Tax Hike May Go On Western Springs Ballot

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – Western Springs voters may decide in April whether to increase taxes to improve the village's infrastructure.

On Tuesday, Village President Heidi Rudolph noted the possibility of a tax referendum on the April 1 ballot.

"Historically, the Village has used referendums to provide infrastructure funding, and this upcoming vote would allow residents to continue that approach for essential improvements such as roads, for example," Rudolph said in the village's monthly online newsletter.

The village is holding an open house on infrastructure from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 16 at Village Hall.

Over the last year, Rudolph has hinted at the need for a tax increase to pay for upgrades to roads and utilities such as water, sewer and stormwater.

In November, Rudolph told the Village Board that Western Springs 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. "But we do not. Solving these issues is a community effort. It is not easy."

At a December meeting, an official said the village was not planning any major road projects for 2024.

"The funds have been depleted," the finance director, John Mastandona, told the Village Board.

In 2022, 54 percent of voters rejected hiking the sales tax by 1 percentage point to pay for local infrastructure.