Road troubles for Winfield

Winfield property owners next fall could be asked to open their pocketbooks a bit more to help the village raise the hundreds of thousands of dollars a year it needs to fix streets.

Village board members on Thursday night discussed the possibility of a November 2010 referendum as they reviewed a list of funding options for road repairs. No final decision was made.

The state of Winfield's nearly 35 miles of roads is a point of concern because many are in poor to failing condition, officials said.

Meanwhile, there's been a decline in the amount of motor fuel sales tax money the village receives from the state. So Winfield only has about $150,000 for annual repairs to its roads.

"More than 50 percent of our roads need to be fixed," Village President Deborah Birutis said. "That's a serious condition at this point."

But Winfield is limited in its ability to raise taxes without voter approval because it doesn't have home-rule status.

During Thursday's village board meeting, officials mentioned the possibility of resurrecting the vehicle sticker program or asking voters to approve a sales tax hike.

Neither idea would raise the amount of money the village needs, however.

So village leaders are considering whether to ask voters to approve a pair of property tax increases.

The first ballot question would seek permission for Winfield to borrow $3.3 million to resurface its most deteriorated streets.

The second question would ask voters to establish an ongoing street maintenance program. How much property taxes could increase depends on whether Winfield wants streets repaired every 15 years or every 20 years. Another factor influencing cost is whether the village decides to only resurface streets or also reconstruct some of them.

Under the least expensive plan for property taxpayers, $640,000 a year could be raised. It would allow each street to be resurfaced once every 20 years. But that proposal wouldn't set aside money for road reconstruction.

If voters approved that plan, it would add about $243 to the yearly tax bill for a home valued at $300,000, officials estimate.

Because it's too late to get a question on the February ballot, village officials must wait until November to seek any referendum.

In the coming months, village board members are expected to decide what type of a street maintenance program they would want voters to consider.

While a decision to seek a referendum hasn't been made, Trustee Glenn VadeBonCoeur said something must be done to protect the village's assets.

"I think we put this out for referendum," he said, "and let the residents evaluate it."