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Chicago Tribune
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Homer Glen Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike says lobby stopped quick-take bill on 143rd Street
Homer Glen Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike said Saturday afternoon a bill pending in Springfield to allow Will County to use quick take powers to seize property along 143rd Street is on hold until fall. Neitzke-Troike and Will County Board member Jim Richmond, whose district includes Homer Glen, headed to the capitol to ensure lawmakers didn't plan a last-minute vote before the legislature's spring session scheduled end Saturday. Both Neitzke-Troike and Richmond said they talked to numerous state representatives, senators, legislative assistants and lobbyists to protest the county's use of quick take along 143rd Street. The Will County Division of Transportation is hoping to begin widening 143rd Street through Homer Glen next year, but Homer Glen and Homer Township officials would like to put the brakes on the project and discuss options other than the planned five-lane roadway. The expansion is opposed by many residents, who have protested the project for at least 18 months. Residents and local officials said it would disrupt the rural nature of the area and invite more noise, trucks and traffic. The street is under the jurisdiction of Will County, which has said the expansion is needed to improve traffic flow and safety. Village officials said studies to widen 143rd Street from State Street/Lemont Road to Bell Road are outdated and were completed long before the Illinois Department of Transportation widened 159th Street. 'Our residents are adamant this is not a five-lane road, and that's who we are representing,' Homer Glen Village Manager Joe Baber said. Baber and Neitzke-Troike said residents have actively filled out witness slips opposing the county's use of quick-take powers. Neitzke-Troike said 240 of the 260 witness slips filled out for the original House bill opposed the legislation authorizing quick take powers. Residents continued to fill out witness slips when amendments to the House bill were introduced and nearly all of them were against the project, Neitzke-Troike said. 'I believe Springfield heard us,' Neitzke-Troike said. 'They are doing what government is supposed to be doing, which is listening to the people.' The bill is in the Senate Judiciary Committee. While the road project is not stopped, it buys the village more time to come up with a more palatable solution. 'I'm very thankful, and it gave me hope that we can come to a middle ground on what's best for the residents of Homer Glen,' Neitzke-Troike said. 'My job is to protect the people in our community, and that's what I'm doing.' She plans to continue meeting with county leaders to come up with a solution that village officials and residents could get behind. One possible option is a center or third lane with curbs that would require less land to be acquired and be cheaper. Richmond, the County Board's Republican Leader, said he has always been opposed to the five-lane expansion of 143rd Street. 'Hopefully we can come up with some type of compromise,' Richmond said. Will County began engineering studies on the 159th Street expansion in 2009, and County Board members have voiced their support for the project for more than a decade. In November 2023, the County Board approved a resolution requesting Springfield approve quick-take powers to acquire right of way for the 143rd Street project. The resolution passed 12-11 along party lines with Democrats supporting quick take. The County Board in June 2024 approved its five-year transportation plan by a 17-3 vote, which included the 143rd Street widening as among the county's expenditures. The total cost for the 143rd Street widening is about $72.6 million and $6.2 million has already been spent, county spokesman Mike Theodore said. The county has also received a $7 million federal grant, which must be obligated in 2026, Theodore said. Any delays in the project could put those funds at risk, he said. But the repercussions could extend beyond the Homer Glen road widening project, Theodore said. 'Failure to obligate these funds could negatively impact Will County's ability to receive these roadway dollars in the future, as the federal government would not have faith in the county's ability to implement projects that were approved repeatedly for years,' Theodore said. 'As the fastest-growing county in Illinois with rising infrastructure needs, federal funding provides a critical supplement to Will County roadway projects. Putting this at risk could have long-term implications on the county's budget.' The 143rd Street expansion has long been controversial. In February 2024, the County Board voted to halt the project as planned and look into a three-lane option. County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant mistakenly signed that resolution and subsequently vetoed it, leading 10 County Board Republicans to file a lawsuit against her. 'Will County has held a consistent position since 2009: That the existing two-lane road is a danger to the public, impedes the flow of traffic, and prevents the safe passage of residents throughout the county,' Bertino-Tarrant said in her veto. The lawsuit against her was dismissed earlier this year in Will County Circuit Court. Neitzke-Troike said she hopes to speak with Bertino-Tarrant about the village's concerns. Richmond said he would like the 143rd Street project to be added to future County Board transportation committee agendas.
