New Lenox and Homer Glen Renew 20-Year Boundary Agreement, Defining Future Growth

Village of New Lenox Board of Trustees Meeting | September 22, 2025

Article Summary: The New Lenox Village Board has approved a new 20-year intergovernmental boundary agreement with the Village of Homer Glen, updating a pact that was set to expire. The agreement formally defines jurisdictional lines for planning and annexation, reflecting recent developments and ensuring predictable growth for both communities over the next two decades.

New Lenox/Homer Glen Boundary Agreement Key Points:

• The New Lenox Village Board unanimously approved the 20-year boundary agreement.

• The new agreement replaces a previous 20-year pact that was expiring.

• Jurisdictional lines were adjusted to reflect New Lenox’s recent annexation of the Teerling Nursery property.

• The agreement reduces the size of a previously established “open annexation area” between the two villages.

The Village of New Lenox on Monday, September 22, 2025, formally approved a new 20-year boundary agreement with the neighboring Village of Homer Glen, solidifying long-term planning and jurisdictional lines between the two municipalities.

The Board of Trustees unanimously passed a resolution authorizing the Intergovernmental Cooperative Planning and Jurisdictional Boundary Agreement following a public hearing on the matter. The new pact replaces a 20-year agreement that was nearing its expiration.

Community Development Director Robin Ellis explained the necessity of the renewal and outlined the key changes. “Our boundary agreement with Homer Glenn was coming on its 20-year expiration,” she stated. “The mayors of both communities and staff and the administrators met to negotiate an extension.”

While most provisions of the previous agreement remain unchanged, the new map reflects recent growth in New Lenox. The boundary line was shifted to incorporate the Teerling Nursery property, which has been annexed into New Lenox for the Teerling Lakes development. This adjustment also resulted in a smaller “open annexation area”—a territory that could have been annexed by either village.

“The previous agreement did have an open annexation area that could have been annexed into either New Lenox or Homer Glen,” Ellis reported. “Because that is now in the village of New Lenox, the line did shift to reflect that and the open annexation area got a little bit smaller.”

No residents from either community spoke during the public hearing. The Homer Glen Village Board is scheduled to hold its own public hearing on September 24 and is expected to take final action on the agreement at its October 8 meeting.

The motion to approve the resolution was made by Trustee Bryan Reiser and seconded by Trustee Lindsay Scalise, passing with a unanimous 6-0 vote in Mayor Tim Baldermann’s absence. Such long-term agreements are crucial for preventing disputes over annexation and allow for stable, coordinated planning for infrastructure, zoning, and services along municipal borders.