North Cook News

Village of Bartlett Committee met November 7.

Here is the minutes provided by the Committee:

President Wallace called the Committee of the Whole meeting to order at 7:27 p.m.

Present: Chairmen Camerer, Carbonaro, Deyne, Gabrenya (via telephone), Hopkins, Reinke, and President Wallace

Absent: None

Also Present: Village Administrator Paula Schumacher, Assistant Village Administrator Scott Skrycki, Finance Director Todd Dowden, Community Development Director Jim Plonczynski, Assistant Community Director Roberta Grill, Management Analyst Tyler Isham, Director of Public Works Dan Dinges, Public Works Engineer Bob Allen, Building Director Brian Goralski, Assistant Golf Professional Paul Galvan, Chief Patrick Ullrich, Deputy Chief Chuck Snider, Deputy Chief Geoff Pretkelis, Village Attorney Bryan Mraz and Village Clerk Lorna Giless.

Planning & Zoning Committee:

1. Jacaranda-Preliminary/Final PUD/Subdivision, Special Use and PUD Ext.

Chairman Hopkins introduced the Jacaranda subdivision and asked Mr. Plonczynski to proceed.

Community Development Director Jim Plonczynski stated that this development is one of the oldest they have on the books that has not been developed. Roberta Grill from his staff worked diligently with Greg Berna from U-46 to bring this project back to light. The original approvals for this were done in 1986 when it was annexed to the Village. In 1998, they had a subdivision process with this developer that was denied. They went into a lawsuit and received a consent decree from the court approving the development seen here, with a lot more lots. In 2001, the 43 lot subdivision was recorded and purchased by U-46. Hawk Hollow Elementary School was the only development that occurred other than the driveway and infrastructure for the sewer and water. There was a bidding process at one time where a builder was going to acquire it. There were issues with the DuPage County Department of Environmental Concerns (DEC) regarding the wetland. The bidder backed out of the deal and didn’t close on the property. In 2003, they worked out a deal with the County where the wetlands were approved and permitted and the DEC signed off on them in 2009. From 2009 until 2015, developers became interested. Roberta sat down with Greg and they went through a process where we could bring this development back to the Village, allow U- 46 to sell the 17 remaining lots on the site to a developer. The petitioner is requesting a Preliminary/Final PUD Plan for Jacaranda and a Final Plat of Subdivision. They will also re-zone the school site and ask for a P-1 Zoning District. The PUD expired a number of years ago and because of the process that U-46 has to go through to sell this, it may take a little longer time – they have asked for a 2 year extension on the PUD. Some of the builders that built the Enclave are interested as well as other past builders. They would like to move this on to the Plan Commission to conduct the Public Hearing on the PUD and the Zoning.

Attorney Mraz stated that this is essentially the plan that was previously approved. Those modifications as part of the PUD that would otherwise be variations, were in that prior ordinance and also in the Consent Decree. There was a lawsuit filed and they had the complaint dismissed three times, and they decided to settle. That settlement required a Public Hearing on the terms of the settlement and that is approved. The school bought a portion but the lot layout stated essentially the same. Part of the issue that came up in the settlement and subsequently had to deal with the wetlands. There is an intergovernmental agreement where U-46 took care of the mitigation and has since been approved.

Chairman Reinke stated that the lots on the east side of the property are going to have wetlands adjacent to their backyards.

Mr. Plonczynski stated that the wetland is in the north east corner. It has all been permitted and the DEC has signed off on it since 2009. He stated that there should not be any issues with adjacent properties.

Attorney Mraz stated that this is an established wetland that has gone through mitigation. It really will be untouched and there are buffers and things that the builders have to stay away from. This is actually a completed one.

Chairman Reinke asked why there was not a topo in the packet.

Mr. Plonczynski stated that there is a whole set of engineering drawings that they submitted that were not included in the packet.

Building Director Brian Goralski stated that the eastern end of the lots that are coming into the Fairfax area is a dry detention area that will flow into the wetland. There will not be any negative impact on anyone.

Administrator Schumacher was directed to return this item to a future Board agenda.

