After months of debate, Downers Grove lifts stormwater fee from nonprofits

DOWNERS GROVE – Houses of worship and nonprofits in Downers Grove will not have to pay the village stormwater utility fee, effective Jan. 1.

On Nov. 11, the village council voted 5-2 to pass an ordinance lifting the fee, which charges property owners a fee calculated by the amount of impervious surface area on a lot, from nonprofits.

Churches had been protesting the utility fee, saying it cuts into the services they provide to residents of the community. Church leaders have voiced their concerns at numerous village council meetings, but not all residents in the community agreed that the churches should forgo paying their fair share.

Downers Grove resident Jo Potts shared addressed the council members at the Nov. 11 meeting.

"If churches can ask for thousands of dollars for something as frivolous and decorative as flowers, surely they can ask their members to give up one pizza, one movie, one fancy coffee, one less present under the tree," Potts said. "Put that money toward paying their stormwater fee to help their own members, friends, neighbors and community to alleviate the stormwater and flooding issues that are partially caused by the large buildings and paved surfaces on their property."

Immanuel Lutheran Church pastor and Downers Grove resident Chris James said that he is taxed both as a resident and as pastor of the church, but knows that the money saved by the church impacts families directly in the community.

"I see the dollars that are used in our shoestring budget is to take care of people who are those who are most on the edge, those who are most disenfranchised, those who come where a bag of groceries make all the difference between their children having a healthy meal or an unhealthy meal," James said. "We scrap together what we can to help as many as we can."

With nonprofits removed from the utility fee, it would result in $218,000 in less revenue annually for the village, according to village documents. Commissioner Greg Hose said that loss of funds was something he could not support.

"I don't think it will come as a shock to anybody that I am going to oppose this. This represents an 8 percent drop in our stormwater utility revenue," Hose said at the meeting. "These are dollars that would be coming in to help ameliorate stormwater problems here in Downers Grove. If we don't act to replace that revenue we are going to see a reduction in maintenance activity and a reduction in capital activity."

Mayor Martin Tully said that he could support exempting the 22 houses of worship in Downers Grove, but the ordinance went too far in exempting all tax-exempt properties such as the Illinois Tollway Authority and the United Stated Post Office, saying those two entities didn't offer any further value to the community than what they were paid to do.

“Carving out 22 properties I don't think is ultimately going to have that much impact," Tully said. "Carving out all tax exempt parcels may impact on the stormwater management program...This should not be done without the understanding of the broader community of single-family property owners. This will raise property taxes."

The stormwater utility revenues are used to fund operations, maintenance and capital infrastructure projects related to the stormwater system, according to officials.