Skokie OKs plan to refund $750 to homeowners who replaced their lead service lines

Skokie trustees on Tuesday unanimously approved a limited rebate program aimed at reimbursing homeowners who replaced their own lead service lines — which bring water from water mains into homes —after a 2022 state mandate required municipalities to eliminate the lead pipes.

Under the newly approved plan, residential property owners who replaced their private-side lead or galvanized service lines out-of-pocket between January 2022 and now will be eligible for either a $750 cash rebate or a $1,250 credit on their utility bill.

Skokie village staff estimate the total cost of the program will range from $172,500 to $287,500. The village estimates roughly 230 properties completed their own lead service line replacements after the mandate was introduced, so the cost to the village depends on how many of them decide to apply.

Trustees said at the Board meeting that the rebate is intended to address the equity gap for homeowners who were not initially covered by the village replacement program when it was first introduced back in 2022. Due to financial constraints and mandate uncertainty, only a limited number of households were eligible.

“The village is really stepping up to meet the moment,” said Skokie Mayor Ann Tennes at the Board meeting. “This is a way of providing some measure, a small measure, but a measure of equity to [homeowners].”

According to the village’s website, participation in the original program was reduced to “instances of an emergent situation,” such as a leak needing immediate repair, or as part of a larger water main replacement initiative.

The original program capped a property owner’s costs at $3,090, with costs adjusted annually as fees rose. The program also allowed homeowners to finance the cost of the replacement over a period of 15 years at a low-interest rate paid through their water bill.

In December 2025, the lead service line replacement program was expanded to include “self-selecting” households beginning May 1, up to the program’s current limit of 688 replacements per year.

This comes in the wake of a growth in public awareness in recent years over the risks associated with drinking lead-contaminated water.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies lead as a toxic metal that can cause serious problems even at low levels of exposure, particularly for infants and young children who have still-developing brains and nervous systems.

According to the EPA, low levels of exposure to lead in children has been linked to “damage to the central and peripheral nervous system, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing and impaired formation and function of blood cells.” Children ages six years old or younger are the most susceptible to lead poisoning.

Adults and children are exposed to lead primarily through the corrosion of aging water service lines. These lines are responsible for bringing tap water from a public distribution system to a home or business office. Prior to 1986, water service lines were primarily constructed of lead, according to the village’s website, whereas copper is now the standard accepted material.

The federal government and many states have since issued their own mandates for water service line replacements over the next decade. The Illinois Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act, introduced in January 2022, mandates that all lead service lines across the state be replaced, with full compliance stretching up to 50 years, or by 2077.

In accordance with the act, Illinois no longer allows a partial replacement of water service lines. If emergency services are needed to make a repair, the full lead service line must be replaced within 30 days, or 120 days if weather delays the replacement process.

“We understand that the costs [of replacement] are much higher than $750.This is an attempt to bring some parity and a courtesy. Thank you to those residents that took it upon themselves to do this,” said Julian Prendi, finance director for the village, during the Board meeting. “[Homeowners] got removed from the inventory, essentially, so they did the village a favor, but the budgetary constraints are what they are.”

Funding for the rebates are provided through the village’s FY26 budget of lead service line replacements via the Capital Improvements Program. Given scheduling constraints and crew and equipment limitations, the lead service line program may not be able to accommodate every self-selecting property this fiscal year.

Prendi said the cash rebate total is generated from cash out of the village’s water fund, whereas the water bill credit is a cost that the village will “eventually recognize much slower, perhaps over multiple years, because the credit is only applicable if you have a bill.”

A recognized small surplus in this year’s fiscal budget “drove the rebate amount” total, Prendi added.

As village staff noted in the memorandum, “Offering a rebate program would give some incentive and benefit to property owners to pursue the replacement through a contract on their own; this would also benefit the village by reducing the number of services replaced by village crews and reaching the total replacement sooner than the mandated deadline.”

Property owners hoping to take advantage of the rebate will need to apply with the village’s finance department, through an online portal, by mail or in-person.

Village staff will begin accepting rebate applications on March 1 and will work with the village communications team to notify residents and homeowners of the upcoming changes.