Robert
Schaller

Homer Glen's current property and sales tax base simply won't sustain the Village's future. As costs rise and infrastructure ages, residential property taxes alone can't carry the load — and without action, that burden falls squarely on homeowners. The answer is responsible commercial development along the 159th Street corridor. Guided by strong design standards and community input, smart growth here will diversify our revenue, create local jobs, and protect the character of our neighborhoods for the long term. Plan for the future now, or pay for it later.

• Corridor-focused commercial growth
• Design and traffic standards that protect neighborhoods
• Long-term capital planning tied to revenue diversification
• No blank checks to developers

When Long Run Creek floods, it's not an abstraction. It's a basement. It's a closed road. It's another family wondering when the answers are coming. I am working on it. I'm leading Homer Glen's federal grant strategy — pursuing EPA Section 319 watershed funding, FEMA Hazard Mitigation programs, and the state and county partnerships needed to put real infrastructure on the ground. That work is already underway. As a member of the Environmental Commission, I also led the development of Homer Glen's tree preservation ordinance: a legally sound policy designed to protect our community's character for the next generation, not just survive the next election cycle. Showing up matters. So does following through — and I'm doing both.

• Federal grant strategy for Long Run Creek
• EPA 319 and FEMA Hazard Mitigation funding
• Legally defensible tree preservation ordinance

Protecting Homer Glen's Trees — and Property Owners' Rights

Homer Glen adopted its first tree preservation rules in 2006. Twenty years later, those rules were overdue for an update, and I was proud to champion that effort as a Village Trustee and member of the Environmental Commission. After more than a year of public work, including 12 Environment Committee meetings, 3 Village Board meetings and a Committee of the Whole session, the Village Board adopted Ordinance OR26-043 on September 9, 2026.

My goal from the start was balance. Our mature trees are a big part of what makes Homer Glen special. They support property values, the environment and the rural character behind our motto, "Community and Nature in Harmony." But residents also have a right to use and improve their own land. The updated ordinance is built to discourage clear-cutting and unnecessary removal of healthy trees, without penalizing homeowners for reasonable decisions.

In practice, removing a healthy tree 5 inches or more in diameter now requires a Village permit, with replanting on-site or a contribution to the Village Tree Fund. That fund can be used only for planting new trees and arborist services. There is no penalty to remove invasive or "undesirable" species, dead or declining trees, hazardous trees, or trees within 40 feet of a new home, driveway or septic field. Very large trees over 36 inches are protected immediately on lots of a half acre or more.

For most residential properties, the rules phase in gradually. They start with lots of 3 acres or more on January 1, 2027, and reach 1-acre lots by 2031. That gives families time to learn the new rules before they apply. I worked closely with Village staff and our Village Attorney to make sure the ordinance is fair, proportionate and legally sound.

Homer Glen families pay some of the highest water rates in Illinois — and Illinois American Water just filed to recover another $577 million from ratepayers, on top of $195 million approved in just the last two years. Now the proposed merger of their parent companies — American Water and Essential Utilities — sits before the Illinois Commerce Commission, a decision that would combine Illinois American Water and Aqua Illinois under one corporate roof and shape your bills for a generation. Enough. I'm fighting for merger conditions that protect Homer Glen ratepayers right now. But the real answer isn't just fighting rate cases one at a time — it's building Homer Glen's path toward water independence: new infrastructure, regional partnerships, and a long-term strategy that finally gives this community leverage it has never had. Twenty years of rate hikes proves the current model is broken. That's the work I'm committed to as your Trustee.

• Lower water bills for Homer Glen families
• ICC merger conditions that protect ratepayers
• A long-term path toward water independence
• 20 years of waiting — time for a result

I support modernizing Village operations so that applying for a building permit doesn't mean taking a day off work — residents and contractors should be able to submit, track, and manage permits online, on their own schedule. I support thoughtful integration of AI tools that make Village services genuinely easier to navigate, not just a technology experiment for its own sake. And I support public communications that are written in plain language, delivered through the channels residents actually use, and timed so that people can engage before decisions are final. Transparency isn't a feature. It's the foundation.

• Modernized online building application & permit tracking
• Resident-facing AI tools for Village services
• Accessible, plain-language public communications

Homer Glen residents depend on the professionalism and institutional knowledge of Village staff. I support investing in continuous education, modern training, and professional development so our team keeps bringing new ideas, better processes, and smarter tools to the work — protecting service quality, reducing costly turnover, and ensuring Homer Glen benefits from the best practices of municipalities across the region.

• Continuous education and modern training programs
• Investment in process improvement and technology