Will County Board Member Jim Richmond told the Village of Homer Glen board on May 20 that House Bill 250 — which contains quick-take provisions related to 140th Street — is being held in the Illinois Senate Judiciary Committee and that village and county officials will work together on a local solution.

The development matters because the quick-take language could enable a fast eminent-domain procedure on 140th Street; Richmond said the Senate holding the bill gives local officials time to negotiate an alternative. “Because of the opposition that was put forth, it's my understanding that the bill currently ... is currently on hold, in the judiciary committee,” Richmond said during public comment.

Mayor Christina Niedzie Trojcki and other officials described a rapid outreach effort in Springfield and credited residents and state lawmakers with generating opposition. The mayor reported detailed witness-slip totals submitted in opposition to earlier incarnations of the quick-take language: she said House Bill 13‑97 drew about 260 witness slips (reported as 240 in opposition), an amendment drew 137 slips (133 opposed) and a subsequent amendment drew 63 slips (62 opposed). The mayor asked residents to keep filing witness slips when bills are amended because, she said, previous submissions may not carry forward when language is repackaged.

Village Manager Joe Baber and Richmond said the next step is for village and county staff and elected officials to develop a proposal that could avoid an expressway-style expansion and address the community's concerns. Richmond said officials were seeking a more limited set of options — leaving the road as-is, transferring control to the village, or a three‑lane design — and expected to coordinate a public-works discussion at an upcoming Will County public works and transportation meeting. Richmond told the board that he had asked for the item to be placed on a June public-works agenda and that the county and village would try to meet in early June; a date of June 3 at 9 a.m. was discussed but participants noted some scheduling confusion.

There was no formal vote or ordinance at the village meeting. Trustees and staff described ongoing work with state legislators — including the state representatives and senators named during the meeting — and said the goal is to exhaust local negotiations before any change in Springfield moves forward. Trustee and staff comments emphasized that the effort is a work in progress and that a final decision on design or control of 140th Street had not been made.

The board asked staff to coordinate with Will County and to notify residents about any public meetings where the issue will be discussed; Richmond said the county would post meeting information once it was finalized.

Sources and attribution: public comment and later discussion by Will County Board Member Jim Richmond; mayoral remarks and town-manager updates during the Village of Homer Glen board meeting on May 20, 2025.