Winfield trustees battle over priorities

A public spat between two recently elected Winfield trustees has both combatants accusing the other of misplaced priorities.

Trustee Tony Reyes said in a letter that made its way onto a local blog that his colleague, Trustee Jim Hughes, has lost his focus. He said Hughes is spending too much time trying to find money to pay for the village’s Riverwalk project while roads continue to deteriorate.

Hughes said the criticism is merely Reyes’ way of playing politics.

“I would say a good part of it is a misunderstanding,” Hughes said. “But there is some feeling behind this of politics in that it’s really hard for some in Winfield politics to go forward with a project that (village President Deb Birutis) may get some credit for.“

Money for the first phase of the Riverwalk project, aimed at spurring downtown development and building a connector path between two of DuPage County Forest Preserve District’s major trails, has been raised through private donations and a matching grant from Central DuPage Hospital.

But when Hughes floated the idea of using impact fees from the nearby Shelburne Crossings development to complete funding for the project’s first phase, it drew Reyes’ ire.

“It’s a complete disregard of the taxpayers and a misuse of taxpayer dollars,” said Reyes. He said the use of such impact fees for the roads could be done with a little creativity.

But Village Manager Curt Barrett said that’s not the case.

“Those need to be used to pay for some kind of benefit that the development can enjoy and the Riverwalk will be in close proximity to (Shelburne),” he said.

Hughes said it’s unclear what the overall Riverwalk expense will be for Winfield, but the forest preserve has applied for a state grant to pay for most of the work that would be done in its area.

Still, the timing of the project angers Reyes.

“I know what a trustee is supposed to do and this is not what a trustee is supposed to do,” he said. “When we are broke, this is irresponsible.”

Officials have estimated half the village’s roads are in poor to failing condition and the village board has been trying to figure out how to pay for repairs. Officials hope a utility tax audit will identify additional revenue for road repairs.

Reyes said he has started to scour the annual budget for places to divert money and bolster the fund. Although Reyes insists that should be the top priority, Hughes said both Riverwalk and road repair can be tackled simultaneously.

“Riverwalk and the roads are two opposite topics and one is not taking money from the other,” he said. “It’s all going forward. Winfield is much more than a one-topic town and deserves a lot more than that. We are challenged to take on all the complex issues and that’s what we have had to do.”