Chicago Tribune
15-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Will County Board rejects solar facilities in near New Lenox, Wilmington
The Will County Board voted 16-5 vote Thursday to reject plans for a solar facility in New Lenox Township that was opposed by New Lenox village officials and nearby homeowners. Soltage proposed two 5-megawatt commercial solar energy facilities on about 75 acres southeast of Haven Avenue and Gougar Road. The village of New Lenox abuts the property to the west and north and objected to the plan. More than 80 residents of the nearby Fieldstone Subdivision signed a petition stating the commercial solar energy facility would negatively impact their property values. They also said the height of the vegetation and the minimal times it would be mowed would be an eyesore and create problems with mosquitoes and rodents. 'This proposed solar farm will be extraordinarily close to our homes,' Sandy Wheeler said. 'I was involved in preparing the signatures in opposition to this proposed solar farm. Not one resident that I asked to sign the petition denied it.' Ray Stanford said residents in the Fieldstone Subdivision believed it would depreciate their property values, saying he researched the impact of property values next to solar farms in states that have had such facilities long before they became popular in Illinois. He said he learned the value of homes about a half mile from the solar farms go down in value. That claim was denied by Soltage representatives. New Lenox is recommending a medium density, single-family residential development as part of its comprehensive plan for that land, said Robin Ellis, the assistant village administrator and community development director. The village has been very deliberate in its planning and has intentionally kept industrial development west of Gougar Road, Ellis said. The county could generate more in property taxes from a future residential development than a solar plant, Ellis said in a letter to the county, noting the developer estimated the solar facility would generate about $73,000 annually in property taxes whereas a modest residential development could generate $1.6 million annually. The land owner last talked to the village about building a residential development in 2008, Ellis said. Since then, the village has taken steps to encourage residential development east of Gougar Road by investing nearly $4.5 million in road improvements. The village is also investing in a new wastewater treatment facility to prep the area for residential development, she said. Board member Frankie Pretzel, the chair of the County Board's Land Use and Development Committee, said this is the wrong location for a solar project. 'I drive by this property regularly,' Pretzel, a New Lenox Republican, said. 'It's just a matter of time that we see homes.' He said the site is in a highly desired area in the heart of town. New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann said homes are located to the west and north with Lincoln Way West High School to the south. If a solar facility is built, nearby vacant land would not be developed for homes, and an industrial use would likely be proposed. 'It doesn't fit the area,' Baldermann said. 'We are not anti-solar, it just doesn't make sense on this piece of property.' Baldermann said he believed the solar project would be a tremendous loss of revenue for the area taxing bodies. Union School District 81 would receive $660,000 a year in property tax revenue if the land were developed as homes as the village wants, said Baldermann, who is also the district's superintendent. As a solar facility, the district would receive $22,000 a year, he said. The district is also highly sought after and would welcome more students, Baldermann said. James Brown, fire marshal for the New Lenox Fire District, said he had concerns due to its proximity to schools and Silver Cross Hospital. Stephanie Sienkowski, director of development at Soltage, said the project would bring about 60 to 75 union contractor jobs during construction, and the solar facility could provide solar energy to about 2,000 homes, helping meet a growing demand for electricity. She said the company also planned to offer college scholarships to students and gift the New Lenox Fire District with an ATV. She tried to assuage concerns about fire hazards and said the company has an emergency response plan in place. Andrew Lines, a real estate appraiser for Soltage, said data shows solar energy facilities don't have issues on property values throughout the country including in coveted and scenic areas of Hawaii, California or Colorado. Soltage attorney Maria Bries said the property is located in unincorporated Will County, which should supersede New Lenox's planning authority. New Lenox's comprehensive plan is only advisory, she said. Commercial solar facilities are allowed to be located on agricultural land, and the Soltage project meets the requirements for a special use permit, she said. The company has invested $1.6 million in the project thus far, she said. Bries said the Will County Board cannot be more restrictive than state law in denying an application. 