Trustees Put $1M Back Into Infrastructure Budget

The new village board administration rescinded a policy that would have equally divided remaining Build America bond funds among the six districts for summer infrastructure projects.

In the past, street, alley and water main repairs were prioritized by village staff.
 
Oak Lawn trustees voted 4-2 to put $1 million back into the funds that were to have gone toward possible expansion of the Village Green or a senior wellness center at the former Beatty Lumber Co. at the May 28 village board meeting.

Trustee Bob Streit (Dist. 3), ousted from the public works committee during the reassignment of board committee positions, implied that an item had been slipped onto the agenda after the village clerk’s Tuesday deadline.

“It raises a lot of questions,” Streit said. “Obviously there are two sets of rules; one that applies to one set of board members and one that applies to another set of board members.”

Approximately $8 million remained of a $36 million bond to improve streets, alleys and water mains. The public works committee had recommended over the winter to put aside $2 million for water main repairs.

At the former mayor’s request, an additional $1 million had been set aside for expansion of the Village Green and/or a senior wellness center.

Streit argued the intention of the policy that had been passed by the old board in February was to make sure that all of the village trustees had an near equal amount of infrastructure projects in their respective districts.

“The other component of the policy was to address those people who have not benefited from Build America bond funds,” Streit said. “I hope after some consideration my fellow trustees will realize the policy was not only fair, but that also to expand the Village Green is in  the best interest of everybody in our community.”

Trustee Alex Olejniczak (Dist. 2) said rescinding the policy was a campaign issue in the April 9 election.

“The people of the Village of Oak Lawn spoke,” Olejniczak said. “They don’t believe the expansion of the green was needed, but believe that that $1 million be put toward whatever our staff decides.”

Contrary to what trustees believed in the past -- that the village engineer and other staff took care of the worst first -- that wasn’t the case, Trustee Carol Quinlan (Dist. 5) said.

 “Whichever residents complained the loudest and longest, and the trustees who complained the loudest and longest that’s how they came up with their list,” Quinlan said. “Given the fact that there have been years in the past when other districts were neglected and we have a limited amount of money, I think every district has needs.”

Trustee Terry Vorderer (Dist. 4) said to take care of “what we have” before “we build new facilities.”

“I got streets in my district that have potholes six inches deep,” he said. “I’d like to see the money spent on those priorities before we move forward with new projects.”

After the vote to return the $1 million of the remaining Build America bond funds to the infrastructure pot, Mayor Sandra Bury said that she and the team she ran with fulfilled one of their first campaign promises.