Finance & Golf Committee:

1. 2017 Proposed Property Tax Levy

Chairman Deyne asked the Finance Director to proceed.

Finance Director Todd Dowden presented a chart showing the proposed 2017 levy and comparing it to the 2016 extension. The proposed property tax levy for 2017 totals $10,933,187. The General corporate levy is decreasing 1.77% from the 2016 extension and is flat from last year’s actual levy amount. This is the 8th consecutive year the Village has either reduced or kept this levy flat from the 2009 levy. The Police Pension levy is increasing 7.87% due to investment returns in the plan being 4.18% in fiscal 2016 compared to the actuarial estimate of 7.25%. 2017 had close to the assumed returns, but not enough to offset 1/3rd of 2016’s shortfall. The retirement experience and other activities also added to the increase. The Debt Service Levy is up due to discontinuing the use of Debt Service fund balance to abate the Debt Service levy. The total levy dollar amount has increased by $167,009 or 1.55% from the 2016 extended amount.

Abatements-

Currently, there is one abatement being proposed in the amount of $73,812. The 2017 bond issue requires an estimated payment in the amount of $43,932 for the Fire District’s share of bonds attributable to the construction of the fire station. Also, the amount of $29,880 is to be transferred from the Brewster Creek TIF Municipal fund to the Debt Service fund to pay for its portion of the bonds. Abatement ordinances will be presented with the final approval of the tax levy on December 5, 2017. The chart below itemizes the proposed debt service levy and abatement for 2017.

2017 Fire Station Refunding – This bond issue was sold in July 2017 to refund the 2007 bonds issued to finance the construction of a fire station on the west side. Abatements are based upon revenues from the Brewster Creek TIF Municipal Account and the Fire District’s share of the annual debt service. The issue will mature in 2026.

2016 Police Station Bonds – This bond issue was sold in November 2016. The 2016 bonds are being used to fund the construction of the new Police Station. The final maturity on these bonds will be in 2036.

2012 Road Resurfacing Bonds – This bond issue was sold in 2012. The 2012 bonds were used to fund street improvements and the Village’s portion of flood mitigation for Heartwood Farms. The final maturity on these bonds will be in 2030.

2009 Refunding - This bond issue was sold to refund the 2002 and 2005 bonds. The 2002 bonds were used to fund the ball fields, W. Bartlett/Naperville Road bike path, and W. Bartlett Road widening. The 2005 bonds were issued to finance the water meter change out program and most of the construction of the new Village Hall. This issue will be retired 2029.

In DuPage County, the estimate for EAV is an increase of 5%. In 2016, EAV increased in DuPage County by 5.93%.

The estimate for Cook County assumes a 5% increase in EAV. 2016 was a tri-annual assessment year for Cook County. The 2016 assessments for the county was a 17.12% increase.

Schedule-

In order to comply with state statute regarding deadlines to file a tax levy with the County Clerk’s office of each county, I am recommending the time table below. The schedule includes a public hearing on November 21, 2017. The Village is not required to hold a public hearing because our increase over the prior year’s extension is less than 5%. However, the Village has traditionally held a public hearing to allow for public input and I recommend we continue to do so.

Advertise public hearing 11/08/17 Hold public hearing 11/21/17

Village Board reviews estimated levy 11/21/17

Adopt levy 12/05/17

File levy – on or before 12/26/17

2017 Property Tax Levy presentation is attached.

Chairman Carbonaro asked if he took into consideration our shortage for this year or what we might be short next year?

Mr. Dowden stated that these numbers were all set in the budget that started on May 1. This was all part of the budget where they were calculating a $400,000 shortfall. They are not trying to add anything because the State said they are going to be short. If we choose to increase the levy that will take place in the next budget process.

2. IDROP Program

Chairman Deyne introduced the IDROP program and asked Mr. Skrycki to proceed.

