‘A community for opportunity’: Mount Prospect mayor touts village’s success
Calling Mount Prospect “a community for opportunity,” Mayor Paul Hoefert recapped the town’s recent achievements and gave a glimpse into its future Wednesday during his annual state of the village address.
Hoefert pointed to the village’s healthy financial state, which has enabled the village board to reduce the municipal property tax levy by 5% and eliminate the vehicle sticker.
The village also is reaping the benefits of robust sales tax revenues, which have grown from $15 million in 2016 to $33 million in 2023.The village has used $6.5 million in surplus funds to create an emergency fund, he added.
Hoefert also touted the village’s healthy business climate, saying the town had issued 99 new business licenses and participated in 15 ribbon cuttings in 2023. Among the additions were the Lady Dahlia Tequila Bar and the long-awaited Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets.
“(Caputo’s) is a really unique business in our downtown and one that, frankly, we've wanted for the last 50 years,” Hoefert said.
Randhurst Village shopping center also has seen additions, including The Golf Factory, an indoor golf facility, and Mr. Kimchi, a Korean barbecue restaurant.
“I think this is a renaissance year for (Randhurst),” Hoefert said. “I think you’re going to see lots of new businesses coming there.”
Hoefert also cited new development in the southern part of the village, including a new industrial building for the pharmaceutical storage and distribution firm World Courier.
Downtown redevelopment is going strong, he said, noting that Village Manager Michael Cassady called him a few months ago and said, “Take a look. There’s four cranes up in the air this morning.”
Infrastructure projects this year include road improvements at Central, Rand and Mount Prospect roads and upgrades to intersection of Route 83 and Rand and Kensington roads.
Also on the horizon, Hoefert said, are several new restaurants downtown and along Rand Road, the CloudHQ data center on the former United Airlines campus, and a new mixed-use project downtown called The Dawson.
Hoefert said one of his key goals for the year ahead is to see the village attain a AAA bond rating.
He credited village board members, Cassady and village staff for their roles in the village’s successes.
“We’re a hub community. By car or truck, you can be anywhere in the Chicagoland area in one hour,” he added. “You can be in one of the world’s busiest airports in 20 minutes.You can be in the Chicago Loop by train in 35 minutes. In one hour, you can be north to Kenosha, west to Rockford, south to Joliet and east to Evanston.”