Elburn officials review five-year capital expense plan

It may be the end of the 2023 calendar year, but Elburn already has a good head start on its five-year capital expense plan for fiscal 2025 through 2029.

Finance Director Doug Elder led the Elburn Village Board through the highlights of the plan, which included not only capital expenses but major items that would be significant budget items.

Based on the assumption that the village will build a new police department building, there will be a reconfiguration of the police department side of Village Hall, which will house the building and zoning department. The reconfiguration of the building, as well as the repaving of the parking lot, is set for fiscal 2026, with a total estimated cost of $120,000.

The police department is back at the drawing board with regard to the new police building after the referendum to pay for it with property taxes failed.

The village is looking at fiscal 2025 to begin the work of reimagining that project.

The rehabilitation of Prairie Park, set for fiscal 2025, is based on the approval of an Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant, which would cover half the cost of the $892,000 project. The village should know after the beginning of 2024 if the grant has been approved.

The Elburn Police Department will buy body cameras for officers, which will be required by state law as of Jan. 1, 2025. The five-year purchase plan, which will include cloud storage of the videos, is budgeted for an average of $40,000 a year and will be supplemented through a grant from the state.

Police Chief Nick Sikora said the additional purchase of new in-car video cameras will ensure the system’s compatibility with its components and the Kane County State’s Attorney’s digital evidence storage.

Elder said the plan lays out a number of street and sidewalk maintenance projects, including ongoing annual sidewalk maintenance and replacement through fiscal 2029, a $165,000 pedestrian crossing with flashing lights on Route 47 set for 2025 and a $1,450,000 right-turn lane on Route 47 between Nebraska and South streets.

The village’s share of the cost of traffic light installations and other intersection improvements at Route 38 and Anderson Road would be $528,000 if Elburn is able to partner with the state of Illinois or Campton Township and depending on federal and state grants.

“It’s going to cost a lot of money,” Public Works Superintendent Phil VanBogaert said about improvements to the waste-water treatment plant needed to meet the new Illinois Environmental Protection Agency requirements for 2030. The costs, which are preliminary estimates, are about $10 million, including engineering and construction.

“We’ve already got an IEPA loan and we’ll probably need another loan,” he said. “We’re going to look for cost-savings along the way.”

This version of the capital plan is a draft, Elder said.

“We’ll have the final version at the next meeting,” he said. “This is an important part of our planning. It gives us a vision for five years down the road.”