Less Money For Elmhurst Streets Expected

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst is poised to cut its spending on street projects next year, a response to a tougher budget situation.

Earlier this week, Stan Balicki, Elmhurst's public works director, said the proposed budget includes a reduction of nearly $1.4 million in the street's contract paving program.

The cuts also affect parking lot maintenance and inlet cleaning, he said.

For the last few years, the city has hired an engineer to conduct two neighborhood traffic studies annually. The proposed budget would reduce that to one, saving $50,000.

The city also plans to trim the tree-planting budget by $45,000, meaning 500 trees would be planted, instead of 600. This is less drastic than the city's axing of the entire planting program for a year in the wake of the pandemic's economic effects.

Mayor Scott Levin said the City Council needed more information before deciding on cuts.

"You're taking x thousand from inlet repair. What's the effect of that? If there's no effect, we should have cut it a long time ago," Levin said at a meeting this week. "If there's an effect, you're saying, 'Yes, there are not enough dollars, but we have to cut from somewhere.' Then what is the effect, so we can decide if we really want to cut?"

Last week, officials described Elmhurst's overall budget challenges, saying the city needed to make cuts and raise taxes.

Over the next few weeks, aldermen are scheduled to hear budget presentations from city departments.