'Decisions by counties based on local resistance rather than objective standards … are yielding arbitrary outcomes detrimental to ComEd's future power supply and the state of Illinois' pressing energy needs,' she said. State laws governing solar projects have frustrated many county lawmakers, who feel the state is taking the control over local projects out of their hands. 'I strongly believe that the state legislature got this wrong and shame on them for putting us in this position month after month after month,' Pretzel said, adding he would like to put a halt on solar cases. 'The only reason they are called solar farms is because we are putting them on farm land,' said Republican Leader Jim Richmond, of Mokena. 'Really, they are solar utility plants, and we are putting them in close proximity to houses not because this board wants them there but because Springfield has pushed this upon us.' Democrat Sherry Newquist of Steger, who voted against the project, said she was on the fence. She said on one hand it was a textbook case of a municipality using its future planning area to decide how it wants to grow. But she conceded denying the project would ultimately lead to a lawsuit. 'And how well is that serving the taxpayers,' she said. The County Board also voted 16-5 to reject a commercial solar energy facility proposed by Nexamp Solar LLC that would have been located on about 34 acres on Wilmington-Peotone Road in Wilmington. County Board Speaker Joe VanDuyne, a Democrat from Wilmington, said the planned location is next to the community's welcome sign and would be a bad location for a solar farm. The city of Wilmington objected to the request because it was too close to existing residents and could be annexed to the city for a future residential use. City officials said the solar energy facility would be an eyesore and potentially create glare or contamination concerns, county documents said.
Chicago Tribune
18-04-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Will County Board approves solar projects near Monee, Peotone
The Will County Board voted Thursday to approve two new solar projects for the south suburbs. The board voted 13 to 9 to approve TurningPoint Energy's request to build a 3.4-megawatt commercial solar energy facility on about 35 vacant acres near the northeast corner of La Grange Road and West Monee-Manhattan Road in Monee. TurningPoint has been granted special use permits for eight projects in Will County near Crete, Monee, Peotone and Joliet, county documents said. The company has been working with Green Garden Township on the project for several months, and the township supports the project, county documents said. The solar energy field is within the township's comprehensive land use plan, Supervisor Donald Murday wrote to the county. The project is expected to create between 50 and 75 jobs in about one to 1 1/2 years of development. Property tax revenue is expected to be more than $395,000 over 25 years and $612,000 over 40 years, according to information from TurningPoint. The County Board also approved a solar energy facility request by Cenergy Power and ESP Solar PLLC by a 12-11 vote, with County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant casting the tiebreaking vote to advance the proposal. The 2-megawatt project will be built on about 19 acres of a nearly 81-acre parcel at 5949 W. Eagle Lake Road, Peotone, which is within the footprint of the proposed South Suburban Airport. Will Township and the Will Township Road District objected to the solar facility because it doesn't fall within their comprehensive development plan, Supervisor Brian Cann wrote. 'Although, we understand that landowners have the right to manage their properties within local, state, and county guidelines, we stand firm in our rejection of this project,' Cann wrote. The solar facility could exist on the property for between 20 and 40 years, county documents said. County Board member Judy Ogalla, a Monee Republican, cautioned the board on the solar facilities that have been coming up for a vote each month. 'We have to look at maintaining some of our agriculture land here in the county,' Ogalla said. 'Between warehouses, new developments, subdivisions and solar facilities, we are losing acres every single day, every single month.' Ogalla said the county or Springfield should look into agriculture preservation so the county does not lose so much farmland. She said future generations may question what officials were thinking to allow agriculture land to be occupied by solar facilities for decades. 'It makes sense to preserve farmland,' she said.
