A Homer Glen resident said the village's revision to the 140th Street expansion still affects about 30 properties and urged the Village Board to provide transparency and follow-up.

The remarks came during public comment at the Village of Homer Glen’s Sept. 25 Village Board meeting, where resident Ellen Moritz said her property will lose a triangular 30-foot-by-30-foot area of yard and that she received a 60-day notice from a negotiation company. “My property is still being affected despite the revision. I know there's 30 properties that are still being affected,” Moritz told the board.

The comment followed an extended board discussion earlier in the meeting about who controls funding and what county and state transportation processes mean for Homer Glen homeowners.

Why it matters: Residents facing right-of-way impacts, property takings or negotiated acquisitions want clarity about timelines, available remedies and whether local governments will provide compensation or support. Moritz said she cannot afford litigation and asked the board to keep affected homeowners from being “forgotten.”

Village response and legal context

Mayor Nyskie Trojicke and the village attorney addressed the meeting. The mayor urged residents not to rely on social media for final information and said the village has not signed any intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with Will County that would obligate the village to pay for the 140th Street expansion. “The village of Homer Glen has not signed anything,” Trojicke said. “So whatever you read on Facebook… just know it's not true.”

The Village Attorney explained that the $7,000,000 frequently cited as available for the 140th Street project is Surface Transportation Program (STP) funding allocated through the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) regional process. He described the funding path as: U.S. DOT → state DOT (IDOT) → CMAP (Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning) regional programming → Will Council of Mayors → Will County Department of Transportation, which requested funds for the project. “That $7,000,000 number is an STP grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation,” the attorney said.

The attorney said the STP allocation is programmed across 2026 and 2027 as two $3.5 million allotments in public documents. He also described contingency projects that could receive the funds if milestones are not met, including road projects in other Will County municipalities.

No village financial commitment yet

The mayor and attorney said the county proposed an IGA that would have the village permit or accept certain local improvements (sidewalks, landscaping) for which county staff suggested village participation, but the village has not executed that IGA. “It has not been executed. It was proposed to us and we just kind of left it be,” Trojicke said.

Traffic data and process clarity

Board members and the attorney said an initial data sheet captured by the village’s engineer was released prematurely and was not a completed traffic study with expert interpretation. “What was released was not a report. It didn't contain any impressions from an expert. It simply was the data that was captured,” the attorney said.

Resident concerns

Moritz said she and other affected homeowners received notices within a short period after moving to Homer Glen and worry that fewer affected parcels now (30) could mean less attention from officials. “When we moved to Homer Glen, my husband and I, we've been here for 10 years. We had no idea that our property was going to be impacted when we purchased our property,” she said.

What the board said it will do

Trustees and the mayor said the board would continue to pursue information and ask questions of county staff; the mayor said trustees will keep meeting in Committee-of-the-Whole sessions to discuss emerging matters to remain compliant with the Open Meetings Act. The village repeated that whether federal or state grants remain available depends on program rules and timelines and that STP funds can be reallocated to other ready projects if milestones are missed.

Ending: next steps

The board did not take a formal vote on 140th Street at the meeting. Several trustees encouraged residents to contact their trustees for updates and asked staff to keep communications current on the village website and direct outreach.