The Burr Ridge Village Board got its official first public view of the capital improvement plans for the next fiscal year at Monday’s board meeting and it included no surprises or excessive expenses.
The plan — which includes routine road and sewer upgrades — won’t hit taxpayers as the projects are either within the village’s budget or funded through other means. That said, Village Administrator Evan Walter acknowledged the complexity of the process, introducing the plan as “What’s easily the largest and most complicated part of our budget, our capital improvement plan.”
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The presentation began with a look back at the current year, wherein engineer and the director of public works, David Preissig, noted the village saved money in fiscal year 2023. The road repair program came in $165,000 under budget and the Kraml Drive pathway replacement project also came in $60,000 under budget.
In FY2024 the village will look to tackle resurfacing Devon at a cost of $764,000 plus maintaining 83rd Street at $226,000 and 79th Street pathway replacement at $363,000. Even so, Preissig pointed out most of the cost will come from grants or from school and Park District taxes — funds that won’t increase for property owners.
Beyond the roads, the village will begin improvements on the village hall — long a goal of administrators and officials — for $50,000, along with police improvements, expected to cost $350,000, the continuing Elm Street culvert project at $30,000 and painting at $32,000.
Besides the road work, the village is also planning to invest heavily in its sewer and water lines, with Woodview Road getting some $2.5 million in repairs. Preissig said this will enhance the flow of stormwater and thus ensure residential security and safety.
Besides that, the village will get some cosmetic upgrades, with the south water tower being repainted at a cost of $65,300 though Preissig said the village has a grant of $30,000 for that project.
The village will also engage in a series of sewage repairs and routine maintenance. None of the work is expected to be outside the budget of the village, and board members as well as the mayor praised the proposals as being both prudent and fiscally sound. Also, the village isn’t wedded to any particular part of the project — so if funds should dry up, the village could reset and reevaluate their priorities.
“You can certainly make some changes later on,” Walter said. “But there is significant fund balance in the general fund.”
Trustee Anita Mital praised village staff.
“I just want to applaud the staff for coming up with such a nice budget,” she said.
Grasso, too, praised the budget and said the village has been budget conscious since COVID-19 hit.
Trustee Russ Smith wanted to ensure rates on sewer and water remained low, though Grasso said the village couldn’t do much about the rates charged for water as that is dictated by Chicago.
In all, Preissig said the water and sewer projects should total somewhere in the neighborhood of $12 million, spread out over the next five years — though again, the village could scotch any of the plan if it needs to.
Walter said utility rates would rates would increase over the next five years, but gradually, and based on usage, with the heaviest water users paying the most.
“It’s a fixed charge and were recommending a five dollar rate per user per bill,” Walter said. He added though, if ratepayers have a leak, the village should be able to identify a sudden spike in usage and notify a user, so they won’t get saddled with a surprise — or ongoing — hefty bill.
“If you’re experiencing a spike, we will be able to respond proactively,” Walter said.
In all, Grasso praised the village’s budget as a wise investment.
“We’re in a strong fiscal position and that’s the reason not to get lazy,” he said.
The motion passed unanimously and without any public comment.
Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.