City of West Chicago, Illinois

Where History and Progress Meet

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Business Community Update: June 2023

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The City of West Chicago welcomed the following new businesses to the community in June 2023.

  • Javi Mexican Grill is a new Mexican food restaurant located to 956 E. Roosevelt Road featuring a variety of authentic Mexican cuisine.
  • Universal Church is a new place of worship that is now located at 1213 Joliet Street, Unit B.

The City would also like to congratulate Congresswoman Delia Ramirez, State Senator Karina Villa and State Representative Maura Hirschauer with the opening of their shared Federal and State District Officer at 946 N. Neltnor Boulevard, Unit 104.

City Joins DuPage Communities in Celebrating Warhol Exhibit

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The City of West Chicago has recently joined with other communities in DuPage County to celebrate the summer art exhibit, "Warhol," which is being held at the McAninch Arts Center on the College of DuPage campus, located at 425 Fawell Boulevard.

On Monday, July 17, the West Chicago City Council marked the occasion by unveiling Andy Warhol-inspired portraits at the West Chicago City Hall. This temporary art installation coincides with similar displays in various locations throughout the DuPage County region, featuring significant and notable figures from each community.

The portraits are showcased on the south-facing outdoor windows of City Hall along Main Street, directly across from the Metra Station Parking Lot. These portraits specifically depict different immigrants who played vital roles in shaping the West Chicago community. Among them are Emeteria Zarate from Mexico, John Tye from Ireland, Henry Bayer from Germany, and Helen Hills from England.

To provide insight into the lives of these depicted individuals, a brief description accompanies each portrait. Additionally, community members can learn more about these figures or can view other community installations by visiting the Cleve Carny Museum of Art’s website.

The City of West Chicago takes pride in participating in this county-wide initiative, which highlights DuPage County as a region that values and embraces art and culture within its communities.

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Business Community Update: May 2023

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The City of West Chicago welcomed the following new businesses to the community in May 2023.

  • Beemol Freight Company has moved into the Roosevelt Center at 245 W. Roosevelt Road. The company is a freight forwarding office.
  • Commercial Concrete Raising, LLC has moved into 396 Fenton Lane, Suite 605. The company provides various services to raise uneven or settled concrete.
  • the 432 effect has moved into 850 Meadowview Crossing, Unit 3. The new establishment is a Reiki practice that provides relaxation and stress reduction services.

The City would also like to congratulate The Journey's Path on their recent expansion into an adjacent unit at 946 N. Neltnor Boulevard, Suite 210.  The Journey's Path is a metaphysical wellness retailer and service provider, and the new expansion allows for the doubling of their retail space.

Police Department Welcomes Second K9

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The West Chicago Police Department welcomed new K9, Kane, to its ranks in May.

Kane will be the second of two K9s for the City. His role will be different from the Department’s other K9, Mondo, as he will not undergo any protection or apprehension training, which means he will not be trained to bite. By avoiding this type of training, Kane will be more suited to safely interacting with civilians during presentations and public events, including school visits where he may provide services similar to a comfort dog.

Kane will be handled by Officer Rick Sauseda. Officer Sauseda has been with the West Chicago Police Department for 17 years and has 10 years’ experience as a Field Training Officer. He was also responsible for writing the proposal that restarted the K9 Program, which lead to the Department’s acquisition of Kane and Mondo.

Kane and Officer Sauseda recently underwent training in June at the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, and both are now ready to go to work in the community as part of the Department’s new Targeted Response Unit.

As a newly initiated unit of the Department, the Targeted Response Unit serves as a proactive team dedicated to addressing community concerns such as speeding, overweight vehicles, drug dealing, and gang complaints. In addition, the Unit also actively engages with the community on quality-of-life matters and participates in special events.

The City is excited to welcome a second K9 to its Police Department, as the combination of Officer Sauseda's experience, along with the presence of Kane, will greatly assist with strengthening the bond between law enforcement and the community.

Water and Sewer Rate Changes Begin July 1, 2023

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In 2019, the City Council approved an increase in the City’s water and sewer rates, which was not implemented until 2022 due to the adverse economic impacts of the pandemic on our population. At that time (2019), there was an expectation that rates would once again increase in either 2022 or 2023. The year 2022 marked the first time the City of West Chicago raised its water rates since 2006 and sewer rates since 2008. Cities across the country are grappling with aging infrastructure that's costly to repair. Additionally, the City is not immune to the inflation experienced across the globe as well as supply chain issues that are severely impacting costs of our infrastructure projects and commodities. Here are just a few examples from this past year:

 

Item Budgeted Actual/Estimated % Increase
Chemicals* $625,000 $877,000 140%
SCADA System Upgrade Modernization Project $475,000 $850,000 179%
Security System Camera Installation Project $40,000 $71,000 178%
Refuse Disposal (Lime Sludge Removal) $880,000 $1,240,500 141%
Building Joint Sealant $116,000 $140,000 121%
Lab Supplies $15,000 $21,000 140%
Building Repair Parts $10,000 $21,100 211%
Electric $260,000 $305,000 117%
Distribution Parts and Equipment $70,000 $123,100 176%
Influent Headworks Project $210,000 $385,000 183%
Backup Power Feed $150,000 $400,000 267%
Sanitary Collection - parts for vehicles $25,000 $60,000 240%
Increased Costs - Water $2,491,000 $3,648,700 146%
Increased Costs - Sewer $385,000 $845,000 219%
* year over year comparison

 

Therefore, another rate increase will occur with your July 2023 or August 2023 bill, depending on your Billing District. This six months’ notice is being given so customers can better prepare for the increased costs. Water rates will increase from $5.00/1,000 gallons to $9.00/1,000 gallons and sewer rates will increase from $7.00/1,000 gallons to $10.00/1,000 gallons. Thereafter, it is the City’s intent to keep rate increases more incremental in nature, if the trends detailed above either decline or at least slow.