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10/02/2019COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE – Minutes of Meeting October 2, 2019 The Village Board met as a Committee of the Whole in the Council Chambers of the Village Hall at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 2. In attendance were: PRESENT: Village Board Staff Harriet Rosenthal, Mayor Kent Street, Village Manager Robert Benton, Trustee Andrew Lichterman, Asst. Village Manager Thomas Jester, Trustee David Fitzgerald, Management Analyst Mary Oppenheim, Trustee John Sliozis, Police Chief William Seiden, Trustee Eric Burk, Finance Director Daniel Shapiro, Trustee Bob Phillips, Public Works Director Barbara Struthers, Trustee Tom Keane, Deputy Police Chief Jeff Hansen, Asst. Code Enforcement Supervisor Brian Budny, Deputy Police Chief Chris Frye, Police Commander Justin Keenan, Asst. to Public Works Director Tyler Dickinson, Village Engineer John Guccione, Project Manager Brandon Janes, Wastewater Superintendent Absent None Public Comment Mary Anne D’Onofrio, 330 Margate Terrace, has been a resident for 33 years. She discussed drainage problems in her neighborhood. She cited a Village drainage study calling for $3 million in improvements and contrasted that with a private contractor study hired by her that would be more affordable. She said a two-inch storm leaves her on an island. Flooding has ruined trees in the neighborhood and water comes up to her kitchen. She asked the Mayor and Board to look into some kind of funding to help address the issue for the neighborhood. She noted that she is working with Village staff on issues with neighbors to help alleviate some problems, but more needs to be done. She noted that the problem is getting worse over time. She would like some of the water to be diverted and asked for solutions. Mr. Phillips reported staff has researched the issue and come up with a number of solutions, but they are all expensive. He noted the elevation of the home is an issue. Mrs. D’Onofrio believes the lack of storm sewer capacity is the issue. Mayor Rosenthal reported on the recent death of former Trustee and Police Commissioner James Marovitz. 2020 Budget Overview Mayor Rosenthal reported she feels a responsibility for keeping the property taxes as flat as possible. She noted there is a perception that the Village has high property taxes. She C.O.W; October 2, 2019 would like all of the property taxing bodies to keep their levies flat. Mayor Rosenthal noted that she is concerned that there are too many capital projects in the budget and it is overwhelming for staff and residents. Trustee Jester noted that the Village received an extra $4 million from a state audit of telecommunications taxes. He thought this money could be directed toward the Northwest Quadrant. He believes the State capital program will increase the costs of construction projects. He also believes that the cost of bonds is very low at the moment. He would like to see projects that address inflow and infiltration, old water mains, sewer lining and other substantive projects. Finance Director Burk presented the proposed budget and outlined the budget process. Mayor Rosenthal inquired about the 2019 revenues and expenses. Mr. Burk noted the Village ended up receiving more money and spending less than planned. She also asked about the change to the 9-1-1 funds. Chief Sliozis reported the consolidated dispatch board now receives those funds directly. Trustee Struthers inquired about the increase to Highland Park’s water rate. Mr. Burk reported that it is tied to the debt service payments for their new water treatment facility. Mr. Burk reported the property tax levy will be tied to public safety to avoid any potential property tax freeze from the State. He is proposing a 4 percent increase to the general fund and a 12.8 percent increase in the debt service fund for existing bonds. He noted the 2010 bond is the oldest on the books and was for the WRF. It is a 20-year bond. Mayor Rosenthal noted she would like to see these increases brought down. Trustee Struthers would like to see a service business tax allowed in Illinois. Mr. Burk reported the budget includes a school resources officer for District 109 and he adjusted the revenue from the use tax. The projected sales tax total has been adjusted down. He noted a possible increase in refuse collection due to the increase in fuel taxes. Mr. Street reported the general fund supplements the refuse collection amount paid by residents. Mr. Burk noted all revenues are conservatively estimated. He noted the increase in MFT. Mayor Rosenthal inquired about the dispatching services revenue. Mr. Burk noted Lincolnshire came on later in the year than anticipated. Proposed Capital Projects Mr. Phillips introduced the capital improvement project. He noted that pricing is going up for infrastructure. He reported that the Federal grant funding methodology is changing in the region and is now based on a new set of criteria. He noted that to qualify for this funding, the Village needs to plan longer ahead and pay upfront for engineering services. He noted the Village is working to get federal funding in 2022. Mr. Phillips reported that Public Works has taken on a lot of projects this year. He noted that the workload can be managed by bringing in engineering consultants. He reported that this year’s capital project was bid in three pieces and the low bidder for all three was the same company, A-Lamp. He noted that this can create issues where the contractor becomes spread too thin. Mayor Rosenthal inquired about meeting the completion dates. C.O.W; October 2, 2019 Mr. Philips reported that the contractor is charged liquidated damages for not completing on