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County engineer outlines possible transfer of Shabbona Road, offers improvements and trade-offs
Summary
DeKalb County engineer Nathan Schwartz told Shabbona trustees a jurisdictional transfer of Shabbona Road could speed local improvements — resurfacing, shoulder paving and quiet-zone work — but would shift maintenance responsibility to the village. Trustees agreed to study costs and referred the matter to the infrastructure committee.
Nathan Schwartz, DeKalb County engineer, told the Shabbona Village Board that a jurisdictional transfer would move control and maintenance responsibility for a stretch of Shabbona Road from the county to the village, and that the county typically makes pre-transfer improvements so the road is in good condition at handoff.
"Jurisdictional transfers are when one entity transfers or gives away a section of their road, or in this case, it's roads, to another jurisdiction," Schwartz said, describing resurfacing, shoulder paving and potential sidewalk or pedestrian-path work as examples of improvements the county could do before transfer. He said the county can also contribute to a quiet zone near the railroad crossing that affects Shabbona Road.
Schwartz told trustees the county’s highway department is configured for rural, higher-speed maintenance and that municipal-style roads with frequent driveways, crosswalks and side streets are more labor intensive for county crews. That operational mismatch, he said, is one reason the county sometimes considers transfers.
Trustees asked specifically whether sanitary sewer could be extended when the road is rebuilt to avoid future excavations. Schwartz said utility stub-outs and coordinated timing are common discussion points: "If you wanted this and these 10 things that we want, and the top 3 are our true priorities, maybe I can realistically fund four of the items," he said, describing how the county weighs scope and cost.
The board did not decide on a transfer but voted to refer the matter to the infrastructure committee for detailed discussion of priorities, costs and potential conditions. At the committee level, trustees said they will identify the village's top priorities (for example, sewer extension stubs to Preserve Road, sidewalks or quiet-zone participation) and invite county staff back with cost estimates.
Why it matters: shifting a roadway from county to municipal control changes who pays for routine maintenance and capital upgrades and can allow the village to set signage, speed limits and other design elements locally. Trustees said they want specifics on what the county would deliver before committing to a transfer.
What’s next: The infrastructure committee will meet to develop a checklist of desired improvements and seek a follow-up meeting with county staff. The item was formally moved to the infrastructure committee and will return to the full board next month.
