Local 150 workers went on strike July 1, days before the scheduled closure of the Belmont crossing. That project is expected to resume shortly.  The crossing is now scheduled to be closed from 5 a.m. Wednesday, July 28 to on or before 5 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 12.

“Work has resumed on several, but not all, Village projects,” according to the village website. Among the projects halted by the strike were the Washington and McCollum park stormwater retention projects, storm sewers along Benton Avenue and several resurfacing projects.

Local 150 members operate heavy machinery.  At the time of the job action, the union said contractors are seeking too many concessions, including increased costs for health insurance.  The union is not not seeking a net increase in pay, only increases to cover current health benefit costs, according to the union statement.

Local 150 members are expected to vote on the agreement at 6:30 p.m. today.

After the break, some other ideas that might help the village budget: 

Pay for the Ogden TIF preamble agreement with District 58 using Ogden TIF funds and report them in the annual TIF report. All taxing bodies had their chance to enter an agreement; it’s a requirement of TIF creation that other taxing bodies be notified of the intent, and they would have negotiated to enter into an agreement before the district formed just like 58.   In 2009 the annual required payment of $131,000 for the TIF district generated revenue-sharing was paid for out of the Real Estate Fund (226) a non-TIF fund.  The dollars will go up every year.  It’s long past time this annually repeating expense came off the General Fund ledger and goes into the TIF ledger where it properly belongs.  Amend or rider the agreement so that the payments come from the TIF district funds rather than general funds.

This could be a repeating annual savings starting at about $135,000 for FY2011 if the village does this.

The village has been paying this since 2001.  Those funds should be paid back; from the TIF increment back into the general fund.  Those ten years of payments total about $400,000 as a one-time revenue source.

Bill the CBD TIF for every penny spent from the General Fund. Some monies have been returned; there may still be General Obligation debt payments paid via Real Estate taxes that have not been properly restored to the general fund.  This includes re-combing the records for originating bond fees, early stage P&I payments that were budgeted from RE taxes, and employee expenses that were billed to the village that should have been billed to the TIF District.  Examples of employee expenses might include village time spent on the AOTG agreement, time spent by public works employees working inside the TIF district, and any other employee expenses directly related to CBD or Ogden Ave TIF District functions.

The village probably did not bill every hour into the TIF District budget, but it should have, to accurately account for the true cost of the district.  Council and staff set the precedent last year of billing hours to specific purposes.  The village might consider exploring budgeting and billing the TIF Districts for hours spent on the TIF’s.  This is tying costs to the source, and accounting accurately the cost of the TIF Districts.

Also in 2009 there was a one-time transfer of $200,000 from the Real Estate Fund (226).  That $200,000 can be restored to the General Fund at some point in time.

Will this force an extension of the CBD TIF District?  The current debt structure already guaranteed years ago that the CBD TIF would need to be extended when it expires.  There may be prohibitions against this; the Illinois TIF Statutes make clear only that all expenses have to be accounted for, it does not provide categories of acceptable or  unacceptable expenses, nor does it appear to prohibit correcting past accounting oversights.  It also provides that any surplus be redistributed to the various taxing bodies (65 ILCS 5/11-74.4-7).

Combine reserve funds. The Parking Fund currently projects a cash balance of $500,000.  The Real Estate Fund has a cash balance of around $250,000.  There’s more fiunds and more cash reserves.  The village now knows exactly what a “rainy day” looks like.  Run the numbers for separate reserve funds, create a new General Reserve Fund in the budget, roll them in at an appropriate level.  No policy change about using reserves, just combine them into one reserve fund.

There might be $200,000-250,000 freed up one time by doing this.

Continuation of the Municipal Buildings Fund as a pay forward construction fund for a new civic center. A new civic center will not happen unless budgeting is as tight as a drumhead.  One way is to forward-fund a percentage of the project to offset interest costs on the debt balance borrowed.  Every dollar saved up front directly reduces TIC by 40 cents on the dollar.

Painful?  Yes.

The village will have to make do with existing facilities for several years?  Yes.

Use the opportunity to show the shared pain with taxpayers.  Everyone gives in hard times.  The conventional wisdom is spread the cost over the life of the project by borrowing.  Fire Station #2 showed there were significant savings to be had by saving money up front, and also by already owning the land, both of which eliminated substantial interest payments.  A new civic center needs costs blunted as much as is practical.

Sharing common cost across multiple jurisdictions. John Schofield President of Downers Grove Coalition for Managed Redevelopment, forwarded the concept of cross-jurisdictional cost cooperation.  Vehicle maintenance is one just one example.

This is already beginning.  Westmont and DG will soon share Ops Center expenses and personnel.  DG went to the cheaper suburban FIAT rather than going it alone with a dedicated SWAT team.  We now share one Fire Station coverage area with Woodridge-Darien.  Exploring shared use of like purposes provides savings via economy of scale.  If all your kids eat the same cereal, do you buy them each a box of the same cereal, or one bigger cheaper box?  If everyone buys paper, and one body uses so much they get a better deal, why not share that savings?

