Downers Grove Asks Residents How to Pay for $3.9 Million Stormwater Management System

Downers Grove has been adamant for months about educating its community about stormwater management and its implications, and now it’s time to take the issue to the polls.

Residents will find a three-part referendum on their ballots next Tuesday asking for input on how the village should fund its stormwater management system and allocate the $3.9 million it’s budgeted for next year’s costs.

The referendum will look like this:

In 2017, the Village plans to budget $3.9 million for stormwater costs. Currently, annual costs are funded with a stormwater utility fee. The Village of Downers Grove is seeking resident input to determine whether it should fund stormwater costs with a stormwater utility fee, through property taxes or with a combination of both the stormwater utility fee and property taxes. Please answer all three (3) questions below.

1. Shall the Village of Downers Grove continue to fund all stormwater costs using a stormwater utility fee instead of property taxes?

2. Shall the Village of Downers Grove fund all stormwater costs using property taxes instead of a stormwater utility fee ?

3. Shall the Village of Downers Grove fund stormwater costs using a combination of stormwater utility fees and property taxes ?

This November or December, the Village Council plans to make a final decision about how the Downers Grove community will pay the $3.9 million to continue to own and operate its stormwater management.

So, what does this mean for individual residents? The Village of Downers Grove provides an interactive online map that shows what any given property in the village would pay for stormwater management in 2017 if it were being paid for through a fee versus a property tax levy.

A stormwater utility fee would use less revenue from residential properties and take a good chunk of money from businesses. In the case of a property tax levy, businesses would pay significantly less, but residents would pay significantly more.

If you’re interested in learning more about stormwater management, Downers Grove has dedicated an entire site to explaining its importance, uses and implications. We also broke down some of the most important points of the village’s plan, including how fees are determined based on the characteristics of your land and what the village has planned long-term for the next decade.

Have any questions about this referendum? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll do our best to answer them for you.

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Featured image via Shutterstock.