Des Plaines residents might have to pay 25 percent of flooding fix

Des Plaines residents might be on the hook for paying 25 percent of the cost of fixing flooding in their backyards.

The city's engineering committee Thursday night favored a 75 percent/25 percent cost sharing with residents for the rear-yard drainage program, which started in 2003 as part of the city's stormwater master plan.

Backyard flooding often damages detached garages, sheds, as well as foundations and basements. More properties can contribute to the problem, if their backyards drain into low-lying properties where water collects.

The problem is not unique to Des Plaines as communities including Barrington, Bartlett and Northbrook have programs to address backyard flooding, said Tim Oakley, city director of public works and engineering.

Since 2003, Des Plaines has spent $2.1 million to alleviate backyard flooding. The city shouldered 100 percent of the cost then, which no longer is sustainable under its current financial constraints that have forced layoffs and tax increases this fiscal year, officials said.

Des Plaines' rear-yard drainage program was projected to end with the 2009 calendar year due to budget cuts but was granted a three-year life extension after residents packed ward meetings last year complaining about neighborhood flooding.

Officials have pledged $300,000 annually until the rear-yard drainage program sunsets in 2013, with the idea that residents will share the burden.

Depending on the extent of pipe installation and pre-existing infrastructure conditions in a neighborhood, the cost of a rear-yard drainage project could run anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000. Each project typically benefits four or more property owners, working out to an average cost of between $5,000 and $25,000 per site.

Engineering Committee Chairman and Ward 3 Alderman Matt Bogusz clarified the range in cost for the projects is due to certain areas not having adequate drainage infrastructure to begin with.

"I don't want residents to think that the higher price points affect more people in a neighborhood," he said.

Affected residents may be able to pay the cost upfront or through the establishment of a special service area that basically amounts to an additional line item on their property tax bills.

An SSA can last 10 to 15 years with a 4.5 percent annual interest rate - what it would cost the city to borrow money to complete the projects. A single property owner liable for $5,000 of the cost of a rear-yard drainage pipe would pay roughly $631 yearly, and less if more property owners shared the cost.

The city must go through a public hearing and give adequate notice to residents who may be included in an SSA before it can create one by ordinance. Residents must actively turn down an SSA if they don't want one.

"If more than 50 percent (of residents) object to it, we can't create it," Oakley said.

Resident Jerry Petersen said the city has promised flooding relief for 46 years but believes the rear-yard drainage solution may just divert the problem.

"My question is where is the water going to go," he said. "What is Des Plaines going to do for water retention? We are going to flood no matter what you do because we can't move enough water. The volume comes too quick; the sewer capacity is not adequate."

City officials said the rear-yard drainage program is just one tool to address flooding.

Des Plaines' 2010 budget includes $300,000 to install rear-yard drainage pipes at roughly 15 sites, and an additional $300,000 set aside for street drainage projects that often are done in tandem.

Officials hope to divert floodwater from backyards and streets into storm sewers that will ultimately channel the excess water to the Des Plaines River and Willow/Higgins Creek.

The rear-yard drainage program has a backlog of 104 requests waiting for improvements since its inception - 65 fall under the $20,000 category, 21 are in the $50,000 range, and 18 would cost $100,000 per project. To fulfill all 104 requests, it would cost the city more than $4.1 million.

Ward 5 Alderman James Brookman said having a cost-sharing plan "will help prioritize projects in terms of people who really need the work done and are willing to pay."

"It's really more of a private than public benefit, and if it's spread out over a number of years the burden shouldn't be excessive," Brookman said.

Brookman was however against the idea of charging residents yearly interest on their share since property owners who benefitted from the program in the past didn't pay anything.

"It seems kind of unfair to charge people and charge interest on top of it," he said.

The city council will consider the cost-sharing options at a future meeting.