The unions have to help. There are two key labor contracts coming in 2011: fire and police, the two biggest personnel expenses.  Consider the concept of using dollars instead of percentages in the two union contract negotiations coming up, and try to peg those dollars uniformly across the ranks.  A $500 raise instead of a 1% raise saves several thousands by avoiding higher salaries triggering higher increases.  Freezing the size of the steps is imperative for sustainability without excessive downsizing.  Consider opening the books to the unions and asking them to help find the money-it isn’t there, and sometimes that is best discovered by all parties.  Keeping jobs is better than eliminating them to make ends meet.

Some of these might work, none of these might work, but it’s certainly worth looking at them all.  If any council member wants, they can  respond   with   their own suggestions and ideas.  Any email responses from elected officials will go up as a comment.

Local 150 of the International Union of Operating Engineers went on strike at midnight Wednesday against contractors all over the greater metro area of northeast Illinois.  The unions’ three-year contracts with construction companies expired May 31.  The strike effects hundreds of summer construction projects, from the Eisenhower Expressway down to Downers Grove.

That work stoppage has halted the following projects dead in their tracks:

• The Belmont underpass
• Storm Sewers along Benton
• Washington Park and McCollum Park
• Rogers St.
• Inverness Ave.
• The 8th and Cumnor Stormwater Project
• The following streets in the 2010 Roadway Resurfacing Project: Bonnie Brae, Lyman Ave,Weatherbee Pl & Ave, Lancaster Pl & Ave, Washington St, Meadowlawn Ave, and Whiffen Pl.

From the village website:

When word of a pending strike reached Village officials, steps were immediately taken to ensure that work sites around the community were safely secured. Contractors were instructed to leave each site in a maintainable, neat and passable manner. The Village is also using a combination of telephone, email and hand delivered notifications to reach those along the effected construction routes with specific information regarding the impact of this strike.

Some work deemed essential and covered by a no-strike contract clause will continue.  The rest will wait until wage and benefit disagreements can be settled.  These are not village employees.

Local 150 operates heavy machinery.  Other unions that could follow include carpenters, cement masons and technical engineers.  The unions are seeking a 5 percent annual wage increase for three years.  The contractors have countered with an offer of 1 percent per year.

The union has released a statement saying contractors are seeking too many concessions, including increased costs for health insurance.  The union is not not seeking a net increase in pay, only increases to cover current health benefit costs, according to the statement.

Current wages range from $35.20 an hour for laborers to $45.10 an hour for operating engineers, according to the Mid-America Regional Bargaining Association.

According to the village website no one knows at this point how long the strike will last.

These photos were taken in the immediate aftermath of the afternoon wave of high winds and heavy rain.

In my neighborhood, the area north of Prairie and west of Main seemed hardest hit, with many big limbs down.

The village public works department was out as soon as the worst of the storm had passed, working to free a Mercedes at Seeley and Chicago, right, from branches that had fallen on it (no one was injured) and also to clear an tree split by the winds on Chicago near Saratoga (bottom photo, right).

The second round of storms blew through Friday night, leaving many homes on the northwest side (including mine) without electricity for more than 12 hours. Power was restored by Saturday afternoon.

Pictured at right (click to enlarge) is a commercial property on Ogden Avenue at Prince Street, where the weeds have grown tall enough to obscure the fire hydrant. Another formerly shaggy downtown commercial property, which is currently for sale, has been recently restored to neatness by a grounds crew.

The village code calls for action once grass or weeds hit the 10-inch mark, said Doug Kozlowski, director of communications.

With the growing number of foreclosures and unoccupied commercial properties, the problem of overgrown green spaces is also on the upswing.

When Code Services personnel observe or are alerted to  such properties, they contact the mortgage holders and give them 10 days to deal with the overgrowth.

That task is more complicated when the foreclosure process is underway, Kozlowski said. “In those situations it may be difficult to contact the lender or mortgage company. So at that point, the village will hire a contractor to do the work.”

The village recoups its costs by putting a lien on the property, he said.

Neighbors or other residents are often the first to report overgrown properties or other property maintenance issues. “They are absolutely encouraged to contact us so we can take steps to remedy the situation,” Kozlowski said.

“Because of the weather we’ve had things are definitely growing and the calls have increased.”

Want to report an overgrown property? Call the village at (630)434-5500.

The response far exceeded expectations, said Doug Kozlowski, director of community relations. Staffers were hoping to sell 200 barrels at $70 each through a partnership with the Conservation Foundation.

The 520 barrels also is more than any other sale in which the  Naperville-based Conservation Foundation has participated, Kozlowski said.

Residents will be able to pick up their barrels from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. tomorrow, May 8. E-mails have already gone out assigning a specific time.  And don’t forget a check to the Conservation Foundation for the cost of your barrel(s).

