Village of La Grange Park leaders have placed a referendum question on the March 17 municipal election ballot asking voters to continue funding road maintenance in the village, and made their case for issuing the bonds to do so last week to a crowd of about 30 residents at Village Hall.
Village Manager Julia Cedillo told the residents the referendum question involves a “proposition to issue $10 million in bonds to continue funding for road infrastructure, continuing the 2016 Road Bond Fund.”
Because La Grange Park is a non-home rule community, state law requires voter approval for bonds supported solely by a property tax levy.
Voters backed issuing a similar $10 million in bonds in 2016 for the roads program, the final payments of which will be made this year. Those bonds also included $1.1 million in funding for an ambulance and a ladder fire truck.
If the MArch referendum is approved, the bonds will be issued in time for the 2026 property tax levy in the amount not to exceed the rate of 6%. The money will go exclusively toward road repair and sidewalk improvements in La Grange Park.
The details of the referendum question and the road program can be found at the village web site lagrangepark.org
La Grange Park has 37 miles of streets to maintain, and the 2016 bonds included funding for 11.4 miles in roadway improvements along with upgraded curbs and gutters, improved the overall road quality, and upgraded drainage and sidewalks, officials said.
While village officials consider the 2016 bonds a success, it is estimated that, based on pavement evaluations, the cost of keeping the roads in good condition is at least $1.3 million, and proceeds from the Motor Fuel Tax and vehicle sticker fees will not cover the cost.
Cedillo stressed that the expiring 2016 bonds were approved by more than 70% of voters and that the new bonds would essentially replace them.
“This new issuance will continue the same level of road funding without adding to your tax burden,” she said, while cautioning that the total miles to be improved would be less than with the previous bonds.
“While the proposed bond amount is about the same as 2016, we will pave fewer miles because borrowing rates are higher and construction and material costs are significantly higher today,” she said.
Plus, she said, the maintenance would also be significantly more detailed than before. “So the scope of the work is much broader and literally deeper.”
Cedillo also indicated that the village had always successfully pursued grant funding for infrastructure projects, but the funding gap remains for long-term projects.
If the voters reject the ballot question, there would be a slight reduction in property taxes. But, Cedillo said, the village “would lose the primary dedicated funding for large-scale road improvements.”
“Road projects would be significantly scaled back and streets would deteriorate further, shifting work from resurfacing to more costly reconstruction that we still would not have funding for,” she said.
Cedillo outlined the timeline of the work if the referendum is approved, with two blocks of Park Road being a significant project beginning in 2026, being paid for by MFT funds and a state grant.
If approved, the bond issuance will be in the Summer of 2026, and the road projects will take place in 2027, 2028, and 2029.
Village President James Discipio stressed the importance of road maintenance.
“We’ve been through periods where the roads are not kept up, and it’s difficult,” he said. “One of the things we take pride in is keeping our community safe for our residents and part of that is the road situation, so this is extremely important to our residents. They were so grateful 10 years ago to allow us to go with two bonds. Now we’re just asking for one and it’s going to continue on when this one leaves off…it’s not adding on to any tax burden. … We’re not increasing the rate at all.”
One resident who lives at Plymouth Place Senior Living said many of his neighbors were resistant to any bond issues, and wondered how he could convince them to support this one.
“Roads matter,” Cedillo said. “And then for public safety, they connect us, they connect neighbors. We have a high number of neighborhoods that have block parties every year, more than other communities do. This is where residents meet.”
Cedillo also indicated that if the March referendum question fails, the village has the option of going back to the voters in November.
“I thought the presentation went very well in describing what they were going to do with the bond money over a three-year period,” resident Eric Lundahl said after the presentation. “They’re trying to do what they did 10 years ago when they got the bond approved in ’16 and they did all the repairs on the streets. They’re trying to replicate that.”
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
