MINUTES OF THE VILLAGE BOARD OF LONG GROVE
Special Budget
Workshop
Saturday, November 14,
2009 at 8:30 A.M.
3110 RFD,
CALL TO ORDER:
At 8:40 AM, President
Rodriguez called the meeting to order.
ATTENDANCE:
Village President: Rodriguez
Trustees: Acuna, Barry, Marshall, Schmitt,
Wachs, Weber
Village Clerk: Schultheis
Also Present: Village Manager Lothspeich, Village
Counsel Filippini, Superintendent Block
Commission Resumes:
President Rodriguez said that there would be a secret ballot, and that
terms would be selected by lottery (as they needed to be staggered). A vote would then be taken to approve the
selections. – No action was taken.
Account Summary:
For the sake of the new Trustees and the Audience, Village Manager
Lothspeich gave a description of the Account Funds and the monies that they
contain. He also explained the purpose
of each of those funds. In particular,
he said that in the Depository I Account, there was Impact Fees. These included money for the settlement of
the Raintree lawsuit. – No action was taken.
How Money is Deposited:
Village Manager Lothspeich described the process by which money is
collected, recorded, and deposited into accounts. He described the checks and balances of the
system, the reports that were generated to monitor the process, and the
accounting firm (Seidler) who did comparative and due diligence regarding money
spent and deposited to make certain that all money was accounted for and issued
into the correct account fund, and recorded as such. Village Manager Lothspeich also described
how bills are amassed, accounted for, approved and paid. He said that there were layers of reviews for
each deposit and payment.
Trustee Wachs
asked what fund held the Tree Fund.
Village Manager Lothspeich said that the money was in the General Fund
under Miscellaneous– No action was
taken.
Current Budget:
It was decided before the discussion to limit this portion of the
session to half-hour.
-There was a
question regarding whether or not Menard’s sales were meeting or exceeding what
was budgeted. Village Manager Lothspeich
said that the current forecast showed that the Village would be receiving
$125,000 below what was expected due to the state of the economy, and the fact
that Menard’s opened later than was anticipated. He added that there was an
upward trend in the sales at Menards.
-There was a question regarding the Storm Water
Management Item Line. Superintendent
Block explained that as the Village is a certified community, there is an
obligation to pay for engineering reviews.
-There was a question regarding expected new home
permits for the 2010-11 Budget Year.
Superintendent Block said that the Village could expect two new home
permits, and other permits for additions and expansion.
-Village Manager Lothspeich noted that the Village
was looking into the possibility of Sales Tax Interruption Coverage, as such a
large percentage of the operating budget was from one specific revenue source.
-Trustees questioned the budget item calling for
such a steep cut in the telephone bill.
Village Manager Lothspeich noted that that the Village had changed
providers.
-There was mention of a $5600 banking charge. Village Manager Lothspeich said that the
Village needed a better relationship with the bank it would choose for the next
fiscal year. Trustee Acuna and Village
Manager Lothspeich discussed having the accounts monitored better by the bank.
-There was a substantial drop in the amount of
money put aside for snow removal, but an Emergency Fund developed. The Village is hoping to secure a snowplowing
flat fee. Superintendent Block said that
in 2008, there were 46 snow events. In
2007, there were only 28 snow events. In
order to maintain a lower cost on snowplowing, the residents must be aware that
the level of service might be changed.
The Board agreed that if there were going to be any changes made to the
way the plowing were done, the residents would be notified by various media –
including the newspapers, the Bridge,
the website.
-Since Motor Fuel Tax money is down, the Board
needed to review the maintenance schedule.
Which roads needed to be maintained would have to be scrutinized. Superintendent Block said that within a
decade was the usual timeframe for a road to be completely repaved.
- There was a question on the money spent for the
Village Prosecutor and also spent for the lobbyist.
-There was discussion regarding the water
system. Village Counsel Filippini said
that if a big enough portion of the money was paid by the property owners, the
bond issued to pay for the water system would not need to be heavily
capitalized.
- Soccer Field Improvements – The cost of $325,000
is a real number as it was the cost of the contract. The ground will need to be seeded for a year
before it can be used. The Park District
and the Village were looking to partner to provide a sprinkler system for the
fields. Park District President Lee Bassett said that the Park District is in
favor of the sprinkler system, but have not put it in their Budget yet.
At 9:40 AM,
Trustee Acuna left the Meeting
-There was discussion regarding whether or not contributions
should be put on the Budget and not on the Wish List for events such as the
Arts and Music Council. Some Trustees
wondered if the Village would be able to afford these expenses. There was also a question as to what could be
cut from the Teasel Removal and Mosquito Abatement budget. – No action was taken.
At 10:03
AM, Trustee Wachs moved to go into Executive Session to discuss Investments
–Village Investments Section 2 (c) (7) and Personnel; seconded by Trustee
Barry.
ROLL
CALL VOTE:
Acuna –
absent; Barry – aye; Marshall – aye; Schmitt – aye; Wachs – aye; Weber – aye
(Motion
carried 5 – 0; Acuna left temporarily)
At 11:35
AM; Trustee Barry moved to adjourn; seconded by Trustee Wachs.
VOICE
VOTE:
All ayes,
no nays (Motion carried 5 – 0; Trustee Schmitt had left meeting at 11:23 AM)