Chicago Tribune
17-04-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Will County Board OKs pay raises for countywide elected officials, board members
Will County Board members and countywide elected officials will see pay hikes after the 2026 and 2028 elections, after nearly two decades without a salary increase. The board voted 13-9 to approve salary increases for countywide elected positions, with two Republicans joining Democrats in support of the raises. 'I'm trying to right the ship,' Speaker Joe VanDuyne, a Wilmington Democrat, said. Will County has 10 countywide elected officials, but the County Board does not set the salary for the regional superintendent of schools, state's attorney or sheriff. Countywide elected officials make $93,116, which has been stagnant since 2007. The measure will increase it to $116,000 after the next election. 'These are full-time positions,' VanDuyne said. 'In this day in age to make $93,000 a year to lead a countywide department is way underpaid. It's a full-time job and they need to be paid accordingly.' Will County Treasurer Tim Brophy did a comparison of countywide elected officials' pay in the Chicago collar counties and some of the most populous counties statewide, based on the 2020 census. He said he excluded Cook County because it is an anomaly. Countywide officials in DuPage County, with nearly 933,000 residents, make just over $151,000 a year and have an auto allowance. Lake County officials make just over $134,000 a year for their population of about 714,000 residents. With just over 696,000 residents, Will County ranks third in population among the Illinois counties, excluding Cook, but elected officials' salaries rank 11th, according to the data. The average salary of some of Illinois' most populous counties is $116,516, Brophy said. Will County at 865 square miles is also the largest of the collar counties in size and is about 2 1/2 times the geographic size of DuPage County, Brophy said. Brophy said the higher compensation for countywide elected officials will put Will County about average among its peer counties. He said the elected officials have professional skill sets and would make more money in the private sector, but choose to give back to their communities. Unlike the private sector, the officials have to run for reelection every four years to retain their jobs, he said. A higher salary is a better incentive for qualified individuals to run for public office, Brophy said. The countywide elected officials salary will increase to $116,000 after the 2026 election, then increase $3,000 a year for the following three years. The county executive's salary will increase to $125,000 a year after the 2028 election and increase to $128,750 for fiscal year 2029-30. Officials whose term expires in 2028 will see their salaries increase to $122,000 after the 2028 election and then raise by $3,000 the next year. 'The law says you cannot give yourself a raise,' VanDuyne said. 'We are paying the position, not the individual.' Before the vote, some board members asked to send the plan back to committee for more discussion or reduce the size of the raises, both of which failed. Board member David Oxley, a Lockport Republican who voted in favor of the raises, said he felt it was a double-edged sword. The population of the county continues to increase, resulting in a higher workload for the officials. Private sector employees would not expect to work in the same job for so long without a raise, he said. Frankie Pretzel, a New Lenox Republican, said he supported the raises because of the commitment from Democrats to work with the Republicans to find cost-saving measures in the budget. Jackie Traynere, a Bolingbrook Democrat, said the board would not have been in the predicament had it not 'kicked the can down the road' for so long. Still many Republicans were not convinced. Mark Revis, a Republican from Plainfield, said many of his constituents have told him taxes are too high and residents are on a fixed income. 'I think everybody is deserving of a raise. I know they work hard; I know they put in the hours,' Revis said. 'But when I speak with residents and the constituents I represent, they are more deserving of a break on their property taxes than you guys are deserving of said raises.' Board member Judy Ogalla, a Monee Republican, said when the board approved the $93,116 salary, it was above the median salary at the time. Raquell Mitchell, a Republican from Bolingbrook, noted the government is funded through property taxes. 'The question is always where is the money coming from,' she said. 'We know exactly where the money is coming from. It's coming from the taxpayers' pockets.' The County Board also approved a pay raise for its own members, effective after the 2026 and 2028 elections. The 12-10 vote was mostly along party lines with 10 Republicans voting against the plan. The last time the board approved a salary increase was Nov. 17, 2005, when it approved gradually raising salaries by $500 a year starting after the November 2006 election. The rate for board members increased to $21,500 a year Dec. 1, 2006 and then increased an additional $500 per year until Dec. 1, 2009, when it reached its current level of $23,000. VanDuyne said the raises could allow for more participation in county government. He said while it is easier for individuals who are retired to give back, he also wants to encourage a diverse demographic to seek office. He cited mothers who may need the extra compensation to pay for child care, or workers who are paid hourly, as examples. Destinee Ortiz, a Romeoville Democrat, agreed, saying increasing salaries for the board allows more people the opportunity to participate in elected office, not just those who are retired or independently wealthy. 