The village has added a page to its website explaining its share of residents’ property tax bills and linking to tax bill information presented by Assistant Village Manager Mike Baker at the May 4 council meeting.

The village also uploaded a video of Baker’s presentation to YouTube, which can be accessed by clicking here:  2009 Property Tax Bill Presentation

While the village has provided tax levy information in the past, this is the most extensive effort, said Doug Kozlowski, director of community relations.  “The tax bill presentation is “a continuation of the overall transparency we’ve tried to maintain as part of the long-range financial planning process.”

The village levies a specific dollar amount as opposed to a rate,  Kozlowski said. It accounts for about 10 percent of local property tax bills.

“We wanted to let people know that the decisions that impacted the tax bill were  made in a very strategic process and to let people know about the long-range financial planning recommendations that resulted in what they are seeing on their tax bill now,” he said. In addition to raising about $500,000 in new taxes, the village cut expenditures by $2.2 million, tapped reserves and took other strategic steps bridge its shortfall.

And that’s it for me. This year, I finally will file the appeal I’ve threatened so many times in the past. This year, I’ll stay on top of the county assessment calendar which allows for a brief 45-day filing window between the publication of assessments in October and the end of the appeals process in late November.

I’ve already downloaded my appeals form and have, to my escalating chagrin, begun poring over comparables in my neighborhood. I’ve learned, for example, that the fully rehabbed house across the street which sold for 80 percent more than my home pays less in property taxes. As does the house next door with a five-year-old addition. As do our other neighbors, who paid $100,000 more for their home three years ago. As does just about everyone else on the block living in a modest (i.e., less than 4,000-square-foot) dwelling. As do two families I looked up who put on new additions complete with updated kitchens and master baths within the last 18 months.

I’m ticked. Can you tell?

In total, our tax bill increased more than $200 in the past year, although the psychological impact of breaking the $6,000 barrier was far greater than the dollars and cents involved. The viilage increased its rate from 0.2158 to 0.2354 and its pension fund rate from 0.1127 to 0.1461 for a hike of about $24 and $42 respectively on my tax bill.

The school districts accounted for the other big increases: $125 more to D58, $55 to D99 and an additional $34 to the College of DuPage.

While I’m feeling bruised by my tax bill, I realize there are many residents paying far more, including a friend with a rambling, 3-bedroom ranch on a wide-ish lot who is now contributes $10,000 in annual property taxes. She’s ticked, too.

No wonder I’ve had no luck connecting to DuPage County Treasure Gwen Henry’s office (a constant busy signal) or to the county Supervisor of Assessments where a message informed me they are  “experiencing higher call volumes than normal.”

I don’t expect the bureaucrats at the county or the township to help much anyway. For real relief we’ll have to look to our lawmakers, who in true Cirque de Soliel fashion are juggling constituencies, walking the tightrope of competing demands and trying half-heartedly to crack a puny whip over the heads of the lumbering lobbies, such as the teachers’ union which, according to an April 15 letter from Rep. Sandy Pihos, had expressed concerns that “Illinois will lose high potential teacher candidates to other states with more generous pension systems” should reform legislation pass.

This is yet another verse of a very old tune, the one the band strikes up every time public employees attempt to make a case for more, more, better, better: That they will move en masse to a more generous state, school district, force, library, city if they aren’t paid a wage competitive with the best of the bunch.

In the private sector, those sentiments hold zero water. Because in the private sector, individuals using such tactics run the risk of someone — the boss — calling their bluff and inviting them to submit a resume to that better company in a far-flung state post-haste and don’t let the door hit you on your way out.

And from where I sit, with my state on the brink of insolvency and an ever-bigger tax bill in my hand, that far-flung state is actually looking pretty good.

If you want to know what’s going on right now, this is a good place to start…

This week Village Manager Dave Fieldman updated council on the 2010 Strategic Plan Projects that updates what staff has been working on this year, and providing a brief overview.  The supporting document has been posted on line here, and it stands as one of the most honest examples of open government anywhere in the state.

These aren’t the only things staff is working on, this is a good overview of 15 projects issues village staff are currently working on that are related directly to strategic planning.  Each have a bullit point on the cover page.  What’s so commendable about this document is that every issue has it’s own page listing what the issue is, what the villages agenda is for the issue, who is responsible for doing what, and when, and how it’s going.

A sample page from the 20910 Strategic Plan Project update.

The projects range from fairly cut-and dried (Reserve Policy) to processes that are repeated yearly (CIP Project Outreach), to daunting tasks full of unknowns (Community Events Transition, Annexations).  No shining up any apples, no bright and rosey language, no back patting.  Here’s where we are, here’s how it’s going, here’s what’s still to be done.

Compliments to the staff who put together this report; Fieldman and AVM Mike Baker have ably shouldered responsibility, openness, and a simple easy to follow report card for each effort.

Again, the entire report in progress can be found here.

Clicking on the cover or the title will take you directly to the village website copy of the report.