The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District handed Mokena a victory Thursday in its border squabble with Orland Park by voting not to accept sewage that comes from outside Cook County.
That decision means that Orland Park, a Cook County municipality, probably will not be able to annex about 240 acres of Will County farmland north of Interstate 80 that developers are eyeing for a residential subdivision.
Orland Park and Mokena, in Will County, have been vying to provide sewer and water service to the area because the municipality that provides these essential services usually annexes the land and reaps the property and sales tax revenues of the development.
But Orland Park needed approval from the reclamation district, which collects and treats almost all Cook County sewage.
On a 5-3 vote, reclamation district commissioners decided to maintain the district`s general policy of providing sewage collection and treatment only within Cook County. That policy dates from 1985.
The district serves a few small tracts outside the county, but these generally involve only one or two buildings adjacent to the county line. The Orland Park request was much larger than any of those cases, according to district officials.
”If we provided the service, we would ultimately have a detrimental effect on Cook County business,” said district President Nicholas Melas.
”You`re encouraging growth of business on the other side of the county line. You`re encouraging the flight of business out of Cook County.”
Commissioner Nancy Sheehan voted to approve Orland Park`s request because the Calumet sewage treatment plant, which treats sewage from the far south and southwest parts of the county, is underused. Rather than let the plant run at reduced capacity, she favors charging Orland Park for the Will County service. ”We`re looking for revenue,” she said. ”Where we have excess capacity, I`m for making money so we can give the taxpayer a break.”
Commissioner Frank Gardner voted against Orland Park`s request but said he would reconsider if Orland Park agreed to pay at least 120 percent of the costs of providing service to the adjacent county.
Orland Park Village Manager Jim Smithberg said Thursday`s vote does not settle the border war. The suburb could take Gardner`s suggestion and come back to the district with a proposal that would let the district make a profit from providing the sewer service.
Or Orland Park could build a small sewage treatment plant on the property, as some other developments have done, he said.
Mokena Mayor Ronald Grotovsky said he was pleased by the commissioners`
vote and would try to meet with the developers to discuss ways for Mokena to provide sewer and water service to the property.
