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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/28/2000 COW minutes MINUTES COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE NOVEMBER 28, 2000 i. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 6:15 p.m. by Mayor Gerald Farley. 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, Public Works Director Glen Andler, Deputy Public Works Director Sean Dorsey, Water/Sewer Superintendent Rory O'Donovan, Forestry Superintendent Sandy Clark, Village Engineer Jeff Wulbecker, Vehicle Maintenance Superintendent Jim Guenther, Human Services Director Nancy Morgan, Finance Director Doug EIIsworth, Deputy Finance Director Carol Widmer, Fire Chief Michael Figolah, Community Development Director Bill Cooney, Deputy Community Development Director Michael Blue, Building Commissioner Bill George and Police Chief Ronald Pavlock. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approval of Minutes of November 14, 2000. Motion made by Trustee Lohrstorfer and Seconded by Trustee Skowron. Minutes were approved. iii. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD None. IV. 2001 BUDGET DISCUSSIONS Public Works Department Public Works Director Glen Andler presented a summary of the 2000 objectives including a summary of the effort that was generated as a result of the May 18 windstorm. He stated the Village spent approximately $359,000 of which $94,000 was reimbursed. The windstorm lasted only a short period of time but took several weeks of clean up before the community was restored to normal. The damage included 1300 trees. Route 83 Reconstruction and Water Main Replacement was a significant project during the year 2000. Also, the continuation of the Street Resurfacing and Reconstruction Project along with the FEMA Flood Map revisions were significant undertakings during 2000. He stated the Department received approximately $6.2 million in State and Federal Grants over the past year and the proposed Budget for 2001 is estimated at $18 million which is a 3.7% increase over the year 2000. He highlighted the increased contract for snowplowing cul-de-sacs. He stated this program was experimented with last year and proved highly successful to the point where all cul-de-sacs have been contracted out for this coming season. He stated there is a phase-in under way to replace the School Crossing signs from the standard yellow design to the fluorescent green are starting to show up throughout the area. He said there is an increase in the grounds maintenance account for increased right-of-way mowing on State and County rights-of-way. He also highlighted the fact that electricity costs will likely increase due to the installation of new streetlights along Route 83. He mentioned that the Department is preparing for the booster pump monitoring system upgrade and the main panel replacement is scheduled for 2002. He is requesting a replacement of the sewer TV machine and has completed some of the train station improvements due to the grant the Village recently received. He stated that a recent mandate requires complete storm sewer mapping which will start next year and will take several years for completion. The Department is responsible for retention pond maintenance in the Kensington Business Center which may include dredging to increase capacity. He is requesting to replace a bulldozer which is nearly 20 years old and is scheduled for replacement in 2001 two new trucks and a chipper. General comments from Village Board members included the following items: There was a question regarding Street Reconstruction and Resurfacing schedules and there was a question regarding the amount of work that is annually out-sourced. Non-Departmental Expenditures Review Finance Director Doug EIIsworth presented the Community/Civic Services' Budget information to the Board. Pam Warchol, President of the Mount Prospect Historical Society spoke. She went over the highlights for the previous year and stated there is a lot of interest which has been generated through the Historical Society as demonstrated by the attendance at the various events the Historical Society sponsors annually. Gavin Kleespies, Mount Prospect Historical Society Museum Director spoke. He stated that he has undertaken an outreach program to local schools and worked on cataloguing the collection items and research files for various historical homes in the community. Ms Warchol is requesting the Village increase its stipend from $35,000 annually to $40,000 beginning in the year 2001. Village Manager Janonis stated the Village could absorb the $5,000 increase by diverting funds from other sources to fund this request without adversely impacting other service items. Trustee Wilks requested a summary of expenditures from the Historical Society for her information to go with the summary of revenues provided for in the Annual Report. Consensus of the Village Board was to increase the Mount Prospect Historical Society stipend to $40,000 for the 2001 Budget year. Debt Service Finance Director Doug EIIsworth provided a summary of the Debt Service accounts and stated that the Debt level is very moderate at $21 million in General Obligation Bonds. He stated only a small portion of the Debt is funded through Property Tax while the majority of other Debt is funded through Sales Tax receipts. He stated the Budget for Debt payment for 2001 is $4.3 million. He stated there is a proposed Bond Issue for a new Village Hall/Senior Center and parking structure in the amount of $15.4 million included in the Budget in anticipation of a Village Board discussion and decision later in 2001. He stated there will be a need to capitalize interest for three years or until 2005 in order for the financing necessary for the Village Hall/Senior Center to be constructed. Trustee Prikkel pointed out that the Village Hall/Senior Center should actually be called a Village Hall/Community Center based on the previous Village Board vote. Finance Director Doug EIIsworth stated that the Pensions for the Police and Fire Departments are increasing due to new mandates and enhancements and recent retirements in the Departments. Insurance and Risk Management increase is slated at 8.4% is primarily due to the cost of insurance coverage increases and some recent loss claims. The