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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/12/1991 COW minutes Minutes COMMITrEE OF THE WHOLE November 12, 1991 R011 Call The meeting was called to order at 7:38 pm. by Mayor Gerald L. Farley. Trustees present were Mark Busse, George Clowes, Tim Corcoran, Leo Floros, and Paul Hoefert. Also present were Village Manager John F. Dixon, Commumcations Administrator Cheryl Pasal~c, Assistant Finance Director Carol Widmer and Finance Director David C. Jepson. Additionally, Robin Charleston, legal counsel, three members of the news media and about 15 Village residents were in attendance. Trustee Irvama Wflks arnved at 9:55 p.m. Mayor Farley requested that all persons present observe a period of silence in memory of the two teenagers who were killed in an auto accident. Mayor Farley expressed sympathy to the families and friends of these two youngsters and to the others involved in the accident. M~nutes The Committee of the Whole Minutes of October 8, 1991 were accepted and filed (~jtlzens To Be HeaTgl No cmzens expressed a desire to appear before the Committee. Mayor Farley made an announcement on behalf of the 75th Annlversar3t Committee that approximately 600 out of the 800 tickets available for the anniversary banquet had been sold IV Discussion of Euclid Avenue Widening By Cook County_ Mark Broscio, spokesperson for the River Trails Commumty Association (RTCA), was joined by Joanne McCollin, Janlce Zemaitis, Emily Novak and Don Craig of RTCA to request the Vdlage Board to support citizens of Mount Prospect who are opposed to the widening of Euclid Avenue. Mr. Broscio said that RTCA had obtained over 1,000 signatures on petitions that were presented to the Cook County Board in opposition to the project. He said they were curremly waiting for the Cook County Board to hold a public hearing on the project. The group presented four primary reasons why they opposed the project: 1. They were concerned about the safety of their children ff the project would be completed. They stated that cars would travel faster, the roadway would be 6 feet closer to the sidewalks and they would need to cross five lanes of traffic. 2. They were concerned about the noise level and dM and dust from the traffic. 3 They were concerned that home values would decrease. They said that they had been told by real estate dealers that their home values could decrease by as much as $10,000 4. They were concerned that the character of the neighborhood would change. They also mentioned that the area would be impacted by the long construction period. During the presentauon, the representatives of RTCA presemed a video showing existing traffic on Euchd Avenue and an audio cassette of current noise levels. The members of RTCA also memioned that the Vdlage of Arlington Heights did not allow the County to proceed as planned for the portion of Euclid Avenue in Arlington Heights. They also stated that the Vdlage Boards of Glenview and Wdmette had gone on record as being opposed to the project. They requested that the Mourn Prospect Village Board reconsider thetr previous position and help them to defeat the project. Mayor Farley stated that the Village Board must consider the needs of the entire Village when a controversial project is under consideration. He smd that in his opinion he thought tt was in the best interest of the entire Village for the County to proceed with this project. He added that the goal of the improvement was to promote efficiency in traffic movement and safety. He said the motorists as well as the residents should be considered. ~') In regard to the Glenview and Wilmette actions, Mayor Farley said that the circumstances were different than m Mount Prospect. Mayor Farley smd the Vdlage would work w~th RTCA to reduce speed hmits on Euclid Avenue. Trustee Busse stated that he continued to support the residents in this area of the Vdlage and he encouraged the Village Board to go on record and support the residents. He smd he d~d not think this s~tuatmn was any chfferent than the concerns expressed by the residents of Maple Street. He added that he did not see how vadening Euclid Avenue would improve safety. Trustee Hoefert said he was concerned that the effect of widening Euclid Avenue would be to encourage other traffic to use Euclid and that ~t would move faster. He stated that he would support reducing the speed hmit to 35 m p.h immediately. He added that he thought the improvement would benefit residents of other communities more than the residents of Mount Prospect. Trustee Corcoran stated that he would like to see some middle ground. Specffically he smd he would like to see turn lanes at all controlled intersections, no left turns during peak hours, reduced speed limits, and to encourage the County to widen Willow. Trustee Corcoran 2 encouraged the members of the RTCA to discuss these issues with their members and bring back some alternatives to the Village Board. Trustee Clowes said that he supported the project but that he also thought the speed should be reduced to 35 mp.h. He stated that Euclid Avenue is