Town President Larry Dominick on Wednesday announced that Cicero has received a $96 million Federal Grant to help the community address flooding challenges caused by regional issues. The Federal Grant was announced by officials of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) at a press conference on Wednesday intended to provide disaster relief to states and several communities, and presented to town officials. Dominick said the Federal funds are a direct result of the Town’s more than a year-long effort to force the government to recognize the need to address and support anti-flood measures.
The West suburban region was hit hard by heavy rains in July 2023 causing flooding in nearly every community including in the Town of Cicero. Rainfall of more than 8 inches set records for the region and impacted nearly 7,000 residents who reported rain-related damage to their properties in a program organized by Dominick to strengthen the Town’s demand for Federal and State money to support anti-flooding measures. “We fought long and hard to convince the Federal government and the State of Illinois to provide the money we need to counter these regional flooding challenges that impact our residents and businesses,” Dominick said Wednesday.
“The flooding we saw in July 2023 set records for rainfall and impacted many communities in the West suburbs. We were able to organize our community, document the damage, secure initial funding to help thousands of residents, and make a case that we believe has led to this significant anti-flood Federal Grant award. It’s an example of how the Town, the residents and all of our regional elected officials, including State Rep. Lisa Hernandez, came together to ensure that our needs were not forgotten.”
The press conference was welcomed by town officials including Clerk Maria Punzo-Arias, Supervisor Joe Virruso, Assessor Emilio Cundari, Collector Fran Reitz and Trustees Victor Garcia, Bob Porod, John Cava and Blanca Vargas. It was held in the Austin neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side. HUD officials detailed the allocation of nearly $12 billion in Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds to address emergencies that took place in communities across the nation including in the Town of Cicero.
The $96 million awarded to the Town of Cicero is one of the largest grant awards given to a municipality in the $12 billion disbursement. Money was provided to Chicago, Cook County and mainly to 24 state governments. “I believe that by coming together the way we did, we made a strong case to the Federal Government that they needed to step up to the plate and not put the burden of addressing the region’s flooding problems on local property owners,” Dominick said.
“This was an issue that demanded national attention. I feel we did our best to ensure our voices were heard loud and clear in Washington D.C.” After the July 2023 floods, Cicero took many additional actions to address flooding concerns. Dominick organized a Town-wide damage-assessment campaign to help every resident document their flood damage in order to strengthen the Town’s case to justify Federal support. Between July and October 2023, the Town of Cicero helped nearly 7,000 residents complete damage assessment forms which were provided to the state and to the Federal Government.
Additionally, Dominick and the Town of Cicero board allocated more than $1.1 million from existing revenues, without increasing property taxes or fees, to help in flood mitigation. Dominick also earmarked $21 million from its “American Rescue Plan” Act (ARP) funding for water, sewer, and other infrastructure improvements. Funding has been used to expand the Town’s Green Alley program which creates an alley base that absorbs excessive rainwater. Additionally, Dominick proposed state legislation to create the “West Cook Flood Prevention District” which would work to ensure the efficient drainage of stormwater and sewer water to prevent future flooding in Cicero, and portions of Berwyn, Oak Park, and Chicago. Dominick also hosted several public hearings that included state and regional officials including the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), and the Town worked with support agencies from the Red Cross to “Team Rubicon” which provided volunteers who helped repair major damage to dozens of town homes. For more information, visit www.TheTownofCicero.com.
