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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2. COW Minutes 11/11/2014IV. 11?fir ,� LIALOL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MINUTES November 11, 2014 CALL TO ORDER — ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order at 6:05 p.m. in the Village Board Room, Mount Prospect Village Hall, 50 South Emerson Street, Mount Prospect Illinois by Mayor Arlene Juracek. Trustees present included Paul Hoefert, John Korn, John Matuszak, Steven Polit, Richard Rogers and Michael Zadel. Staff present included Village Manager Michael Janonis, Assistant Village Manager David Strahl, Finance Director David Erb, Fire Chief John Malcolm, Deputy Fire Chief Henry Dawson, Public Works Director Sean Dorsey, Deputy Public Works Director Jason Leib, Police Chief Tim Janowick, Deputy Police Chief Mike Eterno, Deputy Police Chief Tim Griffin, Commander Robert Smith, Battalion Chief Brian Lambel, Police Commander David Zboril, and Police Commander Eddie Szmergalski. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE OCTOBER 28,201 Motion made by Trustee Hoefert seconded by Trustee Polit. Minutes were approved,. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD Dale Steward resident from 20 S. Main and President of IAFF, Local 4119 spoke. He stated that members of the Fire union understand the budget situation and is requesting the Village Board to restore the six firefighters that were eliminated during the recession and now with improved economic conditions would request those positions be reinstated. He commented that previous comments from Village Board member highlighted the need for discussion and restoring public safety positions that were previously eliminated. He stated that he is concerned about the growth in the number of calls and the number of staff available to respond to those calls. He felt the Village Board could use reserve funds to cover the additional expense since his research showed a reserve level of 5% was adequate compared to the Village Board policy of 25%. General comments from Village Board members include the following items: • It was suggested that a future Committee the Whole meeting be undertaken to discuss public safety staffing. • There was also discussion regarding the impact of running the Tower truck on ambulance calls and the additional wear and tear on the apparatus compared to the cost of replacing the staff. 2015 BUDGET DISCUSSION Public Works Department: Director Sean Dorsey provided an overview of the number of service requests at the Public Works department which totaled 7809 to date for 2014. He said the department has completed 31,551 work orders and resurfaced 18.8 miles of streets which eliminated 12.1 miles from the backlog of streets that needed attention. The Street program had a project cost of $8.39 million. Committee of the Whole Page 1 of 4 11/11/14 He stated the automatic meter reading (AMR) installation program is well underway and should be completed in about a year. He said the department responded to a sprinkler break that occurred in the Village Hall in January 2014 which resulted in about $174,000 worth of damage of which the Village only paid about $25,000 toward the deductible. He stated the winter of 2013-14 was the third snowiest winter on record which included 41 snow events using 6000 tons of salt. He stated the Public Works budget accounts for 17% of the overall General Fund budget with 54% of the total Public Works budget related to personnel costs. He stated the CIP budget for Public Works decreased 25.7% for 2014 mainly due to the completion of a number of outstanding projects. He stated the department is still dealing with the Emerald Ash Borer impact with additional tree removal and replacement. He stated one item in the CIP for 2015 is the replacement of the roof at the Public Works facility which is projected to cost $1.5 million and will be the first replacement since the building was built in 1988. He stated there is an item in the CIP for the KBC jogging path replacement which amounts to approximately $555,000. There is also $1.1 million set aside for corridor improvements along Northwest Highway. He stated the Budget includes $4.467 million for resurfacing of 8.9 miles of streets. There also are project funds for pedestrian crossings at Central and Weller Creek in addition to Lincoln street traffic calming near Lincoln Junior High. A major flood control project for 2015 will be the Isabella sewer improvement for $9.434 million which would bring the area up to a 25 year flood control level. He stated there is $330,000 slated for further flood study in the Northeast section of town including Basins 21, 41, and 45. He stated the refuse section of the budget will increase 4.26% due to tipping fee increases. He also mentioned that all SWANCC debt will be retireri in 20115. He stated he ig recommending the use of $7001 000 of HAFT money for the construction of a salt dome in the Public Works yard. He also stated the cost of road salt purchase for the upcoming winter season has increased 55% over last year. He stated the water budget shows an 11.3% increase due to the increased purchase price from the City of Chicago. He stated there is a $1.1 million water main replacement for Evergreen and Maple as part of an improvement related to the elevated tank. He further stated that $800,000 will be used for spot repair of combined sewer improvements for the coming year. General comments from the Village Board members include the following items: • There was a general question about the Levy 37 work and the salt storage dome construction details. • There was also clarification regarding the Isabella sewer improvements. • There was a general discussion regarding the impact of prevailing wage on Public Works projects and the traffic calming project at Lincoln Junior High. Police Department Budget: Police Chief Janowick highlighted the changes in leadership in the Police Department over the past year which included a new Chief, two Deputy Chiefs, one Commander, three Sergeants and seven Police officers. He stated that his budget includes a 1.3% increase in which 88.7% is related to personnel services. Some of the projects that show a change