City of Warrenville Public Safety and Finance Committee of the Whole met Nov. 22.
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
In accordance with Governor Pritzker’s Disaster Proclamation, Section 7(e) of the Illinois Open Meetings Act, 5 ILCS 120/7(e), and a determination by Chairman Leah Goodman, this meeting was held virtually.
MINUTES
A. CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Goodman called to meeting to order at 7:00 p.m., explaining the virtual meeting protocol according to the Open Meetings Act, 5 ILCS 120/7(e), and the Governor’s Disaster Proclamation.
B. ROLL CALL
Physically Present: None
Virtually Present: Chairman Leah Goodman, Mayor David Brummel, and Aldermen: Jay Anderson, Stu Aschauer, Clare Barry, Kathryn
Davolos, Bill Weidner, and Robert Wilson
Absent: Alderman Jeff Krischel
Also Physically Present: City Administrator John Coakley, Assistant City Administrator Cristina White, Finance Director Kevin Dahlstrand, and Police
Chief Ray Turano
Also Virtually Present: Senior Accountant Leo Beltran, Administrative Services Coordinator Alma Morgan, and Executive Assistant and
Deputy City Clerk Dawn Grivetti
Also Absent: City Clerk Julie Clark and City Treasurer Ann Behrens
C. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Chairman Goodman led the Pledge of Allegiance.
D. PUBLIC COMMENTS
There were no comments from the public.
E. OFFICIALS AND STAFF COMMENTS
Mayor Brummel and other aldermen wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Alderman Davolos joined the meeting at 7:10 p.m.
F. BUSINESS OF MEETING
1. Warrenville Friends of the 4th FY 2023 Funding Request
Executive Assistant/Deputy City Clerk (EA/DC), and staff liaison to Warrenville Friends of the 4th Committee Grivetti stated, since FY 2019, the City has budgeted $30,000 for expenses for the July 3 and 4 Independence Day Celebration. Prior to that, she added, the City budgeted $24,000, in expenses for the event. Actual expenses for the event in FY 2019 were approximately $56,000, which included the City’s contribution. EA/DC Grivetti stated the Warrenville Friends of the 4th Committee is now requesting an additional $10,000, in funding for the July 3 and 4, 2022, event.
Committee Director Colin Wilkie stated the Committee currently has less than $12,000, in reserve funds. The Committee is discussing ways to raise funds including establishing a GoFundMe page and collecting donations during the parade. He added, fireworks are estimated to cost $22,000 to $28,000, per display due to the need for larger shells to clear taller trees. He also indicated the current location for shooting off the fireworks may become unfeasible in one to two years as property continues to develop in the area, and the fallout radius of the fireworks expands to accommodate the larger shells. Director Wilkie confirmed he would ask the Committee to consider reducing expenses for future events to minimize the need for additional funding requests.
Ald. Weidner stated, following this year’s display, several comments were made on social media regarding the loud booms that scare residents, pets, and area wildlife. He asked if future displays could be quieter, relying more on colorful displays rather than loud booms. Director Wilkie replied, he would relay the concern back to the Committee.
Finance Director (FD) Dahlstrand commented on the condition of the Hotel Tax Fund, and noted that the request for increased funding has been incorporated into future budget projections, and he expects it will not pose a problem.
ALDERMAN WEIDNER MADE A MOTION, seconded by Ald. Aschauer, to recommend the City Council direct staff to include $10,000, in additional funding for the FY 2023 Independence Day Celebration.
ROLL CALL VOTE:
Aye: Alds: Goodman, Anderson, Weidner, Wilson, Barry, Aschauer, and Davolos
Nay: None
Absent: Ald. Krischel MOTION CARRIES
2. Hotel Tax Grant Policy Modifications
Senior Accountant (SA) and Tourism and Arts Advisory Commission (TAC) Liaison Beltran stated that during the Hotel Tax Grant application process, the Commission received an application from CoffeeCon for a FY 2023 event to be held at St. James Farm, which is outside the City’s corporate limits. He added, the Hotel Tax Grant Policy does not allow for funded events to be held outside corporate limits. Following a review of the policy procedures, TAC is recommending the policy be changed to allow funding of events held within corporate limits or at locations within the 60555 zip code. SA Beltran added this amendment has been reviewed and approved by the City Attorney.
