By an overwhelming majority, Elm Grove property owners in an area targeted to receive municipal water from Brookfield have rejected the proposal.
The municipal water project would have provided water to properties along a loop around the downtown area. Only property owners along the proposed loop would have paid a special assessment for the project, and those not connecting would have had a lien placed against their property.
The price tag was set at a maximum of $7,900 per unit, with one unit representing the average home. Commercial properties were based on estimated water usage to determine their number of units.
Of the commitment letters returned to Village Hall by Monday's deadline, the owners of 601 units said "no" to the water, while 94 favored the project. Village officials have said they would not go through with the project unless more than half of the 875 units in the proposed loop agreed to participate.
School Sisters also reject plan
Among those opposing the project was the School Sisters of Notre Dame, the largest water user in the village with more than 100 units.
"We have researched this issue, consulted with experts and discussed it with many of our Elm Grove neighbors - both residents and businesses," the School Sisters said in a statement. "We found that the municipal water project is not in our best interests at this time in our history. The vote submitted by the School Sisters of Notre Dame is in agreement with the majority of those in Elm Grove who voted on this issue."
President Neil Palmer said the vote was a clear signal that residents were not in favor of this particular proposal.
"I respect that," he said, adding that the two major areas of concern were the price and the source of the water.
"It's a difficult time for people to consider financial decisions," Palmer said. "Many were concerned about making an investment without any guarantee of ultimately getting Lake Michigan water."
Back to the drawing board
The Village Board will meet at 6 p.m. March 22 to discuss the outcome of the vote.
"Elm Grove will have to consider a municipal water system sometime in the future or we will - in the long sense - cease to exist," Palmer added.
The goal of the project was to install a municipal system that would improve the quality of water, provide fire protection for residents and help spur development.
Mary Inden, vice president of the Elm Grove Business Association, agreed that the cost and source were the two main issues residents and property owners had with the project.
"I respect all the effort that was used by everyone in this project," said Inden, who has spoken against the project for months at village meetings. "No one thought the economy would be of the magnitude it has reached. We have to go with what's going on now."
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