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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/30/2005 FC minutes FINANCE COMMISSION AMENDED AMENDED MM INUTES OF THE EETING J30, 2005 UNE CC– VH OMMUNITY ENTER ILLAGE ALL I. CO ALL TO RDER The meeting was called to order at 6:06 p.m. Those present included Chairman Charles Bennett and Commissioners Vince Grochocinski, John Kellerhals, Rich Micelli (left at 9:50), Ann Smilanic, Tom Pekras (arrived at 6:25) and Lee Williams. Also present were Village Manager Michael Janonis, Community Development Deputy Director Ellen Divita, Building Coordinator Bill George, Environmental Health Coordinator Bob Roels, Fire Chief Mike Figolah, Deputy Fire Chief John Malcolm, Battalion Chief/Training Officer Chris Trudy, EMS Coordinator Wendy Seleen, Chief of Police Richard Eddington, Deputy Police Chief of Administration Mike Semkiu, Human Services Director Nancy Morgan, Human Services Deputy Director Jan Abernathy, Director of Public Works Glen Andler, Deputy Director of Public Works Sean Dorsey, IT Director Joan Middleton, Director of Finance David Erb, Deputy Director of Finance Carol Widmer and Finance Administrative Assistant Lisa Burkemper. II. AM PPROVAL OF INUTES Commissioner John Kellerhals motioned to approve the minutes of May 26, 2005. Commissioner Vince Grochocinski seconded the motion and the minutes were accepted as presented. III. RP(2006-2010) CIP EVIEW OF ROPOSED APITAL MPROVEMENTS LAN AND DDI– IE ISCUSSION ON EPARTMENTAL SSUES NTERNAL AND XTERNAL Chairman Charles Bennett mentioned that the presentation by Public Works would be moved up on the agenda after Human Services. Village Manager Mike Janonis asked the Finance Commission members to please introduce themselves. Summary Village Manager Mike Janonis provided a brief overview of the Capital Improvements Plan and what types of items appear in the plan. Mr. Janonis also stated that the total cost for all projects in the 2006-2010 Capital Improvements Plan is approximately $48.9 million. The 2006-2010 plan is roughly $9 million more than the 2005-2009 plan due mostly to the combine sewer projects. Human Services Director of Human Services Nancy Morgan provided an overview of the Human Services department. Ms. Morgan outlined the departments tasks, community outreach programs, health screening programs, food pantry and flu shot program. Ms. Morgan stated that the Human Services Department did not have any items in the 2006-2010 Capital Improvements Plan. Ms. Morgan stated that the department needs to hire personnel for two positions, one being a part time Public Health Nurse for the winter and the other is a Social Worker to replace an employee who has resigned after 17 years with the village. Commissioner Ann Smilanic asked why there was no longer a category in the 2005 Budget for Youth Services or the Mentor Program. Ms. Morgan stated that the annual summer camp is no longer provided by the village and that the program has been successfully moved to another agency, therefore there is no money required for Youth Services. Furthermore, Ms. Morgan stated that the Mentor Program continues to provide support to at risk children. The program is funded through a social worker’s salary and also through a CDBG grant. Public Works Deputy Director of Public Works Sean Dorsey began the discussion of the department’s internal issues by stating the department is continuing the development of their data collection and databases. The department is also improving job productivity and performance measures by setting standards of how tasks should be completed. Also mentioned is the demand of the department’s time in the downtown redevelopment efforts. Mr. Dorsey also mentioned that recently three long tenured employees retired and that the department estimates that within the next 5 – 10 years one-third of their employees will be retiring. Deputy Director of Public Works Sean Dorsey also mentioned several external issues faced by the department. Mentioned were the appeals process of the FEMA/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers re-study of the tributaries to the Des Plaines River, which could affect the residents in the Weller Creek and Feehanville Creek areas. The department is also continuing to monitor the threat of the Emerald Ash Borer outbreak and is identifying security needs at the water and pumping stations located throughout the village. Director of Public Works Glen Andler then briefly highlighted several of the items in the CIP pertaining to Public Works. Items discussed included the proposed construction of Levy 37 on the east side of River Road and the Combined Sewer Project addressing categories 4 and 5. Commissioner John Kellerhals asked how far the levy would extend. Mr. Andler stated that it would extend from Euclid to just past Palatine Road and then another section would extend from Palatine Road to the west. Commissioner Ann Smilanic asked what if the combine sewer repairs were not completed. Mr. Andler stated that if the system fails the village would be held liable for damages the system would cause. Commissioner Ann Smilanic also mentioned the need to