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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/26/2016 COW MinutesIV. EVISaseIt, i_ COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MINUTES January 26, 2016 CALL TO ORDER — ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m. in the Village Board Room of the Village Hall, 50 South Emerson Street, by Mayor Arlene Juracek. Trustees present included Paul Hoefert, John Matuszak, Steven Polit, Richard Rogers and Colleen Saccotelli. Trustee Michael Zadel was absent. Staff present included Village Manager Michael Cassady, Assistant Village Manager David Strahl, Administrative Analyst Alex Bertolucci, Community Development Director Bill Cooney, Police Chief Tim Janowick, Interim Fire Chief Brian Lambel, Finance Director Dave Erb, and Human Services Director Julie Kane. APPROVAL OF COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MINUTES FOR January 12, 2016 Motion made by Trustee Polit seconded by Trustee Rogers to approve the minutes, minutes were approved. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD Louis Goodman, 310 N. School St. spoke. He inquired as to whether the Mayor would consider a state of the village address on an annual basis. Mayor Juracek stated she would consider it; however, she currently does a presentation at the economic development breakfast in the fall that typically covers all the topics that would be considered in a state of the village address. In addition, such information is shared at the annual Chamber luncheon in January plus the various Committee of the Whole discussions that lead up to the budget in December. FINANCIAL INCENTIVES TO DRIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISCUSSION: Village Manager Cassady provided an overview of the economic development programs the village has used in the past and has requested Community Development Director Bill Cooney provide an outline of the best practices used by other communities. Community Development Director Cooney stated there were several items regarding economic development highlighted during the strategic planning meetings including a review of what other communities used for economic development incentive packages. He stated the majority of the surrounding communities use the same tools the village uses. He also stated that none of the techniques have proven to be ultra -successful and he has further talked with the EDC which confirmed general acceptance of the techniques as incentives to be considered on a case-by-case basis. He stated currently there is a less than 6% Committee of the Whole Page 1 of 3 02/12/16 vacancy rate in KBC or 9% vacancy rate of industrial property within the community. He stated the best incentives appear to be the ones that are simple and easy to utilize. He stated the village has utilized $25 million for redevelopment in the TIF area. He stated that the towns have used more TIFs for redevelopment purposes and reminded the board that other taxing bodies are not generally supportive of TIFs. He stated the village has used the 6B classification extensively but have not had the opportunity to use the class 7 incentives since they are typically related to more stringent requirements for qualification purposes. He stated that no communities surveyed use property tax abatements due to the small amount of property taxes under the control of the municipality. He stated that some communities including Mount Prospect have used a business improvement District which can be overlaid in an area in which sales -tax rebates can be utilized by sales -tax generating properties. He stated the use of special service areas is limited due to the potential for disqualification of an SSA through residential petitions. The use of industrial revenue bonds has not been very attractive due to the low interest rates. He stated the village has used a business improvement District for the Randhurst Village redevelopment, a sales -tax abatement for Costco, and a sales -tax abatement for the Northwest Electric relocation. He stated the village has also approved twenty 6B designations. General comments village board included the following items: • There was a question regarding whether the village should focus on a specific brand of business type. • There was also an inquiry whether it would be prudent for staff to remind potential businesses that the village is open to 6B classifications in the early stages of the recruitment process. • There was a discussion regarding the direct financial assistance option for specific type of business but there were concerns regarding the possibility of alienating other types of businesses. It was thought that targeting one specific business type with a unique package may be too limiting. • A comment was made that it appears as if staff has the appropriate tools to move forward to avoid any direct incentive giveaways and the fact that the village uses the same tools as other communities is helpful. The next step might be to consider building code relief through modifications, sign code relief, or modification to other redevelopment code options that may be a detriment to redevelopment consideration. V. DISCUSSION OF THE VILLAGE OF MOUNT PROSPECT STRATEGIC PLAN IMPLEMENTATION AND LEADERS GUIDE Village Manager Cassady presented the plan showing the strategic plan implementation steps projecting out to 2030. He stated staff is ready to follow the Committee of the Whole Page 2 of 3 02/12/16 goals as outlined in the execution process over the next several years. He also highlighted the vision, mission, core beliefs and a plan for what the community should look like in 2021. He highlighted each of the major goals: infrastructure with six action items; development with four action items; business with three action items; commercial business district with seven action items; governance with seven action items; and cultural climate with two action items. General comments from the village board included the following items: It was stated the strategic implementation plan is a living and breathing document and can be utilized by staff as a guidance tool over the next several years for prioritizing efforts to address policy needs of the Village Board. General consensus of the Village Board was to support the plan and bring it for formal approval at the next regular Village Board meeting. MANAGER'S REPORT None ANY OTHER BUSINESS None ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:39 p.m. DAVID STRAHL Assistant Village Manager Committee of the Whole Page 3 of 3 02/12/16