When the AQUA rate
increase request issue started some time ago I contacted the ICC and after some
discussion with them I came to the conclusion it would be pretty much like when
you sell a car. You come up with an asking price and the proposed buyer (ICC)
looks the car over, explains to you all the problems, and makes an offer. My
impression was AQUA would provide the rate request that would be more than they
actually expected to get, the ICC would look it over and tell them some of it
wasn’t warranted, then grant maybe half the request. I felt the comment period
was little more than smoke and mirrors. I was wrong.
The AQUA commission
headed by Mary Budreau has made a lot of headway. Mary would be the first to
insist this was through the hard work of all the commission members. Those
folks spent a lot of time and now even the Illinois attorney general office is
involved as well as some political leaders. I believe they are actually going
to be able to save all of us some money. Our entire community has come together
in agreement on this issue and it proves when we all work as one good things
will happen.
When I am wrong I will
admit it. I would have dropped the ball but others chose to push forward when I
thought it was a waste of time. We should all be proud of them. The final
decision from the ICC is not in of course but no one can ever say those
commission members didn’t give it their all!
Ken Dillenburg