City attorney predicts border war between Peru and La Salle after annexation agreement

An annexation by the city of La Salle has their neighbor to the west unhappy.

At last night’s La Salle City Council meeting, city of Peru Attorney Doug Schweickert argued against La Salle annexing property at 232 La Salle Road, north of Interstate 80. Schweickert says Peru already extended water and sewer to the property, although it hasn’t been used in close to 20 years. He thinks the cost of La Salle also supplying water and sewer to the property would be around $525,000.

A heated exchange followed between Schweickert and several members of the La Salle City Council and Mayor Jeff Grove. Schweickert says the move would cause a ‘border war’, driving both cities into a bidding war with future developers. Grove said a ‘border war’ is not the way La Salle sees it moving forward.

The property is currently an abandoned truck wash and is owned by Shorewood businessman Jerry Styrczula. He plans to turn it into a truck sales and service stop.