Could Downers Grove Residents Pay Double for Stormwater Control?

Downers Grove residents are already familiar with paying an extra fee to manage stormwater runoff and flooding, but a bill that Gov. Pat Quinn plans to sign may eventually add a second, similar charge on top of that for all DuPage County residents, the Chicago Tribune reports.

According to the paper, House Bill 1522, possibly inspired by the damage the county suffered in April’s flooding, will allow DuPage County to establish a tax or fee to pay for stormwater management programs; under the bill, such a levy would be limited to 0.2 percent of the value of all property in the county, and would be subject to a public meeting and a Department of National Resources scrutiny.

But in Downers Grove, where a Village-wide fee was established for stormwater in August 2012, the possibility of two different charges has raised concern, the paper said.

"While we're all supportive of different measures of collaboration and cooperation, what this means in terms of impacts on municipalities, we're all very concerned about," the paper quoted Mayor Martin T. Tully saying. "We already have a stormwater utility. We don't want there to be two."

However, DuPage County Board Member James Zay disagreed, the paper said. "It's not double dipping. It's two different fees for two different areas," the paper quoted Zay saying. "Their projects are for storm sewers in Downers Grove. Ours would be for services that benefit the whole county. The county would be more focused on regional projects with its rivers and streams."

Read the full story at the Chicago Tribune website.