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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/08/2011 COW MinutesCOMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MINUTES November 8, 2011 I. CALL TO ORDER — ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order at 7:03 p.m. in the Village Board Room of the Village Hall, 50 South Emerson Street, by Mayor Irvana Wilks. Trustees present included Arlene Juracek, John Korn, Paul Hoefert, John Matuszak, Steven Polit, and Michael Zadel. Staff present included Village Manager Michael Janonis, Assistant Village Manager David Strahl, Public Works Director Sean Dorsey, Public Works Deputy Director Jason Leib, Police Chief John Dahlberg, Deputy Police Chief Mike Semkiu, Deputy Police Chief Tim Janowick, Commander John Wagner, Finance Director Dave Erb, Finance Deputy Director Lynn Jarog, Vehicle Maintenance Superintendent Jim Breitzman, Forestry Superintendent Sandy Clark, Village Engineer Jeff Wulbecker, Streets Superintendent Paul Bures and Administrative Superintendent Kristina Mykolaityte. II. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING OF OCTOBER 26, 2011. Motion made by Trustee Hoefert seconded by Trustee Korn to approve the minutes. Minutes were approved. Trustees Zadel and Juracek abstained. III. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD Ron Bare, 1827 Thornwood, spoke. He stated that he is a 40 year resident and appreciates what the Village Board and staff has done to maintain the community. However, he is concerned about the Emerald Ash Borer problem in his neighborhood. He stated that a number of trees in his neighborhood have been marked for removal and the sheer number of trees slated for removal is extensive. He wanted to point out to the Village Board that the Village Board in Arlington Heights recently implemented a moratorium on tree removal through the winter until chemical treatment could be assessed as an alternative to tree removal. He stated that he was confident that some residents would be interested in assisting financially if chemical treatment were an option in lieu of tree removal. Forestry Superintendent Sandy Clark spoke. She stated that Village staff has been dealing with the Emerald Ash Borer for the past several years and has focused on slowing down the spread of the pest. The plan includes chemical treatment education. She stated that some trees have been chemically treated if they are rated as healthy and are not seriously infected. Unfortunately, the window for chemical treatment is pretty narrow and the treatment once administered has to be repeated to remain effective. Therefore, removal becomes the only alternative to slow the spread. IV. 2012 BUDGET DISCUSSION Administration: Assistant Village Manager David Strahl provided an overview of the Public Representation and the Village Manager's Office budget for 2012. He highlighted the changes in the Public Representation budget including the change in the Fourth of July and Civic Events cost center which showed a 39.7% increase based on the reallocation Committee of the Whole Page 1 of 4 10/25/11 of expenses for these events from other parts of the budget. He also stated the majority of the other increases are very small and were related to personnel cost increases. He stated the Village Manager's Office budget showed an overall decrease of 4.9 %. He also highlighted the significant increase in the Human Resources cost center which related to a restoration of previous funds for the merit pay pool and the salary adjustment pool. He highlighted a 24% decrease in the Information Technology cost center as a suspension of computer lease payments for 2012. He further highlighted a decrease in the Public Information cost center showing a 15% decrease due to the marketing services program being eliminated for the upcoming fiscal year. Police: Police Chief John Dahlberg provided an overview of the accomplishments for 2011 and a summary of the 2012 proposed budget. He highlighted the value of the Special Investigations unit as a needed specialized unit that shows value for the investment. He further highlighted the Crime Free Housing program and the community involvement in making the program effective. He also stated that the coordination of Village staff and the police has continued to make the Community Connections Center extremely valuable with the efforts remaining strong and growing in terms of service value added to the residents. He stated the department conducted recruitment tests and a Sergeant promotional test this past year. The police recruitment test included 286 people and he feels that there are some very strong candidates on the list which would be very valuable. He stated the department received the MCAT Evidence Award for the second straight year. The budget also includes replacement of the video system in the police facility which was undertaken by two officers with special knowledge of computer networks and saved the Village significant resources. He stated crime levels continue to decline and calls for service remain steady. He feels that Randhurst will generate additional calls for service as businesses continue to be put online. He also stated gang arrests have been up primarily due to many of the efforts of the Special Investigation unit. He stated moving violation citations are down primarily because of the reassignment of the traffic unit into patrol. He stated that the department was able to save $100,000 in overtime for 2011 and over the past five years the overtime savings has been quite significant. He did caution that the use of overtime is dependent on a number of factors of which many are not controlled by the department. He stated that 90% of his budget is personnel related. One of the major expenditures for 2012 will be the replacement of the radio system. He also stated that the replacement of furniture for the detective area is anticipated for next year as part of the Capital Improvement program. Public Works: Public Works Director Sean Dorsey provided a summary of the activities and accomplishments for the department over the past year. He stated