Selling 2.7 acres for 1$

In July, the Village Board voted to sell the village property at 249 N. Main Street to Northpointe Development for $1. The developer plans to build 24 units of much needed affordable housing on this 2.7 acre property. They also intended to turn the land on the top of the hill into a ¾ acre park.

This sale seemed odd, since so many Village Board members have publicly said the land should be sold to recoup the purchase cost. Heck, in 2022 Village Board President Phil Van Kampen argued for “selling this property to reduce Village debt...If we were to pay the debt to term, the cost to Village taxpayers would be approximately $1.2 million."

This $1 sale has certainly chipped away at Village debt!

What makes the sale even odder is that the Village has since informed the developer not to create a park. The Village will take that work on, presumably with money from Village accounts. The Village sold this land for $1 and has now left taxpayers on the hook to pay for a park. When Village Trustees express concern about high taxes, hide your wallet!

No matter how desirable a project is, the Village Board needs to stop hemorrhaging taxpayer money. The Village is taxing people out of their homes.