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Skokie mayor outlines economic, safety and infrastructure priorities in first‑year address
Summary
The mayor of the Village of Skokie told the Chamber of Commerce she marked her first year in office by advancing economic development, ending a 35‑year property tax freeze with a modest levy increase to restore staffing, pursuing lead service‑line replacement and responding to recent antisemitic incidents with communitywide prevention efforts.
The mayor of the Village of Skokie told a Chamber of Commerce audience that her first year in office has focused on “momentum, partnerships, and collaboration,” and laid out a package of initiatives aimed at economic vitality, public safety and infrastructure. She said the village issued certificates of occupancy for 119 new businesses over the past year and will advance a community‑wide economic vitality strategy covering downtown and other commercial corridors.
The mayor highlighted near‑term projects and planning, saying the Main Street corridor streetscape work is close to implementation and that the village has begun preliminary conversations with the governor's office and community partners about potentially extending CTA’s Yellow Line (the Skokie Swift) toward the Old Orchard corridor. She named the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center and Westfield Old Orchard as parties that have expressed interest and stressed those conversations are early and exploratory.
Addressing governance and transparency, the mayor said public comment has been rescheduled earlier in board meetings to let residents weigh in before decisions. She said the village completed its first strategic plan and introduced committee‑of‑the‑whole meetings for deliberation prior to final votes. The mayor also announced a new website section, Building Better Skokie, as a central repository for development and infrastructure updates.
On fiscal policy, the mayor said the village inherited a 35‑year property tax levy frozen at $15.4 million and that in December a majority of the village board voted to end the freeze with an increase of just under 5 percent. She estimated the change will cost about $21 per average household per year, $57 per year for commercial properties and $137 per year for industrial properties, and said the roughly $750,000 in additional levy revenue will fund staff restorations and critical services rather than discretionary spending.
She said the levy will help retain three firefighter positions, add one police officer and add six public‑works maintenance workers who will focus on replacing lead water service lines, which she described as an unfunded mandate the village must meet. The mayor said the village will offer broader eligibility and some financial reimbursement for residents who undertake lead‑line replacement themselves, noting the village cannot fully fund every household’s replacement.
On public safety and community cohesion, the mayor reported four anti‑Semitic incidents in village parks since last October, three occurring within recent weeks, some involving youth and physical altercations. “Every person in Skokie deserves to feel safe, respected, and supported. We reject anti‑Semitism,” she said, and described coordinated response efforts with the Skokie Police Department, the Skokie Park District, schools, faith leaders and Jewish community organizations focused on prevention, education and accountability.
The mayor described other policy actions taken this year: adoption of stronger short‑term rental regulations including limits on investor‑owned units; establishment of a housing fund and community land trust to advance affordable housing; investment in stormwater management while pursuing federal and state support; implementation of a 25 mph speed limit on village‑jurisdiction roads; and a more proactive code‑enforcement approach aimed at reducing rat activity.
She also described changes in municipal legal services: a transparent selection process led by Village Manager John Lockerbie resulted in contracting with the firm Elrod Friedman, and founder Steven Elrod now serves as corporation counsel alongside in‑house deputies. The mayor said early morning service hours (7 a.m. on Wednesdays) are being piloted to improve access for working residents.
The mayor closed by noting that since August the village has appointed 65 residents to advisory boards and commissions (many serving for the first time), launched a youth commission and formed a faith leaders council of more than 20 members to advise on equity and inclusion. She urged continued community engagement as the village pursues these priorities.
The address contains a mix of policy announcements, planning updates and operational details; the mayor said the board will provide an update on the long‑stalled Oakton/Niles hotel project at the first village board meeting in June.
