Vote Yes for New Roads
On March 17, 2020, the Village of Hawthorn Woods will have a referendum question on the ballot regarding funding road repair and maintenance.
The road infrastructure in Hawthorn Woods is aging. An independent engineering study found that approximately 90% of the Village’s streets urgently need either resurfacing or reconstruction. Over the next 20 years, all the village’s streets will need either resurfacing or reconstruction. With proper maintenance, the lifespan of a road in our climate is 15 to 20 years. It has been over 17 years since our last program was funded in 2003. The report identified failing pavement, roads without concrete ribbon, and aging metal culverts throughout town that need to be repaired and maintained.
The referendum seeks to fund a financial plan for street repair and maintenance for all streets under the Village’s control. As a result of your feedback, the Village reduced the amount of the request from $1.2 Million dollars annually to $975,000 annually. The plan calls for an annual road program using funds received through a tax rate increase. The current Village tax rate does not provide enough income to fund the required road repair and maintenance program. Voter approval is required if the Village is to undertake repair and replacement of our road network. The SSA portion of your tax bill, which funded the previous road program, will be eliminated from your tax bill in 2022.
If the referendum is approved by the public, the plan will eliminate the annual Village vehicle sticker fee charged each year for all vehicles.