Winnetka to Split Cost for Alley Repairs

A group of Winnetka property owners may see an increase in their property tax bills over the next five years to finance improvements to the alleys abutting their homes.

Winnetka trustees have identified 37 properties that surround two alleys that are in need of more than $300,000 in repair work . .

"They’re in bad shape, there’s no question about that," said trustee Gene Greable.

But not all of the property owners agree with the village. Most of them have met with village staff about the construction and its costs, said Steve Saunder, Winnetka's director of Public Works. But the owners couldn't reach an agreement on how to pay for the project.

The village next sought funding for the project by proposing a "shared service area" (SSA) that identifies the properties that could benefit from the improvements and assigns costs accordingly. In the two proposed SSAs, the village would pay 75 percent of the project's costs--$118,400 and $129,000 for the two alleys--and the owners would pay the remaining 25 percent.

One alley's boundaries are Elm and Oak streets and Glendale and Rosewood avenues. The other alley's boundaries are Rosewood, Locust, Oak and Elm streets.

In particular, some owners of corner properties have objected to the costs because their garages cannot be accessed through the alley. Trustees considered three options during their meeting Tuesday night to fund the project:

• All property owners on the two blocks would be included in the SSA. They would be required to pay a percentage of the cost and their share would be calculated using the equalized assessed value of the property.
• The SSA could be redrawn to exclude the corner properties that do not have access to the alleys and the owners would pay a one-time fee of $500. The remaining costs would be distributed among the other property owners.
• The SSA could be redrawn to exclude the corner properties and the owners would pay 50 percent of the cost as determined by the equalized assessed value of the property

Trustees considered the issue of fairness, and decided that 50 percent was the best option to keep the extra burden on the property owners who use the alley to a minimum. They agreed that all property owners, and other Winnetka residents, would benefit from the paved alleys.

"I do think there is some benefit for everybody out there," trustee Bill Johnson said. "The nicer the alley is, when you go to sell the property, it can’t help but help them."

If a majority of property owners object to the proposed SSA, they may file a petition, said Kathy Janega, village attorney.

“We live in a society where the majority rules and if indeed the majority of homeowners would like to overturn it, they can,” trustee Arthur Braun said.

If not, the work will begin in the fall, Saunders said.

During the public hearing on the alleys, resident Richard Busscher thanked the village for looking into improvements.

"We’ve been waiting over 50 years to get this alley paved," he said.