Zeroing Out Budget Item Hurts Northeast Elmhurst: Official

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst allocated no money this year for concrete street resurfacing. The proposed budget for next year also contains zero dollars in that item. An alderman wants to know why.

Many of Elmhurst's concrete streets are concentrated on the city's northeast side, north of Interstate 290.

At a budget meeting this week, Alderman Michael Bram pointed out the lack of money for concrete street resurfacing on the northeast side, which is part of Bram's Ward 3.

Since a 2014 plan on concrete resurfacing, the city has fallen behind more than $2 million on work on such streets, Bram said. At the same time, he said, the city is continuing to pay for improvements for asphalt streets.

"I know that these (concrete) streets have been documented as needing improvements," the alderman said. "I'm concerned that there was a decision made last budget year to do no work for two years. Not reducing the amount, but no work budgeted."

Stan Balicki, the city's public works director, said the city experienced a drop in income after the pandemic. He said the city was trying to prioritize projects with existing fiscal constraints.

Bram responded that he wanted more details on why money for concrete resurfacing had been axed from the budget.

During public comments, Victoria Ludkowski, who lives in the 600 block of North Kenilworth Avenue, asked the city to improve the north-south streets in northeast Elmhurst.

In at least one instance, she said, the city used asphalt to patch a concrete street, but that was an ineffective fix.

"It's a very bumpy ride," she said.