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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2. COW Minutes 05/13/2014 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MINUTES May 13, 2014 I.CALL TO ORDER–ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order at 7:00p.m. in the Village Board Room of the Village Hall, 50 South Emerson Street, by Mayor Arlene Juracek.Trustees present included Paul Hoefert, John Korn, Steven Polit,RichardRogersand Michael Zadel.Trustee John Matuszak was absent. Staff present included Village Manager Michael Janonis, Assistant Village Manager David Strahl, Community Development Director Bill Cooney, Fire Chief John Malcolm, and Fire Marshall Brian Loomis. II.APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE FOR APRIL 8, 2014 Motionmade by Trustee Hoefert seconded by Trustee Polit minutes were approved. III.CITIZENS TO BE HEARD Dale Stewart20 S. Main, President IAFF, Local 4119 ,spoke. He wanted to present information to the Village Board regarding the pending Minimum Manning Bill. Hestated this bill would not take away local control. The Labor Relations Act does not exclude manning from negotiations and the topic has been left to the courts. This bill is to eliminate the need for constant challenges by the attorneys and accept the court ruling. He stated that money is being spent unnecessarily and there is misleading information stating that the approval of this bill would cost the Village millions which is incorrect. He stated this legislation would have no impact on staffing and allows for input only to the number of staff andthat the union supports the return of Engine 13. He said there had been safety issues in other towns and thatthisis also part of the reason for thebill. He also stated that pensions are not a problem due tothe sweeteners as have been talked about in the press. He stated that there are three issues that have been identified by COGFA, loopholes in actuarial analysis, the market crash, and the failure to contribute the required pension amount. He stated the Village has made the required contributions in the past. He also stated the Village pays Social Security for IMRF employees but does not for public safety. Mayor Juracek responded by stating the municipal position is different than that of the unions and there were changes in benefits before the funding was inplace for the sweeteners. The Minimum Manning issue is related to local control. There is adiscussion underway with the General Assembly exploring different options. 5/13/14 Committee of the Whole Page 1of 4 Tony HalachoulisPresident of the Mount Prospect Police Pension Board , spoke. He stated that he is here to respond to concerns regarding the information that has been put out that stated30% of the property tax goes to pension costs based on the amount the Village collects. He stated this is incorrect. He also stated the sweeteners are well in the past and the changes were funded when they were put in place. He stated the suggested scenario of raising the retirement age does not work since it causes an older workforce. He stated there is no social security available to these employees and that they contribute over 9% of their wages toward pensions now. He stated there has been a failure to tell the public that pension contributions may not be mandatory as IMRF. He also stated there was a 1993 law change in the funding method and the claims that there would be shortages atthat time hasnow come true. Mayor Juracek stated the problems of the public safety pensions also reside in the compounding of the cost-of-living increase and the lack of investment returns. Thepercentage of the property tax that the Village collects for Village purposes continues to bemore devoted to pension costs than general fund purposes. She stated she appreciates the two sides of the issue. IV.COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT / FIRE DEPARTMENT FEE DISCUSSION Assistant Village Manager Strahl provided an overview of the fee structure within the Community Development and Fire Departments. He stated the general idea is to raise fees and permits to the approximate average of comparable communities since the Village is significantly behind in the amount that is charged. He also stated that the fees charged do not cover the actual personnel and material costs of providing the service. He further stated that any increase would still not cover the total expense of providing the service but should narrow the gap considerably. He stated this discussion is part of an element of the strategic plan regarding the fiscal position of the Village. He stated it is common for the Village to have a structural deficit of1% to 2% between revenues and expenditures on an annual basis. The proposed increases in permits and fees will help narrow that gap but not be eliminated. The discussion this evening is limited to the Community Development and Fire departments with another discussion regarding Public Works, Policeand Finance department related fees in the near future. He stated these fees are only charged when serviceis requested. He stated thatstaff was originally recommending anincrease for building permits to a $75 amount for projects under $7500 with an additional fee of $10 per $1000 per project cost above that minimum;in addition staff has provided information regarding a permit increase to a minimum of $50 for a permit project cost under $5000 as an alternative. General consensus Village Board was to increase the base permit fee to $50. 5/13/14 Committee of the Whole Page 2of 4 Assistant Manager Strahl also stated anincrease in the planning and zoning fees required for variances from $100 to $250 would cover more of the direct costs associated with the process. This fee is only applied when variances are filed. General consensus of the Village Board was to increase the fee to $250 to cover the expense and increasing the fee might also encourage more creativity to avoid variance filing by finding a solution without a variance to begin with. Assistant Manager Strahl provided information regarding the proposed increase for fire inspection services based on a $50 per hour inspection costs and a plan review fee increase based on a $60 per hour cost. He stated the vast majority of these fees are related to commercial projects and fees charged by the department are significantly below the average of comparable communities. It is also recommended that new fees be added for egress review and second re- inspections. General consensus of the Village Board was to approve the staff recommendation to increase the fees based on the schedule provided. Assistant Manager Strahl provided an overview of the ambulance fees currently charged. He stated residents do not see a bill, the information is collected regarding their insurance and their insurance or Medicare is billed directly by the Village’s billing agent. Residents do not receive a balance bill on the difference between what the Village charges and what their insurance or Medicare pays. Nonresidents; however, do receive a balance bill if their insurance or Medicare does not cover the charge which is the resident rate plus $100. He proposed ambulance rates of $750 for ALS2, $550 for ALS, and $475 for BLS services. Non-resident rates would be $100 in addition to these proposed rates. He stated the current cost of an actual call response is about $2000. Generalconsensus of the Village Board was to increase the fees based on the staff recommendations includingallocating the cost per call. The Village Board supports the change in fees after considerable discussion. V.CHAPTER 5 CODE REVISIONS Village Manager Janonis stated this chapter applies to other Boards and Commissions and how they operate excluding the Village Board. He stated this chapter standardizes the appointment process and operations of each commission or board using common terms. He stated one of the significant changes wasin Article 2 which consolidated the governing process as it applies to all boards and commissions and establishes rolling term limits with standard quorum requirements and agendas. He stated the revisions also placedthe Youth and CommunityRelations Commission on inactive status. 5/13/14 Committee of the Whole Page 3of 4 General consensus of the Village Board was to supportthese changes with the recommendation that members of each board commission is listedalong with their terms onthe Village website. VI.MANAGER’S REPORT Village Manager Janonis stated the Public Works Open House is this Saturday, May 17 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. He addedfrom May 16 through May 18 is theVillage wide garage saleand the downtown car shows will be starting on the 17th. VII.ANY OTHER BUSINESS Trustee Hoefert inquired as to the status of the meeting with the residents of See Gwun regarding the change in the speed humps and the proposed traffic changes. Manager Janonis stated there will be a public discussion with residents in an open house forum as soon as it can be scheduled and hopefully at Lincoln Middle school. VIII.ADJOURNMENT Adjournment motion was made by Trustee Korn second by Trustee Rogers to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 9:05 p.m. DAVID STRAHL Assistant Village Manager 5/13/14 Committee of the Whole Page 4of 4