It was noted that the City wants to encourage grant recipients to host events in the Warrenville area. Ald. Barry added, the policy change will save CoffeeCon a significant amount of money on the rental of their venue, allow them to expand the event, and provide a better experience, while retaining the Warrenville address for the event.
There was discussion about the precedent this change might set for other grant applicants and the positive impact it could have for other events and on area retail and hotel establishments in the City. Ald. Weidner requested TAC grant financial reports following annual events that received grant funding for more detailed analysis.
ALDERMAN BARRY MADE A MOTION, seconded by Ald. Anderson, to recommend the City Council accept the Tourism and Arts Commission recommendation and amend the Hotel Grant Policy.
ROLL CALL VOTE:
Aye: Alds: Wilson, Davolos, Barry, Goodman, Anderson, Weidner, and Aschauer
Nay: None
Absent: Ald. Krischel MOTION CARRIES
3. Warren Tavern Funding Assistance Procedure Modifications
Senior Accountant and Tourism and Arts Advisory Commission Liaison Beltran stated TAC recently reviewed the Warren Tavern Funding Assistance Procedure and concluded that it would better serve the City Council if TAC reviewed Warren Tavern funding requests, and made recommendations to the City Council based on their review. He added, TAC previously reviewed Tavern requests when part of the Hotel Tax Grant program. A change in this procedure must be approved by City Council and will change the required submittal date from January to September. SA Beltran noted the change would be effective for Fiscal Year 2024.
ALDERMAN BARRY MADE A MOTION, seconded by Ald. Aschauer, to recommend the City Council accept the Tourism and Arts Commission recommendation and amend the Warren Tavern Funding Assistance Procedure.
ROLL CALL VOTE:
Aye: Alds: Anderson, Davolos, Weidner, Aschauer, Wilson, Barry, and Godman
Nay: None
Absent: Ald. Krischel MOTION CARRIES
4. Calendar Year 2021 Property Tax Levy Update
FD Dahlstrand provided a brief update on the 2021 property tax levy. He stated the proposed 2021 property tax levy ordinance will be presented for a first reading at the December 6, 2021, City Council meeting. A public hearing, second reading of the proposed ordinance, and adoption consideration will take place at the December 20, 2021, City Council meeting.
FD Dahlstrand noted that the equalized assessed valuation (EAV) of properties within the Winfield Township portion of the City is projected to increase by 3.13%, and there is no information on the City properties within Naperville Township at this time.
NO COMMITTEE ACTION WAS TAKEN NOR REQUESTED
5. FY 2023 Elected Officials Budget Consideration Requests
FD Dahlstrand stated there were no requests from elected officials for inclusion in the FY 2023 Budget.
NO COMMITTEE ACTION WAS TAKEN NOR REQUESTED
6. Calendar year 2022 City Liability Insurance Renewal
Administrative Services Coordinator (ASC) Morgan presented the annual insurance renewal for all currently held city insurance coverages. She noted the renewal rate of $452,017, represents an overall increase of 0.96% from the 2021 rate of $447,709, and is far short of the projected 20% increase in workers compensation and 6% increase in liability premiums.
SA Morgan stated that the workers compensation carrier, Illinois Public Risk Fund (IPRF), has reserved $23,371, in grant monies for the City to use for safety-related equipment, training, and programming. She added, this grant is significantly more than last year’s grant and is due in large part to the Safety Committee’s ongoing efforts to mitigate risks through increased training, policy updates, and timely accident reviews.
ALDERMAN BARRY MADE A MOTION, seconded by Ald. Wilson, to recommend the City Council accept a renewal quote from Gallagher for City insurance coverages for calendar year 2022, in the amount of $452,017.
ROLL CALL VOTE:
Aye: Alds: Weidner, Aschauer, Anderson, Barry, Davolos, Goodman, and Wilson
Nay: None
Absent: Ald. Krischel MOTION CARRIES
7. Amend FY22 Authorized Strength Ordinance
Police Chief (PC) Turano stated that in May 2020, the Police Department Records Division was reduced from four assistants to three assistants due to a resignation. Since that time, daily operations of the Records Division have become more complex.
After reviewing the operations of the Records Division, PC Turano stated a staff recommendation was made to designate one of the three existing Records Assistants as a Records Supervisor. He added that the supervisory position would create a designated point of contact responsible for a number of specific activities, such as the oversight of daily operations, FOIA processes for the Division, LEADS and DuJIS department-wide functions, and the adjudication hearing process. This position would complete annual performance evaluations for Division personnel, and also make recommendations on records-related training and procedures to enhance the function of the Records Division.
