The Downers Grove Sanitary District Board of Trustees will vote Tuesday, July 21, on intergovernmental agreements that would formally launch a multi-agency study of regional wastewater treatment options, a step toward determining whether the district can share the burden of $250 million in long-term infrastructure needs with neighboring agencies.
The meeting begins at 5 p.m. at the District Administration Center, 2710 Curtiss Street.
Regionalization study takes center stage
The board's biggest agenda item is a package of four votes: a professional services agreement for the study itself and three intergovernmental agreements with Flagg Creek Water Reclamation District, DuPage County, and Glenbard Wastewater Authority.
General Manager Amy R. Underwood laid the groundwork at the board's Monday, March 16 meeting, reporting that all three neighboring agencies "indicated varying levels of available capacity or expansion potential and expressed interest in participating in a regionalization study, including willingness to share the cost of engineering fees."
The district placed further action on its own facility plan on hold pending the study's completion, according to the March 16 meeting minutes. That facility plan, referenced in the district's five-year financial plan approved March 16, identified roughly $250 million in improvements needed to address aging pipes and a future phosphorus discharge limit.
The dollar value of the professional services agreement was not listed in the posted agenda.
Tax levy and property taxes
The three-member board will also take up three tax-related items: the 2025 tax levy and rate, a property tax evaluation discussion, and the 2026 tax levy ordinance. Specific levy figures were not included in the agenda.
For context, the district's projected property tax rate is approximately 0.0403 per $100 of equalized assessed value, according to its 2024 five-year financial plan. A typical Downers Grove homeowner pays roughly $48 per year in DGSD property taxes, a small slice of the overall bill.
The district's user rate rose to $3.65 per 1,000 gallons in FY 2026-27, up from $3.25 in FY 2025-26. The monthly service fee is $21.
Other business
The board will consider Ordinance No. ORD 26-04, which proposes revisions to the district's sewer use ordinance. The specific changes were not detailed in the posted agenda. Additional items include approval of a planned retirement, a contract award for 2026 painting services, and Claim Ordinance No. 1963.
The board consists of President Amy E. Sejnost, Clerk/Trustee Mark Eddington, and Trustee Jeremy M. Wang. Any two trustees constitute a majority.
How to weigh in
Residents who cannot attend in person can submit written public comment at dgsd.org/government/public-comment/ before 4 p.m. Tuesday, July 21. Staff will read submitted comments aloud during the meeting's public comment segment. The district typically posts meeting minutes within days of the meeting.
