A long-awaited presentation from the Village of Skokie’s Storm Water Task Force revealed that the total cost to repair and upgrade the village’s stormwater intake system to prevent flooding could cost over $145 million to fund 17 projects.
At its presentation to the Village Board on Monday, representatives from the task force said pursuing that route would be too expensive, and instead recommended prioritizing five projects estimated to cost $47.6 million. Mayor George Van Dusen emphasized that the board won’t have to commit to deciding until the village’s budget season picks up again later in the year and that the presentation was purely informative to give the trustees a preview of their options.
According to the task force’s report, the village could borrow money through bonds to pay for the upgrades. For every $10 million issued in bonds, the village would need to raise water rates by 29 cents for each water unit, or 748 gallons of water. If the village were to borrow $145 million through bond issues, water rates would need to rise by $4.23 per unit, which would be a 64% increase in water rates. Currently, water rates are $6.65 per unit.
“It quickly became apparent that the implementation of all 17 projects would be cost prohibitive,” the report stated.
By that same metric, if the village board approves issuing $47.6 million in bonds to upgrade its stormwater system, water rates would increase by $1.38 per water unit to repay the borrowed funds.
According to the report, the village’s stormwater task force was reinstated after heavy rainfalls hit the area in May 2020 causing residents’ basements to flood. Per previous reporting, 7.35 inches of rain hit the area in the span of four days.
The village hired an engineering firm, Chris B. Burke Engineering, to assist the task force in coming up with solutions to repair/upgrade the village’s stormwater management system.
Jeffrey Julkowski, a senior project manager for Chris B. Burke Engineering, said Skokie’s current stormwater system wasn’t designed for the heavy rainfalls seen today. Using data from the Illinois State Water Survey, Julkowski said storms that used to happen once every 10 years back in the 1980s are now happening once every two years today.
The task force prioritized five projects in Skokie that would be the most cost-effective in how many households would benefit from the repairs and upgrades. They include a $4.4 million project at Devonshire Park, a $4.2 million project at Gross Point Park, a $16.8 million project south of the Evanston Golf Club, a $14.8 million project on Main Street, and a $7.2 million project at Sequoyah Park.
Those first five projects are designated by the task force as Tier One projects. The task force also created a section of Tier Two projects, with six projects estimated to cost $45 million. Those projects were labeled as projects the village should consider in the future.
The task force’s report recommended the village board incorporate the expenses from the Tier One projects into the village’s annual Capital Improvements Planning process; for the village to create a $7,500 rebate program for homeowners to build an overhead sewer conversion and to pursue grants to help fund the projects, among other suggestions.
Funding for the stormwater system upgrades is still not set in stone, according to the village’s Communications Manager Meredith Gioia. Per the task force’s report, “There are preliminary indications from U.S Representative Jan Schakowsky that the Village will be able to secure $3 million for future stormwater improvements.”
The village is also considering applying for grants from the Greater Chicagoland Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, according to Village Manager John Lockerby. The village’s Finance Director Julian Prendi said the village is also considering applying for low-interest loans from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, but that the EPA typically needs increased administrative requirements.
