Illinois House OKs School Fee Proposal Aimed at Wirtz Project

Illinois lawmakers are moving quickly to give suburban school districts more power in a high-stakes development fight with the influential Wirtz family.

The Illinois House of Representatives unanimously passed a proposal on Wednesday to allow municipalities to impose impact fees tied to school construction, Crain’s reported. The move is aimed at the simmering dispute over the Wirtz family’s proposed Ivanhoe Village megaproject in Mundelein.

The bill is headed to the state Senate, with legislators and school leaders urging village officials to pause negotiations until the measure is decided.

The 3,595-unit Ivanhoe Village plan is projected to add 800 to 900 students to the area’s three school districts. Fremont District 79 says it will need a new school costing over $100 million to absorb the growth. The developers’ offer of just $5 million toward that cost has sparked months of backlash and lobbying in Springfield.

If enacted, the legislation would shift leverage away from mayors, who have sole authority to negotiate developer fees, and toward school districts who say they’re left holding the fiscal bag.

“When large developments create the need for new school buildings, local governments should be able to use impact fees to help offset those costs,” Rep. Lauren Faver Dias said.

The bill’s progress adds political heat to an already tense local standoff. Outgoing Mayor Steve Lentz said he wanted to finalize Ivanhoe’s fee package this spring.

State Sens. Adriane Johnson and Mary Edly-Allen have signalled support for the proposal, pledging to push it through the Senate after backing its introduction last week.

Meanwhile, the developers have launched a 12,000-household mailer campaign urging public support, calling the project “environmentally sustainable” and “in harmony with Mundelein.” The Wirtz family, which owns the Chicago Blackhawks and co-owns the United Center, hasn’t commented.

The bill’s outcome could shape the development’s future and set a precedent for how major suburban developments share the burden of public infrastructure. Mundelein officials, however, say they’ll proceed under current law unless and until Springfield says otherwise.

— Judah Duke