PC Turano stated this action would not require the hiring of any additional personnel, but would allow for direct supervision of the Records Division utilizing current staff, and includes a salary increase. A survey of comparable agencies was conducted and resulted in a majority of responding agencies having the supervisory position in their Police Departments.
ALDERMAN BARRY MADE A MOTION, seconded by Ald. Wilson, to recommend the City Council pass an ordinance amending the current Authorized Personnel Strength Ordinance to reflect one Records Supervisor and two Records Assistants.
ROLL CALL VOTE:
Aye: Alds: Goodman, Wilson, Anderson, Weidner, Aschauer, Davolos, and Barry
Nay: None
Absent: Ald. Krischel MOTION CARRIES
8. In-Car Camera Vendor Contract
PC Turano stated the Police Department is looking to transition from the current in-car camera system to an Axon Fleet 3 in-car camera system for the 10, marked police cars in the fleet over next seven years. He noted, the Department is experiencing problems with the current system, as it does not interface well with new vehicle technology. He added that the current system requires the City to purchase the cameras and servers for video storage with no additional upgrades, whereas the Axon Fleet 3 system is a lease agreement that includes leasing the equipment, unlimited storage of videos in a cloud based system, warranty of all parts during the contract period, and technological upgrades as they are available.
There was discussion regarding automatic license plate recognition technology and other useful features offered by the Axon system that are not available with the current camera system. There was further discussion regarding the proposed financial savings with the new system, the benefits of leasing equipment rather than purchasing equipment without further upgrades, and the trend toward cloud-based storage of records.
PC Turano talked about other municipalities who currently use or are looking to use Axon for in-car camera services as Axon is considered an industry leader. He stated the Department is currently requesting to replace three in-car cameras this year, and that competitive bidding is not necessary as the contract contemplates the purchase of a service, not equipment.
ALDERMAN BARRY MADE A MOTION, seconded by Ald. Aschauer, to recommend the City Council waive competitive bidding and authorize a five-year agreement with Axon for the Fleet 3 in-car camera system.
ROLL CALL VOTE:
Aye: Alds: Davolos, Barry, Goodman, Aschauer, Anderson, Weidner, and Wilson
Nay: None
Absent: Ald. Krischel MOTION CARRIES
9. FY22 Financial Update
FD Dahlstrand provided a financial update of FY 2022 through October 2021. He noted some errors in the final pages of the report, and offered to include revised pages in this week’s Weekly Report.
In summary, FD Dahlstrand reported that a majority of the City’s revenues are increasing, with the exception of the State Use Tax, and the Telecommunications Tax; and that the Amusement Tax will take a considerable amount of time to recover to pre pandemic levels. FD Dahlstrand discussed the increasing Hotel Tax and Local Motor Fuel Tax (LMFT) revenues, indicating LMFT is producing $13,000, per month more than one year ago due in part to the new Thorntons gas station. He also noted the General Fund has some outstanding expenses, including potential settlement of the collective bargaining agreements and liability insurance increases that will negatively affect the current balance.
There was discussion regarding overall improvements in the Capital Maintenance and Replacement Fund, the conservative nature of City budgeting, and the comparison of current figures to a year that was affected by a pandemic as opposed to comparing to figures from a pre-pandemic year. FD Dahlstrand stated he will show a comparison of current figures to pre-pandemic figures in a future report to show the City is nowhere near those previous revenue levels. Additionally, the next financial update will also include fiscal year-end projections.
There was discussion as to when the new census figures will be used to calculate per capita revenues by the State, how it will affect the City’s timing to request a Special Census, and other outlying or seasonal revenue amounts received.
NO COMMITTEE ACTION WAS TAKEN NOR REQUESTED
10. Informational Update on FY22 Work Plans and Decision Packages
Updates to the FY 2022 Work Plans for the Administration, Finance, and Police Departments were presented. There were no comments from the Committee.
NO COMMITTEE ACTION WAS TAKEN NOR REQUESTED
G. MISCELLANEOUS
H. CLOSED SESSION
I. ADJOURN
ALD. WILSON MADE A MOTION, seconded by Aid. Anderson to adjourn.
MOTION ADOPTED VIA UNANIMOUS ROLL CALL VOTE.
The meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m.
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