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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/13/2002 COW minutesII. II1. IV. MINUTES COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE AUGUST '13, 2002 CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 7:07 p.m. by Mayor Farley in the conference reom of the Central Community Center, 1000 West Central Road. Present at the meeting were: Trustees Timothy Corcoran, Paul Hoefert, Michaele Skowron, Irvana Wilks and Michael Zadel. Absent from the meeting was: Trustee Richard Lohrstorfer. Staff members present included Assistant Village Manager David Strahl, Community Development Director Bill Cooney, Finance Director Douglas EIIsworth, Deputy Police Chief Ronald Richardson, Deputy Fire Chief John Malcolm, Public Works Director Glen Andler, Deputy Public Works Director Sean Dorsey, Human Services Director Nancy Morgan, Deputy Finance Director Carol Widmer and Village Clerk Velma Lowe. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approval of Minutes from July 9, 2002. Motion made by Trustee Skowron and seconded by Trustee Corcoran. Trustee Hoefert abstained. Minutes were approved. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD None. DISCUSSION ON BAN OF MOTOR-DRIVEN SCOOTERS Mayor Farley provided an introduction and general information on the background of the proposal as submitted. Deputy Chief Ron Richardson spoke. He stated that the Police are somewhat limited at this point in regulating these so-called vehicles because they fall within the gap of the definition of a vehicle by the Illinois Vehicle Code. He stated that from the Police perspective the opportunity to utilize such an Ordinance to educate and enforce, if necessary, would be an important tool for their use. He stated that the Police have received seven to ten complaints per week and would categorize the complaints as not overwhelming the resources of the Department at this time. He stated that the Hoffman Estates Ordinance example allows for several options for enforcement and that ordinance example is supported by the Police Department for that reason. He stated the difference between the enforcement options for bicycle riders and these scooters are the fact that the scooters operate at much higher speeds than bicycles. John Korn, 301 North William, spoke. He stated that he has appeared before the Board previously to request an Ordinance regulating these items and is supportive of the Ordinance as drafted. Brian Buchanan, 302 North Prospect Manor spoke. He is also in favor of a ban on the scooters and has experienced these scooters being operated irresponsibly by groups of operators traveling on the streets and sidewalks. Kevin Bolger, 510 North Prospect Manor, spoke. He supports the ban and is concerned that these will continue to increase in number unless they are regulated. He has also seen the operators utilizing these scooters in packs or groups and completely ignore all rules of the read. General comments from the Village Board members included the following items: There was a discussion regarding the application of the Illinois Vehicle Code. There was also a discussion regarding whether the segway which was recently approved for sidewalk use by the General Assembly is included or not included in the proposed draft prohibition. There was also discussion regarding the use of such similar devices by Post Office employees or adults who operate these vehicles within the rules of the road. There was also a concern raised regarding similar type devices operated for legitimate purposes and the Board wanted to make sure this proposed Ordinance does not eliminate those opportunities. Consensus of the Village Board was to continue to consider the ban but to request staff to provide some additional research to ensure that the proposal includes a prohibition on the items that the Board is focused on. SHED REGULATION DISCUSSION Community Development Director Bill Cooney provided a review of the staff analysis with the four options that staff has researched extensively. He stated that staff is recommending a 2% lot coverage option with a 250 square foot maximum. General comments from the Village Board members included the following items: There was a concern that setbacks and lot coverage requirements must apply regardless of what would be relaxed to allow larger sheds. There was also a concern raised regarding the actual usage of the shed and the height of such a structure. Concern was raised about the increase in size from 120 square feet to the 250 square foot proposal. It was suggested that the garage be included as part of the lot coverage calculation if the staff proposal is to move forward. There were comments regarding general appearance review of the structures as preferred. A preference was made for simpler regulations in order to allow residents easy understanding of what the maximum size and application is for what they may consider for use on their property. Consensus of the Village Board included the following: Setback must be maintained as required in the Village Code for any change in shed square footage consideration. The Village Board is comfortable with the 2% lot coverage limitation for sheds. That way, the lot size can be incorporated into the consideration of the shed size. The height of the shed will be clearly described in the Village Code. Definition of acceptable uses will be included in the Code revision. 