Assistant Village Administrator Scott Skrycki stated that over the last several months the Village staff has taken a look at the fee structure as well as the delinquent fee structure. If we are going to look at delinquent fees, we should make sure that we collect those fees. That brings us to a potential partnership with the state comptroller’s office called IDROP. The Village would enter an intergovernmental agreement that will allow us the opportunity to turn over our delinquent fees such as parking tickets, moving violations, compliance, code violations, weed notices and damaged property to recoup those monies through the individual income tax returns. If the Board chooses to proceed and we enter into the agreement we will take all our outstanding debt claims and submit those to IDROP. They would match those claims with their state records and the matched records would be submitted for offset. At that point, the debtor would be notified and have 60 days to challenge that. If the debtor files a protest, the entity responds. If no protest is filed or the protest is denied, the money is transferred to the Village. Submitted debt must be less than seven years old from the date of final determination (2011). The debt must be over $9.99 and in accordance with the notification process. The process would take 60 days. The next step would be taking our data and transferring it over to the state comptroller’s office. Staff would be trained and we would roll out the program. They have talked to several communities about this program and it appears to be very effective.

Chairman Deyne asked how much money is outstanding.

Mr. Skrycki stated that over the last seven years it is about $148,000.

Chairman Deyne asked what the administrative fee would be.

Mr. Skrycki stated that the fee is administered by the comptroller’s office and it depends on the cost of the fine. Fees would be transferred to the violator, so our only cost will be staff time and administration.

Public Works Committee:

1. Devon Excess Flow Facility Report

Chairman Reinke introduced the Devon Excess Flow Facility report and asked Mr. Freeman to proceed.

Jeff Freeman from Engineering Enterprises Inc. presented an overview of the Devon Excess Flow Facility options we have available in regards to resolving our IEPA permit violation. Please see the attached presentation.

Chairman Reinke stated that it seems like they have a lot of work to do and asked if there was anything they could do to help them convince MWRD that they can take our excess flow.

Public Works Director Dan Dinges stated that those discussions continue. He stated that the MWRD claims that they cannot accept 100% of Bartlett’s excess flow without a $40,000,000 improvement at their facility. We are trying to come up with improvements at the Devon Lift Station or the storage facility where we would ultimately pump it to the Hanover Park MWRD facility. Along with our INI reduction that they are hoping to see with the improvements they have been doing, it’s a whole lot of things in order to get that number down as much as they can. Unfortunately, it is not going to be a simple solution. Long term, the US EPA with the 85% removal standard that is going to be in our permit in 2020, they are trying to get rid of all of the excess flow facilities. They would rather have it at the main plant where it is better equipped to handle it. Therefore, it is our goal to get rid of the Devon excess flow facility and either send it to MWRD or to the Bittersweet facility.

Chairman Hopkins asked how quickly they are going to take care of the issues that came from smoke testing.

Mr. Dinges stated that they are going to be wrapping up that report later this month. They are televising the storm sewer lines to try to trace back where everything is located. They hope to get that disconnected right away and see a big change. If they disconnected, how much was that storm sewer counting on the sanitary. They don’t want to flood people so it is kind of a test and go type thing so there is no negative impact on the stormwater side.

Chairman Deyne asked when the current permit expires.

Mr. Dinges stated in 2020.

Chairman Deyne stated that they were accepting the flow before and wondered what changed.

Mr. Dinges stated that they have an IJ with MWRD for that 1,000,000 gallons per day that dates back to 1971. Right now, based on the buildout of what happened in this area, they think they could get it to 1.2 million gallons. Their plant in Hanover Park is not geared to take that flow so they are trying to come up with other options.

President Wallace stated that we have only tested 25 percent of the area with smoke testing and have already found one sewer line connected. What are the odds of the rest of the north side having many more of those?

Mr. Dinges stated that they are going to be doing a lot more smoke testing in the future to find those hidden connections.

Chairman Reinke asked if there are any federal programs or if our legislators could help us defray some of these costs.

Mr. Dinges stated that they would direct us to the IEPA low interest loan program.

Chairman Carbonaro asked if we could take some of this flow at the Bittersweet facility.

Mr. Dinges stated that they were hoping to split a couple of lines but unfortunately there is not that much excess capacity.

2. ITEP Grant Requests

Chairman Reinke asked Mr. Plonczynski to introduce the ITEP grant request.

