Last week, the Independent brought you the news that the City of Elmhurst had finalized and signed an intergovernmental agreement with School District 205.
On Wednesday, Dec. 18, they issued the following release:
The City of Elmhurst and Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Board of Education have announced that an intergovernmental agreement has been finalized to address tax increment financing and longstanding storm water relief issues. The D205 Board of Education voted to approve the collaborative IGA during a special meeting on Wednesday Dec. 11, and the City Council followed with an approval during its regular council meeting Dec. 16. After several years of mediating and working towards this agreement, both parties are thrilled to move forward together.
“I believe this agreement is good for the community,” D205 Superintendent Dr. David Moyer said. “I am very pleased that we are able to put these outstanding issues to rest, and I look forward to working together cooperatively on future issues for the betterment of Elmhurst.”
“Our residents expect us to work together, and we have successfully come to an agreement that I believe will benefit the entire community,” Mayor Steve Morley stated.
The core details of the agreement are:
- Construction and operation by the City of storm water management facilities at York High School and Jackson Elementary School, coupled with site improvements at both schools. The earliest that construction will begin is late spring or early summer of 2021.
- The York project involves installation of underground storm water storage tanks by the City, at its expense, on top of which the District will construct, at its expense, an athletic field with artificial turf. The field will be large enough for practice and competition in a number of interscholastic sports, including soccer and lacrosse, as well as for use by physical education classes and community youth organizations. The athletic field and the underground tanks will be located in the open space immediately south of the entrance to the York campus.
- The Jackson project involves moderately lowering the field at the north end of the school site. The playability of the field will be enhanced. Improvements to the school’s parking area on the west side of the building will also be made. All improvements will be paid for by the City.
- Payment by the City to the District of $2,085,000, primarily from the City’s tax increment financing funds. The money will be used by the District to pay for school site and facility improvements, particularly at Churchville Middle School in TIF 4.
- Waiver by the City for payment by the District of stormwater-related fees stemming from the reconstruction of York High School approximately 20 years ago and a waiver by the District of issues relating to the City’s Downtown Tax Increment Financing Project.
“For the past two years, the D205 Board of Education and the City of Elmhurst have worked toward the betterment of our community and now have collaboratively come up with a great solution,” D205 Board President Kara Caforio said, “The IGA signals a new era of cooperation between our two entities. Our community always is best served when we operate with mutual understanding.”
“The City has spent many resources addressing our storm water issues,” Morley said. “We used to be known as the town that flooded, now we are known as the town that addressed flooding. This is a commitment we made to protect the home values in Elmhurst. We identified that we needed support from our taxing bodies to use open land space to store excess storm water. I want to thank every individual who has helped us come to this agreement. We are turning a new page on the relationship with District 205 while focusing on the future of Elmhurst.”
The full IGA presentation is available on the District 205 website. For additional information, contact Executive Director of Communications and Public Relations Bev Redmond at [email protected] or Kassondra Schref, Communications Manager for the City of Elmhurst, at [email protected].
