D. Committee of the Whole

APPROVED VILLAGE OF LAKE ZURICH SPECIAL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE APRIL 13, 2009 The meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m. ROLL CALL: Present –Mayor Tolomei, Trustees Branding, Callahan, Johnson, McAvoy, Poynton, and Taylor. Also present –Administrator Vitas, Village Attorney Kirlin, Finance Director Zochowski, Police Chief Finlon, Fire Chief Mastandrea, Park and Recreation Director Perkins, Public Works Director/Engineer Heyden, Building and Zoning Director Peterson, Human Resources Director Pankiw, and Assistant Finance Director Forrest. Director Zochowski introduced the new Assistant Finance Director Maria Forrest. BUDGET OVERVIEW AND DISCUSSION FOR FISCAL YEAR 2009/2010: (Continued from March 30, 2009) Director Zochowski listed the nine steps required by law regarding budget presentation and approval. The budget must be adopted by April 30, 2009 and have met certain publication and notification requirements plus a public hearing must have been held. Discussion followed on the need for a quorum for the public hearing and the adoption of the budget. Trustees were asked to contact Executive Assistant Susan Ragsdale and inform her of their availability for future scheduled meetings and their availability to attend special meetings if necessary. Public Works Department (continued): Public Works Director/Engineer Heyden continued his budget overview including General Services Division, Utilities, and summary of the budget. An operational change is proposed to assign park maintenance under the General Services Division. Utilities will be renegotiated and a Lake Michigan water rate analysis will be performed this year. A question and answer period followed. Mayor Tolomei asked how the pebbles of sand and small stones used for snow and ice control will be cleaned up. He also asked if resilient mailboxes are worth considering. Public Works Director/Engineer Heyden responded that they will be swept up by the street sweeper that is now in service again. He has not considered resilient mailboxes but could look into them. Building and Zoning Department: Building and Zoning Director Peterson listed the purpose of the department, its divisions, additional projects, accomplishments, and objectives. Significant accomplishments included the adoption of the form-based regulations and partial adoption of the 2006 Editions of the International building Codes, and coordination and implementation of a special census that Special Committee of the Whole Minutes, April 13, 2009 2 will indicate approximately 1,000 new residents. A master’s level student intern will be employed to work on community planning. Mayor Tolomei said he has heard complaints about the building department and its inspectors and would ask that they focus on customer service in the future whether it be a real problem or a perceived problem. Building and Zoning Director Peterson said his staff will attend training that will help them in that area. He also would like to help educate the public on what the approval process involves and noted that his department often must wait on other government agencies for their reviews, inspections, and approvals. Park and Recreation Department: Park and Recreation Department Director Perkins presented his budget overview that included review of staff, listing of parks, facilities, and buildings, accomplishments, and objectives. An important goal is to work to obtain sponsorships for special events, park equipment, and improvements. He hopes to hire a Superintendent of Recreation in place of the vacant Recreation Supervisor position. The Park Maintenance Division will be reassigned as part of an organization change and will be overseen by the General Services Superintendent from Public Works. A community center task force will be formed. Mayor Tolomei had suggestions regarding the walking path near Paulus Park. Trustee Johnson asked that a connection to the path at Schiller be considered. General Government, Administration, and Finance Departments: General Government: Director Zochowski reviewed General Government and explained what groups and individuals are classified under that grouping. He also listed revenues and expenditures. a Administration: Village Administrator Vitas thanked his staff not only for the effort they put into preparing an extremely lean budget but for the foresight, flexibility, and resourcefulness that went into preparing it. He reiterated that a budget is a management tool and may need to be changed as revenues or expenses differ from what was anticipated or fluctuate. Village Administrator reviewed the function, accomplishments, and objectives. He would like to obtain a AAA bond rating for the Village and noted that the finances are sound today. A strategic planning process with the Village Board and Executive Management team will take place and help establish a clear vision and mission for the Village. Objectives include updating equipment to allow live transmission of Village meetings and agenda materials. Finance Department: Director Zochowski listed the functions the Finance Department performs, its budget highlights, accomplishments, and objectives. Financial policies and financial software will continue to be reviewed and improved. A comprehensive five-year budget model will be developed as well as a long-range strategic IT plan. Other Funds (Water/Sewer, MFT, Park Improvement, Debt Service: There were no questions or comments on these funds. Special Committee of the Whole Minutes, April 13, 2009 3 RECESS: The meeting was recessed from 8:53 to 8:58 p.m. to change the vide tape. Discussion: Mayor Tolomei if there were any items that needed further discussion. He asked the Committee of the Whole to address the lack of funding for overtime in the Fire Department causing an ambulance to be out of service when the staff is needed for specialized training. Fire Chief Mastandrea further addressed this issue and said due to lack of staff either the ambulance would need to be out of service during specialized training, staff would forego the training and not be able to be part of the Lake County team, or $45-50,000 would need to be allocated for overtime. He said the Lake Zurich Rural Fire District was discussing this at their meeting earlier this evening and was quite concerned about the proposal. Discussion followed. There was a consensus to allocate funding for overtime and not put an ambulance out of service. When asked where the money would come from, Mayor Tolomei again stated that a budget was a guide and not an exact document. Director Zochowski said some funding should be available as the year went on and the budget was monitored. He said that he recently received information that the new EAV is 869 while last year’s EAV was 849. The Fire District’s share will be 48.39% up from 46.8%. Fire Chief Mastandrea said he just received new that their community notification grant was successful and the Village would receive $15,000 for this project which could free up funds to use for something else. Trustee McAvoy asked about the Route 53 extension project that the voters were in favor of. Village Administrator Vitas provided information regarding a presentation made by Lake County Board member Michael Talbett regarding plans to present the project but said it was much too soon for any action to be taken. ADJOURNMENT: MOTION made by Trustee Callahan, seconded by Trustee Johnson, to adjourn the meeting. Voice vote, AYES have it. MOTION CARRIED. The meeting was adjourned at 9:22 p.m. Submitted by: Approved: 5/4/09