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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/09/2003 COW minutesI1. III. IV. MINUTES COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE APRIL 9, 2003 CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 7:06 p.m. by Mayor Gerald Farley, in the Mt. Prospect Park District Community Center, 1000 West Central Road. Present at the meeting were: Trustees Timothy Corcoran, Paul Hoefert, Richard Lohrstorfer, Michaele Skowron, Irvana Wilks and Michael Zadel. Staff members present included: Village Manager Michael Janonis, Assistant Village Manager David Strahl, Finance Director Doug EIIsworth, Deputy Finance Director Carol Widmer and Finance Administrative Assistant Lisa Burkemper. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approval of minutes from March 25, 2003. Motion was made by Trustee Lohrstorfer and Seconded by Trustee Skowron. Minutes were approved. Trustees Corcoran and Hoefert abstained. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD None. LONG-RANGE FINANCIAL PLAN DISCUSSION Mayor Farley stated this is a preliminary presentation of the tentative consensus plan that has arisen through several workshop sessions among the Village Board and staff. He stated it is anticipated that there will be significant discussion at the April 22 Committee of the Whole meeting whereby the public is encouraged to voice their opinions on the proposed Financial Plan. Village Manager Janonis stated that as part of the 2003 Budget creation, a commitment was made to review the 2004 Budget issues. Over the last several months, staff and the Village Board, in conjunction with the Finance Commission, have been looking at various options for consideration to address the projected 2004 Budget deficit. He stated this is the first public discussion but, again, the April 22 meeting will be available for additional public input. The presentation will be available to the public in both paper and electronic formats. He stated the three-year economic downturn has reduced revenues while service demands have not decreased in proportion to the revenue reductions. He stated the Village has the limited ability to reduce service level and the $1.9 million deficit projected in 2004 is projected to grow in future years. A review of the major revenue sources was highlighted and 80% of the General Fund is devoted to personnel expenses. He stated the Village has not made the CIP fund transfer for the last two years and there is a need to address this funding in the near term so that significant impacts do not affect the overall service delivery to residents. He stated several proposed initiatives have been VI. discussed including the return to funding of the ClP and a contribution to the joint Youth Center with the City of Des Plaines. He highlighted the benchmark information comparing Mount Prospect with other surrounding communities including the Property Tax levels and number of employees per 1,000 population. He stated the Village Board has reviewed the list of services and ranked essential and non-essential services. He stated unfortunately the number of non-essential services that were determined by the Village Board was not a significant number that addressed the Budget shortfall. The Village Board has directed staff to cut $500,000 from the projected Budget and once the new initiatives and reductions are incorporated, there still remains a $1.9 million deficit for 2004. Finance Director EIIsworth provided a review of the Village Board's tentative consensus Financial Plan for 2004 to address the deficit situation. Among the items highlighted is the capture of existing revenues that had previously been determined to sunset in the future. Village Manager Janonis stated the next steps are to monitor the projections closely and encourage public comment and Finance Commission comment for consideration by the Village Board. He stated there is a need to have a plan in place by August 2004 as the Budget is being prepared. One discussion that will soon take place is the review of the read conditions to determine if some of the accelerated read program can be scaled back. Mayor Farley stated there probably will be additional discussion on the consensus plan through additional discussion and anticipates extensive public comment as part of the April 22 Committee of the Whole meeting. General comments from Village Board members included the following items: It was pointed out that the residents need to know how the costs impact their individual circumstances in order for the residents to make informed judgments about the proposed plan. A comment was also made that while revenue from Costco is not included in the current mix of revenues, do not assume that they are not coming. They still remain quite viable, however, due to the timing of their store, it was determined that it was best not to include possible revenues from the store until the store was actually on line. VILLAGE MANAGER'S REPORT Village Manager Janonis stated that there is a Coffee with Council meeting on April 12 at the Village Hall from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a,m. He also stated the press can contact him if they want additional information based on the presentation this evening. He also wanted to inform the public and Village Board that Finance Director Doug EIIsworth has accepted the Finance Director position in the Village of Schaumburg and will be leaving the Village at the end of the month. ANY OTHER BUSINESS Trustee Corcoran wanted to thank Doug EIIsworth for his excellent leadership as Director and wished him well in future professional endeavors. Finance Director EIIsworth thanked the Village Board and staff and stated he was proud to be a member of the management team at the Village. CLOSED SESSION A Motion was made by Trustee Hoefert and Seconded by Trustee Skowron to move into Closed Session to discuss Personnel. Meeting recessed into Closed Session at 8:29 p.m. Meeting returned to Open Session at 8:48 p.m. VII. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:49 p.m. Respectfully submitted, DAVID STRAHL Assistant Village Manager DS/rcc