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Skokie resident tells board flood damaged cars and property, asks for help; staff asks that documents be left with deputy clerk
Summary
At the March 21 Skokie Village Board meeting a resident said a recent water-main flood caused heavy losses to her household and neighbors; Village Manager John Lockerbie asked the commenter to leave documentation with Deputy Village Clerk Sylvia Luke so staff can follow up.
A Skokie resident told the Village Board on March 21 that a recent flood tied to a water-main project damaged vehicles and property on her block and left her with what she said were more than $50,000 in losses.
“I was promised 2,700, which is I lost over $50,000 worth of stuff,” the resident told the board during the public-comment period, saying her family—including an 81-year-old father—had new car payments after the loss and that repeated requests to the village had not produced a final response.
The comment came after the village’s initial, brief business meeting. Village Manager John Lockerbie said staff had experienced a transition in the project manager for the water-main work and asked the commenter to leave her contact information and supporting documents with Deputy Village Clerk Sylvia Luke so staff could follow up. “We are concerned, and we are gonna work with you to to resolve this,” Lockerbie said.
The resident said roughly two dozen households on her block were affected and that city staff had requested the same paperwork multiple times. She said an initial offer appeared to be limited to paying a deductible and that other impacted neighbors had also not been contacted.
No formal board action or vote on compensation or an ordinance was recorded at the meeting. The village’s corporation counsel, Michael Lorge, noted that one item on his agenda had been approved as part of the consent agenda earlier in the meeting, but he did not reference liability or a waiver of liability in public remarks at this meeting.
Direction/disposition: staff requested that the resident leave documentation with Deputy Clerk Sylvia Luke and the manager said he would call the resident the following day to continue the conversation. The board did not take a formal vote regarding compensation or liability during the meeting.
Background/why it matters: the resident tied losses to work on a village water-main project and said multiple households and at least one business lost property or revenue. If claims are pursued, follow-up from village staff or legal review could affect how the village responds to other households with similar damage.
What’s next: Village staff asked the commenter to leave her paperwork with the deputy clerk; Lockerbie said staff would contact her to follow up. No timeline for a staff report or a formal village decision was provided at the meeting.
