Roselle mayor outlines $83.8M wastewater upgrade, infrastructure and housing goals in State of the Village

Mayor Plumb opened the meeting’s State of the Village address by thanking staff, volunteers and the community and laying out the village’s priorities for 2026.

He said the village secured $3,200,000 in grant funding for Irving Park Road pedestrian improvements and public-safety planning and highlighted a planned $83,800,000 investment to complete Illinois EPA‑mandated wastewater treatment upgrades, saying the work will reduce toxic discharges and meet regulatory requirements. He also cited a $16,500,000 total budget tied to Irving Park Road improvements and estimated $8,900,000 to replace Roselle’s remaining lead service lines, noting the village has been replacing about 18 lines per year and expects to reach 41% replacement by the end of the upcoming year.

Plumb framed infrastructure as the foundation for development and listed near‑term construction targets: completion of a pedestrian bridge (targeted late 2027), continuation of a downtown quiet‑zone effort (design work expected this year, construction earliest 2028), and a large program to repair water mains and sewer mains in the town center. He reported the village will resurface an estimated 3.29 miles of streets next year and described investments in stormwater work, street and sanitary sewer lining, tree planting and meter replacements.

The mayor also described public‑safety and community investments: expansion of text‑to‑911 for DuPage and Cook County residents, deployment of safety‑cloud alerts on a new ambulance to alert motorists to approaching emergency vehicles, the addition of two full‑time social‑service workers in the police department, and 7,680 fire‑training hours for the department last year. He noted awards for the public works wastewater division and recognition for a Roanburg Road construction project done with Schaumburg.

Plumb emphasized funding challenges facing the village, including lost state revenue dating to 2011 that he said totals $14,700,000 through 2022, pressures from shifting sales tax rules, rising insurance and operating costs, and the need to balance service levels with constrained budgets. He said the village will use a strategic plan and the newly collected home‑rule revenues to guide budget decisions and prioritized pursuing grants and partnerships to pay for major projects.

The address closed with an appeal for civic cooperation and an outlook that the board would bring difficult budget trade‑offs to the community as it prepares for the 2027 budget cycle.

Plumb’s full remarks included specific program and project figures and a request for continued public input as projects proceed.