Flossmoor trustees are weighing a significant shift in how the village funds street and sidewalk maintenance, proposing to eliminate annual vehicle stickers and replace them with a $5 monthly “vehicle use fee” added to utility bills.

The discussion, held at the Feb. 16 village board meeting, centered on declining vehicle sticker revenue, rising infrastructure costs and ongoing frustrations tied to enforcement and compliance.

Finance Director Ann Novoa told trustees that vehicle sticker revenue has historically been the largest license and permit revenue source for the village, helping to support general fund expenses and infrastructure maintenance performed by the Public Works Department.

However, that revenue stream has been steadily shrinking.

“We have seen a steady decline in vehicle sticker revenue starting in FY21,” Novoa wrote in a memorandum to Village Manager Bridget Wachtel.

Revenue dropped from $249,000 in FY2021 to $169,000 in FY2025, roughly $80,000 less than pre-COVID levels.

At the same time, the motor fuel tax fund alone cannot sustain the increasing costs of infrastructure maintenance, particularly as more residents adopt electric vehicles, which contribute less to gas tax-based funding.

“Whether a resident has one car or four (or even no cars), they need the roadway and its infrastructure to be fit for driving, deliveries or travel,” Novoa wrote.

A new approach

Under the proposal, the annual vehicle sticker program would be discontinued beginning May 1, 2026, and replaced with a vehicle use fee collected through the village’s utility billing system.

Under the proposal discussed by the board, the new Vehicle Use Fee would be structured as a flat $5 per month for single-family homes, $5 per month for each unit in multi-family buildings, and $5 per month multiplied by 10% of the number of parking spaces for non-residential properties. In the B-5 Central Business District, commercial account holders would instead pay 5% of their monthly utility bill to account for shared public parking usage.

If implemented, the new fee is projected to generate approximately $260,000 annually — enough to fund about 0.6 miles of street resurfacing or the replacement of 900 sidewalk squares each year.

Trustee comments during the meeting suggested broad support for the concept.

“I think this is a no-brainer,” one trustee said, reflecting on years of chasing down sticker compliance. “Through the years of chasing stickers on cars … I just think it’s a no-brainer. I think this is a great idea.”

Another trustee pointed to the strain the sticker deadline places on village staff each year.

“I know how much stress the week before and the week after the deadline for stickers is here at the village,” trustee Gary Daggett said. “Being able to relieve the pressure from that really is overhead. I think that’s fantastic.”

Village officials estimate it costs about $40,000 annually in personnel time, software and materials just to administer the sticker program — not including police enforcement hours.

“Every year, staff is chasing vehicle sticker compliance,” Novoa noted in her memo.

Mayor Michelle Nelson also referenced past enforcement practices that strained community relations.

“There was a time when officers were going driveway to driveway,” she said. “I don’t think that’s how they want to spend their time either.”

She added that cutting services to make up for declining revenue would be difficult.

“It was already hard enough last budget cycle,” Nelson said. “To cut another $20,000 a year — that’s tough. The price of everything is continuously going up.”

Equity and concerns

Supporters of the proposal argue that the new model spreads the cost of infrastructure more evenly across residents and businesses.

Trustee remarks also highlighted that families with multiple vehicles could see savings. Under the current system, vehicle stickers cost $40 per car, $55 for trucks and $20 for motorcycles, with late penalties increasing the price.

“If a family had six cars, they still pay $5 per month?” trustee Rosalind Mustafa asked during the meeting.

“Yes,” staff confirmed — meaning $60 per year regardless of the number of vehicles.

Some trustees, however, raised concerns about residents on fixed incomes, particularly seniors without vehicles.

“I know $5 a month doesn’t sound like much,” trustee Daggett said, “but in this day and age, for some that might actually be one of the things that add up.”

The board discussed the possibility of an exemption tied to financial hardship for seniors without vehicles, though no formal action was taken on that idea during the meeting.

Officials also emphasized that the change would not create a new fee, but rather restructure how the village collects funds already needed for infrastructure.

“It’s not like we’re adding new fees,”  trustee Daggett said. “We’re just collecting it differently — and for most people, in a more equitable way.”

What’s next

Staff will prepare a draft ordinance for board consideration, potentially as early as the first meeting in March. Trustees were asked to provide direction on whether to discontinue the vehicle sticker program in favor of the vehicle use fee beginning May 1.

The proposal aligns with the village’s broader strategic initiative to assess additional revenue opportunities beyond property taxes.

If approved, the shift would mark the end of a long-standing program in Flossmoor — and a move toward what trustees described as a more streamlined, less contentious way to fund the roads and sidewalks residents rely on every day.