Batavia OKs $9 telehealth charge on utility bills unless you opt out

Batavia utility customers will see a $9 monthly charge for a text-a-doctor service on their city bills unless they say no. The City Council approved the Text a Physician program, known as TAP, on Monday, Nov. 2. The city said Nov. 10 that it is preparing to launch TAP in early 2027 and that no TAP charges have been added to bills yet.

The vote split the council 7-7, and Mayor Jeffery Schielke broke the tie in favor, according to a meeting recap by 5th Ward Ald. Jim Fahrenbach. The city's published resolution, approved that night, does not yet show the roll call.

$9 a month covers up to 10 people

The resolution adopts a five-year agreement with PPTX Inc., which operates TAP. Every household and business on a city utility account is enrolled at $9 a month, and the charge covers up to 10 people per bill.

Members text an Illinois-licensed physician for routine, nonemergency problems such as colds, rashes, ear infections and prescription refills. Phone or video visits are available when needed. Doctors answer from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, according to the city staff memo. There's no copay and no insurance card required.

City employees and their families have used TAP since July 2026.

The rules the council wrote in

The resolution requires:

• Written notice to every utility customer, listing every way to decline, at least 30 days before any charge.
• 60 days of service at no charge before billing starts.
• A way to decline online, by phone, by mail or in person at City Hall.
• No water, sewer or electric shutoff, late fee or lien over an unpaid TAP charge.
• Up to $1 a month per participating household going to a city-controlled community health fund. Staff recommended using it to cover the roughly 850 households that qualify for utility bill assistance.
• Quarterly reports and a council review after 12 months.

Customers who miss the notice can still opt out within 12 months of being billed and get a refund, the staff memo says. Fahrenbach's recap says the council amended the contract to spell out that refund window.

The memo also says the price could rise in year three, by no more than 5% a year, with 60 days' notice. The city can end the contract with 120 days' notice.

Opt-out billing split the council

The opt-out billing drew the most objection. At the meeting, residents argued that automatic enrollment counts on people not reading their bills, according to Fahrenbach's recap. Some council members objected that the final resolution skipped a Committee of the Whole vote and questioned how other vendors were considered.

City staff wrote that a request for proposals turned up no other provider offering text, phone and video access at TAP's price. Supporters on the council pointed to residents without insurance or with high deductibles.

No launch date has been announced. Before the program begins, every utility customer will get information by mail on how it works, what it costs and how to opt out, the city said Nov. 10. The staff memo says notice will also go out through utility bill inserts, with door hangers for customers who don't get a paper bill.

Budget hearing was Nov. 10

The same night, council members got their first look at Batavia's proposed $173.36 million budget for 2027.

The plan would raise the city's property tax rate from 86 cents to 96 cents per $100 of equalized assessed value. The city estimates that adds about $120 a year to the city portion of the tax bill on a $400,000 home. Electric rates would rise 3.5%, and water and sewer rates 8% each, starting Jan. 1, 2027. Fahrenbach's recap puts the combined utility increase at $13.21 a month for an average household.

The budget also funds street repairs, an advanced life support squad for the fire department and planning for a new police station.

The budget hearing was the first item on the council's Committee of the Whole agenda for Tuesday, Nov. 10, followed by ordinances raising electric, water and sewer rates, a discussion of lowering the speed limit on residential streets and an ordinance on downtown speed limits. BATV posted the meeting video on its YouTube channel. Our Nov. 10 meeting story covers what the committee decided.

Public hearings on the property tax levy and Special Service Area 61 are also scheduled, the city said. They are not on the Nov. 10 agenda. The council is expected to adopt the budget and levy on Dec. 7.

For context on what the city's share of your bill pays for, see our guides to Kane County property tax appeals and exemptions homeowners might be missing.

Opt out or weigh in on the budget

• For the budget, read the proposed budget and send questions at bataviail.gov/FY27.
• For TAP, watch your mail for the city's notice, which will list every way to decline. Program details and opt-out steps are also at bataviail.gov/TAP. TAP also takes decline requests at taptelehealth.com/decline or (855) 687-3113, using the name, service address and account number on your utility bill.
• With other questions, call City Hall at 630-454-2000.