'Depleted': Western Springs Lacks Road Cash

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – Western Springs is not planning any road projects for next year.

"The funds have been depleted," the village's finance director, John Mastandona, told the Village Board this week.

All the money for roads was spent this year, he said. The last successful referendum to pay for streets was passed seven years ago.

In 2016, nearly two-thirds of local voters approved allowing the village to go into debt by $12 million to pay for street projects.

In 2008, 53 percent of voters approved going into debt by $6.5 million to be spent over a decade.

But 54 percent of voters last year rejected hiking the sales tax by 1 percent point to pay for local infrastructure.

At this week's board meeting, Mastandona said paying for road projects will be a policy decision of the board.

He noted the village may resurface Hampton Avenue between Hillgrove and Ogden avenues next year, but that is contingent on state grants.

At a meeting last month, Village President Heidi Rudolph hinted the village may need to increase property taxes to pay for upgrades to roads and utilities such as water, sewer and stormwater.

She said the village would continue to seek outside grants to pay for projects, but such programs often require the village to chip in sizable amounts of money.

"I wish we had access to abundant funds that do not directly affect our taxpayers," Rudolph said last month. "But we do not. Solving these issues is a community effort. It is not easy."