Arlington Heights might levy stormwater fee to pay for flood remedies

All Arlington Heights property owners may have to pay a stormwater utility fee to pay for a variety of flooding fixes the village is considering.

The village board on Monday discussed its priorities for the more than $40 million in potential projects outlined in three studies of sewer problem areas in town, and how it will pay for them. The discussion came about five years after major flooding in 2011 caused the village to take a long-term look at its infrastructure problems.

“There are no easy answers to this problem,” said Village Manager Randy Recklaus.

The village board was in agreement that a stormwater utility fee, if implemented, should be villagewide, not limited to just areas of town that experience flooding.

“We all sometimes pay for services we may or may not use,” said Trustee Thomas Glasgow, referring to costs of police and fire services in the community. “This is a village issue. Whether your home floods or it doesn't flood, it affects the property values of the entire community.”

Trustee Joe Farwell said he agreed that a fee should be villagewide, but he also wanted to see options for including the cost on the property tax bill instead so it could be tax deductible.

Village documents show that the fees could range from $3 to $14.75 per month depending how expensive the fixes the village does are.

Trustees said they also need more residents to take advantage of installing overhead sewers at their homes — a project that can cost between $10,000 and $20,000. The village has a 50/50 rebate program up to $7,500, but in the past 15 years only about 170 homeowners have taken advantage of it, Recklaus said. About 800 more need to install the overhead sewers to fix the flooding issues in that area of town.

Several people who spoke on Monday said the cost burden should not be on the residents.

“This is a question of basic infrastructure in the village, and that is not the responsibility of the residents,” said resident Marc Adelman. “Before you ask us to reach into our pockets, we want to see the village put some skin in the game.”

He suggested looking into grants or other forms of funding.

Resident Rick Fader said he is glad the village is finally tackling the issue at all. He said his home, a raised ranch, has flooded six times in the past 12 years and the water has caused his family to lose two cars and their flood insurance.

“I don't sleep when it rains,” he said. “This problem is not going to go away.”

Recklaus said the village will present a more detailed action plan this fall.