Frankfort budget targets infrastructure

Village to invest in road resurfacing, water treatment

The Frankfort Village Board approved a 202223 budget which includes $7 million for street resurfacing, $4.5 million for a new well and iron removal facility and $3.9 million for construction of the Pfeiffer Road extension from U.S. Route 30 to Colorado Avenue that could spur development, Mayor Keith Ogle said.

The village experienced tremendous growth in the early 2000s, and now many of the roads are in need of repair, Ogle said. Resurfacing

roads cost about half as much than to rebuild them, and the village wants to invest in its infrastructure during the next three years.

In 2016 to 2017, the village was spending about $400,000 to resurface roads, but residents in 2018 approved a referendum to raise the sales tax and use the increased revenue for maintaining roads, improving infrastructure and hiring three more police officers. At the time, Frankfort’s sales tax rate was the lowest among Lincoln-Way communities.

Road repairs have been increasing in the village since then, Ogle said. Last year, the village spent $4 million on its street resurfacing program, and the village is hoping to spend $7 million on road resurfacing for the next three years, which will ultimately save the village money from the roads further deteriorating, the mayor said.

Engineers are evaluating and rating the road conditions to prioritize which roads will be resurfaced this year, and plans to post the streets scheduled for work on its website, Ogle said.

“Once we get the report, we can see how far we go with this year’s funds,” Ogle said. “We want to make sure our infrastructure is sound.”

The village is expecting to resurface about 30 roads this year, primarily in residential areas, village administrator Rob Piscia said.

The village also plans to begin construction this fall of the two-lane Pfeiffer Road extension to connect U.S. Route 30 to the Lighthouse Pointe Subdivision. The extension is anticipated to cost about $3.9 million.

The land near the proposed extension is marked in the comprehensive plan as potential commercial, residential and recreational development, so the extension will help spur development, Ogle said.

The budget also includes $4.5 million for the Elsner Tower well and iron removal facility, which is designed to improve water quality for drinking, washing clothes and general use, Ogle said. Construction is likely to start in the summer.

The village plans to also invest in its software system, which is more than 20 years old.

The new software will allow for public records searches for business licensees, permits in process or historical permits and allow for online business license renewals. Residents can also search items such as current or past utility bills. Inspections can be also be scheduled online.

The budget also includes $895,000 for bike path improvements and $360,000 to buy a street sweeper for the Public Works Department. The village previously contracted with a street sweeper, so having its own will provide more consistent maintenance, Piscia said.

The general revenues are projected at about $23 million, up by $3.5 million from last year with expenses budgeted at nearly $18.4 million, an increase of about $1 million from last year.

Part of the increase in revenue comes from the Level the Playing Field act in which municipalities could receive sales taxes from online purchases, Piscia said.

The budget creates an operating surplus of about $4.67 million, which will fund a portion of the capital development fund expenditures, including the street resurfacing program. Budget surpluses are rolled into the capital fund to help plan for major improvements, Piscia said.

The village’s fiscal year begins May 1.