Ivanhoe Development Impact Fees
Posted April 4, 2025, 4:03 p.m.
On April 3, we received a copy of this letter from four of our state legislators to newly elected Village of Mundelein Mayor Robin Meier. In summary, new State legislation will be introduced regarding impact fees. If passed, this would allow the Village of Mundelein more authority to negotiate with developers to offset costs to local schools due to enrollment growth.
- It could ensure the developers pay their fair share for the impact of the Ivanhoe Village development on schools, which relieves the tax burden on current community members.
- It could provide proper funding for the school districts to help ensure that educational programming isn’t negatively impacted by the enrollment growth from Ivanhoe Village.
The timing of this news is critical. The spring legislative session runs through May 30. With Mayor Steve Lentz ending his term and the turnover of three trustees, decisions on impact fees should be paused while we work with our legislators. We are presented with an opportunity to reset impact fee talks and work collaboratively on behalf of our community.
What Can You Do?
· Urge Mayor Lentz and the Village Board to remove the school impact fee agreement and ordinance items from their April 14 meeting agenda. Allow time for the legislative process to “untie the hands” of village officials.
- Encourage Mayor-Elect Meier and the incoming trustees to call upon Mayor Lentz and the current Village Board to delay action and allow the Village’s new leadership to deliberate on these important decisions.
- Contact the Village of Mundelein Board of Trustees, encouraging them to support this new legislation and halt any action concerning impact fees (letter template)
- Make a public comment at the next Village of Mundelein Board of Trustees meeting scheduled for Monday, April 14, at 7:00 p.m. at Village Hall.
Mayor Lentz has previously stated that the Village's hands are tied due to current state laws, and now our legislators have shown their willingness to “untie” limits that the Village believes exist. Now is the time for the Village of Mundelein to commit to its desire to unify our community by supporting this new legislation and pausing action on impact fees.
We again are grateful for our state legislators who are stepping up to show their support for our community members and our schools.
Sincerely,
Trisha Kocanda, Ed.D.,
Superintendent of Schools, D79
Kevin Myers, Ph.D., Superintendent of Schools, D120