The Homewood Village Board approved the agreement for the jurisdictional transfer of a portion of Harwood Avenue from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to the Village of Homewood at the June 10 meeting.
Joshua Burman, Homewood’s director of public works, says the transfer applies from Pine Road to Ridge Road.
By gaining ownership, this will help the village with future improvements and maintenance, as well as planning efforts, without needing IDOT’s permission or permits, Burman said.
This also will assist the village with its long-term goals regarding economic development, and improvements with infrastructure and the downtown area. The village also can have the ability to enhance public parking downtown, such as adding more spaces and angled parking, he said.
According to Burman, in 2023 the public works staff started the process of gaining the right-of-way along Harwood Avenue. This led to the pursuit of ownership for the road from IDOT.
IDOT also assessed the ‘present worth value’ of the roadway, which amounted to $12,000. This single lump sum was added to the village’s Motor Fuel Tax Fund, he said.
Trustee Jay Heiferman asked if taking this portion of Harwood would affect the amount of motor fuel tax the village receives. Napoleon Haney, Homewood’s village manager, said it will not have an affect.
“The portion that’s covered under the jurisdictional transfer is so short, so it doesn’t. It would have to be miles long, like 183rd Street, for us to see any significant impact,” Haney said.
The board also granted approval to enter a new 10-year intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with IDOT at the meeting.
The current IGA expires on June 30, 2025. The new agreement will cover July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2035, Burman said.
This agreement allows the village to conduct routine maintenance on main state routes in Homewood, and for road conditions and public safety improvements. The village has control over the timing and quality of services, he said.
Burman noted the agreement includes an annual reimbursement to the village from IDOT for state road maintenance costs.
According to Burman, IDOT updated their computation sheets for July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026, with a 1.60% increase. As a result, the village will receive $100,908 per year, with a total of about $1,009,080 by June 30, 2035.
