Itasca leaders explore infrastructure spending

Itasca officials met Tuesday to plan more than $15 million in village improvement programs through the next five years and to set priorities in light of the recession.

"The meat and potatoes of tonight is to get a consensus on the philosophical direction of where we want to go as a village," Trustee Jeff Aiani said.

Village officials and staff members laid out plans for about $2 million in spending per fiscal year through 2015 on infrastructure projects that include urbanizing streets in the area near North Street and Country Club Lane; constructing a bridge on Maple Street, just south of Irving Park Road; and using motor fuel taxes for patching pavement on streets like Cherry, between Irving Park Road and Schiller Street, among several other initiatives.

The total expenditures are potentially eligible for $3.8 million in grants or federal and state cost sharing through 2015, officials said. But some of these grants are time sensitive, said Aiani, which could force the village to make some projects top priorities in order to secure funding on grant deadlines.

Village President Jeff Pruyn said the board faces the challenge of trying to determine future spending without knowing when the national economy will recover.

"I can't sit here and tell you we'll have the $2.4 million to fund those projects (in 2011-12)," he said. "In the next six months, we're going to have to prioritize what happens if we only come in with $1.5. If revenues are still where they are at now in 2011-12, we have an obligation to look at other revenue sources."

Currently, Itasca does not charge residents for branch and garbage pickups or village stickers. The village also does not require residents to share the cost of sidewalk replacement, and officials said they do not raise water and sewer rates to be in line with other municipalities.

But village leaders agreed they hope to keep fees increases to a minimum in future years by utilizing other revenue-generating ideas, such as securing more grants or selling village services.

The Itasca village board will continue discussing capital spending in early April, but dates have not been set.