Glen Carbon trustees to consider $11.7 million bonds for water plant

Bond financing on the agenda

The Glen Carbon Village Board of Trustees was set to consider an ordinance on June 23 to issue $11.735 million in general obligation waterworks system bonds, alternate revenue source, Series 2026, to help finance a new water treatment plant.

The meeting was scheduled for 7 p.m. at Village Hall, 151 N. Main St. Reporting on the agenda item said the board had not yet voted when the notice was published.

The proposed bonds are part of a larger effort to move the village toward its own drinking water supply. Village officials have said the plant would let Glen Carbon produce its own water instead of buying from outside providers.

A long-running project

The water treatment plant has been in development for years as Glen Carbon worked through financing, site selection and construction planning. Earlier reporting described the plant as a 3 million-gallon-per-day facility planned for about seven acres in Bluffview Commerce Park near Illinois 157.

The village has said the site is intended to support a major water system buildout and reduce dependence on outside suppliers. Earlier reporting said Glen Carbon bought water from Edwardsville from 1997 to 2021 and later switched to Illinois American Water Co.

The financing path also changed over time. Village officials were initially denied a $27 million Illinois Environmental Protection Agency loan application in 2025 and then moved toward bond financing as an alternative.

How the financing evolved

The village received authority in August 2025 to borrow up to $27 million for water system improvements after no valid petition was filed to force a referendum on the bond issue.

U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski later announced a $1.1 million federal grant for the project on Jan. 27, adding another funding source to the plant plan.

By February, reporting said the village expected the plant to be operational within about two years and was still working through the financing structure.

On June 9, trustees held a public hearing on the village's intent to sell up to $27 million in bonds for water system improvements and selected UMB Bank/Carrollton Bank as underwriter for roughly $11.9 million in Series 2026 bonds.

The June 23 ordinance consideration was the next financing step, narrowing the focus to the $11.735 million bond issue tied to the water plant itself.

Construction and site work

The project also advanced on the construction side this spring. On April 14, trustees approved a $16.449 million bid from Korte and Luitjohan Contractors Inc. for the plant.

That same night, the board approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to accept an $8 million Illinois Environmental Protection Agency loan for the project.

Together, those actions moved the village closer to building the plant after months of planning and funding work. Earlier reporting said the plant could eventually help Glen Carbon control its water supply instead of relying on wholesale purchases from other systems.

What else was on Tuesday's agenda

The June 23 agenda also included approval of a final plat for the resubdivision of Lot 3 in Bluffview Commerce Park. That step matters because it is tied to property closing for the plant site.

Another agenda item was an amendment to a professional services agreement with Juneau Associates Inc. for the 2027 small water main replacement project. The amendment would increase engineering fees to $75,000.

Those items suggest the village is continuing to line up the property, engineering and financing pieces needed before construction can move forward.

Why it matters

The plant would be a major infrastructure investment for a village that has long depended on outside water providers. If completed, it would give Glen Carbon more control over its drinking water supply and the financing structure that supports it.

The bond issue could also affect future village debt service and water rates, making the decision important beyond the immediate construction timeline.

For now, the main open question was whether trustees would approve the ordinance at the June 23 meeting. If they did, the village could continue closing on the Bluffview Commerce Park site and advancing construction. If not, the financing plan would need another step forward.