Mayor Baldermann Urges Continued Citizen Pressure Against State “Mega Projects” and “Build” Legislation

Village of New Lenox Meeting | May 11, 2026

Article Summary: New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann utilized his mayoral report to rally residents against pending state legislation, warning that the “Build Plan” and “Mega Projects” bills will severely harm local property taxpayers and municipal services.

State Legislation Key Points:

• Baldermann criticized the state’s “Mega Projects” bill, which would drastically lower the investment threshold for major developments to bypass local zoning and tax frameworks from $500 million to $100 million.

• The Mayor praised thousands of citizens who have already contacted state legislators, noting their pushback is forcing the Governor to aggressively whip votes in Springfield.

• He expressed support for the Illinois Municipal League’s alternative “Real Housing” bill but prefers no vote happens before the May 31 session ends to allow for deeper, more collaborative discussions.

Issuing a stark warning about the future of local property taxes and municipal services, New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann used the Monday, May 11, 2026, Village Board meeting to urge citizens to maintain intense pressure on state lawmakers to reject a pair of controversial development bills.

Baldermann dedicated a significant portion of his mayoral report to dissecting the potential local fallout from the state’s proposed “Build Plan” and “Mega Projects” legislation. He indicated that the combined bills represent an unprecedented threat to local control and municipal finances.

“Doing this in one shape or another for 25 years, I have never seen not only the worst piece of legislation I’ve ever seen, but so much bad legislation all being pushed at one time that will negatively impact property values and ability to provide services throughout the state,” Baldermann stated.

A primary target of the mayor’s ire was the “Mega Projects” bill. Originally discussed in the context of keeping the Chicago Bears in the state, the proposed legislation would lower the threshold for a project to be classified as “mega” from $500 million in construction value down to just $100 million.

“As [village staff] will tell you, that’s not a lot,” Baldermann explained. “You’re not talking about mega, mega developments. So, that will definitely negatively impact property taxpayers and those who provide services—villages, schools, parks.”

Baldermann expressed concern that under the proposed framework, developers could avoid paying their standard share of property taxes, forcing local governments to spread the financial burden across existing residential taxpayers and attempt to cut side deals to fund essential services.

Despite his dire warnings, Baldermann highlighted a massive wave of grassroots pushback that he says is actively stalling the legislation. Following a previous video address by the mayor that recently “went viral,” thousands of citizens far beyond the borders of New Lenox have contacted their state representatives.

“We can say what we want, but when it’s everyday citizens that are getting on the phone and emailing, and they are doing it in droves, we’re having some real, real impact,” Baldermann said, noting that the pressure has prompted the Governor to call individual lawmakers into his office to force the bills forward.

Baldermann expressed support for an alternative piece of legislation floated by the Illinois Municipal League, known as the “Real Housing” bill. However, his ultimate preference is for the General Assembly to punt the issue entirely until after the current session expires on May 31.

“In my opinion, the best thing that can happen is that there’s no vote on any of this legislation in this session,” Baldermann said. “So we can have some real conversation about where this goes instead of just throwing an alternative… we need some real sit-down and some real time at the table, which has been rebuffed by the governor up to this point.”