What Is Taking La Grange So Long To Fix Flooding Issues?

LA GRANGE, IL — In 2015, La Grange voters approved a sales tax of three-fourths of 1 percent to address flooding on the village's south side. That allowed the village to go $14 million into debt to pay for projects.

To this day, the village has yet to undertake a project with that money. On Monday, south La Grange residents who experienced flooding again over the weekend wanted to know why the village had yet to spend the money. They also asked about Plan B if the village fails in its litigation with McCook's Hanson quarry, which is blamed for most of the flooding.

See related story: Angry La Grange Residents Tell Off Village Board

The village plans a 50th Street sewer project that would move water east from Brainard Avenue to the McCook ditch, but that would require an agreement with the Hanson quarry.

"That's an expensive project," Village President Mark Kuchler said at Monday's Village Board meeting. "Why don't we do other projects? What's Plan B? There's a problem. If we spend $5 million of the $14 million on a Plan B today, now we have $9 million. That $9 million doesn't do the 50th Street storm sewer project. We wouldn't have a Plan A because we spent money on Plan B. I get the frustration. I get that it's taken a long time."

Under a possible settlement, the village would provide $14 million for the 50th Street project, with Hanson Aggregates paying $9.1 million through its title company, Kuchler said. That would still put the project short an estimated $7 million to $12 million — money that would need to come from the state, the county, the federal government or the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, he said.

"We need to go to trial," Kuchler said. "We had good attorneys before. I think we brought in better attorneys to finish the job."