Loading...
02/04/2013COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE – Minutes of Meeting February 4, 2013 The Village Board met as a Committee of the Whole in the Council Chambers of the Village Hall at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, February 4, 2013. In attendance were: PRESENT: Village Board Staff Harriet Rosenthal, Mayor Kent Street, Village Manager Robert Benton, Trustee Andrew Lichterman, Asst. to the Village Manager Alan Farkas, Trustee Barbara Little, Director of PW and Engineering Thomas Jester, Trustee Robert Phillips, Assistant Village Engineer Mary Oppenheim, Trustee Eric Burk, Finance Director William Seiden, Trustee John Sliozis, Police Chief Barbara Struthers, Trustee Public Comment There was no one present for public comment. 2013 Capital Improvement Plan Village Manager Street requested that Finance Director Burk review the status of the Village’s finances. Mr. Burk reported the Infrastructure Replacement Fund is approximately $2.5 million short of the proposed Capital Improvement Plan. He noted the Village can either reduce the scope of work, issue debt to cover the shortfall or make a General Fund transfer to the IRF to have sufficient funds to cover the proposed projects. Mr. Burk stated issuing debt is an option, but staff did previously indicate to the rating agencies that the Village did not intend to issue debt in the near future. He noted based on budget projections, $2 million can be transferred out of the General Fund to cover capital projects without jeopardizing the Village’s standing with the rating agencies or materially affect operations. Trustee Farkas noted that the Village Board intends to transfer $800,000 to cover tax abatements and wanted to ensure this was not included in the $2 million. Mr. Burk confirmed that the $2 million transfer would be in addition to the $800,000 to cover the abatement. Mayor Rosenthal noted the assumption is to reduce the scope of work and cut approximately $500,000 from the proposed capital projects so that a transfer from the General Fund would cover the expenses and no debt would need to be issued. Mayor Rosenthal requested Director of Public Works Little to review the Capital Improvement Plan. Ms. Little reported that 35% of the Village’s streets are below standard. Mayor Rosenthal asked Ms. Little to elaborate on how that is determined. Ms. Little noted this is based on a survey of the full road condition conducted by a reputable contractor. She noted streets are rated 0-100 and roads rated below a 70 are below the accepted standard. She noted if roads drop too far below the rating of 70 then rather than grinding and resurfacing roads will require full reconstruction. Ms. Little indicated this rating system is used by Lake County and many neighboring municipalities. Mayor Rosenthal asked how Deerfield compares to other municipalities. Ms. Little stated municipalities greatly vary in the condition of their roads. C.O.W; February 4, 2013 Trustee Farkas asked if there are any areas of the proposed plan that can be reviewed and recalculated to find reductions in cost. Assistant Village Engineer Phillips reported the Street Rehabilitation Program is an itemized cost and specific roads can be removed. He also noted that if it is an aggressive market then contractors’ prices will be lower than projected. Ms. Little briefly listed each project comprising of the Capital Improvement Plan. The following projects warranted discussion:  Street Rehabilitation Project – Ms. Little reported a $2 million project is proposed this year and will be followed by two smaller years of $1.5 million. Additional Motor Fuel Tax funds are available and reflected in the proposed plan.  Deerfield Road Reconstruction – Consists of Phase III engineering in preparation for construction in 2014.  Lake Cook Road – Village’s portion of construction consisting of water main, sanitary sewer and sidewalk work.  Roadway Condition Evaluation – Consists of the Infrastructure Management Services (IMS) street condition survey and sign condition inventory to comply with federal reflectivity standards.  Pfingsten/Kates Road Rehabilitation – Pfingsten/Kates Road is proposed for rehabilitation in 2014. Trustee Benton noted that due to the reconstruction of Lake Cook Road by Cook County this year, Pfingsten/Kates Road will receive a high level of detour traffic.  Lake Eleanor/Heather Road Reconstruction – Ms. Little noted it is important to complete Heather Road prior to Deerfield Road construction because it will likely receive a lot of diverted traffic. She noted both Heather Road and Lake Eleanor have very poor water main conditions.  