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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/10/2000 COW minutes MINUTES COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE OCTOBER 10, 2000 I. D~d.J.~DJ~ The meeting was called to order at 7:33 p.m. by Mayor Gerald Fadey. Present at the meeting were: Trustees Paul Hoefert, Richard Lohrstorfer, Dennis Prikkel, Michaele Skowron and Irvana Wilks. Absent from the meeting was: Trustee Timothy Corcoran. Staff members present included Village Manager Michael Janonis, Assistant Village Manager David Strahl, Community Development Director William Cooney, Village Attorney Everette Hill and Finance Director Douglas EIIsworth. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approval of Minutes from August 22, 2000. Motion made by Trustee Wilks and Seconded by Trustee Skowron to approve the Minutes. Minutes were approved. Trustee Hoefert abstained. Approval of Minutes from September 12, 2000. Motion made by Trustee Hoefert and Seconded by Trustee Prikkel to approve the Minutes. Minutes were approved. Trustee Wilks and Trustee Skowron abstained. Approval of Minutes from September 26, 2000. Motion made by Trustee Hoefert and Seconded by Trustee Wilks to approve the Minutes. Minutes were approved. Trustee Lohrstorfer and Trustee Skowron abstained. III. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD None. IV. REVIEW OF REVISED CORRIDOR PLAN AND PROPOSED LOGO DESIGN Community Development Director Bill Cooney stated the final Corridor Draft Plan is available and is being provided to the Village Board for their information this evening. There have been several meetings with the consultant, Wolff Clements, to define the guidelines for the improvements and various funds have been requested in future ClP Budgets. He stated that his purpose tonight is to look for general concurrence of the Village so he can return to the Plan Commission for final approval for the general guidelines. Craig Fransworth of Wolff Clements spoke. He stated the document should be considered a planning tool that provides guidelines for the development of 12 different areas which have been previously identified to highlight the fact that someone is within Mount Prospect and nowhere else. Don McLean of Graf/)( spoke. He stated the revised Logo is being presented to represent Mount Prespect's image at these various Corridor areas and to incorporate the Logo design on future street signs to designate the Village from other communities. He stated the keystone logo with the "MP" appearing as if it is growing out of the stone to the use of neutral colors was designed to provide a unique identifier for the community. General comments from the Village Board members included the following items: Several Board members expressed approval regarding the Logo design. There was some discussion regarding where the Logo would be utilized and for what purpose. There was also a discussion regarding the standardization of appearance markers at various Corridor locations in the community. Consensus of the Village Board was to accept the revised Corridor Plan document and the proposed Logo. IV. AMENDMENTS TO REAL ESTATE TRANSFER TAX Village Manager Janonis stated that this item is coming before the Village Board at the request of several Board members who previously expressed an interest in reviewing how this Tax is levied. Staff surveyed several other towns and found that only one other community levied the Transfer Tax on the buyer of the property compared to the seller in other communities that levied the Transfer Tax. He stated that staff also reviewed the administrative burden of managing the collection of this revenue. The Ordinance was revised to acknowledge different sales options that have been undertaken relating to property transfer but have not necessarily been clarified in the Ordinance. He stated the Real Estate Transfer Tax has been in place since 1987 and the Village has collected significant revenue from this Tax with the most recent projection for the fiscal year of approximately $650,000. He also stated staff has suggested an opportunity to balance the equity of the administration so that if there is a change to levy the Tax on the seller instead of the buyer as is currently levied, it would be suggested that the property owner would not have to pay the Tax twice; once buying in the community and once selling in the community. General comments from the Village Board members included the following items: The Real Estate Transfer Tax was originally levied on the buyer because the seller had paid their fair share of services while they were a resident and the Board at the time felt it was critical the new resident pay a fair share for those services upon pumhasing a home within the community. There was considerable discussion about the processing of the suggested staff rebates and the discussion also highlighted the fact of the loss of revenue through the suggested rebate system. There were also some comments regarding a specific timeframe in which a rebate could be considered whereby a current resident who paid the Tax when they bought in the community could get some relief at the point of selling their residence when they leave the community. There was also some discussion regarding who would be responsible for providing the documentation regarding the amount originally paid by the buyer. There was a comment suggesting the revenue soume be discontinued and the funds necessary be levied through the Property Tax instead of the Real Estate Transfer Tax. John Kom, Chairman of the Finance Commission, spoke. He stated the Commission recommended a shift to the seller and the Village should rebate the amount the buyer originally paid when they purchased in the community. Frank Vlazny, 2103 Jody Court, spoke. He stated he objected to the Tax when it was imposed and feels it is unrealistic to take credit or rebate a portion of the Tax and it should be added to the Property Tax if it is necessary to obtain this revenue. He feels this is a hidden Tax. George Clowes, 604 South Elm, spoke. He stated this is a Tax on people that have moved into town over the last 13 years. If a rebate window is determined, then it becomes a windfall for the people that have the opportunity to take advantage of the rebate. He is concerned about the overall loss in revenue through considering the rebate option and feels that buyers coming in to the community are making a down payment on the infrastructure, which has been put in place for their use. Consensus of the Village Board was to leave the Real Estate Transfer Tax on the buyer and not shift it to the seller of the property. They also recommended a change in the business lease definitions and the corporate buy-out language, which would allow the Village to collect the Tax on different types of real estate transactions. VI. VILLAGE MANAGER'S REPORT Village Manager Michael Janonis reminded everyone of the upcoming Coffee with Council on October 14 and a portion of the meeting will be a floater to Euclid School at Euclid and Wheeling. He also reminded everyone of the Welcome New Resident meeting scheduled for October 28. He stated that Budget review starts with the Village Board on October 24. VII, ANY OTHER BUSINESS Trustee Prikkel complimented the Mount Prospect Police Department for the Randhurst Safety Show, which occurred during the past weekend. Trustee Wilks commented on the recent Press Release regarding the Mayor's announcement that he is running for a fourth term. CLOSED SESSION A Motion was made by Trustee Wilks and Seconded by Trustee Prikkel to move into Closed Session to discuss Personnel, Litigation, and Property Acquisition, The meeting moved into Closed Session at 9:11 p.m. The meeting reconvened into Open Session at 9:54 p.m. VIII. ADJOURNMENT Since there was no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:55 p.m. Respectfully submitted, DAVID STRAHL Assistant Village Manager DS/rcc H:\GEN\Cow~Minutes\101000 COW Minutes.doc