The University Park Board of Trustees during a recent meeting approved a seemingly innocuous measure village officials hope will get them out of deep water with Aqua Water, which controls much of the city’s water.
During its March 27 session, streamed on YouTube, the board approved a measure to enter into an agreement with Bass Group Inc. for lobbying services, a proposal raised two months ago, followed by a visit by Frank Bass during a Committee of the Whole session last month. Mayor Joseph Roudez noted that the goal is to move on from Aqua Water.
“Aqua Water owns our sewer system, our transfer station, our pumping station and everything else they own,” Roudez said. “In other words they have a monopoly on a small minority community, and its time for us to break that.”
During the session, it was noted that Bass, who works as an individual lobbyist, has worked in the Cook County area for several years. He attended the session over a Zoom connection from Springfield, where he is attending house meetings.
As a lobbyist, Bass has worked for Cook County under John Stoger, leaving in 2010 to start his own lobbying firm, it was noted during the session, and he has worked with a number of municipalities across the state on a range of successful cases, and the board asked how he could help the community secure funding for projects like the pope replacement projects. He responded that it would be like other cases he’s been involved with and his connections would help him in the process.
And this is probably the best time ever that we are going to get away from Aqua Water,” Roudez said. “And that’s why we need a person in Springfield that’s there, that’s active every single day, Monday through Thursday, to advocate to get us out of this awful situation.”
The board, approved a contract with Bass, which, accounting to the agenda, is for $18,000, to be paid in $1,500 monthly payments. It noted Bass will also help the village by lobbing for their ongoing projects and needs and connect them with legislators who can help them, provide information on any changes in Springfield and ensure they have sound strategies to seek state funding.
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