Midlothian Village Council during its recent meeting discussed eliminating the minimum water usage for all residents.

During a recent meeting, which was streamed on YouTube, Trustee Anthony Burbatt pointed out that the subject sparks plenty of debate on the Finance Committee as well as from residents, and he urged the board to consider eliminating the minimum charge, which is about 6,000 gallons per quarter on water and sewer bills.

“We’ve been talking about this for a few months now, and we’ve done the research and we’re all feeling the struggle right now and we know that prices are getting higher and higher so hopefully this will allow people to be able to try and conserve,” Trustee Sandra Crowley pointed out during the meeting. “It’s hard to conserve when you know you have to pay the bill anyways. So hopefully giving people a little more flexibility going forward with what they use being in connection to what they pay will help people in managing this bill.”

While businesses also are subject to the minimum use threshold for billing, the board is only conserved with removing the minimum for residents, it was noted during the session, and amid inflation and rising costs it has proven to be a hot topic.

Trustees noted during the session that by eliminating the minimum, it could reduce costs for some people and result in increased conservation. The board also was reminded that Midlothian is part of the Southland Water Agency and receives its water from Indiana and not Chicago, which will result in lower water rates for residents once they start receiving the water.

Ultimately, the board agreed to consider the minimum rate during another meeting.