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06/16/2012June 16, 2012 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE – Minutes of Meeting June 16, 2012 The Village Board met as a Committee of the Whole in the Community Conference Room of the Village Hall at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 16, 2012. In attendance were: PRESENT: Village Board Staff Harriet Rosenthal, Mayor Kent Street, Village Manager Robert Benton, Trustee Jenny Maltas, Assistant to the Village Manager Alan Farkas, Trustee Eric Burk, Assistant Finance Director Thomas Jester, Trustee Barbara Little, Director of PW and Engineering Mary Oppenheim, Trustee William Seiden, Trustee Barbara Struthers, Trustee Public Comment There was no one present for public comment. Discussion The Mayor and Board of Trustees had a discussion regarding the Village’s priorities over the long and short-term. Workforce housing. The Village Board discussed workforce housing and determined that, with the economy the way it is, the housing stock has deflated which has given a lot of people the opportunity to live in Deerfield who did not have that same opportunity several years ago. At this time, work force housing is not a major priority; however, in the future the Village Board might consider making some zoning code changes that would make the code more amenable to using larger lots for multi-family housing. Volunteers. Mayor Rosenthal reported that Susie Wexler is a great addition as Chair of the Manpower Commission and is working hard on recruitment. Ms. Wexler will be recruiting at the Farmers Market this summer. Though the Village has had some trouble recruiting volunteers in the past, the addition of Ms. Wexler will likely turn this around. Community Calendar. The Village Board is interested in hosting an online Community Calendar where community groups could add their events and meetings so that residents could look for this information in one place. The idea would be for the Village to host the calendar but the calendar should be able to be posted on any of the community groups’ websites. This was identified as a priority of the Village Board. The Board was also interested in signboards with changeable messages to highlight events happening over the weekend or during the week. Staff will look into different options and report these back to the Village Board. Economic Development. The Board identified several priorities for economic development. The first was to do research into what economic development programs have worked in other communities and determine if these programs have applications in Deerfield. The second is to hold public meetings soliciting information from our June 16, 2012 residents and business owners regarding what ideas they have for economic and what they would like to see happen. The goal is to create a dialogue with the community. The last was to begin to work on a public relations campaign for the Village of Deerfield. It was felt that the individual property owners have it in their best interest to market their own properties, but the Village should look at the big picture and send a message about why locating in Deerfield is a good choice for businesses. Sanitary Sewers. The Village Board discussed the need to continue addressing I/I. Some Village Board members expressed interest in a more aggressive lining program. All wanted RJN to keep moving forward actively with the program. Long term, the Board would like to have a goal date in mind to have the I/I issues addressed. The Board knows that we are working towards eliminating major sources of I/I but would like all of our efforts put into a one plan so that the goal is clearer. Change in Fiscal Year. Eric Burk presented a plan to start with a shortened 8 month fiscal year on May 1, 2013 then do a 12 month year that would begin January 1, 2014. The Village Board asked that staff confirm with bond counsel and financial advisors that this type of change won't impact our bond rating. The Village Board also wanted to ensure with a new Finance Director in place that the project was not too much to take on in the first year. Staff will follow up on these issues and report back to the Village Board. Coordination with Government Agencies. Jennifer Maltas reported that the Village has participated successfully in the GIS Consortium as well as the Electricity Consortium. Additionally, this year when the bid prices came back for the Street Rehab program, staff compared those prices to the prices that the larger bidding consortium received and most of our prices were below their prices. The Village Board would like to keep looking at opportunities to collaborate. Kent Street reported that he meets regularly with the local Superintendents and Directors to ensure that communication continues. The Village Board will like to take the next step in this regard and ensure that each agency is coordinating so that major projects that may impact residents fiscally do not take place in the same years. Adjournment Mayor Rosenthal reported that there would be a future Committee of the Whole meeting, date to be determined, to continue discussion on items that there was not time for during this meeting. Trustee Oppenheim made a motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Trustee Benton. The meeting adjourned at 11:07 a.m. Respectfully Submitted, Jennifer I. Maltas Assistant to the Village Manager