Lighting System Improvements – Consists of wiring and lighting pole upgrades on Hazel Avenue. Trustee Oppenheim asked if this could be postponed. Ms. Little noted reliability would decrease and recommended deferring funding for a different project. Trustee Farkas asked if efficiencies could be gained if design and construction were completed concurrently. Mr. Phillips reported the Village’s approach is to redo lighting systems in conjunction with major roadway projects. Trustee Seiden noted that in general, proposed numbers in future years of the plan tend to decrease and asked if this is accurate of if the Board should expect these proposals to increase as those years approach. Ms. Phillips noted the projections are as accurate as possible but the water system is a driving force behind infrastructure projects. Ongoing improvements to the water system will help reduce large infrastructure projects and this highlights the importance of the street rehabilitation projects.  Improvement at Satelite Wastewater Facilities- Consists of cable replacement at the Wilmot Road pump station, diagnostic testing on all pumps and rehabilitation of the Pfingsten Road pump station. Trustee Struthers noted this will save the Village money in the long run and will prevent emergency repairs.  Village Center Redevelopment – Consists of Deerfield Road pedestrian crossing upgrades to rapid flashing beacons at Pine Street and Jonquil Terrace, replacement of 30 LED streetscape lighting systems, and improvements to the pedestrian rail road crossing at North Avenue. C.O.W; February 4, 2013  Public Building Improvements- consists of rehabilitation of asphalt pads at the storage yard and security improvements to the Public Works Facility.  Sewer Projects – Consists of inflow and infiltration consulting services and improvements, as well as the sewer lining program.  Water System Projects – Consists of contractually obligated costs with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation Facility for Telemetry at Reservoir 29A, as well as funds to conduct elevated tank maintenance and continue the remote meter reading program. Mayor Rosenthal asked Ms. Little how she would propose to cut $500,000 from the Capital Improvement Plan. Ms. Little noted she would suggest reducing the Street Rehabilitation Program and postponing the Village Center lighting system improvements. Manager Street noted staff would research the opportunity for grant funding in future years to install the lighting system improvements. Mayor Rosenthal requested staff to reduce the Capital Improvement Plan by approximately $500,000 so that a $2 million General Fund transfer would cover the cost of the projects. Village Board Packet Devices Computer Systems Coordinator Matthew Weiss reported that the current Village Board laptops are nearly six years old, no longer serviceable and replacement parts are unavailable. The installed operating system will shortly be unsupported and the laptops are not optimal candidates for upgrades. He noted funds have been budgeted for Board devices in the current fiscal year. He noted the Board received a memo outlining three options: (1) laptop, (2) tablet, and (3) bring your own device. He noted each option has their own merits and detractions but he gets the sense that the Board would like a smaller device. Mayor Rosenthal asked Mr. Weiss what device he would recommend. Mr. Weiss noted that based on the input he has received from the Board up to this point he would recommend the ipad. Trustee Oppenheim noted that she prefers to keep her Village materials separate from her personal materials, uses the Board device for word processing and is concerned about viewing large drawings and plans. Mr. Weiss stated that large drawings and plans can easily be viewed on the ipad as it is very easy to zoom. Trustee Oppenheim asked if the ipad has all functionality the Board requires including the ability to annotate. Mr. Weiss noted the ipad will be able to fully meet the needs of the Board and requires very little maintenance. Trustee Seiden asked about the loss of functionality to view videos with the ipad. Mr. Weiss noted that applications are available for download to enhance video functionality. Trustee Seiden asked Mr. Weiss to explore Microsoft tablets as well. Trustee Farkas stated that the need for a laptop is antiquated and he supports the recommendation for the Board to switch to ipads. He noted that the Board will require print outs of materials on occasion. C.O.W; February 4, 2013 Trustee Struthers concurred with Trustee Farkas and noted that she is concerned about printing. Mr. Street noted that print outs can be made available at Village Hall if Trustees cannot print at home. Trustee Seiden noted two reservations. He reported that he currently uses an ipad and the agenda bookmarks do not function properly and printing at home can only be done wirelessly without transferring materials to a different device. Mr. Weiss noted applications are available to ensure the agenda packet will function as designed. Mr. Weiss noted purchasing ipads will result in a significant savings. Manager Street reported that staff will further research the ipad to ensure that it will meet all the Board’s requirements and is the best option available. Adjournment Trustee Benton made a motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Trustee Oppenheim. The meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Andrew S. Lichterman Assistant to the Village Manager