5.53 in 2009 and another $5.44 in 2010.

"We think we were very reasonable with an 8-percent increase next year and a 7.5-percent increase the following year," said Councilman Bob FitzGerald in August.  FitzGerald chairs the city's Water Policy Committee.

The suggested increases come in response to an estimated 3.5 percent increase in Aurora Water's operating costs last year, a spike that stems in part from rising costs in chemicals, pipes, fuels and other materials.

Councilwoman Deb Wallace provided the lone vote of dissent on Oct. 20, as the rest of the council lent their approval to the plan to boost costs, in part to help cover the construction of the city's $754 million Prairie Waters Project, which has been slated for completion by 2010.

Monday's vote will stand as the final step before the new rates are approved, and while the added costs are going toward a vital piece in the city's future infrastructure, it seems like a bad time to increase costs in any sector.

It begs the question - will such rising costs add to the roster of more foreclosed properties in Aurora?