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Stormwater Management Committee & Referendum
Following the historic flooding event in northern Illinois in April of 2013, the Village of Westmont approved the creation of the Community Stormwater Management Committee. The mission of the committee was to review community stormwater management issues and make recommendations for improvement to the Village Board.
On Oct. 24, 2013, the Stormwater Committee, which consisted of residents from throughout the community, made a presentation to the Village Board regarding research that had been conducted over the previous several months. The presentation covered a wide range of topics including prioritization of flooded areas, "green" stormwater management strategies, and a recommendation to create a Stormwater Utility which will provide an ongoing source of revenue for stormwater management projects and maintenance.
Below are links to the materials used in the Community Stormwater Management Committee’s presentation to the Village Board on Oct. 24, 2013:
Listing Of Recommendations To Village Board Oct. 24, 2013
The Village Board approved a motion to follow the recommendations of the committee, and in early 2014, the community stormwater management dialogue evolved as the Village hired a consultant to navigate the possible creation of a Stormwater Utility. The Village Board dissolved the previous Community Stormwater Management Committee so that the people involved with the committee were able to participate in the consultant-led Stormwater Stakeholder’s Group, which continued to meet over the summer of 2014.
After considering a number of options, the Village Board decided to put forth a referendum question to the community in the Spring of 2015 asking residents to vote on a 0.5% Place For Eating Tax that would solely support stormwater management and related infrastructure issues. The residents of Westmont approved the referendum and the Places For Eating Tax went into effect that Summer. Since implementation, this mechanism has brought in over $1 million annually and these revenues have helped fund various stormwater infrastructure projects, "green" stormwater initiatives, the acquisition of property to assist with future stormwater projects, and more.