Village Preparing for 2013 Road Program

The road program will be funded through the referendum voters approved in March.

The village of Libertyville is gearing up for its referendum-supported 2013 road program. Trustees voted unanimously Monday night to approve land surveying and engineering services contracts for the road program, which will be funded through a $20 million bond issue that voters approved in March. Nearly 60 percent of Libertyville voters approved the bond issue, which will be staggered into four $5 million bond issues to rehabilitate village roads over a five-year period. Trustees agreed to contract with Lake Villa-based Jorgensen & Associates Inc. to start the preliminary design process — including a comprehensive topographic survey — for a planned water main replacement and pavement rehabilitation project. Per the contract, the cost will …

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Libertyville Prepares for Road Repairs

Village workers are preparing to fix about 31 miles of roads over the next five years.

After voters recently approved a $20 million bond issue to fix Libertyville’s deteriorating roads, the village is preparing to fix about 35 percent of Libertyville-maintained roads over the next five years, according to a village staff. “Based on the preliminary list, we plan to fix about 31 miles of roads,” said Laura Nali, assistant to the public works director. A tentative five-year road rehabilitation plan is posted on the village’s website. Village staff says work still needs to be done to determine the priority of roads to be fixed. “We are setting up a game plan to map out the five years,” said Public Works Director John Heinz. “We still have to televise all the underground and that may shift the list a little bit.” Depending on …

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Libertyville Voters Approve Issuing $20 Million Bonds

Nearly 60 percent of Libertyville voters approved the village’s plan to issue bonds for road repairs.

Nearly 60 percent of Libertyville voters on Tuesday approved a $20 million bond issue to fix the village’s deteriorating roads. Of the 4,437 who cast ballots, 2,649 voted "yes."  “I’m happy residents have given us the opportunity to work and keep the community as it is,” Mayor Terry Weppler said. “A lot of people that were against the bond issue told me they weren’t against fixing roads but that they couldn’t afford their property tax going up.” For a home with a market value of $300,000, the village anticipates that the referendum would add a maximum of $11.32 per month, or $135.93 per year, to residents’ property tax bill, according to village documents. The village plans to stagger the $20 million bond issue into four $5 million bond …

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Letters to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Vote Yes for Libertyville Referendums

Libertyville resident Barry Reszel explains why he supports the electric aggregation and $20 million road referendums.

I am writing to ask my fellow Libertyville residents—Democrat, Republican or Independent—to vote March 20 with two resounding yes votes in support of smart, nonpartisan, local government at work. Two Libertyville referendums ask residents to trust our village to negotiate lower rates for electricity (with individual opportunities to opt out) and to issue municipal bonds for faster-track road repair. The first is nearly certain to save us money on electricity; the second will add about $11/month in taxes for a $300,000 home. It’s important to know that putting this money into our village’s infrastructure now will also save taxpayers money long-term, putting us on a maintenance schedule that will keep us from future costly road-rebuild …

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Town Hall Meeting Addresses Referendum Concerns

Dozens of Libertyville residents attended the event at Libertyville Civic Center to discuss two issues on this month’s ballot.

A special town hall meeting Monday night drew a large crowd of residents hoping to find answers or voice concerns over Libertyville's road and electric aggregation referendums, two issues that will appear on the March 20 local ballot. Residents were vocal about the road referendum, which if passed would allow the village to issue $20 million in bonds for rehabilitation of deteriorating village streets. The roadwork would be completed over a five-year period, beginning in 2013, and the bonds would be funded by increased property taxes. Residents' Response to Road Referendum Some residents did not feel the tax increase was necessary and that the village could find other ways to fund the work. Others were more concerned about the quality of …

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Village to Host Town Hall on Referendums, March 5

Village of Libertyville will be hosting a Town Hall meeting at Libertyville Civic Center to answer residents’ questions on the upcoming road and electric aggregation referendums.

Libertyville residents with questions about the upcoming referendums will be able to have them answered during a Town Hall meeting at 7 p.m. March 5 at Libertyville Civic Center, 135 W. Church St. Two referendums will be on the March 20 ballot. Road Referendum One of them is the road referendum, which asks voters if they would support issuing $20 million in bonds to maintain Libertyville roadways before they need complete reconstruction, which could increase costs. For more information read, Guide to Libertyville's Road Referendum The village recently published a preliminary list of roads that would be rehabilitated, with an allocation of about $4 million to maintain the roads over five years if the road referendum passes. “It’s a …

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Information About the Libertyville Road Referendum

Information provided by the Village of Libertyville.

The Village of Libertyville continues to experience deteriorating road conditions throughout the Village. While the Village currently spends approximately $1 million dollars per year on road repairs and reconstruction, the amount is not sufficient to keep up with deteriorating road conditions and maintaining the Village roadway system to an acceptable standard. The cost to repair a road ranges from approximately $650,000 per mile for a pavement overlay to approximately $1.85 million per mile for a full reconstruction. Significant cost savings can be achieved by making repairs to roads before they deteriorate to the point where full construction is required. How has the Village funded road improvements in the past? Current funding for the …

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2012-13 Village Board Goals

Village of Libertyville trustees recently adopted 10 goals.

Village trustees recently adopted 10 goals for Libertyville for 2012-13, according to village documents. Redevelopment of Vacant Properties The Village Board and staff plans to continue the goal of the redevelopment of vacant properties, based upon increased interest in key development parcels including the Trimm property, west of the downtown Metra station, the former Fresh Foods property, on South Milwaukee Avenue and the Young property, on the southwest corner of IL Route 137 and Milwaukee Avenue. Annexation of Properties The Village Comprehensive Plan identified several key unincorporated properties adjacent to Libertyville. The Village Board and staff will continue to make an effort to reach out to these property owners for annexation…

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Hawks Fan

11:54 am on Monday, January 16, 2012

Development of the vacant Fresh Foods property could bring is almost as much sales tax revenue as almost all of the downtown businesses put together. (If the right businesses are brought in.... not doctor's offices, etc.) What would you to differently to focus on the downtown area? What about the business owners on 137 or 176?   more ›