Naperville, DuPage squabble with water commission
Naperville and DuPage County officials are squaring off against the DuPage Water Commission over the cost of relocating a water main to accommodate a road widening project.
Naperville offered to cover 55 percent of the cost of relocating the water main if the commission would pick up the remaining 45 percent of the estimated $500,000 project. However, commission officials said state law requires the commission to cover relocation costs only for county projects, not city ones.
And that's where the hairsplitting begins.
Naperville and DuPage say the entire intersection widening project at 75th and Washington streets is a joint project between the two. Water commission officials argue the water main needs to be moved only because of an underground pedestrian tunnel being built beneath Washington Street, which Naperville is paying for entirely.
"That truly isn't a county project or improvement that the state statute requires the water commission to move its main for," said Bob Martin, water commission director.
And while a majority of water commissioners agree with Naperville and DuPage, eight members of the 12-person board are needed to approve payment, and they fell one vote shy recently. Water commissioners did agree to send out bids for the project in the meantime at a special meeting Wednesday. The bids are expected back within 30 days.
"The project in its entirety is obviously a joint project, and the county has reiterated that," said Naperville City Manager Doug Krieger. "Nobody is going to spend $7 million on any project and not be a partner."
County officials say the underground tunnel will link up county bicycle paths and it's just happenstance that Naperville is funding all of the tunnel work.
"If it's not settled here in the next couple weeks it will probably go to litigation," said DuPage County Board member Jim Zay, who is also a water commissioner.
Naperville's city council authorized Krieger to pay the entire cost of the water main's move now and go after the water commission for their share later. Krieger also said the city may be pulling its original offer of a 55/45 cost split.