Palatine Village Board
1/18/18
Observer notes on State of the Village presentation by Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Jim Schwantz, and Village Council, 1/31/18 8:00 a.m.
Valerie Sherman
Observer notes on State of the Village presentation by Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Jim Schwantz, and Village Council, 1/31/18 8:00 a.m.
Valerie Sherman
- Village continues to have an A++ bond rating
- Council is completing a cycle of goals (2014-2018) to focus on making the village a family-friendly place to live; council will be focusing on next cycle of goals this year and will introduce a new strategic plan
- Roads, water, sewer, police, and fire services make up 87% of the village budget
- In the past year, village got a $1.8M grant (80% of cost) to fix Plum Grove Road and will be moving onto a project to fix up Smith Road this year
- Village attributes a $1.6M revenue loss as a direct result of the actions or in-actions of Springfield lawmakers and leadership
- Finance for 2018 and beyond
- No increase to trash service charge
- 20 cent increase to water service
- Staffing levels continue to decrease – Palatine has one of the lowest ratios of village employees per population in the area
- In 2018, council will increase tax levy by 3.82%, which the council says it is not happy about
- Development of area
- Rand-Dundee corridor continues to be a focus of business income / tax generation
- 3-unit development planned on Rand Road to replace an old gas station; Palatine Bank & Trust has taken one unit, others are open
- Two new Starbucks stores opened in Palatine in the past year
- Mother Cluckers Chicken opening in February 2018
- HB Fuller site is changing to distribution center
- Village is in discussion with a “high sales tax generator” to replace the old Menards site, which is now a flea market
- Council and Chamber of Commerce are concerned about a planned lane barrier on streets around the Park Place shopping center (where the Walmart is at Dundee and Rand); aside from the signal planned for the entrance at the Sonic in this area, the council feels that such lane barriers will be bad for businesses
- Mayor & business developers are actively soliciting businesses to come to Palatine
- Old Dominicks location on Rand to be a Crunch Fitness
- Village discussed TIF rebates to various taxing bodies in the area
- Advocacy
- Council and Chamber of Commerce want taxes, wages, and sick leave to be even statewide so that villages are not competing with each other
- Mayor explained his view that the state of Illinois “steals” from the village
- In answer to questions at the end
- Council advocacy on electrical aggregation saved village $5M
- Hobby Lobby property is still open, difficult to fill because of size
- Northeast Palatine crime issues and development continue to be a focus; council has advocated more police, more youth activities, more rental inspections, more partnership with non-profits to provide opportunities
November 6 meeting
The Village Council considered various zoning and signage requests.
The Village Manager presented the 2018 proposed budget and capital investment plan, during which the following was discussed:
The fiscal year 2018 budget will be discussed again in June 2018.
The Village Council also discussed progress toward their five-year plan goals. The council reported positive trends in:
Valerie Sherman observer
The Village Council considered various zoning and signage requests.
The Village Manager presented the 2018 proposed budget and capital investment plan, during which the following was discussed:
- Funding of crossing guards and school officers for District 15
- Vehicle fleet life extension
- Increase administrative adjudication in light of decrease of Cook County in dealing with certain disputes
- Possible increase to natural gas usage tax
- Possible change to impact fee (for new construction)
- Discuss lack of revenue sources and issues with pension shortfall, given lack of pension reform in Springfield.
- Council member Tim Millar stated that it is likely that the village will have to reduce staff or services, regardless of other funding sources to cover shortfalls, because of the pension issue. The idea will be to reduce employees who are eligible for pensions to reduce exposure.
The fiscal year 2018 budget will be discussed again in June 2018.
The Village Council also discussed progress toward their five-year plan goals. The council reported positive trends in:
- Public education outreach
- Fire Department aid provided to other communities (which the board would like to see reciprocated more equally)
- Percentage of emergency responses that are below goal of 6.5 minutes
- Lower crimes against persons and property
- Average street pavement rating
Valerie Sherman observer
October 9 meeting
The Village Council tabled a proposal for developing an assisted living / memory care facility at 1150 W. Euclid Ave. (District 2) because it's in a hard-to-serve area for the fire department and emergency services. Everyone agreed that more senior care is needed for Palatine. However, the fire chief said that he could not meet his goals for serving that area within the required response time (six and a half minutes). The project developer noted that they will have 24/7 nursing staff that can stabilize patients so that the response time is not a factor. The board stated that they didn't think they have the budget to authorize another emergency station, especially with the pension problems in Springfield. The project developer questioned whether any development would be possible in this area, in that case, because the Palatine fire chief is stretched and can't serve the area. It was actually a pretty tight vote to table versus kill the proposal.
Valerie Sherman
The Village Council tabled a proposal for developing an assisted living / memory care facility at 1150 W. Euclid Ave. (District 2) because it's in a hard-to-serve area for the fire department and emergency services. Everyone agreed that more senior care is needed for Palatine. However, the fire chief said that he could not meet his goals for serving that area within the required response time (six and a half minutes). The project developer noted that they will have 24/7 nursing staff that can stabilize patients so that the response time is not a factor. The board stated that they didn't think they have the budget to authorize another emergency station, especially with the pension problems in Springfield. The project developer questioned whether any development would be possible in this area, in that case, because the Palatine fire chief is stretched and can't serve the area. It was actually a pretty tight vote to table versus kill the proposal.
Valerie Sherman
September 18 meeting
The Village Council rejected a request from the American Legion in downtown Palatine to set up a patio serving area for their bar. The patio would have been on the same side as Palatine Road, and there were some safety concerns (although no one stated exactly what the concerns were). The American Legion is looking for ways to attract more business, and their staff had thought it was a done deal going into the council meeting. They were very surprised that it was rejected.
Valerie Sherman
The Village Council rejected a request from the American Legion in downtown Palatine to set up a patio serving area for their bar. The patio would have been on the same side as Palatine Road, and there were some safety concerns (although no one stated exactly what the concerns were). The American Legion is looking for ways to attract more business, and their staff had thought it was a done deal going into the council meeting. They were very surprised that it was rejected.
Valerie Sherman
