Madison Co., Ill. (ECWd) –
Letter to the Editor
* For immediate release *
Thanks to an April 13 newspaper article, some customers of Special Service Area #1 sanitary sewer district – serving residents of Nameoki, Chouteau, Venice Townships – learned that Illinois American Water Co. made an offer to purchase SSA #1 from Madison County for $35 million.
Those who read the article were surprised. And this surprise turned to suspicion when copies of emails obtained through a FOIA request showed that County Board Chairman Chris Slusser was communicating with Brock Teichmiller of Illinois American Water as early as March 3, 2025, and Teichmiller emailed Slusser on May 1, 2025, that Illinois American’s offer was “75% complete.”
And with suspicion came questions.
Why does the county have “legal title” to the assets of SSA #1 when all the assets – pipes, pump stations, trucks, tools – since its creation in the 1970s – have been paid for by the customers / taxpayers in the SSA?
The county’s legal title to SSA #1 is simply due to the technicalities of its creation. The county created an SSA to provide sanitary sewer service to a specific area inside the county and issued bonds to build the system. The bonds were repaid with funds from – not the county – but the customers / taxpayers of the SSA.
The county’s relationship with SSA #1 has been like a trust – where a trustee owns the legal title but manages the assets for the benefit of beneficiaries – the customers.
The next question: How can the county sell SSA #1 for $35 million and pocket the money? Is that fair?
Ethically – that’s an easy one: NO.
What about the law? Let’s look at 35 ILCS 200/27.
A Special Service Area is defined as “a contiguous area within a municipality or county in which special governmental services are provided in addition to those services provided generally throughout the municipality or county, the cost of the special services to be paid from revenues collected from taxes levied or imposed upon property within that area.”
That perfectly describes SSA #1 which provides services to a specific geographic area supported by funds from the customers / taxpayers located in the SSA. Per the county’s audit as of Nov. 30, 2025, SSA #1 has more than $31 million of assets, of which more than $11 million is Cash and Investments. Those assets didn’t come from county. They came out of the pockets of customers / taxpayers in the SSA.
The purpose of SSA #1 was NOT to build up an asset – funded by the customers – for the county to sell later – and pocket the money.
It’s no surprise that Chairman Slusser’s dealings with Illinois American have been “in the back room” – with no transparency. He knows what he is doing is wrong.
Kurt Prenzler
Former Madison County Chairman (2016 – 2024)
618-514-2599 cell / text
