Administrator Paul–a Guest Speaker at Barrington Area Economic Summit

Earlier today, February 12, 2025, elected officials and village leaders from eight Barrington area municipalities gathered at Barrington’s White House to present The State of the Greater Barrington Area Economic Summit, hosted by the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce.  President Brian Cecola was scheduled to be a presenter, but Mother Nature had other plans for him on this snowy and blustery day.  In his place, Village Administrator Anna Paul presented Barrington Hills’ 2024 highlights:

• The Village’s portion of the property tax levy was reduced once again, making it the 15^th year in a row it has either been maintained or reduced.
• The Barrington Hills Fall Festival, the Village’s main community event, had record-breaking attendance of about 1,000 people.
• Investment in the Village is going strong.  The Village has issued ten building permits for new, single-family residential homes and 45 permits for additions, remodels and the like showing that new and existing residents are committed to making Barrington Hills a destination residential community.

Administrative highlights included:

• Upgrading the community alert notification system to OnSolve CodeRed alert system.
• The Barrington Hills Police Department earned its seventh CALEA accreditation.
• Kyle Murphy, who served the Village of Wilmette for 30 years before retiring as their Police Chief, was welcomed in September as the new Police Chief of Barrington Hills.
• Former Police Chief Joseph Colditz retired after serving our Village for 25 years.

Looking ahead, Paul shared the Village’s plans to continue its dedication to high-quality infrastructure. The road program will continue to include the application of an innovative product called Reclamite, a pavement rejuvenator that extends the life of the roads reducing the frequency of road resurfacing, saving money in the long run.

As a highlight in 2025, the Village has begun a project to add safety and ADA improvements to Village Hall with construction expected to begin this fall.

When asked the most common question posed by the residents, Administrator Paul answered, “It’s about drainage,” and echoed a comment made earlier by North Barrington Village President, Eleanor Sweet McDonnell, that unfortunately, when the drainage issue is on private property, it is up to the property owner to remedy, and not on the Village.

Additional photos will be posted as they become available.