educate the residents about the combine sewer problems and how the village plans to make repairs to it. Other items discussed by Mr. Andler were the Kensington Road improvements program and the village wide traffic study. The Kensington Road program would create a right turn lane on Kensington and the village has applied for $320,000 in federal funding for the project. Community Development Deputy Director of Community Development Ellen Divita began by discussing the merging of the three divisions into one workspace at the new village hall. The department is changing and evolving as it adapts to the new environment. Ms. Divita also discussed the building of various databases to aid in the daily processes of the department. The department is utilizing three summer interns this year to help in building these databases. Deputy Director of Community Development Ellen Divita then continued with a discussion on the department’s items in the Capital Improvements Plan. The three projects include 1) Downtown Redevelopment Programs 2) Corridor Improvements and 3) Streetscape Program. Under the Downtown Redevelopment program the village offers grants to businesses to encourage owners to update the façade of their building. Information Technology IT Director Joan Middleton began her discussion by explaining that the department is only 2 years old and has only been together in one location since moving into the new village hall. Ms. Middleton outlined the various tasks the department is responsible for and provided a general overview of what the various individuals in the department are responsible for. Commissioner John Kellerhals asked how many computers the village has. Ms. Middleton stated that there are approximately 250. Police Department Chief of Police Richard Eddington began his discussion with an internal issue faced by the police department. Of concern is that the department has outgrown its current facilities. Chief Eddington stated that at some point in the near future the space concerns and possible solutions to the issues will need to be addressed. Chief Eddington also discussed two external issues the department is currently facing. Of concern is an issue related to the influx of Hispanic residents and the need for Hispanic speaking officers. Also discussed were new issues the department faces that are th related to the events of September 11. Currently two officers are out on active duty and additional training is continually required to keep up with issues related to security. Chief Eddington began a discussion on items the department has in the current CIP. Chief Eddington discussed the department’s needs for a prisoner van, a new livescan booking system, traffic stop data collection system and additional squad cars for an anticipated traffic enforcement program. 2 Chairman Charles Bennett asked if there would be any other uses for the prisoner van besides transporting prisoners to court. Chief Eddington stated that the van could be used to move a large number of arrestees at one time, move equipment required at an accident or crime scene and to move personnel to areas for specific events or for parades. Commissioner John Kellerhals asked what is the average life span of a police vehicle. Chief Eddington stated that a marked squad is in service for approximately two years and is then used by other departments for pool cars. Fire Department Fire Chief Mike Figolah began with a summary of the department’s items in the 2006-2010 Capital Improvements Plan. Two related items discussed were the construction on a new fire station 14 and remodeling of the public works facility to accommodate the mechanics and equipment needed to repair the various pieces of fire apparatus. Two other items discussed were the upgrade of the firefighter’s breathing apparatus equipment and the need to have a training facility. Chief Figolah added that the department has applied for a grant from FEMA for the purchase of the breathing apparatus equipment. Commissioner Rich Micelli asked where the department holds their training now since they do not currently have a training facility. Battalion Chief/Training Officer Chris Trudy stated that the department is not able to do a lot of training and are only able to train on a modified scale. Commissioner Ann Smilanic asked how long it would take to build a new fire station. Chief Figolah stated that it would be approximately 1 year from start to finish. Chairman Charles Bennett asked when the board would start discussions on a new fire station. Mr. Janonis stated that it should be this year so that preplan development and space analysis discussions could be started. Commissioner John Kellerhals stated that the finance commission has recently been discussing charging ambulance fees for residents and would like to know what the Chief Figolah though of this. Chief Figolah stated that there are valid arguments for both sides. Chief Figolah added that he has some reservations about it but sees the value in implementing a charge. Commissioner Tom Pekras asked how many ambulances there are per station. Chief Figolah stated there is one ambulance per station plus a reserve