Elmhurst homeowners who spent the past week pumping out basements got their first look at the county's staffing bill on Aug. 4: the DuPage County Stormwater Management Committee approved a $31,000 budget transfer at its 7:30 a.m. meeting to cover overtime and temporary salaries driven partly by flood operations.

The committee also accepted a $257,745 FEMA Flood Reduction Project grant, though that money is earmarked for the Glen Ellyn Countryside area rather than Elmhurst directly.

The budget action came one week after severe storms dumped 2.41 inches of rain on Elmhurst and up to 2.50 inches on Villa Park on July 28, knocking out power to roughly 62,000 DuPage County customers and closing Route 83 in both directions between North Avenue and St. Charles Road, according to the Elmhurst Independent. Wind gusts reached 70 mph in Elmhurst and Villa Park, and hail up to golf ball size struck Elmhurst, Villa Park and Oakbrook Terrace.

Then it happened again. Heavy rainfall on Aug. 1 forced the Elmhurst Park District to shut the Wilder Park Conservatory as a precaution against flood damage, just two days after Courts Plus partially reopened from the first storm. The Courts Plus lower level, including the pool, tennis courts, locker rooms and Kids Plus, remains closed while an engineering firm assesses the flooding.

What the money covers

The $31,000 transfer moves $20,000 from the department's part-time help line and $11,000 from engineering and architectural services into overtime ($20,000) and temporary salaries ($11,000), according to the committee's agenda. The county cited flood operations, projected snow plowing and its intern program as reasons for the added costs, meaning the full amount is not solely a response to the July 28 storms.

The FEMA grant funds a flood reduction project in Glen Ellyn's Countryside neighborhood. While that project does not directly address Elmhurst flooding, it falls under the same countywide stormwater system the committee oversees.

More contracts ahead

The committee approved four additional stormwater contracts totaling more than $333,000:

  • $95,000 to V3 Companies for engineering design of grant-funded capital projects countywide (Aug. 11, 2026, through Nov. 30, 2027)
  • $90,000 to Trotter & Associates for on-call inspection and design engineering for stormwater facilities (Aug. 11, 2026, through Nov. 30, 2027)
  • $48,400 to Hoerr Construction for the Prairie Avenue Pipe Rehabilitation Project (Aug. 11 through Nov. 30, 2026)
  • $100,000 intergovernmental agreement with the Village of Itasca for roadway and infrastructure improvements (Aug. 11, 2026, through June 30, 2028)

The committee also received notification of a $114,117 Illinois EPA grant for development of a Lower West Branch DuPage River watershed plan.