'It ensures that public service is accessible to people of all economic backgrounds, not just the wealthy,' Ortiz said. 'Fair compensation recognizes the time, the responsibility, the personal sacrifice the job requires and helps attract qualified, diverse candidates who otherwise might be excluded, which ultimately leads to more representation and effective government.' Sherry Newquist, a Democrat from Steger, said while she has voted against pay raises for board members before, she said the time demanded of the board has increased. The salary for County Board members will increase to $28,000 after the 2026 election and then by $2,500 for each of the next three years. The six members whose terms will be voted on in 2028 will receive the same pay as the board members in fiscal year 2028-29. The County Board speaker, the leader of the board and selected by its 22 members, will earn an additional $10,000 per year. The County Board tried to vote on pay raises last June, but Republicans walked out of the meeting after members believed the Democrats were trying to change the terms of the deal. Because members walked out of the room, the votes on pay raises could not take place due to a lack of quorum. VanDuyne said wanted to bring this forward now because it is not an election year. Last year, the board attempted to raise salaries for the countywide elected officials and the County Board members just months before the November election. Sherry Williams, the Democratic Leader from Crest Hill, said she believes people should be fairly compensated for their work. She said she knows some board members will be adamantly against raises, but not increasing compensation for nearly two decades was wrong. 'Are we saying people will never get an increase, because that's not realistic,' Williams said. 'This is a good time. If not now, when?' After the November 2026 election, the raises for the treasurer and county clerk and 16 of the 22 County Board members whose seats are up will take effect. In 2028, the raises for the county executive, auditor, circuit clerk of the courts, coroner, recorder of deeds and the six remaining County Board positions will take effect. The board is elected on staggered terms.
Chicago Tribune
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Letters: If the state would fund its mandates, the RTA wouldn't be faced with such a fiscal crisis
The day the Tribune front-page story exclaimed, 'RTA warns of 'doomsday' transit cuts if budget gap isn't plugged' (March 21), the editorial inside railed against state unfunded mandates ('Our views on the suburban ballots' advisory questions on fair maps, pension reforms and unfunded mandates'). Rightly, the Tribune Editorial Board asks: 'Why should the state be allowed to pass a bill that requires spending someone else has to cover?' Our region's public transportation faces a $771 million transit 'fiscal cliff' when federal COVID-19 monies run out. The state of Illinois contributes the least to mass transit operations of any state — 17% here compared to 28% in New York, 44% for Boston and 50% in Philadelphia. Regarding unfunded mandates, the state's reimbursement for Americans with Disabilities Act paratransit is just 4% — just $10 million of the $249 million yearly mandate. Also, the state mandates free and reduced fares of $150 million annually but provides a paltry reimbursement of $20 million. Recently, Springfield began to impose a 1.5% collection fee on RTA sales taxes reducing the budgets for the CTA, Metra and Pace suburban buses by another $20 million each year. If the state would fund its mandates, the doomsday budget cuts looming over the 1.2 million weekday RTA riders could significantly shrink. — Kirk Dillard, chair, Regional Transportation Authority Use of Will County land Last month, Gov. JB Pritzker went to Champaign County to launch his Standing Up for Illinois Tour. The governor blasted the abrupt cancellation of U.S. Department of Agriculture contracts and programs. He called farming 'the bedrock of our economy … the backbone of our communities and … a way of life … under attack by the leaders of our country.' Pritzker can also demonstrate his commitment to Illinois agriculture by calling out Democratic lawmakers for blocking long-overdue state legislation. In February, state Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, introduced a bill, SB2186, authorizing an alternative use plan for 7 square miles of state-owned countryside near the Will County village of Peotone. About a quarter century ago, the Illinois Department of Transportation bought the land for a 'third' Chicago airport. One problem: The region is already served by five commercial airports: O'Hare, Midway, Milwaukee, Rockford and Gary. In 2023, Pritzker signed a law directing IDOT