Village of Lisle officials outlined plans Tuesday to hold two public open houses in January 2026 to explain options for residents who receive water service from Illinois American Water (IAW) and to gather feedback on potential remedies, including voluntary connections, a fee-parity rebate and the possibility of an appraisal to support condemnation as a last resort.

Village Manager Cook told the Committee of the Whole that the board originally focused on Oakview — about 400 residential units — but staff expanded the scope to include all incorporated areas of Lisle that receive IAW service, increasing the count to 588 residential units. Two open-house sessions are targeted for 6–8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20, and Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in the police department training room; staff said they will also provide online materials for residents who cannot attend.

The expanded scope raised the estimated cost of a previously discussed fee-parity rebate program by roughly $130,000 to a little over $420,000, which staff said would provide each participating unit roughly under $60 per month in relief. "As there's no stable ongoing funding source for such a program, staff continues to review potential options to present for feedback," Cook said.

Cook and staff also briefed trustees on ownership uncertainties. Attorney materials cited in the packet indicate ownership of portions of the IAW system is not clear, and Cook said that pursuing condemnation would begin with a good-faith purchase offer and typically requires a business appraisal. Staff estimated an appraisal of the Oakview water and sewer systems alone at about $50,000 and warned that scope expansion to other IAW-served areas would likely increase that cost. "The benefit of completing an appraisal would be to actually set a real, defined number for the value of that system," Cook said, "to understand what we would be going after if condemnation were pursued." He emphasized that appraisal work is an investigative step, not a commitment to litigation.

During public comment, one long-time resident criticized past village handling of the issue and alleged past concealment of facts from community task forces and residents. The resident said the burden of high bills and the costs of switching service had fallen disproportionately on long-term and retired homeowners; the speaker asked for “honest politics” and equal treatment. Trustees asked staff to ensure public materials and the open houses make clear that the issues could affect many Lisle residents beyond Oakview.

Trustees asked technical questions about costs to connect the 19 properties staff identified as potentially able to switch voluntarily to village water. Public-works estimates presented to the board put tap-on and frontage fees at roughly $8,000–$10,000 plus the cost of a new service (estimated $10,000–$15,000), for a typical total in the range of $18,000–$23,000 depending on property configuration.

Trustees debated whether to authorize an appraisal now. Some trustees said a professional appraisal would establish a baseline valuation useful for any potential eminent-domain path and noted that appraisal costs (staff estimated about $50,000) are modest compared with the potential scale of litigation and acquisition; others said the village's record of previous evaluations has been mixed and urged more analysis of litigation timelines, likely legal costs and the full capital and operational implications before authorizing expensive studies. No formal direction or vote to pursue an appraisal was taken during the meeting.

Manager Cook and trustees agreed staff should continue preparing outreach materials and a clear format for the January open houses, including online access and a survey to collect resident input. Staff added a link to the IAW customer-assistance program on the village website as an immediate resource for affected homeowners. The committee did not take further action on condemnation, rebates or mandatory connection requirements and will revisit the issue after the open houses and after staff prepares additional detail on costs and potential legal paths.