Frequently Asked Questions

• Water and sewer rates for Illinois American Water are set through a regulatory process that is overseen by the Illinois Commerce Commission (referred to as the ICC). They are not set by the Village of Homer Glen. 

• The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) is the state agency that regulates private utility companies in Illinois, including water utilities like Illinois American Water. The ICC reviews rate requests, oversees operating practices, and provides a process for customers to file complaints or submit public comments. 

• Illinois American Water is a private utility company. It provides water service to customers but operates under regulations and oversight from the Illinois Commerce Commission. 

• Because ILAW is a private company that is regulated by the state, the Village does not set rates or control its operations. However, the Village does advocate for residents and provides information on how to contact regulators. 

The Village has questioned and taken legal action to stop IAW rate increases since its incorporation in 2001. The Village has worked with State Representatives Renee Kosel in seeking legislation adopted that holds public water utilities more accountable for their service, practices and billing methods, and has been successful in petitioning the ICC to cap unaccounted for water, require annual fire hydrant inspections, and stop illegal back billing practices. The Village is exploring additional options for water treatment in Homer Glen.

Read more about the detailed history of water in Homer Glen here.

• Residents should first contact ILAW customer service directly to report billing concerns, service issues, or complaints. 

• If you have already contacted ILAW, but your complaint is not resolved, residents should contact the ICC to file an informal complaint. 

• Residents can file a complaint with the ICC by visiting  icc.illinois.gov and click “File a Utility Complaint”. A counselor from the ICC's Consumer Services Division will provide assistance to consumers after filing informal complaints with public utilities and other entities. The Consumer Counselor handling your case will work with you to try to resolve your concerns with the utility as quickly as possible -- typically within 1 to 14 days. You may file your complaint in one of three different ways:
• Online
  File an informal complaint online
   
• By Phone
   You can reach the ICC between 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday by calling 1-800-524-0795, 1-217-782-2024 outside the State of Illinois, or TTY at 1-800-858-9277.
   
• By Mail
   You can send your comments or complaint by US Mail:
    
• Illinois Commerce Commission
   527 East Capitol Ave
   Springfield, IL. 62701

• A complaint with the Illinois Commerce Commission means you are asking the ICC to step in and potentially resolve an issue with your individual service or billing. 
• A public comment allows residents to share their experiences or opinions during a regulatory case, such as a rate increase request. Comments will be looked at individually, but will contribute to any decisions made on the whole issue. 

• There are currently two open dockets (cases) with the ICC relating to ILAW: 
  • Docket No. 25-1057- Relating to the merger between ILAW and Aqua Illinois
  • Docket No. 26-0127- Relating to the Illinois American Water’s proposed general rate increase 

• Public comments allow residents to share their experiences and concerns as part of the official record for each case the ICC is reviewing. These comments help regulators understand the impact that customers may be facing. 

• Residents may share their experiences with water service. This can include but not be limited to- household size, billing concerns, rate impacts, customer service issues, or another other experiences that they would like the Commission to know about related to Illinois American Water. 

• Each docket addresses a different regulatory matter. Submitting comments on both ensures that resident concerns are included in the official record for each case that is being reviewed by the ICC. 

• Yes! Public comments become part of the official record, which is reviewed by the ICC during a regulatory case. While the ICC considers many factors when making decisions, resident experiences and concerns can help provide important context about how utility policies and rate changes directly affect customers. 

• Submitting a public comment typically only takes a few minutes. Residents are encouraged to share their specific concerns and experiences, as thoughtful and detailed comments help provide the Commission with a clearer understanding of how these issues affect customers. 

• Yes. Residents may submit the same comments on both dockets. 

• Public comments for Docket No. 25-1057 (Merger with Aqua Illinois) closes November 5, 2026. Public comments for Docket No. 25-26-0127 (Proposed rate increase) closes December 18, 2026. 
• Although comments may be submitted until those deadlines, submitting them sooner ensures they are included earlier in the ICC’s review process. 

Please view Pages 14 and 15 to see a detailed description of itemized charges on your water bill. 

No, there is no franchise fee or local tax associated with the water and sewer service.

Unaccounted for water is the difference between the amount of water that is metered coming into Homer Glen and the sum of the total amount of water measured and billed by each individual meter in the village. There will always be some unaccounted for water due to fire hydrant use, normal system leakage, and unmetered water use at new construction sites.

Residents may submit public comments through the Illinois Commerce Commission dockets, file a complaint directly with the ICC if they have a service issue, and they can also contact their state legislators to share their perspectives on water utility regulation and proposed rate changes. 

Will County State Representatives can be found here.

Will County State Senate Legislators can be found here.