to solicit bids to turn the land into a cargo airport. (The property — including some of the best farmland on earth — is leased to corn and soybean farmers.) Last November, the Will County Board voted to explore an alternative use plan. Area residents envision a 'regenerative agriculture research and development center' — a place where people can learn, teach, experiment, grow, process and sell food and other agricultural products. I'm working with Will County Board member Judy Ogalla, R-Monee, to find partners to develop the Northeastern Illinois 'Good Food For All' research triangle. Anchored by the Peotone site, a tricounty research triangle would connect Joliet, Kankakee County's Pembroke Township and Chicago's Englewood neighborhood. (This south metro area is home to 'a critical mass of local food infrastructure,' according to state officials.) We envision a local farm economy planning process to address the interrelated goals of community-centered and commercial-scale agri-food groups as well as nature conservationists. Ventura responded by introducing the 'Agri-Food Infrastructure Investment Task Force Act.' The bill would authorize a study drawing on 'broad-based community support for solving food insecurity problems.' The outcome would be a road map to build a thriving regional farm economy. Ventura was told Illinois Senate Assistant Majority Leader Napoleon Harris, D-Harvey, has found potential airport developers, so there's no need to consider alternatives. Pritzker should demand that state lawmakers entertain options instead of clutching to an idea first proposed nearly six decades ago. — Bob Heuer, director, HNA Networks, Evanston Loss of Black teachers As members of the Chicago Alliance of Urban School Educators (CAUSE), we are compelled to respond to Paul Vallas' April 1 op-ed 'The decline in Black teachers has nothing to do with CPS' evaluation system.' While we appreciate the attention to this critical issue, Vallas' commentary fails to address the structural policies that continue to push Black educators out of Chicago Public Schools — namely, the do not hire (DNH) list and the racially biased evaluation system known as Recognizing Educators Advancing Chicago's Students, or REACH. The REACH system, introduced under the same managerial reforms that Vallas once championed, consistently ranks Black teachers lower — particularly those serving in high-poverty, underresourced schools. This is not a reflection of ineffective teaching, but of an evaluation framework that penalizes educators for the systemic challenges their students face. These scores are then used as a pretext to remove teachers from classrooms and place them on the DNH list, often without any misconduct, due process or opportunity for reinstatement. The DNH list has become a quiet but powerful mechanism of exclusion, disproportionately affecting Black educators and operating with no transparency or oversight. It strips educators of their careers, silences their voices and destabilizes school communities — while CPS and city leaders claim to support equity and justice. If Vallas is serious about reversing the loss of Black teachers, we urge him to support the implementation of the CPS DNH four pillars, which would ensure that no educator is placed or kept on the DNH list unless they: Have a disqualifying criminal conviction. Fail a standard background check. Lack a valid Illinois State Board of Education license. Have an open or substantiated Department of Children and Family Services case. All educators who meet these criteria must be reinstated immediately. It is not enough to lament the loss of Black educators — we also must dismantle the policies that have caused it. The REACH system and the unchecked power of the DNH list are central to that problem. CAUSE calls for action, not rhetoric. Justice for Black teachers must begin with accountability and meaningful reform. — Dr. Marlo Barnett, executive board member, and Dr. Rosita Chatonda, president, CAUSE, Chicago Trans student's life The Tribune recently covered the controversy over a transgender student using the appropriate school locker room in Deerfield ('Transgender issue puts middle school in spotlight,' March 23). I'm the mother of two teenage children, a son and a daughter, both of whom attend public high school and neither of whom is transgender. I worry about a lot of things when it comes to my kids, but the mere existence of a transgender student — even a transgender student in the locker room — isn't one of them. I'm pretty sure transgender students, like most students, are just trying to make it through the day and live their lives. By all accounts, the Deerfield student, whose parent filed a federal civil rights complaint over her transgender peer, was given opportunities to change in private, as any student should be allowed to do. That means she was not forced to change anywhere or change in front of anyone, and her safety was never put at risk. In fact, I wonder why there hasn't been more discussion of what the trans student has been going through. What must it feel like to be so unwanted by a fellow classmate, viewed as so dangerous, that your classmate runs out of the locker room (and a parent makes a federal complaint about it!) rather than share space with you?
