Marine plans on rezoning swath of West Division Street; residents’ water bills may rise
By Bruce Darnell • During its March 4 meeting, the Marine Board of Trustees discussed their plans to rezone properties between Stop-N-Go and Grandview Senior Residences, putting funds from a Park Enhancement Program grant toward new park equipment and increasing water bills if the Illinois Rural Water Association’s application for an 18% increase in water is approved.
Village Clerk Amber Kapp said the rezoning would change properties along West Division Street from single-family residences (SR-1) to high-density residences (HR-1). Kapp said the difference between the two is SR-1 only allows for homes to be located within the zones, while HR-1 allows for any businesses to be legally zoned, whether currently present or planned for the future.
Next, the board discussed raising water bills for Marine residents if Illinois American Water is approved to increase water rates. Kapp said the increase would be by about 18% and would raise the cost of purchasing water from Bond Madison Water Company, the village’s primary supplier.
The increase to resident water bills would be to cover that cost. Kapp said the board is unsure exactly how much bills would increase at this time since they haven’t heard from Bond Madison yet and that possible increase amounts would be discussed at later meetings. Kapp said the board wants to avoid inflicting a burden on residents.
The water increase proposal from Illinois American Water, should it be accepted by the Illinois Commerce Commission, would go into effect in February 2027. A press release from the company said the increase would fund planned infrastructure development throughout 2026.
The press release said that depending on the area, residents using 3,500 gallons of water or more can expect a $14 increase in monthly bills; for residents using 3,500 gallons of wastewater or more can expect a $28 increase in monthly bills.
The board then discussed their plans to use funds from their recently approved Park Enhancement Project grant.
Kapp said these are their main goals: funding the storm erosion project at Heritage Park; purchasing new security equipment for all parks; purchasing a tractor grapple hook to assist in moving heavy objects, such as large fallen branches; installing dimmer lights in pavilions so individual string lights no longer have to be used; and purchasing any other necessary park equipment, such as picnic tables, with the leftover cash.
Finally, the board discussed the local roads.
First, Kapp said the board is still working with the Illinois Department of Transportation to combat speeding in school zones. She said there hasn’t been an increase in ticketing since their initial crackdown in January, but officers are still monitoring the road before and after school hours.
Second, Kapp said the streets department plans on going out and fixing any potholes the recent string of wet weather may have created or intensified. She said they plan on cold patching any offending potholes.
The next village board meeting is scheduled for March 18 at 6 p.m.