Mr. Plonczynski stated that the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP) is administered by IDOT. It is a program where you can seek an 80/20 funding source on projects that enhance your transportation system. Our initial work started on this when we had discussions about the Metra platform realignment. We discussed some of the opportunities for funding of the realignment of that program with Metra and Congressman Roskam’s office. They gave them direction to seek the federally funded program that is ran by the State to assist for this type of thing. The platform realignment is considered a bicycle/pedestrian facility category because it improves commuter and pedestrian access. Our management analyst, Tyler Isham, was diligent in researching this grant. The maximum award is $2,000,000. When we researched the cost estimates we had with the platform realignment, we were in the $3.5 to $4,000,000 range. Even if we got the full ITEP grant, we would still have to come up with $2,000,000 to do that platform realignment. Subsequently, the Town Center TOD Plan recommended doing work on the existing crosswalks, curbs for ADA compliance and installing mid-block crosswalks. This is also eligible for the ITEP program. We can apply for both grants and they would be due on December 2. The crosswalk project is estimated at $106,000 and the Village’s portion would be approximately $21,200. In light of the ability to fund the crosswalk program, they believe it is a good project to submit at this time and maybe hold off on the train platform project.

Chairman Reinke asked when they would spend the $21,200.

Management Analyst Tyler Isham stated that the grant is due in December and it wouldn’t be awarded until the end of April so it would be for the next fiscal year. They will also apply for other grants to supplement our funding source.

Chairman Deyne asked how long it will take to complete this project.

Mr. Plonczynski stated that they could probably do it in a couple of months. They would bid out the striping and curb work and have a good handle on the cost and the specs. It would be a summer/fall project.

Chairman Reinke stated that they are talking about a deficit. Is this something they want to invest in at this time.

Chairman Hopkins stated that to make things ADA compliant for $21,000 in our downtown area, he thought it would be money well spent.

Administrator Schumacher stated that because it is sidewalks and contiguous to the road, they could use MFT money for the $21,000. There are two pedestrian safety grants they are pursuing to cover that $21,000 as well.

Chairman Carbonaro stated that he does not remember approving any plans and wondered where they came up with $4,000,000 for the platform.

Mr. Plonczynski stated that it is based on discussions they had with the Metra engineers who do this kind of work. To do a full-fledged engineering study, it would be costly, so they used the Metra engineer’s platform estimate. There is the movement of telephone poles, cross connections, early warning systems, etc. and it comes to about $4,000,000.

Chairman Carbonaro stated that there are no plans. They don’t even know what we are making or the square footage of the platform.

Mr. Plonczynski stated that it is based on the current platform and their expertise as engineers who do this kind of work. If we wanted to do an engineer’s estimate they would have to hire somebody to prepare a detailed cost estimate.

Chairman Carbonaro still could not understand how they came up with $4,000,000 with no plans. He would prefer that they do not talk to Metra since they don’t want to help us.

Mr. Plonczynski stated that they can’t do the project without them. He consulted with them throughout the whole grant process.

Chairman Carbonaro asked whose property are they going to put the platform on.

Mr. Plonczynski stated that it would be in the Metra right-of-way.

Chairman Carbonaro stated that Metra owns 50 feet from dead center to the rail north and south. The rest belongs to the Village of Bartlett and we don’t need to ask permission.

Mr. Plonczynski stated that it is their railroad and they have to approve. We must have an agreement with Metra in order to build it.

Chairman Reinke interrupted the conversation and stated that perhaps it is something we could talk about later. It seems like we are focused on going forward with the grant for the sidewalks and crosswalks and felt that was the consensus of the committee.

President Wallace asked Mr. Isham to keep searching for the grants to pay our portion.

Chairman Camerer moved to adjourn the Committee of the Whole meeting and that motion was seconded by Chairman Deyne

Roll Call Vote To Adjourn:

Ayes: Chairman Camerer, Carbonaro, Deyne, Gabrenya, Hopkins, Reinke

Nays: None

Absent: None

Motion Carried

The meeting adjourned at 8:35 p.m.

http://www.village.bartlett.il.us/Home/ShowDocument?id=8325