Elmhurst To Aid 'Select Group' Of Homeowners

Elmhurst IL

20 April, 2021

9:17 AM

Description

ELMHURST, IL — The Elmhurst City Council on Monday decided to pay the full costs of floodproofing a "select group" of 14 homes in two neighborhoods. Two aldermen opposed the program, saying it would not achieve the city's overall goal of reducing flooding. One of them said it would give residents "a false sense of security." In its vote, the city approved spending $50,000 for helping 14 homes in the Crestview and Brynhaven subdivisions. Ward 1 Alderwoman Marti Deuter said the city's past projects added capacity to the stormwater system and reduced the level of flooding. "The project we're talking about here does neither of those things," she said. "The flooding level won't change. The capacity of our system won't change. Instead, we're going to fund the property improvements so that the home that might be surrounded by flooding is not as affected as much by it." Deuter also expressed concern the city would cover 100 percent of the costs. That could establish an expectation among other residents suffering from flooding, she said. As it is, she said, the city has not addressed all flooding issues. With new storms, the city discovers more problem areas, she said. Ward 3 Alderman Michael Bram also had issues with the proposal. "Floodproofing to me is a false sense of security," he said. He said the project would do nothing toward the city's goal of keeping stormwater in the city's rights of way and away from houses. "Eventually, water will find its way into a house, no matter how much floodproofing you're going to do," Bram said. "A home ages. Land settles. Cracks happen in the foundation." He said some may find it surprising that he would oppose the project because some beneficiaries live in his ward. When he voted against a larger floodproofing program last year, he found support among his ward's potential beneficiaries, he said. "They said, 'Mike, we want the right solution to keep (water) out and away from our houses, not just to keep it out of our houses on a temporary basis,'" Bram said. "Water around your house doesn't allow you to get into the house, doesn't allow you to leave the house. There are safety issues there." Ward 7 Alderman Mike Brennan supported the floodproofing, which the city is labeling a pilot project. He called it a "creative approach." "Where we have done stormwater management projects in other parts of town, we haven't asked those specific residents being assisted to foot the bill solely for that," Brennan said. "There are still a lot of questions about how we might approach this in this fashion, which is why I think it is prudent to put together a pilot program to explore how this is carried out." The council voted 10-2 to spend the $50,000 on the floodproofing. Dissenting were Deuter and Bram. Aldermen Brian Cahill and Tina Park were absent. Last September, Bram got into a heated discussion with Ward 6 Alderman Jim Kennedy over whether the local park district would help with a larger stormwater project in the Crestview neighborhood. Barring an unexpected meeting before month's end, Monday was Bram's last City Council session after two decades in office. He lost the mayoral election earlier this month.