Mt. Prospect could raise sticker fees, gas and property taxes

Mount Prospect residents may be paying more for vehicle stickers and more at the fuel pump as the village seeks way to boost funding for road maintenance.

Residents could also see a slight rise in real estate taxes to pay for flood control projects in troubled areas of town.

Those were among the recommendations village trustees heard this week when they met as a committee of the whole. Trustees took no votes on the suggestions and do not appear close to taking any formal actions on possible fee and tax increases.

Finance Commission Chairman Vincent Grochocinski presented trustees with a cocktail of revenue boosting measures to help fund road projects. It includes raising the local motor fuel tax from two to five cents per gallon, a move that he said would add $500,000 in revenue.

He also proposed raising the fee for a village sticker from $36 to $50, adding another $500,000 in funding.

Finally, the village would reallocate a portion of the home rule sales tax currently devoted to flooding and use it for streets. That would generate $250,000 in the first year.

“The goal is to keep the roads from getting into a reconstruction mode or resurfacing mode, which would double the cost,” he said.

The flood measures are in response to the widespread flooding during last year’s record storms. A study subsequently determined that the village needed to commit to about $14 million in public improvements. It also recommended another $9 million in improvements on private property.

The Finance Commission recommends increasing the sewer and construction fee from $5 per month to $7, which would fund $320,000 in improvements.

The village, under the proposal, also would create two special service areas, split up between sanitary flood projects and storm sewer flood projects, to raise $1.2 million annually for an estimated 20 years.

As for the private improvements, Grochocinski said the committee recommends that the village not offer assistance beyond loans to homeowners. He said a resident would pay one-third of the improvement’s cost up front, while the village would loan the other two-thirds, with the loan constituting a lien on the property to be repaid when it would be sold.

Trustees expressed their appreciation for the commission bringing a fresh perspective.

“You have given us some insight on some possible ways to find solutions, and that’s obviously what we’re here to do,” Trustee Michael Zadel said.

Village Manager Michael Janonis said there would be a further public discussion on flooding issues at a Sept. 11 board meeting.