A proposed water meter surcharge may cost the community $750,000 every year for 20 years to help fund the new DeKalb police station.

DeKalb City Council will meet tonight and discuss funding for the proposed new police station in which the proposed meter surcharge is included. Its preliminarily approved plan seeks to create new streams of revenue by attaching a yearly fee to all water meters.

The initial plan sought a flat rate of $85 per meter per year for 20 years. After their second meeting, a revised scale was introduced charging meter users a fee based on the size of the pipe that feeds their meter. The purposed lowest meter surcharge would be $74 for a pipe size three-fourths of an inch or smaller, and at most $674 for meters with pipes 3 inches or larger.

If the proposed surcharge is passed, NIU will be affected.

NIU has approximately 85 water meters ranging in sizes, said Robert Albanese, associate vice president of Finance and Facilities.

“Any cost that’s passed through the university is never a good thing,” Albanese said.

Albanese said any cost NIU has to bear is going to fall on the students.

If an apartment has a water meter read by the city, tenants may also have to pay more due to the surcharge.

“I don’t see why all of the sudden I would have to start paying more on my water bill, on top of my rent. on top of my other bills,” said Stephanie Hermes, junior political science major. “I don’t have a choice, it’s not like I can get well water out here.”

Not all renters will be affected by the proposed water meter surcharge if approved.

Jim Mason, owner of Mason Property, said since Mason building only had one water meter outside of the building, Mason renters would not see an additional charges on their water bill if the council approves the surcharge.

“If you want to have a new police station, you have to create new revenue,” Mason said.

Laing Management also reported having only one meter per building with private meters in each apartment, said Kathy Laing, owner of Laing Management. Where private meters are installed only the management company will see the surcharge if approved by the council.

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