an arterial road and we should expect traffic to increase. Trustee Clowes said he would like information on the number and kinds of accidents that have occurred on Euclid Avenue. Trustee Floros stated that he appreciated the position and the concern of the RTCA and that he thought ail parties were concerned with safety, including the County. He said that the issues were different m Glenview and Wflmette. He smd he supported the project but that he would support lowering the speed limit as soon as possible. He added that he also supported trying to come up w~th alternate solutions if possible. Mayor Farley ended the discussion by saying that there was a consensus to try to minimize the impact of the project as much as possible. V Cable Update on Ten-Year Performance Review Communications Administrator Cheryl Pasalic explained that performance evaluations are required to check the progress and act as a report card on how the cable company is dotng The process mchides pubhc input, obtaining various reports from the company, and information from special hearings which are then evaluated by Village Staff and Advisors. Ms. Pasalic commented that complaints are down and a better working relationship eyasts with the present staff of Telenois. Ms. Pasalic stated that there were several areas where Telen0is has not complied vath terms of the franchise agreement. She said they objected to complying voth the Village's Cable Communication Code due to the fact that it was amended in 1989. Other unresolved issues include the following: access to the Mount Prospect studio has been denied and no studio workshops have been held at the Mount Prospect Studio No clear time frame has been outlined as to when and what access equipment upgrades will take place. The interconnect of at least 20 channels has not been completed. A change of ownership had taken place and Telenois did not properly notif~ the Village. Financtal mformat~on provaded to the Village was not adequate. And finally, that different fees were being charged to some commercial estabhshments. ~ Kelvin Fee, general manager of Telenois, responded to some of the issues that were raised. Mr. Fee stated that he had offered the use of the studio to Cheryl Pasalic twice a month, but that it was not generally available for residents because the equipment was more sophisticated than in other studios. A number of the schools use the interconnect but that they do not get many requests for this type of use. In regard to the transfer of ownership he smd it was an intercompany transfer and that they had provided an affidavit of the transfer. Mr. Fee said ~ that the company had put in fibre cable in the areas where they thought it would improve 3 picture quality, and that it had not been their intention to upgrade the entire system He added that they do have plans to upgrade the entire system over the next five years. During the discussions that followed, the Committee requested clarification of some of the tssues from Ms. Pasalic and Mr. Fee. Trustee Corcoran recommended that a 60 day moratorium be placed on any action to compel Telenois to come into compliance with the issues that had been discussed He asked specifically that the availability of citizen workshops, access to the studio and the favored nations clause of the agreement be addressed. There was a consensus of the entire Cormmttee to support this recommendation VI Six-Month Budget Rewew Finance Director David Jepson reviewed the budget process with the Committee and explained that an important part of the process is the six-month budget rewew. He stated that during the past several weeks every line item m the current budget has been rewewed, and based on the experience of the first stx months and other known factors, estimates have been made for the entire year. These estimates were compiled and summarized and then reported in the follovang financial schedules: 1) Estimated Revenues By Fund; 2) Estimated Expenditures by Fund, 3) Estimated Ava, lable Fund Balances; and 4) Estimated Revenues and Expenditures of the General Fund. Mr. Jepson then reviewed highlights of the budget reformation with the Committee. He reported that total revenues are expected to be $45,628,870, some $2,606,140 more than had been expected. Mr. Jepson explained that much of this increase was in the Capital Projects Funds and was primarily due to the sale of a greater amount of bonds than originally had been budgeted Other significant increases occurred because of the extension of the State Income Tax Surcharge. The extension of the Surtax expected to result in additional revenue of $600,000 in the Capital Improvement Fund and $275,000 in the General Fund Other increases are expected in the Water Fund, the Risk Management Fund and the Pension Funds. In regard to expenditures, Mr. Jepson reported that total expenditures are expected to be $39,491,225, down $1,107,495 from the amount budgeted. Capital Projects are estimated to be down $1,634,590, primarily because of changes in project schedules. Mr. Jepson explained that any amounts not expended in the current fiscal year will be