2 VI. Consideration of appearance review over a specific square footage as recommended by staff. However, this component of the proposed regulation change should not be developed at the expense of completing the remaining regulations and moving forward. Consequences for violation of the shed regulation is the structure must be brought into compliance and the current enforcement structure of double fines eliminated. Dave Schein, 512 Na-Wa-Ta, spoke. He stated that he is not sure that the Shed Code needs to be altered but would suggest that there may be insurance implications that impact residents that want larger sheds and such impacts should be considered. 2002 MID-YEAR BUDGET REVIEW/2003 PRE-BUDGET WORKSHOP 2002 Mid-Year Bud.qet Review Finance Director Doug EIIsworth went through the revenue estimates so far for this fiscal year and acknowledges that revenues are significantly down from the previous year. He stated that the budget situation is a lack of revenue not excessive expenditures. He stated that at this point he estimates the General Fund revenues to be below $440,000 of the original estimate for the year and that expenses are projected to be approximately $64,000 over budget. He stated that as previously directed by the Village Board, there will be some reserves utilized down to the 25% level for Village Hall funding. He also stated that the Property Tax receipts have gone down substantially due to the appeal process and he has increased his percentage of loss to 1-1/2% compared to the previous 1%. He stated that State Income Tax is down 12% compared to the previous year. He stated that expenditures are running ahead of budget for the legal fees category and the relocation expenses for the TV Services Division. He stated that the Board will likely see a Budget Amendment in the near future that includes the funding for the purchase of the medical building adjacent to the Senior Center. The Village staff is also awaiting proceeds from the sale of the third piece of property for the Norwood development. Finally, he stated that Home Rule Sales Tax is down 12%. This money is utilized for flood control purposes. 2003 Pre-Budqet Workshop Finance Director Doug EIIsworth stated that revenues are not keeping pace with expenditures and the projected shortfall for 2003 is currently at $1.2 million. He stated that Pension Levies are scheduled to increase due to investment shortfalls. He stated that of the typical programmed increase of Property Tax at 3.5%, the General Fund would only receive $81,000 of new money and he is suggesting the Board consider transferring any savings that may be realized through the Refuse Program into the General Fund to assist in covering expenditures. He stated staff will continue to refine the budget as information becomes available. He stated there will be significant difficulty to present a balanced budget and staff has undertaken a no increase in all commodities approach, however, with two-thirds of the budget considered as personnel costs, it is difficult to make significant impact with those limitations. 3 General comments from Village Board members included the following items: There was a discussion regarding the increase in the pension expenses and what is creating the need for those changes. A comment was also made regarding the under- utilized property in the Village in terms of revenue generation and the need to enhance such opportunities. There were also comments regarding the need to look at vital services that the Village provides and determine what the strategic focus is. Assistant Village Manager Strahl provided some information regarding the current budget situation. He stated the staff strategy for 2003 is to present a Budget with approximately $500,000 in cuts but will not be balanced when presented to the Village Board even with those cuts. The Village Parking Deck project is not driving the projected budget. The budget shortfall is a lack of revenues. He stated that staff will present the budget with the proposed Police Traffic Unit but will not present a funding recommendation utilizing existing resources for creation of the Unit. He also stated that it is not likely that the deficit could be eliminated by cutting expenses alone. There will need to be some consideration for other options including revenues. He also stated that the final projected cost of the Village Hall has not yet been included in the projected expenses for 2003 and 2004. He stated the Finance Commission is planning to review essential and non-essential budgetary items for Village Board consideration as part of their work in the near future. John Korn, Chairman of the Finance Commission, spoke. He confirmed the Finance Commission is looking at potential essential and non-essential items with the focus on maintaining services in 2003 with no new programs. The Finance Commission had recommended previously that the Sidewalk Inspector Program that the staff had been discussing be eliminated and the Traffic Unit be delayed until money becomes available. The Commission also is recommending the delay in the purchase of a new fire engine. The Commission is recommending that the Community Resource Center remain under consideration at this time. He stated that it is not wise to utilize reserves for anything other than short-term emergencies and should not utilize reserves for making up this deficit at this time. He stated that while reducing expenditures is possible, increasing revenue should be a last resort. The review of essential and non-essential services will be provided to the Board in consultation with staff. He stated the focus of the Finance Commission is