health insurance increase is anticipated to be 9.6% and that is primarily due to medical inflation. He also pointed out that the Mount Prospect Public Library is part of the Village Budget and their Budget is projected to be $4.5 million with a Property Tax increase of seven-tenths of one percent from last year. Laura Luteri, President of the Mount Prospect Public Library, spoke. She stated there is very little growth in the Budget but there is an inclusion for a new position in the Library for 2001, a Human Resources position. There are modest changes in office space underway, however, overall space needs continue to be a critical issue. Community Development Department Village Manager Michael Janonis stated the Board had previously requested a review for additional staff in the Community Development Department due to Permit levels up 50% from 1995 utilizing the same number of staff and generating approximately 14,000 inspections. He stated as previously discussed at the Committee of the Whole meeting in which Community Development discussed their Budget, it was pointed out that staff levels currently cannot accommodate demand of inspections without extending the notice period for reserving inspection times. He stated there is a proposal for a new full-time Inspector and the upgrade of a part-time to a full-time Clerk and increase the Permit Fees to cover this additional staff. This Permit Fee increase will be the first increase since 1979. He stated that a comparison with other communities in terms of the amount of Permit Fees show that the proposed increases are in line with Fees charged by other communities. The Village Board has a history of reviewing User Fees to fund specific services in line with actual services provided. He pointed out that if a down turn in the economy does occur in which the demand for Permits and inspections decreases, then staff would be decreased accordingly. He stated this change can be incorporated into the existing 2001 Budget. General comments from the Village Board members included the following items: Several Board members spoke in support of the proposal and wanted to improve the relationship with the residents in terms of this valuable service and to ensure the Village was able to respond to the needs of the residents. There was also discussion regarding the self-reported value of inspections being tied to the Permit Fee itself. Community Development Director Bill Cooney stated that the general feedback that he received regarding Permits is the timeframe necessary to schedule and coordinate various inspections. Consensus of the Village Board was to support the staff increases and the Fee increases for the 2001 Budget as proposed. Finance Commission Chairman John Korn provided a summary of the recommendations from the Finance Commission. He suggested that all Departments make it a point to inform the public where their funding sources come from and highlight the fact that many Departments have been quite successful in obtaining funds from outside sources including Grants from Federal and State levels. He stated the Commission supports the Public Works Department Budget as presented. He stated the Commission supports the additional staff proposals in the Community Development Department along with the Permit Fee increases. He also stated that the Commission supports the other Budgets as presented by the various Departments. Villa.qe Board Wrap-Up Mayor Farley stated that he feels this is a responsible Budget that is reflective of citizen needs and the Village portion of the Property Tax bill remains around 10% and feels that level is quite reasonable. Trustee Hoefert stated the Budget process is becoming a non-event with very few surprises due to the diligence of staff and the Board. He stated that there is a need to acknowledge the aging of the Village infrastructure and maintain the commitment to attract new residents and retain existing residents by encouraging the improvement of the housing stock. Trustee Wilks wanted to thank staff and the Board for a responsible Budget and balance of the needs of the community through the Budget. Trustee Prikkel stated this is the first Budget process that he has been through with the Village and was impressed on how well the Village is run and is thankful for the recent efforts with the Route 83 project. Trustee Lohrstorfer commented that the preparation of the Budget is a team effort between staff and the Village Board on behalf of the community and there is a concerted focus on the improvement of the community from one year to the next. Trustee Skowron thanked the Village staff for their involvement in the Budget process and highlighted the fact that the Budget process is primarily a roadmap for the future. Village Manager Janonis stated that the excellent working relationship between the Village Board and staff is shown in the Budget process and the ability of staff to provide services as determined by the Village Board. He feels that the Village Board is able to demand high performance of Village staff because of this relationship and the stable political environment has improved the working relationship over time. Mr. Janonis also wanted to highlight the efforts of Doug EIIsworth and feels he is the best Finance Director in the State and the assistance he receives from his staff and Deputy Director are reflected well in the Budget document itself. He stated that he feels there are strong leaders in the various Departments and they are all capable of meeting the demands of the Village Board as outlined in the Budget document. . ANY OTHER BUSINESS Village Manager Janonis highlighted the fact that the first annual Winter Festival Parade is scheduled for December 9. The Mount Prospect Historical Society House Walk and Teddy Bear Walk are scheduled for this coming weekend. He also wanted to point out that the next Village Board meeting is December 4 as required for a Public Hearing on the Budget, therefore, there will be no meeting on December 5. Mayor Farley pointed out that the second round of flu shots has been received and they will be administered on December 5. VI. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:33 p.m. Respectfully submitted, DAVID STRAHL Assistant Village Manager DS/rcc H:\GEN\Cow\Minutes\l 12800 COW Budget Minutes.doc