City of Elmhurst Finance, Council Affairs, & Administrative Services Committee met Oct. 13.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
1. Call to Order
Chair Talluto called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m.
2. Roll Call
Committee Members Present:
Talluto (via telephone), Levin, Bram, Veremis
Committee Members Absent:
None
Other Elected Officials Present:
Mayor Morley
City Staff and Others Present:
Trosien, Hayes, Grabowski, Kopp, Wagner, Plyman
3. Public Comments
None.
4. Receipt of Written Communication
None.
5. Business Before the Committee
A. Minutes of the September 28, 2020 meeting of the Finance Council Affairs & Administrative Services Committee
Motion made by Alderman Bram, seconded by Alderman Levin, to approve the minutes of the September 28, 2020 meeting. Roll Call vote: 4 ayes, 0 nays. Motion duly carried.
B. Review Hiring Freeze and Status of Vacant Positions
City Manager Grabowski discussed the reasons for instituting the hiring freeze, which is a direct reaction to revenue loss resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the related responses by the State of Illinois, businesses, and individuals. Currently, there are approximately 20 vacancies, four of which are public safety related (2 Police and 2 Fire). City Manager Grabowski indicated that no public safety service levels have been impacted by the vacancies and that he continues to monitor the situation with the Police and Fire Chiefs. The Committee and staff discussed various aspects of the freeze including how the freeze relates to hiring quality individuals that become available, the monetary impact to the General Fund fund balance of hiring additional employees at this time, and to what degree and for what timeframe department organization changes can be continued to maintain current service levels. Finally, City Manager Grabowski noted that he and Director of Finance Trosien are finalizing the 2021 budget and hope the document will provide additional guidance with respect to maintaining or adjusting the hiring freeze.
C. Revenue Review
Director of Finance Trosien provided the Committee with various General Fund and Motor Fuel Tax Fund revenue estimate schedules for 2020, along with projections for 2021 and 2022. The Committee discussed various factors that impact the revenue estimates, including the 2020 Census and subsequent special censuses that the City may contract, decisions made by the State of Illinois relative to the Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF) which includes State income tax distributions to municipalities, and changes in technology which affect various revenue sources such as the Telecommunications Tax. The Committee also discussed the impact of the pandemic on various revenue streams and when the City might see revenue levels that mirror pre-COVID amounts.
6. Other Business
Based on the inquiry from Alderman Bram, staff provided an update on the status of collections related to the water and sewer billing issues determined during the meter change out program.
7. Adjournment
Chair Talluto asked for a motion to adjourn. Motion made by Alderman Levin, seconded by Alderman Veremis, to adjourn. Roll Call vote: 4 ayes, 0 nays. Motion duly carried.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:08 p.m.
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