Wheaton doesn't see College of DuPage in its future

Whatever the differences between College of DuPage and Glen Ellyn, it appears Wheaton officials don't want to end up in the middle.

Wheaton Mayor Michael Gresk on Wednesday confirmed that COD President Robert Breuder contacted him last month to talk about the possibility of deannexing from Glen Ellyn and becoming part of Wheaton.

But Gresk said he doesn't believe Wheaton is interested in providing water and sewer service to the campus.

"I really don't see it going anywhere." Gresk said. "We have so many things on our plate that incorporating a 30,000-student campus should not be one of them. I don't think it's realistic at this time."

In fact, the informal conversation between Gresk and Breuder was so preliminary that the city council doesn't have plans to discuss it. And City Manager Don Rose said staff hasn't been directed to do any work related to the idea.

Breuder contacted Gresk amid a public feud between the college and Glen Ellyn over newly installed electronic directional signs. The village cited COD for installing the signs without a permit, and the school responded by taking Glen Ellyn to court in an effort to gain autonomy.

Breuder said this week in an interview with the Daily Herald that the "unfortunate" situation is the result of a relationship between the village and the college that soured years ago.

"Maybe this partnership is not in the best interest of the college and we should explore alternatives rather than having this seemingly annual conflict," Breuder said.

Wheaton officials said it's the city's practice to provide water and sewer service only to properties that immediately annex into the town or agree to join in the future.

Gresk said he doesn't know if COD's situation would necessarily improve with a Wheaton address.

With a district that includes most of DuPage and parts of Will and Cook counties, College of DuPage officials have argued that the state - not Glen Ellyn - has jurisdiction over the 273-acre campus.

Like Glen Ellyn, Gresk said Wheaton would expect COD to comply with its local codes. "They are angry about their (Glen Ellyn's) sign ordinance," the mayor said. "We have similar ordinances of our own."

Breuder this week estimated Glen Ellyn would lose between $400,000 and $500,000 a year in utility fees and sales tax revenue if the college was allowed to deannex. Because Wheaton has water and sewer connections nearby, Breuder didn't anticipate a high cost to switch to Wheaton.

Gresk said Breuder made him aware of the sales tax dollars that COD could generate for Wheaton.

Still, bringing the college into the city wouldn't generate any new property tax dollars for a town that already has nearly 25 percent its land off the tax rolls. Meanwhile, Wheaton would be expected to provide costly services, such as police and fire protection, to the campus.

"We have two excellent institutions in town now that are good neighbors," said Gresk, referring to Wheaton College and the Illinois Institute of Technology. "We enjoy having them, but they don't contribute to the tax base. Could we get a third one? Sure. How important would it be? I think on a priority system, it's way down our list of things to do."

Glen Ellyn Village President Mark Pfefferman said he was "thrilled" to learn about Gresk's comments, especially since he was surprised to find out COD was considering deannexation. He said recent talks between the college and village have gone "really well" and are continuing.

"We don't think the future success goals of the college and the village are mutually exclusive," Pfefferman said. "We think they can go hand in hand. College of DuPage and Glen Ellyn have been 'pride-making' for 40 years. I know that will continue in the future."