Story posted Thursday, June 18, 2009
O'Hare Leftovers To Fund Job Program
By TOM ROBB Journal & Topics Reporter
Elk Grove Village closed its legal defense trust fund accounts used to fight O'Hare Airport expansion plans last week paying Bensenville $32,000, its share of contributions, leaving Elk Grove with $67,933.
The village will use $60,000 of that to fund its new jobs program that recently hired 23 part-time workers. Remaining money will put the rest back into the village's general fund.
In 2001 Elk Grove Village contributed $6,075,000 to a legal defense fund and an additional $1 million to a fund to lobby for a third airport along with Bensenville and other communities when Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley announced plans to expand O'Hare.
While Elk Grove Village made a large, one time contribution to the fund, Bensenville and other communities paid on a monthly basis.
Spending numbers released by the village yesterday (Wednesday) show Elk Grove's legal defense fund spent $6,055,500 leaving $19,500 leftover. The third airport fund spent $951,567 leaving $48,433 for a total of $67,933 in leftover cash.
Bensenville has a 50/50 matching agreement with Elk Grove Village meaning both communities spent in excess of $14 million on lawyers and consultants.
Through the years some communities dropped out leaving only Elk Grove Village and Bensenville to stand against Chicago's plans.
For Elk Grove Village, roads leading to the expanded airport were a major concern as fears of a highway cutting through the village were confirmed several years ago. Since then a public push to route the new Elgin O'Hare Western Bypass Expressway along the village's eastern border with the airport rather than driving it up Busse Road was successful.
Earlier this year Johnson declared victory when the roadway location was decided, dropping all lawsuits by the village against the City of Chicago meant to stop expansion.
Ex-Bensenville Mayor John Giles lost his reelection bid last April to Frank Soto, a man who campaigned on a platform of ending Bensenville's long opposition to airport expansion.
At last Tuesday's village board meeting Johnson gave a key to the village to attorney Joe Karaganis who headed the fight against Chicago as lead attorney and to Giles.
Johnson said taxes never had to be raised to fund the fight. Bensenville did pass a special sales tax to fund its portion of the fund.
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