re-budgeted next year. Increases were shown in the General Fund, the Water Fund and the Risk Management Fund The increase in the General Fund is expected because of higher medical insurance costs and higher overtime costs in the Police and Fire Departments. The increase in the Water Fund is due to additional water purchases and the increased cost of a water main project And the increase in the Risk Management Fund is due to higher medical claims and workers' compensation claims. Mr. Jepson stated that the fund balance In the General Fund at the end of the year should ' be $2.9 nullion, which represents about 16% of estimated expenditures. This is slightly higher than what had been anticipated. The balances in Motor Fuel Tax Fund and the Water Fund are expected to be at the anticipated levels. Mr. Jepson stated that the fund balance of the Capital Improvement Fund should be about $600,000 more than expected be, cause of the State Income Tax Surcharge. 4 Mr. Jepson concluded by stating that the Village has been affected by the downturn in the economy, but that due to the consen, ative policues of the Village Board the Village will come through this fiscal year better than a number of other governmental entities. Dunng the discussion that followed, Trustee Busse asked what would have been the effect on the budget if the State Income Surtax had not been extended and we would not have had addaional water sales. Mr. Jepson replied that the General Fund revenues would be reduced by $275,000 and the Capital Improvement Fund by $600,000. Instead of a surplus of $83,000 in the General Fund there would have been a deficit of $192,000. Mr Jepson also responded that the City of Chicago raised their rate to JAWA by 6% in September 1991 and they planned to raise it another 4% in January 1992. If additional water revenue had not been received in 91/92 it would have required a higher water rate increase in 92/93 than the 5% that had originally been expected. Trustee Busse also asked why the Pohce and Fire overtime costs were going up. Mr. Jepson responded that part of the reason for the Police overtime is the agreed upon payment of 3 hours overtime whenever a police officer goes to court. In regard to the Fire overttme, Mr. Jepson stated that two firefighters were not available for shift duties became of disability. Trustee Busse asked for more definitive reasons for the increase iff overtime from the two chiefs. Trustee Busse also said he would like the Village Board to reconsider the Flood Control Rebate Program. Because expenditures have been considerably less than expected in this program, he asked that residents who completed these types of projects prior to May 1, 1991 be considered for eligibility. Trustee Wilks asked if any progress had been made on addressing medical insurance costs. Village Manager Dixon responded that all bargalmng groups are contributing at least 10% and other avenues are being discussed to try to reduce costs. VII Estimated 1991 Tax Levy_ Requirements Finance Director Jepson stated that the proposed 1991 tax levy of $7,339,160 for Village purposes is the same amount that was included in the 91/92 budget, and represents a 4% increase over the 1990 ~mount. The Library levy request is $2,279,915 and represents an increase of 8% over the 1990 levy for Library purposes. The total proposed levy for the Village and the Libraqt is $9,619,075. The total 1991 levy represents a 4.9% increase over the 1990 levy. Mr. Jepson reported that the Village will need to hold a public hearing and publish a Troth In Taxation notice became when debt service is excluded, the 1991 levy is 6 5% higher than the 1990 levy. He stated that the Village Board would need to pass a resolution on November 19, 1991, present the tax levy ordinance for a first reading on December 3, 1991, publish the notice for the public hearing on December 4, 1991, and then hold the public hearing and act on the ordinance on December 17, 1991. Trustee Clowes proposed that became the Village will be receiving State Income Tax and Surtax momes that had not been anticipated, that the 1991 levy be reduced to the 1990 level. He said that the Village of Mount Prospect would be taking a leadership role and setting an example to other taxing bodies. Village Manager Dixon responded that if a tax levy is 5 reduced in one year, it usually causes a much greater percentage increase in subsequent years because of the compounding effect. Trustee Floros asked how much we would need to reduce the 1991 levy to keep it the same as the 1990 levy. Mr. Jepson responded that the proposed 1991 levy would need to be reduced by about $280,000. Trustee Coreoran stated that he would like to see more information before he made a dec~sion. He requested that some schedules be prepared showing different alternatives and what the effect would be on a longer.term basis The Vtllage Manager did not have anything to report. There was no other bus~ness brought before the Committee. x There being no other business the meeting adjourned at 11:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, David C. Jepson, Finance Director