Romeoville Mayor Gives 2019 State of the Village Address

ROMEOVILLE, IL — Romeoville Mayor John Noak gave his annual State of the Village address Tuesday night, highlighting new developments along Weber Road and Route 53 and introducing a new regional business hub.

The mayor also detailed the village's financial standing, calling it strong. Romeoville has a fund balance of nearly $29 million and received its fifth consecutive award for financial reporting. In addition, the village was able to provide water bill rebates to residents for the eighth year in a row and, adjusted for inflation, property taxes have gone down by about $100 since 2008, according to the Noak's administration.

New developments highlighted by the mayor include a planned retail center at the site of the old Target, which Noak said could include a movie theater, hotel, conference center, senior housing, stores and restaurants. On Route 53, the 84 Lumber site is being refreshed by Ramco Transportation, which says it will bring the site up to current code and put a new façade on the building. The old Ace Hardware building is also being torn down to make way for new businesses and several new developments are planned around the 135th Street intersection.

Noak said retail sales in the village increased by about $90 million over the previous year.

"The development along both of our major retail corridors continues to move forward," Noak said. "Our local economy is creating new jobs and a wider tax base."

The mayor also introduced several new programs, including the new Lewis Innovation Hub on the campus of Lewis University. The hub will assist small businesses in getting off the ground, Noak said, with more information to come later this month.

He also outlined the Veteran and Service Member Banner Program to thank veterans and active-duty service members, an expansion of the Romeoville Reinvestment Program to provide assistance for older homes in need of renovation, and the At Your Door Program to collect electronics and hazardous household waste from residents' homes for disposal.

"Romeoville's finances continue to be strong, allowing us to provide many new programs for our residents despite the ongoing challenges at the state and federal level," Noak said.

Officials said a video of the address will be available shortly. We'll link it when it's ready.

Image via Village of Romeoville