the department has been very busy in responding to four declared storms during the past year. He stated the cost of just two of the storms was in excess of $611,000. He stated the rain event in late July damaged approximate 800 homes and was caused by nearly 7 inches of rain in three hours. He stated there has been significant staff changes in the department in the past year including the retirement of the Director, three Foreman and two long -term employees. Committee of the Whole Page 2 of 4 10/25/11 He stated the Public Works budget includes a decrease of 4.11 % overall including a decrease in the Capital Improvement program by 18 %. He highlighted the fact that the department is at its lowest personnel count since 1983 even with the increased responsibilities of fire vehicle maintenance, engineering, and refuse. He stated there is currently a deficit of approximately 1634 more trees removed than replanted over the last few years and the trees removed due to storm damage for 2011 have nearly doubled that total. He also stated that the Capital Improvement program includes a generator installation at the booster stations for backup purposes. He stated there is some preliminary work scheduled for 2012 on the water tower including the installation of a larger diameter pipe connecting to the water system for better pressure regulation. He stated the tower is slated for repainting in 2013 which is 20 years from the last painting. He stated the Combined Sewer Replacement program continues ahead of schedule with Categories 4 and 5 completed. He stated Category 3 areas should be completed by 2013 and as of today 15 miles of the total 54 miles of sewer has been completed. He stated that 2012 will be the beginning of the lift station rehab program with the replacement of 30 to 50 year old equipment utilizing new technology which will eliminate the need for confined space entry for maintenance purposes. He stated it will take approximately 10 years for the stations to be completed. The department expects to spend $2.1 million for resurfacing in 2012. The program was decreased in 2010 from 6.8 miles to 5 miles of resurfacing and reduced again to 4 miles in 2011. The Resurfacing program is currently behind by 9.4 miles and would require approximately $3.75 million of additional money to catch up with the backlog. He stated that the Kensington Road engineering work is currently underway with construction expected to start in 2013. The department is looking to replace HVAC units periodically starting with the replacement of the seven units at the Public Safety building followed by the units at Public Works. Finally he stated the Flood Study that was initiated by the Village Board as a result of the flooding in July is continuing with an engineering report anticipated for early 2012. Finance: Finance Director Dave Erb provided a summary of the 2011 activities for the department. He said the department has received the GFOA Award for the past 18 years and the Budget Award for the past 23 years. He stated that several ERP software modules have been implemented over this past year including the Human Resources, Payroll, Community Development, and the HR Portal. The HR portal modules have been put online successfully. He stated that discovery for the utility billing system is currently underway with module implementation anticipated for the first quarter of 2012. He said the department recently filled vacated positions due to recent retirements. He stated that the goals of the department for 2012 included the solicitation of bids for utility, vehicle license billing and production services. The overall Finance department budget is down 5.5 %. Committee of the Whole Page 3 of 4 11/08/11 H: \VILM \Cow\2011 \MINUTES \Cow Minutes 11- 8- 11.docx Non - departmental Budget Items: Finance Director Dave Erb stated the debt service portion of the budget accounts for 2.1% of the EAV which is significantly less than the maximum debt load allowed for non - home rule communities of 8.625 %. All current debt is slated to be paid off 2029. He stated the pension contributions increased 10.8 %. The Fire pension portion increased 6.1% from the previous year with a Levy increase of 1.9 %. The funding level percentage is at 63.4 %. The Police pension contribution increased 6.1 % with the Levy level not changing. Funding level percentage is at 59.3 %. The Risk Management budget for 2012 is $402,290 and claims have been reduced by $100,000 over the past year. He stated the health insurance costs have increased 8.8% with the actual premiums assigned to specific departments based on the benefit level of each employee within that department. He said the Village belongs to an insurance pool with approximately 50 other communities which have smoothed out the insurance cost increases annually. He stated the Mount Prospect Public Library budget shows an increase of 3.1% with a total budget of $9.9 million which equates to a Levy increase of 3.7% Finance Commission Comments: The Finance Commission comments will be included in the December 6 Village Board meeting as part of the first reading of the Levy. December 20 will be the second reading for the Levy which should conclude the 2012 Budget preparation. V. MANAGER'S REPORT Village Manager Janonis announced that Coffee with Council will be on November 12 at the Village Hall Community Center. He also stated the curbside leaf pick up ended November 18 and bagged leaves will only be picked up between November 21 through December 6. He stated there is a Christmas tree lighting ceremony scheduled for November 26 at 5 p.m. in front of Village Hall. Finally he stated that Shining Star nominations are currently being received. VI. ANY OTHER BUSINESS Mayor Wilks stated that SWANCC and NWMC will be holding their monthly meetings at the Village Hall on November 16. Trustee Korn reminded everyone of the Sister Cities fundraiser on November 10 at Vino 100. VII. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 10:20 p.m. DAVID STRAHL Assistant Village Manager Committee of the Whole Page 4 of 4 11/08/11 H: \VILM \Cow\2011 \MINUTES \Cow Minutes 11- 8- 11.docx