Pay thousands to Roselle now for sidewalks sometime later? Residents object

A group of homeowners in an unincorporated neighborhood near Roselle say the village is forcing them to make a difficult decision.

They must either pay Roselle thousands of dollars for sidewalks they may never get, or be disconnected from the village's sanitary sewer system.

The residents, who own 13 parcels in the Roselle Countryside neighborhood surrounded by Roselle, had pre-annexation agreements with the village that expired as much as six years ago. In January, they were notified they needed new 20-year agreements.

But unlike the previous pacts, the residents are being required to prepay for sidewalks that would be installed if and when their properties are annexed - something Roselle officials acknowledge won't happen anytime soon.

While the cost of the “cash sidewalk bond” varies for each property, most of the homeowners are being asked to pay between $4,100 and $4,900. A few who have corner lots would have to pay significantly more.

Resident Susan Lazzara said she doesn't understand why the village wants to charge her to sign a pre-annexation agreement.

“Why would I give them $5,000 for sidewalks they have no intention of putting in?” Lazzara said.

She and several of her neighbors said paying the money would be easier to accept if they were getting the sidewalks now.

“At least I'd be paying for something,” Lazzara said. “Here I am paying for nothing.”

Roselle Mayor Andy Maglio said the village is requiring the bond because there were situations in the past when homeowners refused to pay for sidewalks once their properties were annexed.

“It was costing the village money in legal fees to have them do what they had agreed to do,” Maglio said.

So the village made the decision to seek money for the sidewalks ahead of time “to eliminate that problem.”

Since the new policy was adopted in 2017, the village board has approved pre-annexation agreements with seven property owners who have paid the sidewalk fee. Maglio said 19 homeowners, including the ones in Roselle Countryside, have yet to sign.

The Roselle Countryside residents say the village has given them until the end of next week to make a decision.

If they don't agree to sign the pre-annexation agreement and pay the bond, the village “will proceed with the process of disconnection.”

Jim Knippen, the village's attorney, said it's not known how long the disconnection process would take. He said the residents would be given “a reasonable time” to install a septic field. They also would be notified of the disconnection date.

“If they apply with the county for a septic field permit and they have a contract, the village is certainly not going to rush in and disconnect them,” Knippen said.

But the residents, who have been Roselle sewer customers for years, say there's no guarantee DuPage County would allow them to reinstall septic systems. It also would be more expensive than paying for the sidewalks.

“I can see if they were disconnecting us for nonpayment of bills,” resident Jim Johnson said. “But they're going to disconnect us because of an imaginary sidewalk that we know is never going to happen.”

Maglio said the village has listened to the residents and “made concessions on the initial agreement.” For example, the residents can pay for the sidewalks in monthly payments over five years - 10 years if they have a corner lot.

“We're trying to make this as soft as we possibly can,” he said.