from last year include the addition of software for evaluation purposes. He also stated that there will be a significant number of vests that will be replaced next year due to their age. He also stated there is software included to assist management as an early warning system regarding performance issues for officers. He said the department will focus on the reduction of Part I and Part II crimes for the upcoming year. He also stated the Department reduced one investigation secretary and converted those funds for the creation of a civilian IT network administrator that will be primarily focused on Police Department operations. He stated that Committee of the Whole Page 2 of 4 11/11/14 H:\VILM\Cow\2014\MINUTES\11-11-2014 Cow minutes.docx V. Police Commanders will be assigned based on processes versus function under the new organizational structure. He also stated that there is a new recruit testing needed for the coming year. General comments from the Village Board members included the following items: • There was a discussion regarding the amount of training and the overtime expense when compared to the point where officers would be hired to avoid overtime. Fire Department Budget: Deputy Fire Chief Henry Dawson provided an overview of the departmental operations for the past year. He also highlighted the personnel requests that were made but not put into the budget. He did state that two interns to assist the Fire Prevention area were approved for next year consideration by the Village Board. He stated there is a new engine at Station 12 and the department continues to increase the level of training which included 300 public education events. He stated 67% of calls are EMS related with Station 12 being the busiest station based on call volume. He stated the Department budget increased 1.56% with 89.4% of the budget related to personnel costs. He stated the major purchases slated for 2014 include replacement of treadmills in addition to new air cylinders and the replacement of vehicle 505. General comments from the Village Board members included the following items: • There was a discussion regarding the use of vehicles for call responses and the impact of such responses related to vehicle maintenance. • There was also general discussion regarding the cost of replacing personnel. It was recommended that a committee the whole meeting be undertaken in the near future to discuss staffing replacement. BUDGET WRAP-UP DISCUSSION Finance Director David Erb stated the General Fund shows an increase of 2.4%. He also stated that 80% of the General Fund is related to wages and benefits. He stated this is a very lean budget which allows the Village to maintain a 25% fund balance or two months of operational costs which has been recognized by bond agencies when the Village enters into debt. He also stated the projected Property Tax increase of 4.42% would increase the general purposes part of the Property Tax by $719,000. He stated the public safety pensions are slated to increase at 7% each and the Village percentage of the overall property tax bill is about 11 %. A typical home in Mount Prospect, based on standard EAV, would see an approximate increase of $44 per year in property tax payments. He said the general portion section of the property tax is what is left over after pensions have been funded and that for each 1 % reduction in the Levy equates to approximately to $170,000. Vince Grochoncinski Chairman of the Finance Commission provided the recommendations from the Finance Commission. He stated the commission is recommending a 1 % property tax increase and changing the estimates for sales -tax to a 5% annual growth in revenues for 2015. He also stated that the projected real estate transfer tax for Randhurst be included in the Budget in the amount of $450,000. The Commission is also recommending the elimination of the exercise facility at Village Hall and recommended providing a general wage increase to nonunion employees of 1.7%. He also stated the budget could benefit from a credit of unspent money from the previous fiscal year left over from the departments. He stated the Commission did not look to cut expenses and acknowledge that a reduction to a 1.7% salary increase for nonunion employees would only amount to $25,000 in savings. He stated the Committee of the Whole Page 3 of 4 11/11/14 H:\VILM\Cow\2014\MINUTES\11-11-2014 Cow minutes.docx Commission recommends an audit of the Telecommunication Tax collections by the State of Illinois to determine if the Village is obtaining the necessary tax receipts. Jerry Boldt, resident spoke. He stated that he is concerned about the Property Tax increase when there was an increase in the permits and fees earlier this year. He stated that an annual 4% increase in property taxes cannot be sustained. He stated for example in 2005 he paid $450 in property taxes to the Village and in 2014 he paid $1040 property taxes to.the Village. He stated the previous increases that he saw were more in line with $100 annually not $44 as projected. He stated that he has seen approximate 400 homes that are abandoned in the community and people are leaving the community because of the impact in the real estate taxes. Finance Director Erb stated that the estimated increase in property taxes for the average house of $44 is a simplistic comparison for the average house and may vary depending on each individual's circumstances. Consensus of the Village Board was to direct staff to provide projections of a 1 % and 2% increase in the property tax rate and what the projected impact on the budget would be. This discussion will take place at the next Committee the Whole meeting. VI. MANAGER'S REPORT Assistant Village Manager Strahl stated that the loose leaf collection ends on November 21 and the tree lighting ceremony will be November 26. The next Committee of the Whole meeting will be November 25. VI1. ANY OTHER BUSINESS Trustee Polit wanted to acknowledge the 400 pounds of frozen chicken that has been donated for distribution to needy families. VIII. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 11:22 p.m. DAVID STRAHL Assistant Village Manager Committee of the Whole Page 4 of 4 11/11/14 H:\VILM\Cow\2014\MINUTES\11-11-2014 COW minutes.docx