Elmhurst To Tackle Bensenville Controversy

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst has not taken a position on state legislation that would eliminate a "paper" fire district that covers the unincorporated area between Elmhurst and Bensenville.

But on Monday, a City Council committee plans to discuss the fire district.

Under the legislation, the controversy-plagued Bensenville Fire District No. 1 would merge into the bigger Bensenville Fire District No. 2, which covers its namesake village. The legislation states that property taxes would increase.

Fire District No. 1 has been without fire trucks and a station for more than three decades. Elmhurst provides services south of Grand Avenue and Bensenville north of Grand.

At a council meeting in January, Paul DeMichele, District No. 1's controller, warned the City Council about the legislation.

Opponents of the legislation say unincorporated residents' property taxes for fire services would triple if the merger happened.

But it's unclear whether unincorporated residents are paying their fair share for fire services. It's a question that an Elmhurst official said earlier this year that the city was unable to answer because of the "blended" tax rate.

Fire District No. 1's sole responsibility is to send annual checks to Elmhurst and District No. 2. But that simple job involves its share of bureaucracy. About 12 percent of its budget goes to overhead.

In fiscal year 2021, Fire District No. 1 gave Fire District No. 2 a check for $136,250. Elmhurst received $98,258. Those payments totaled $234,508.

Another $31,139 was spent on overhead, including $4,530 for secretarial and printing, $2,229 for dues and postage and $2,195 for insurance. Professional fees, mainly payments to the district's lawyer, amounted to $16,874. The postage may have resulted from the district's mailing of a fake "official ballot" in April 2021.

Each of the three trustees gets $1,000 a year, DeMichele receives $250 a month.

Last fall, District No. 1 distributed a flyer advertising a fundraiser for state Rep. Deanne Mazzochi, an Elmhurst Republican. The flyer appears to include the township's stamp.

Earlier this year, Jim Brill of the White Pines Community Alliance filed an ethics complaint against District No. 1 over the flyer. It is against state law to use public resources for a political campaign.

Paul Guerino, the district's president, has said he knew nothing about the flyer.

DeMichele has not returned numerous messages from Patch. DeMichele, who is in charge of the district's paperwork, may have access to the stamp in question.

At first, Brill filed the complaint with Addison Township. But the district dispatched its attorney, Pat Bond, to a township ethics committee meeting to say the township had no jurisdiction. He said it was the district's job to hear the complaint.

However, the district lacked the required ethics ordinance to hear the complaint. Bond said the district may have lost the document and that its board would approve it again.

In April, Guerino confirmed DuPage County State's Attorney's Office investigators were looking into the matter.

The City Council's Public Safety Committee is set to discuss District No. 1 at its meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at City Hall.