HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/16/2022 FC MinutesFINANCE COMMISSION — SPECIAL MEETING
MINUTES
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
Fire Department — 111 E. Rand Road
Mount Prospect, IL 60056
I. Tour
Deputy Fire Chief Tom Wang provided Finance Commission members a tour of the Fire
Headquarters/Station 13
II. Call to Order
Meeting called to order at 7:49 p.m.
Commission members present: Kenneth Arndt, Yulia Bjekic, Trisha Chokshi, Vince
Grochocinski, Don Ocwieja and William Grossi.
Commission members absent: Pam Bazan
Staff present: Director of Finance Amit Thakkar, Assistant to the Director of Finance
Jennifer Fitzgerald and Assistant to the Village Manager Alexander Bertolucci.
III. Approval of Minutes
a. Motion by William Grossi, second by Yulia Bjekic to approve the minutes of the
Finance Commission regular meeting of February 24, 2022.
Chair Chokshi called a voice vote.
Motion passed unanimously.
IV. Citizens to be Heard
None
V. Old Business
None
VI. New Business
a) Video Gaming Push Tax
Director of Finance Amit Thakkar reviewed the video gaming amusement push tax
("push tax") ordinance the Village Board approved on November 4, 2021. The push
tax had a future effective date of May 1, 2022. The ordinance allowed the Village to
preserve its option to enact a push tax and provide additional time for staff to analyze
the push tax before it went into effect. Mr. Thakkar shared Illinois Gaming Board Video
Gaming Report for the Village of Mount Prospect that includes data on wagering
activity. He stated that if every push is a one -cent tax, it could provide $97,000 in
additional revenue.
He stated that video gaming terminal revenue is outperforming and staff does not
recommend a new tax on the business community. Staff recommends not to levy the
push tax and repeal the ordinance.
Mr. Thakkar provided additional information in response to questions and comments
from the Finance Commission:
• The push tax is effective by May 1, recommendation is to repeal it
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There is no mechanism to track a push tax. Mechanism is with the vendor
The Village has a strong fiscal balance and the business community is a
contributing factor to the Village fiscal strength
89 terminals are active today
The Finance Commission is in support of eliminating the video gaming push tax with
the understanding that the push tax would likely be paid by the restaurant instead of
the video gaming terminal operator.
b) Elk Grove Fire Protection Status Update
Mr. Thakkar stated there is no new information at this time. The Elk Grove Rural Fire
Protection District (EGRFPD) has not yet signed on to the intergovernmental
agreement between Mount Prospect, Elk Grove Village and Des Plaines. He reviewed
EGRFPD's revenue and operational outlook. The Village is pursuing a SAFER grant
to support the hiring of six additional firefighters to improve service levels as EGRFPD
service levels reduce. These six firefighters are to add an ambulance on the southern
portion of the Village. The ambulance would respond to calls instead of an EGRFPD
ambulance.
There was general discussion regarding future logistics of fire and emergency
medical service calls within the EGRFPD service area and mutual aid response.
Mr. Thakkar provided additional information in response to questions and comments
from the Finance Commission:
• Changes at Fire Station 12 are to accommodate additional apparatus vehicles
• Staff has communicated with EGRFPD on their revenue and expenses for
years
• EGRFPD has property tax from unincorporated areas and statutory payments
from annexations
• The Village now receives revenue from transport calls for Medicare and
Medicaid patients
• EGRFPD contracted fire and emergency medical service is on a month-to-
month basis at this point
c) Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Updates
Mr. Thakkar stated the Joint Review Board (JRB) meeting is coming up and reviewed
how support from impacted taxing bodies is crucial for the success of the South Mount
Prospect TIF. Staff is hopeful to receive support from all the partners. The Public
Hearing date is scheduled for April 19, 2022.
In response to a question from the Finance Commission, Mr. Thakkar stated Cloud
HQ closed on the United Airline property in December and they will be moving forward
with their proposed redevelopment.
d) Vendor Portal and Electronic Payments
Mr. Thakkar explained Public Act 102-0265 mandating that any town with an annual
$5 million or more property tax levy to make a good faith effort to collect and publish
certain demographic information provided by vendors and subcontractors doing
business with the taxing district. Mr. Thakkar shared the approach that staff will take
to comply with the public act.
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Mr. Thakkar provided additional information in response to questions and comments
from the Finance Commission:
• The Village is not making any changes to our procurement policies
• There is no downside to having this information
• There are many requirements to become a certified minority or woman owned
business
• Accuracy of the answers is dependent on vendor
• State has not defined penalties for noncompliance
• Noncompliance may negatively affect future grant opportunities.
VII. Any Other Business
Assistant to the Finance Director Jennifer Fitzgerald provided an update on implementing
LocalGov service for businesses to submit their local taxes online and that it is now live.
VIII. Chairperson Report
None
IX. Finance Director's Report
None
XI. Next Meeting:
First Quarter Review — Joint Workshop with the Village Board
X. Adjournment:
Motion by Vince Grochocinski, second by Kenneth Arndt to adjourn the meeting.
Chair Chokshi called a voice vote.
Motion carried unanimously.
The meeting adjourned at 8:55 pm.
Alexander Bertolucci
Assistant to the Village Manager
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