VILLAGE OF NORTH AURORA
OPERATIONS COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
MARCH 4, 2019
CALL TO ORDER
Trustee Guethle called the meeting to order.
ROLL CALL
In attendance: Trustee Mark Guethle, Trustee Mark Carroll, Trustee Laura Curtis, Trustee Mark Gaffino, Mayor Dale Berman and Village Clerk Lori Murray.
Staff in attendance: Village Administrator Steve Bosco, Finance Director Bill Hannah, Community & Economic Development Director Mike Toth, Public Works Director John Laskowski, Police Chief David Fisher.
AUDIENCE COMMENTS – None
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
1. Approval of the Operations Committee Meeting Minutes dated February 4, 2019
Motion for approval made by Trustee Carroll and seconded by Trustee Curtis. All in favor. Motion approved.
NEW BUSINESS
1. FY 2019-20 Budget Development Update
Finance Director Bill Hannah provided an update on the 2019-20 Budget. Some of the items mentioned are as follows:
Current Year Budget Analysis
$300,000 + variance for licenses and permits
$100,000 + variance income tax and use tax collections (subject to change)
Re-allocation proposal
1. Additional contribution to the police pension trust fund of $120,000
2. Transfer of up to $380,000 to the Capital Projects Fund to fund upcoming and future capital projects.
In FY 2018-19, revenues and expenditures are very close. Revenues are $16,000 over expenditures.
Sales tax revenues: $4,750,000 (less than 1% increase)
Income tax: $1,740,000 (1.8% increase, legislative and economic uncertainty)
Use Tax: $560,000 (6.0% increase, possibly revise upward, strong tax collections on-line sales).
Building permits: $416,000 (New development, Lincoln Valley on the Fox, Other Developments in Various stages of review; higher than base $275,000)
Fines and forfeits: $279,500 (local police ordinance fine violations, local dui fines, towing fees).
Investment Income/Misc: $271,000 (rising interest rates).
General Fund Budget – Personnel
Addition of 1 public works laborer (to 7 total)
-increased responsive service demands, Julie locates, leaf collection, special events
-NPDES requirement, detention basin and storm sewer maintenance, plowing
-Less contracting out, more timely response to needs, multiple crew/assignments.
Laskowski said that the extra public works laborer is necessary. By adding another individual, it could be a savings of $12,000 throughout the course of the year by being able to eliminate one of the contractors for snow plowing. In addition, with the Lincoln Valley subdivision coming and the trees getting bigger in the Tanner Trails subdivision, more leaf collection is needed.
Addition of 1 Police Officer
-increases total sworn officers to 30 (previous level back in 2009)
-of the 4 shift schedules provides up to 6 officers on a shift for 2 of the shifts and 5 officers on the other 2 shifts (actual staffing of a shift lower due to injuries, time off, etc.
-Maintains minimum of 3 per shift (including Sergeant), future staffing considerations.
Chief Fisher said that in 2009 an officer resigned and the department did not fill that vacant position. For the past 10 years, the department has been operating with 1 less officer. The ultimate goal over the next few years is to hire 3 officers in order to give each shift a total of 6 officers. Trustee Carroll asked if off-duty officers are called in for incidents similar to what happened in Aurora. Fisher said yes. In the Aurora incident, officers were called in after the fact to help process the crime scene.
Trustee Gaffino asked how a position is filled in a case where an officer is hurt or out for a long time. Fisher said it would be filled with overtime from the officers in the department.
-Pay adjustment for non-union staff of 1.5% to 2.25% based on position
-sergeants FOP 2%; Police officers 3.25%; public works 2.75% set by contract.
General Fund Budget Notes/Changes
-Elimination of IGA with Kane County for GIS Services and maintain in-house (budgetary savings of $30,000)
-Increase in outsources building inspection/plan review costs of $140,000 (LVOTF – Lincoln Valley on the Fox)
-Strategic Planning Facilitation in 2019
-Decrease in sales tax rebates by about $300,000
-Minimal 2% to 3% increase in health insurance costs with IPBC
-Base Village required police pension contribution costs to $1,167,000 (before proposed addition of new officer)
-Maintenance of parkway trees, sidewalk improvement programs at current level.
CAPITAL/MFT/TIF FUND BUDGET INITIATIVES
-Completion of LED street light conversion with MFT funds (374 additional LEDs including conversion of approach lighting $125,000)
-Replacement of poles on Overland Drive (17) for $80,000
-2019 Annual Road/Sidewalk/Patching improvement program est. $1,850,000
-Riverfront Park Plaza Implementation $375,000 (funded from the Capital Projects Fund).
-Silo Refurbishing and lighting $300,000 (TIF + possible grant)
Bosco said that the LED street program is in its third and final year. There is money budgeted this year for the project, but because of the complexity of the project, it is being rolled over. The village is also hoping to get a grant for the silo project.
WATER FUND PROJECTS
-Completion of well #8 and well #9 (about $1,300,000 remaining for each well)
-Completion of the new water tower for $1,800,000
-Pull Well #5 out of service for maintenance and repairs
-$165,000 typical well maintenance costs/repairs
-$140,000 (estimated) conversion to pitless adaptor and remove well house
-Cap/Seal Well #3 and demo well house/utilities for $165,000
-Funds to analyze water treatment plan efficiencies, repairs, flow modeling
-Currently under consideration, initiation of backyard watermain replacement project ($650,000+) at Oak and Hillside Place.
VEHICLE/CAPITAL/IT EQUIPMENT
-Discussion of purchase of 3 replacement vehicles for Police to continue replacement and change out of Caprices and other older vehicles ($128,000).
-Discussion of purchase of Police radios (Starcom21) for interoperability with TriCom, ILEAS, IL State Police, other agencies in lieu of UHF radio purchase in current budget for $71,000 (13 radios).
Chief Fisher said that back in 2018 the board approved funds for the purchase of UHF band radios. Just before purchasing, it was discovered that the other municipalities were not going to use the UHF band radios and would be going with another radio, Starcom. The North Aurora PD decided not to purchase the UHF radios at the time and decided to go with Starcom.
-Replacement of critical Village network hardware infrastructure (Firewalls, switches, wireless access points and services ($50,000 estimated).
-Purchase of replacement Leaf Factor for $55,000 and additional leaf box for newer leaf vactor for $19,000 (retain oldest vactor as backup/3rd machine)
-Various other IT replacements, servers, computers, proposed EOC equipment, police squad printers still under discussion.
FY 2019-20 BUDGET STATUS UPDATE
-Draft budget discussion and official draft budget to be completed over the next 2 weeks
-The official public hearing will be set for sometime in April or May.
-Board approval of final FY2019-20 budget will be scheduled for May 6th.
Trustee Carroll said that he would like to see the goal of adding 3 additional police officers done sooner than later if the budget allows. Carroll said it is not an unreasonable request and makes sense to have more officers on duty at all times.
There were no further questions.
OLD BUSINESS – None
OTHER INFORMATION – None
TRUSTEE COMMENTS – None
ADJOURNMENT
Motion to adjourn made by Trustee Carroll and seconded by Trustee Curtis. All in favor. Motion approved.
Respectfully Submitted,
Lori J. Murray
Village Clerk
