LEMONT PROPERTY TAXES TO GO UP!

No kidding you might say, tell me something I don't know!

O.K. then, you should know that there is a very real possibility that in the near future, your property tax bill could include a dramatic and decades long increase!  

Over a year ago, during a Lemont Village Board meeting in late January, 2013, with little advance warning, and less explanation, the Village Board quietly passed an Ordinance authorizing the construction of a "Sports Complex" that would primarily serve traveling sports teams – primarily soccer and volleyball.

Although the construction cost is currently estimated at $21 Million; with interest, the total payout would be close to $39 Million. This does not include operating costs.

Here are some relevant facts you should know about this scheme of theirs:

 - Their plan requires that the Complex be built on land owned by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MRWD)

- This would require a lease that at its end would result in the ownership of the Complex vesting     in the land owner, the MWRD

- The Lemont administration has tentatively agreed to pay the MWRD 25% of any profits from operation of the proposed Complex for the use of their land

-  At present, the land is classified as a "Brownfield" by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and must be decontaminated before it may be used for human activity

- Lemont Mayor Brian Reaves has generously “volunteered” the use of Lemont taxpayer funds to clean up this land (currently estimated to cost between, $500K to $1 M) even though the owner, the MWRD, is primarily responsible for these costs under the law

- The Complex would be bordered on the North by the Sanitary and Ship Canal which carries untreated sewerage from Chicago that makes the canal water too dangerous for human contact

- The Complex site is essentially an isolated cul-de-sac: it can only be accessed from one direction – on Stephen Street from the South

- Stephen Street is a narrow two-lane road that must pass under a railroad overpass to access the proposed site. Under the underpass, it narrows so much that it will be a traffic choke point that would make traffic jams routine and serve to discourage future patronage of the Complex

- This very limited access could cause dangerous delays for emergency vehicles during peak traffic times which could compound injuries and give rise to expensive civil lawsuits

- Downtown Lemont is bordered on the South by the METRA Heritage Corridor Line railroad which carries Passenger and Freight traffic that would also contribute to significant traffic problems

-  If built, the Lemont Sports Complex would be in direct competition with the Romeoville Soccer Complex which is easily accessible by use of Route 53 - a high speed 4 lane road near several kid friendly restaurants. It is 7.5 miles from Lemont

- There are no kid friendly restaurants in downtown Lemont for anyone to patronize at any time

-  The long term success of the proposed Complex would require that the very expensive traveling soccer/volleyball team league participation would continue undiminished for the next 30 years or more

- A financial expert working at the University of Chicago has stated that the Chicagoland area is already saturated with these types of facilities and advises against constructing new ones

- Similar sports venues built by area municipalities have failed economically and have resulted in significant property tax increases to the taxpayers

- The majority of specialized sports venues built in the past during the widespread popularity of racquetball and indoor tennis were out of business many years short of a 30 year timeframe

- Default of the Complex bonds would result in a downgrade of the Village's credit rating which would significantly increase future borrowing costs as well as significantly increasing future property taxes

- Finally, and most importantly, the Lemont Village Board and Mayor changed the original funding method from one allowing a voter referendum that would have approved or denied funding for the project, to one that denies any voter input regarding their plans for this $39 million scheme

You should know that in spite of these serious potential problems, and in the face of demands for voter participation from members of the public – in particular, the Let Us Vote citizens group, the Lemont Village Board and Mayor Reaves have indicated a continuing determination to implement their plans to build this thing.

If the very real possibility of huge property tax increases resulting from the failure of the proposed Sports Complex upsets you, please let the following Lemont Officials know of your opposition to their plan:

Trustee Debby Blatzer

Trustee Paul Chialdikas

Trustee Clifford Miklos

Trustee Rick Sniegowski

Trustee Ronald Stapleton

Trustee Jeanette VIrgilio

Mayor Brian Reaves

E-mail, regular mail is fine, but attending and speaking out at a Board meeting is probably more effective. Their main phone number is 630-257-1590.

Remember, this situation is like Obamacare: lots of people were for it until they learned that they had to pay for it! Don’t wait until it’s too late and YOU have to pay for the Lemont Sports Complex!