fairly limited and one area that the Commission has no impact is involvement in Union negotiations and determining how to control those costs. General comments from Village Board members included the following items: There is a need to focus on maintaining without significant reductions. If the personnel cost is 80% of the total, then there needs to be some consideration of personnel head count. There was also some concern regarding utilizing an increase in Sales Tax to address this shortfall. VII. VILLAGE MANAGER'S REPORT None. VIII. ANY OTHER BUSINESS None. 4 X. DS/rcc CLOSED SESSION Motion made by Trustee Hoefert and Seconded by Trustee Skowron to move into Closed Session to discuss Land Acquisition and Litigation. Meeting was adjourned at 9:31 p.m. into Closed Session ADJOURNMENT Reconvened into open session at 9:34 p.m. Thero was no further business and the Committee of the Whole meeting immediately adjourned at 9:35 p.m. ~.~pectfully submitted, . DAVID STRAHL Assistant Village Manager 5 MAYOR Gerald L. Parley TRUSTEES Timothy J. Cor¢oran Paul Wm. Hoefert Richard M. Lohrstoffer Michaele W. Skowron Irvana K. Wilks Michael A. Zadel VILLAGE MANAGER Michael E. Janonis VILLAGE CLERK Velma W. Lowe Village of Mount Prospect 100 South Emerson Street Mount Prospect, Illinois 60056 ATTACHMENT A Phone: (847) 392-6000 Fax: (847) 818-5336 TDD: (847) 392-6064 TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: MAYOR GERALD L. FARLEY AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES FINANCE COMMISSION AUGUST 13, 2002 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PROPOSED BUDGET - FISCAL YEAR 2003 Whereas the Village is currently facing a General Fund budget deficit of $670,000 in FY03; whereas key municipal revenue streams continue to be pressured by a weak economic environment, local business closums and deter/orating state financials; and whereas there is a significant potential for funding shortfalls and/or budget overruns for key village capital programs, the Mount Prospect Finance Commission strongly recommends that the FY03 Budget be focused on maintaining core, existing municipal services and progams and should avoid adding all but the most essential new expenditures. 1) General Fund a) It is recommended that the following General Fund items not be included in the FY03 Budget: *Sidewalk Inspection Program. (Community Development) The Commission recommends that consideration ora Sidewalk Inspection Program be indefinitely postponed. The Commission believes that this is not an urgently needed program. The problem it addresses is limited, a means currently exists for mitigating these problems and there are clearly more important needs for the associated funding. ($60,000) *Traffic Unit and Patrol Cars. (Police Department) The Commission recommends that the establishment of a Traffic Unit be delayed. While a growing younger population and the downtown redevelopment have disrupted and increased traffic flows throughout the Village, the Commission believes the current difficulties are not of a magnitude to warrant the establishment of new Traffic Unit with significant related fixed costs for personnel (5) and equipment (2 cars). ($300,000) *Engine in Station 13. (Fire Department) The Commission recommends that the addition of an Engine to Fire Station 13 be delayed. The Village recently acquired a new Engine. The Engine is currently being held in reserve because of a lack of personnel to man the vehicle. The Commission realizes that adding an Engine to Station 13 would enhance service to the expanded downtown area and would allow the Department to respond to more calls thus reducing it's dependency on Automatic Aid and Mutual Aid from neighboring communities. However, the current coverage without the additional Engine is adequate and the cost of adding three (3) new firefighters/paramedicsis significant. Selling the Squadwouldhelpoffset some ofthe costs but not enough to rnake the move workable in the current fiscal environment. ($I91,000) ) It is recommended that the following General Fund item be included in the FY03 Budget: *Community Resource Center. (Police Department) The Commission recommends the development and establishment of a Community Resource Center on the south side of the Village. The number of immigrants residing in Mount Prospect has significantly grown over the last decade. These new arrivals often experience difficulties in integrating into the community and in navigating the various governmental rules and regulations due to differences in culture, language and economics. A Resource Center would provide a means for reaching out to these new residents to provide assistance in their efforts to become integrated, contributory members of our community. In developing the Center the Village is encourage to seek the collaboration of other community organizations and governmental bodies. ($17,000) 2) Comment of the Use of Reserves. The Commission strongly believes that reserve funds should be utilized only for the short term handling of emergency situations. The Village should not employ deficit budgeting and use reserves for funding ongoing programs. Such action invites financial disaster in the long term. Deficits should be dealt with by reducing expenditures and/or raising taxes. However, before raising taxes all programs, new as well as existing, should be scrutinized for reduction or elimination. Raising taxes should never be the first alternative. Joh~n Korn, Chairman Charles Bennett George Busse Vince Grochocinski Ann Hull Tom Pekras Ann Smilanic