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Residents press council on recurring flooding; special service area financing proposed
Summary
Public commenters and council members outlined repeated flooding in McKendry Park, Rogers Drive and Hunter Street; the council discussed using Special Service Areas (SSAs) and bond financing to fund localized drainage projects and debated past engineering plans and the need for a capital improvement plan.
Residents and council members used the July 21 meeting to press for concrete steps on chronic neighborhood flooding and to explore pay-for solutions that would limit the burden to affected property owners.
A public commenter who said she has an academic background in geomorphology described the flats by Little Silver Creek as a natural floodplain and urged the city to limit impervious surfaces, clear storm drains, and commission a civil engineering study to identify detention storage needs. She said downstream detention alone would not solve garage flooding on Rogers Drive and recommended upstream storage and reduced impervious cover.
Multiple residents and council members described large dirt piles near streets and blocked drains that they said were increasing erosion and causing sediment to reach Silver Creek. One resident, Terry, urged use of straw bales and temporary erosion controls and asked the city or contractor to prevent further sediment discharge.
Council members discussed financing options. One council member introduced the Special Service Area (SSA) process from the Illinois Municipal Handbook as a tool to finance neighborhood-scale improvements: an SSA (created with the consent of affected property owners) can issue bonds repaid over 20 years, with only participating property owners taxed for the improvements. The speaker emphasized the need for well-defined project scope and property lines and noted the option avoids a citywide referendum when an issue affects a limited area.
The discussion included reminders that earlier engineering work and plans may exist from prior years; some council members and residents expressed frustration that earlier voted projects were not completed and urged staff to locate prior engineering records. Several council members also said the city lacks a current capital improvement plan and urged compiling an updated project list to strengthen grant applications and set priorities.
Public works gave an operational update on Hunter Street, reporting repeated pumping events in mid- to late July and the use of a bypass tied to the not-yet-operational new lift station to move water; staff reported making EPA reports and staying in touch with the city’s EPA contact, Joe Sight.
No formal action was taken on SSAs or capital planning at the meeting. The council left the matter for further study and encouraged staff to locate prior engineering records, consider an SSA where appropriate, and develop project lists that could support future grant applications.
