Cole Baker told the board that West Salem Street is being used like a public road and that his in‑laws and other residents pay taxes but lack standard village services. “My in laws live on that street…they moved in about 3 years ago,” Baker said, adding the original developer never finished the street “20, 29 years ago.”

Village staff responded that the land in question is privately owned and was never built to village street standards. A staff member explained the municipality treats the area as a private driveway, not a public street, and described how the village handled similar cases: the village paid back taxes to briefly take title and then deeded the strip to an HOA after owners formed one, so the HOA would assume maintenance obligations. “We talked to those owners, and they agreed to form an HOA… the village paid the back taxes to get ownership of the property and then deeded it over to the HOA,” staff said.

Trustees and staff flagged two practical concerns: (1) small groups of four or five homes often lack the scale to fund long‑term major repairs if a road needs resurfacing, and (2) taking ownership could set a precedent that would trigger other private‑road requests across town. One board member warned that opening this door “we have to do it on North Spruce and all the other properties” and that the fiscal impact could be substantial.

After discussing options the board agreed to send the homeowners a letter explaining the village’s recommendation that they form an HOA and take responsibility for the strip. Staff said the village could repeat its earlier remedy — paying roughly $800 in back taxes and deeding the parcel to an HOA — only if the owners demonstrate formation of an HOA and willingness to maintain the access. The board did not approve any transfer of village funds at the meeting; the action recorded was a direction to send the letter and encourage HOA formation.

The issue remains in the discussion stage pending responses from the property owners; trustees asked staff to return with any new information from the owners or estimates of costs if the village were asked to intervene.