Hinsdale Officials Divided Over Resident Share Of Lead Line Replacement

HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale officials are divided over how much residents should pay toward the replacement of lead lines.

Half the trustees said residents should pick up all the costs for their part of the pipes. But the village president and a trustee disagree.

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Towns must comply with federal and state mandates to replace lead lines, which endanger people's health when they corrode.

The village's staff recommends that the village pay for the entire portion from the water main to the resident's valve, known as the buffalo box.

At the same time, the staff said the village should pick up half the costs up to $6,000 for the resident's portion of the line. This, the staff said, would encourage compliance.

Most Chicago suburbs follow such a policy, according to the village.

The problem of lead lines is smaller in Hinsdale than elsewhere. The village only has 300 such pipes, making up about 5 percent of the total. Their replacement is estimated to cost $6 million over a decade.

That's a far cry from La Grange. There, the village government expects to replace two-thirds of pipes, costing $68 million.

Part of the reason for the difference is that Hinsdale builders started installing copper lines in the late 1940s, with other suburbs following suit in the 1960s, according to the village.

Also, many Hinsdale property owners have torn down their historic homes and built anew, replacing lead lines.

At the Hinsdale Village Board's meeting Tuesday, three trustees, Scott Banke, Luke Stifflear and Neale Byrnes, said they wanted residents to cover all the costs.

But they said they would make exceptions for low-income residents.

"The thought of spending taxpayer money on private property just does not sit well with me," Stifflear said. "You're looking at roughly 19 out of 20 residents subsidizing the investment in a private property. It's just not right."

He said he may have seen the issue differently if a majority of residents, such as 70 percent, had lead lines.

Additionally, Stifflear questioned why taxpayer money would go toward private purposes at a time when the village was seeking private donors to pay for public amenities such as a downtown pavilion.

Banke said he and his wife built an addition to their house in 1999, including replacing the lead line. He said he didn't see why taxpayers should cover such costs for others.

Trustee Alexis Braden was the only trustee to voice support for the staff's recommended option, paying for half a resident's costs up to $6,000.

She said that would ensure timely compliance and avoid creating a hardship for residents.

Even with this policy, residents must still pay thousands of dollars, she said.

"It's still a large chunk of change," Braden said.

Trustee Michelle Fisher said she wanted more details on what compliance with the mandate means before weighing in on her preferred option.

Trustee Matt Posthuma was absent.

In a statement to Patch on Wednesday, Hart said he favored the staff's recommendation of covering a share of residents' costs. He said he wanted the board to debate the issue before weighing in.

"Lead service line replacement is not a discretionary home improvement," Hart said. "It is a state and federal public health mandate. I believe the Village should be a partner in helping residents comply with that mandate rather than placing the entire financial burden on individual homeowners."

He said lead line replacement was different from the downtown pavilion. While the pavilion is being built entirely through voluntary, tax-deductible donations, lead line replacement is a government requirement for which residents have no choice, he said.

Hart also said he appreciated the philosophical debate about using public dollars on private property.

But he said Hinsdale has long recognized circumstances where public investment on private property serves a public purpose.

"Interestingly, the very next item on our agenda was our historic preservation incentive program, which is another example of the Village using public dollars on private property to advance a broader community purpose," Hart said. "I believe helping residents comply with a public health mandate fits that same principle."

He continued, "Ultimately, I do not want Hinsdale to become one of the only communities in our region that asks residents to bear the full cost of complying with this mandate. The overwhelming majority of neighboring communities have adopted some form of cost sharing because they recognize this is a shared public responsibility."

If Fisher and Posthuma supported the staff's recommendation, the board's vote could be tied. That means Village President Greg Hart would cast a rare tie-breaking vote.

Patch left an emailed message for comment with Posthuma early Wednesday morning.

The board expects to decide next month.