ambulance at the downtown station. Administration Village Manager Mike Janonis outlined several of the Administration projects in the 2006-2010 Capital Improvements Plan. Mr. Janonis began with the phone system upgrade anticipated for 2007. The current phone system is quite old and is no longer being by the vendor supported . The bulk of the money needed in 2007 will go towards the purchase of the phone system hardware with a small amount of money needed in 2006 for a study and consulting services. Mr. Janonis also stated that outfitting the new parking deck with digital cameras would be a priority since there has been recent vandalism in the deck. Other lower priority items mentioned in the plan were a television studio system and video conferencing system. Commissioner Rich Micelli asked if the village prioritizes the capital projects village wide across all the departments instead of each department prioritizing their own projects individually. Mr. Janonis stated that current they are not prioritized village wide but is an option that will be more important as the village continues to struggle with finding a funding source for the CIP. IV. C’R HAIRMANS EPORT Chairman Charles Bennett expressed interest in beginning a discussion on revenue enhancements. Director of Finance David Erb gave a brief overview of the changes made to the summary of alternatives handout that has previously been provided to the commission members. Commissioner Lee Williams asked if the village charges a fee for rental properties. Deputy Director of Finance Carol Widmer stated the village does charge a landlord tenant fee. Commissioner Vince Grochocinski wanted to stress that if the commission looks at the summary of alternatives the deficits are increasing every year, therefore if they make adjustments to cover one year they will still be falling short in the coming years. Mr. Erb began a brief discussion on the water and sewer rate handout previously provided to the commission members and outlined the possible different scenarios as water and sewer rates are adjusted. Commissioner Ann Smilanic raised the question of how to generate money by increasing water and sewer rates and adding a service charge in order to fund the combine sewer project. 3 Chairman Charles Bennett summarized by saying the commission could make a recommendation to the board regarding the various options the commission has discussed related to revenue alternatives. Commissioner Vince Grochocinski motioned to recommend to the board that the village implement a $5 service charge to all water bills immediately, adjust water and sewer rates as determined by staff to cover ongoing operations, consider a temporary reduction in fund balance in the water and sewer fund and if necessary supplement that with borrowing money and also increasing Special Service Area #5 annually by a rate that is consistent with annual operating increases. The motioned failed for a lack of a second. Commissioner Vince Grochocinski then motioned to recommend to the board that the village implement an immediate $5 service charge on all water bills to help pay for needed repairs to the combine sewer. Commissioner Ann Smilanic seconded the motion and the motion carried. Chairman Charles Bennett began a discussion on the 2006 deficit. Chairman Bennett asked if the commission members would like to make a recommendation to the board regarding any revenue enhancements. Commissioner John Kellerhals made a comment that he would support charging a fee to residents for ambulance services if the resident were billed to the extent that insurance or Medicare will pay and that the village would consider that payment as payment in full. Commissioner Tom Pekras voiced his agreement with this fee. Commissioner Kellerhals also showed interest in increasing the Food and Beverage Tax by 1% and increasing the Motor Fuel Tax rate by 1 cent per gallon. Commissioner Vince Grochocinski and Chairman Bennett both showed interest in increasing the utility tax rates. Chairman Bennett further stated that the village could dedicate that money to the CIP. Commissioner Vince Grochocinski added that another sales tax possibility would be that the village could increase home rule by ¼% to cover CIP projects. Chairman Charles Bennett summarized the various recommendations the members have talked about and asked the members for a formal recommendation. Commissioner Tom Pekras motioned to propose to the village board revenue enhancements to offset the 2006 deficit which include a 1 cent per gallon increase in motor fuel, a 1% increase in the two utility taxes and implementation of an ambulance fee program. Commissioner Ann Smilanic seconded the motion and the motion carried. V. FD’R INANCE IRECTORS EPORT There was nothing to report. VI. NB EW USINESS There was nothing to report. VII. Next Meeting: July 28, 2005 Commissioner Ann Smilanic motioned to adjourn which Commissioner John Kellerhals seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 10:55 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for July 28, 2005. Respectfully submitted, Lisa Burkemper Administrative Assistant Finance Department 4