Loading...
10/28/2013COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE – Minutes of Meeting October 28, 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, October 28, 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 David Fitzgerald, Management Analyst Robert Nadler, Trustee Barbara Little, Director of PW and Engineering William Seiden, Trustee Robert Phillips, Assistant Village Engineer Barbara Struthers, Trustee Eric Burk, Finance Director John Sliozis, Police Chief Matthew Weiss, Computer Systems Coordinator Robert Phillips, Asst. Director of PW and Eng. Eric Oscarson, Asst. to the Director of PW Clint Case, Bld. and Code Enforcement Supervisor Jeffery Ryckaert, Principal Planner Daniel Elsass, HR Coordinator ABSENT: Thomas Jester, Trustee Public Comment None FY 2014 Budget Overview continued Manager Street reported that Finance Director Burk was at a Police Pension Board meeting, but would be joining the group shortly. He also introduced Daniel Elsass, the Village’s new Human Resources Coordinator. Finance Department Assistant Lichterman presented the Finance Department’s proposed FY 2014 budget in Director Burk’s absence. He reported this is a status quo budget with no major changes or additional staff. He highlighted some of the major line-times in the budget including the Village’s 50% of the operations at the Patty Turner Center and the Walgreens Economic Incentive program. Trustee Nadler inquired about the Patty Turner Center funding and other intergovernmental agreements that represent a cost to the Village. Mayor Rosenthal provided a history of the Patty Turner Center funding agreement. Manager Street noted staff would distribute the agreement to the board for reference. Assistant Lichterman noted that the senior taxi subsidy and Family Days had been moved to the Administration Department’s budget. Administration Page 3 C.O.W - October 28, 2013 Assistant Lichterman provided an overview of the proposed FY2014 budget for the Administration Department. He noted that the budget was status quo and included a minor change in personnel for IT. He also reported that the Advisory Board’s account is more detailed than in years past at the request of the Board. Trustee Nadler questioned the corporate council expenditures. Manager Street noted that the Village has a low retainer fee with most of the expenses coming from hourly billings. Trustee Nadler inquired whether it would be beneficial to have an in-house attorney. Manager Street noted that some communities have set hours where an attorney from a contracted firm has physical office hours in Village Hall. Trustee Struthers inquired how many hours per week Attorney Coblentz works on Village business. Attorney Coblentz said between 15 and 20 hours per week. Manager Street noted that staff can closely monitor hourly attorney billing over the next year. Trustee Farkas noted that Attorney Coblentz brings a combination of experience and knowledge. Trustee Struthers stated that he was very valuable when the Village dealt with billboard issues. Manager Street stated staff would closely monitor this expense in the coming year. Manager Street noted that there was a Senior Taxi Subsidy analysis in the Board’s packet. Mayor Rosenthal stated that staff needs to monitor growth in the program but noted that residents are using it as intended. Analyst Fitzgerald reported that there are about 8 heavy users of the program who use the maximum 50 tickets per month. Trustee Struthers stated that the program is a wonderful way to let seniors stay in their homes. Manager Street noted that the increase in use of the program coincides with when the Park District disbanded its ride program. Assistant Lichterman provided a breakout of the expenses in the Advisory Board account including The Invasion of the Pumpkins, Lake County Partners, Lake County Visitors Bureau, and DBR Chamber of Commerce contribution. Trustee Struthers asked what Lake County Partners provides for the Village. Manager Street noted that they help with grants and hotel promotion. Mayor Rosenthal noted that they helped bring Mondelez. Trustee Farkas inquired about the Chamber of Commerce contribution. Mr. Lichterman noted that the contribution amount has remained flat for a number of years and they made a presentation to the Board at a previous COW meeting. Trustee Struthers stated the DBR Chamber does a great job serving the local business community in a way that benefits the Village. Trustee Nadler asked Manager Street where he would cut the budget if cuts needed to be made. Manager Street stated community events are the largest discretionary expense. Trustee Farkas noted that in the private sector it is rare to have both health and dental benefits covered as they are for Village employees. Levy Discussion Manager Street reported that staff performed an analysis of Trustee Jester’s proposal of allocating $1,000,000 of the current General Fund levy to the Infrastructure Replacement Fund (IRF) levy. He noted that staff evaluated the pros and cons of the proposal and then reviewed staff’s memo. Page 4 C.O.W - October 28, 2013 Trustee Struthers stated that she does not see the advantage of the proposal, as the money would end up in the IRF eventually. Trustee Seiden noted that the change would not impact tax bills, as the total levy would be the same. Mayor Rosenthal stated that the proposal would show the Village’s commitment to keep up with infrastructure maintenance. Trustee Farkas noted that segregating the funds would be an outward sign of the Village planning for and anticipating its future needs. Trustee Struthers inquired if the proposal could hamper the Village’s response to a natural disaster, like a tornado. Manager Street stated that large risks of that magnitude are managed through insurance. Finance Director Burk noted that at the current rate, at some point the Village will hit its minimum fund balance and will need to figure out how to fund infrastructure replacement. He noted that money in the IRF is still counted toward the fund balance. Trustee Farkas stated that the change would require adjustment and recommended being conservative about the amount put into the IRF. Trustee Nadler noted that the Village is planning ahead and regularly conducts infrastructure improvements; it is just that the dollar amount that is transferred from the General Fund to the IRF is a decision point that is made each year. Finance Director Burk stated that either way the Board decides to go, there isn’t enough money to fund the projects recommended by staff in the coming years. Trustee Struthers stated she does not see the advantage in the change as it limits the utility of the money. Trustee Farkas suggested instead of a physical transfer, that staff word it so the funds are earmarked for infrastructure replacement without removing it from the General Fund. Mayor Rosenthal recommended leaving it the way it is this year, as the Village may need to issue debt or find other revenues, such as a food and beverage tax, or reduce the budget in the near future. Capital Projects Assistant Phillips presented an updated capital project list that pushed the Deerfield Road project back to 2015 and eliminated street rehabilitation projects in 2015 to stay within budget constraints. Trustee Farkas inquired why street rehabilitation is being reduced. Finance Director Burk noted that the money for the previously proposed street rehabilitation schedule was never in the budget. Trustee Struthers inquired if the jurisdictional transfer agreement for Deerfield Road was also going to be delayed. Attorney Coblentz noted that a draft agreement is under review by both parties and would not be substantially delayed. Page 5 C.O.W - October 28, 2013 Trustee Farkas noted that he was pleased that the fees for Woodview and AMLI were not included in the budget, but inquired how much the Village could expect in one-time revenues from the projects. Finance Director Burk estimated they would bring in a combined $1 million. IT Computer Systems Coordinator Matt Weiss reported that the Village is in the third year of its five-year plan. He noted that the Village has stayed on schedule. Trustee Farkas inquired if the Village needs to increase the budget to keep up with the accelerating pace of obsolescence. Mr. Weiss stated that the Village purchases quality products with the intent to keep them for a set number of years. He stated the system does not require more money unless it is asked to do more. He noted, however, that there will be an increase in expenses in the future as a number of replacements are due at the same time. Executive Session Trustee Nadler motioned to adjourn into executive session for the discussion of personnel pursuant to Section 2(c)(1) and Section 2(c)(2) of the Open Meetings Act. Trustee Benton seconded the motion. It passed unanimously and the meeting adjourned into executive session at 8:18 p.m. Adjournment Trustee Farkas made a motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Trustee Struthers. The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, David Fitzgerald, Management Analyst