North Cook News

Village of Buffalo Grove Village Board met Nov. 13.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

CALL TO ORDER 

President Smith called the meeting to order at 7:30 P.M. Those present stood and pledged allegiance to the Flag.

ROLL CALL 

Roll call indicated the following present: President Smith; Trustees Johnson, Cesario, Stein, Bocek and Weidenfeld. Trustee Ottenheimer was absent.

Also present were: Dane Bragg, Village Manager; Chris Stilling, Deputy Village Manager; Mike Skibbe, Deputy Village Manager/Director of Public Works; Evan Michel, Management Analyst; Katie Golbach, Human Resources Management Analyst; Chris Black, Director of Finance; Christine Berman, Deputy Finance Director; Nicole Woods, Community Development Director; Brett Robinson, Administrative Services Director; Kyle Johnson, Assistant Director of Public Works; Jim Warnstedt, Assistant Director of Public Works; Geoff Tollefson, Director of Golf Operations; Fire Chief Baker; Deputy Fire Chief Kane; Police Chief Budds and Michael Szos.

FY 2024 BUDGET PRESENTATION 

President Smith opened the Public Hearing for the FY 2024 Village Budget at 7:31 P.M. Roll call indicated the following present: President Smith, Trustees Johnson, Cesario, Stein, Bocek, and Weidenfeld. Trustee Ottenheimer was absent.

Notice of Public Hearing was published in the Daily Herald on October 12, 2023.

Mr. Bragg presented opening and introductory comments and a general overview of the FY 2024 Budget, details of which are contained in his Transmittal Letter. The proposed spending prioritizations for the coming year – Buffalo Grove is responsible; Buffalo Grove is resilient; and Buffalo Grove is safe. The Statement of Budget Philosophy is an emphasis on economic development, sustained community reinvestment, and forward-focused planning. Mr. Bragg reviewed the Village’s Strategic Goals and Financial Priorities and Major Initiatives. The property tax levy will remain flat with a 0.0% increase to the Property Tax Levy for the fifth consecutive year.

Mr. Black then presented an overview of the various funds within the budget, as well as revenues and highlights of the entire budget, further details of which are contained in the budget document.

A PowerPoint presentation was available on the screen as each Department Head reviewed their specific budget, summarized their operations, and answered questions from Board members. The entire budget presentation is available for public review on the Village of Buffalo Grove website.

Mr. Michel reviewed the Legislative and General Administration portions of the budget. Ms. Golbach presented the Human Resources and Personnel Administration portion of the budget. Mr. Skibbe reviewed the Community Outreach and Engagement aspects of the budget. Mr. Robinson reviewed the Administrative Services and Information Technology sections of the budget.

Mr. Black then focused on the Financial Management portion of the budget, including the Pension Funds and the Debt Service Fund.

Mr. Skibbe, Mr. Warnstedt and Mr. Black summarized the budget for the Public Works Department, which includes the Streets, Forestry, Building Maintenance, Central Garage and Parking Lot funds.

Chief Budds presented the 2024 Police Department budget.

Deputy Chief Kane presented the 2024 budgets for the Fire Department and Emergency Management.

Ms. Woods presented the 2024 budget for Community Development, which includes Building and Permits; Planning, Zoning and Development; and Environmental Health Services.

Mr. Johnson reviewed the Enterprise Funds.

Mr. Stilling presented the Refuse Fund.

Mr. Tollefson presented the 2024 Golf budget.

Mr. Johnson and Mr. Warnstedt reviewed the Capital Projects Funds, including Vehicles and Facilities. Mr. Black reviewed the Motor Fuel Tax revenue.

Mr. Bragg recapped the presentation and thanked each of the team members for their diligence and hard work in creating this document. Mr. Bragg thanked the Village Board and the executive team for the careful and deliberate stewardship of our public funds, emphasizing that, even with the fiscal challenges faced during the COVID pandemic, the Village remains fiscally sound.

Board members thanked staff for making this process so easy for anyone to follow, and how impressive it is to be able to move forward in so many ways and yet keep the tax levy flat. It was noted that Board members were provided with the budget document several weeks ago, and all questions submitted by Board members, as well as the responses to those questions, have been provided to all Board members.

President Smith also thanked everyone involved, particularly senior staff, for this presentation, and pointed out to members of the public that the summary of the budget on pages six through fifteen will provide information they might be seeking.

President Smith asked if there any members of the audience or the public who wished to comment or question anything regarding the budget; there were no such questions.

At 9:01 P.M., President Smith noted that the Public Hearing will remain open until December 4, 2023. QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE 

President Smith reviewed the parameters to be followed by speakers and asked if there were any questions from the audience on items not on tonight’s agenda; there were no such questions.

ADJOURNMENT 

Moved by Johnson, seconded by Cesario, to adjourn the meeting. Upon roll call, Trustees voted as follows:

AYES: 5 – Johnson, Cesario, Stein, Bocek, Weidenfeld

NAYS: 0 – None

ABSENT: 1 - Ottenheimer

Motion declared carried.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:02 P.M.

http://buffalogrovevillageil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=12&ID=1807&Inline=True