time. Mr. Phillips reported that new permitting requirements from the EPA require some new equipment and spending. He noted that some spending is the result of data showing the improvement in I/I reduction. Trustee Shapiro inquired about the northwest quadrant funding and the proposed study of WRF operations. Mr. Phillips went through the proposals with the Trustees. Trustee Shapiro inquired about the system used to prioritize locations. Mr. Phillips reported it is based on a number of factors to fairly distribute the work. Mayor Rosenthal inquired about the Woodvale project and why it will not fix the flooding. Mr. Phillips reported the road is in very poor condition, but the residents did not want to reduce the size of their front yards to gain the extra storm capacity. Trustee Oppenheim noted the Village should keep a record of this decision for the future. Trustee Jester inquired about the Corps of Engineer’s study for the river. Mr. Phillips reported the Deerfield Road resurfacing project between Wilmot and the underpass has been pushed up by one year to align with Lake County’s project at the same time. Trustee Struthers inquired if there is any assistance the Village can provide to neighborhoods with private roads. Trustee Oppenheim inquired about the grant for Hazel Ave. Mr. Phillips reported the cost is known from a previous engineering study. The federal grant is an 80/20 split. Trustee Oppenheim asked about the WRF projects. Mr. Phillips reported that standards for the permit have changed since the facility was built. Mayor Rosenthal inquired about Sanitary Process Investigation. Mr. Phillips reported this is the cost associated with an odor study that will be done in 2020. Mayor Rosenthal asked if any funds are budgeted to fix issues found during the study. Mr. Phillips noted there are no funds budgeted for a large-scale capital solution, but there is room for management and process change. Mr. Lichterman noted that operational changes have already been implemented. Trustee Oppenheim inquired on the status of 630 Central Avenue. Mr. Lichterman reported that there was a plan for a parking lot in that location. Since that time, the Village has acquired adjacent property at 645 Osterman. He noted that this would allow ingress and egress from Osterman instead of Central Avenue. He noted that staff is working with One Deerfield Place and Rosebud on developing the parking lot. The property is holding for a large-scale redevelopment. Mr. Phillips reported on the sewer projects. He noted the lining program is very involved and requires a significant amount of staff time. Trustee Jester inquired about drainage study and I/I disconnection program. Mr. Phillips reported it is going slowly. Trustee Shapiro inquired if the incentive should be increased. Mr. Phillips noted that storm C.O.W; October 2, 2019 sewers and flooding is a major driver of staff time. Mayor Rosenthal noted that people are inadvertently regrading their property and removing swales. She suggested having someone look into these changes over time. Trustee Oppenheim suggested a consultant. Mr. Phillips reported that a drainage master plan would be a good way to address this. Mayor Rosenthal inquired about storm water maintenance fees. Mr. Phillips reported that a number of communities have fees in place. He noted that these fees would help cover the cost of improvements and required maintenance. Mr. Phillips noted it could be based on water usage or on impervious square feet. Mr. Street would like to have a master plan in place prior to implementing the fee. Mr. Phillips noted and RFQ is out for the study and anticipates it taking one year to complete. Mayor Rosenthal believes education for residents regarding storm water is important. Mr. Phillips discussed the meter battery head replacement project. Trustee Jester believes this cost should be passed onto water bills. Trustee Struthers noted that the Village is losing revenue from motor fuel taxes due to electric vehicles. Mayor Rosenthal believes that issue needs to be done by the state. Trustee Oppenheim inquired how much extra revenue is needed for the proposed 2020 projects. Mr. Burk noted an additional $6 million is needed. Over two years, a total of $18 million in projects is proposed. Mr. Burk noted that $1 million could be moved from the general fund. Mr. Philips discussed approving a five-year plan. Trustee Oppenheim would like to bond for a two-year capital plan. Mayor Rosenthal asked staff to come back with a plan for a two-year capital plan that includes bonding to accomplish this with options for scaled back projects. Trustee Seiden noted that the Village pays a lot in interest and it may require future boards to raise taxes. He asked that staff also include a plan that increases the tax levy to pay for projects without issuing debt. IT Review Trustee Jester discussed cyber security and IT system ransom. Mr. Weiss reported on training, consulting and insurance that the Village maintains. He also discussed system backups and redundancies put in place over the year. Mr. Weiss noted that the proposed third party security/risk testing will help focus on security and could point out other needed improvements. Mr. Weiss reported a new data storage array is needed. It is included in the VERF. Trustee Jester noted that the VERF schedule for IT items should be reviewed due to how quickly items can become outdated. Trustee Oppenheim thanked Mr. Weiss for his thorough review and detailed report. Adjournment Trustee Benton made a motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Trustee Seiden. The meeting adjourned at 5:55 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, C.O.W; October 2, 2019 David Fitzgerald Management Analyst