Flood Relief Coming, But Homeowners Could Pay $50 to $200 More Annually For It

The good news is that Niles is working on a true solution to The bad news is that it's expensive and someone has to pay for it — with residents likely to shoulder much of the cost.

Consultant Hey and Associates, which has been working with village staff for more than a year to find solutions to flooding, put a price tag on the solution: $20 to $36 million for Phase One, and $5 to $10 million for Phase 2, plus $450,000 for cost-sharing programs for flood-prone homeowners.

Hey and Associates identified those dollar figures in a presentation it made to the village board Tuesday.

Earlier:

The village's finance committee has wrestled with how to pay for those whopping costs. Scot Neukirch, the village's finance director, presented suggestions on that (click the .pdf file included with this article to see them).

The finance committee is looking at how much flood relief it can buy for $10 million, so Neukirch presented a plan in which the village would create a bond issue for $10 million for capital projects. It would be paid back over 20 years.

Neukirch laid out suggested options for raising the money.

• Flat sewer fee. It would be charged to residents based on their water meter readings. Niles does not have a sewer fee now, though many surrounding suburbs do. The owner of the average Niles homes currently pays $606 in water bills annually, though this cost may rise as Chicago has announced it will double what it charges for water. This option would cost the owner of the average home $51 to $121 per year.
• Property tax increase. This option would cost the owner of the average-value home $31.20 to $73.50 per year. Commercial properties would shoulder some of the cost, and the cost would be deductible from income taxes.
• Impervious land fee. This would be based on either the square feet of impervious land an owner has on his/her property, or a percentage. A dollar figure was not given, but it's reasonable to assume owners who put in more pervious land (i.e., pervious driveways, patios or walkways) would pay less.
• Residential garbage fee. This would cost single family homes $206 and condos either $106 or, if recycling were included, $131.
• Sales tax increase. For every $100 purchased, the sales tax would increase 25 cents. Non-Niles residents would also help to pay the tax, through their purchases.
• Grants. Village staff will apply for grant funding.

The village board will consider the options.