Split Vote On Keeping Elmhurst Trolley

ELMHURST, IL – In a divided vote, an Elmhurst panel on Monday approved spending public money on the local trolley for another year.

But northside Alderman Jacob Hill remained a dissenter, saying the city needed to try different stops. He said he was a trolley supporter and that he would present the committee's minority proposal to keep the program.

During the summer and the holidays, the trolley takes residents and visitors to six stops in downtown and the Spring Road business district.

A year ago, Hill urged the city to add stops on the north or south sides. The full council voted 9-5 for the program.

On Monday, Hill renewed his arguments during a meeting of the Public Affairs and Safety Committee. He said the north side has met another of the criteria for getting a stop on the trolley route: It has a business group called the Lake York Business Association.

"I love the trolley program. It needs to continue. It has huge value," Hill said.

But he said he was always interested in trying different routes and approaches. He suggested a pilot program with new stops.

However, Alderman Mike Brennan, the committee's chairman, said the city discussed the issue at "exhausting levels" last year.

"I don't see what has changed in our community to revisit this and do a pilot," Brennan said.

The proposal is to spend $87,000 this year on the trolley, with Aries Charter Transportation providing the service.

Last year, Brennan said, the city pushed the company to the last minute because of the debate. Because Aries was "very kind," it held a spot for Elmhurst, he said.

"We put our partner in a precarious position, asking them to hold the trolley for us. If we didn't pass it, that would have been a really bad thing for them," he said. "We don't want to abuse that relationship."

Brennan said Hill's no vote was his prerogative, "but you're also not supporting a very popular program."

Responding, Hill said, "In my defense, I brought this up with staff in advance."

He said even if he did not vote for the proposal, he still was interested in seeing the program move forward.

Brennan and Alderman Guido Nardini voted for the program, while Hill dissented.

Last year, Hill was joined in opposition during a City Council meeting by aldermen Rex Irby, Michael Bram, Noel Talluto and Karen Sienko.

Bram and Sienko represent the north side, while Irby's ward is in the city's southwestern corner.

Talluto, who represents a central ward, said she viewed the trolley as a "nice-to-have" program during a time of city tax and fee increases.

"I believe we need to start looking at programs that are nice-to-haves vs. must-haves," she said.