Naperville to spend $155M on roads, water mains and other infrastructure work in 2024
Naperville plans to spend $155 million on infrastructure projects in 2024, a 10% increase over this year and a large enough jump to elicit pushback from at least one Naperville City Council member.
The spending plan was presented at a council workshop meeting Tuesday, one of four that will be devoted to the tentative budget, which goes into effect Jan. 1.
Many of the capital projects involve the repair or replacement of things like roads, bridges and water mains built between the 1980s and the early 2000s, when the city was undergoing enormous population growth and expansion. Because so much was built at the same time, the expected life cycle is ending simultaneously, city officials said.
Councilman Josh McBroom voiced concern over the huge pricetag, urging city staff to reexamine the list and look at what items are essential to employees doing their jobs.
Director of Finance Rachel Mayer said she will ask her staff to examine each item as they finish drafting the proposed 2024 budget, which will be published Oct. 13. But postponing work may be more costly in the long run, she said.
“Some of these investments are coming to (the end of) their 20- or 40-year life cycle,” Mayer said. “Reinvesting in those is really a timing thing. You can push some of that, (but) then you spend money on preventative maintenance. We will make sure what we recommend in October is needs based.”
Spending on infrastructure has grown dramatically over the years, going from $62 million in 2019 to $96 million in 2021 to $140 million in 2023. In recent years, the city underinvested in capital projects, particularly in its water main replacement, and now they’re having to catch up, Mayer said.
Funding for such capital improvement projects comes from a variety of sources, including home rule sales tax — which several council members said they do not want to see increase — motor fuel taxes, and the downtown food and beverage tax.
A drop in revenue from electric service has been good news for consumers but poses a problem for the city. Income is down about $20 million since 2018, in part because more than 700 commercial and residential users have switched to solar energy, according to Director of Public Utilities-Electric Brian Groth.
Councilman Ian Holzhauer said that was reason to celebrate.
“This didn’t just happen by accident,” Holzhauer said. “The electric department worked really hard to get these efficiency programs and we have an awesome robust home solar program. This is a way we are a leading community.”
About $21 million in electric improvements are planned in 2024, including moving some electric lines underground at a cost of $2.7 million. That’s part of a five-year, $52 million initiative in which all lines will eventually be below street level.
Residents will definitely benefit from that shift, which should lead to fewer power outages, especially in the downtown neighborhoods, Councilman Patrick Kelly said.
The city also plans to spend an estimated $50 million on road, sidewalk, bridge and other infrastructure maintenance work next year. Two of the largest expenditures will be $800,000 for the 248th Street widening project and $300,000 for the 87th Street bridge at Springbrook Creek.
Replacement of the downtown Washington Street bridge is already underway, with $1.8 million being earmarked for the work in next year’s budget. About $12 million is being set aside for the new underpass on North Aurora Road.
Water and wastewater are becoming one of the largest areas for spending, with about $35 million — 30% of the overall capital projects budget — earmarked for work next year. It’s the result of having a large backlog of water mains that need replacement, staff said.
About $9 million is being budgeted for public facilities, including $1.3 million to improve fire station living quarters and $625,000 to renovate the police department’s investigations division offices.
The next budget workshop scheduled for Sept. 26 will focus on city staff financing requests.
City Manager Doug Krieger said they’ve changed the way they handle the council review of the budget, opting to start first with discussions about different areas of spending before releasing the complete document. Traditionally, the entire plan was released and reviewed in sections.
“Frankly, (last year) we were crunched for time so this year we are starting the conversation (earlier) to help provide important context,” Krieger said.
