The most compelling topic of the last board meeting was my wife Betty’s speech to the board that I wrote about last week. However, there were a couple of other topics as well. Trustee Dodge took an item off consent agenda regarding amendments to our Land Development Code. These amendments had previously been presented to the planning commission and the committee of the whole and were approved unanimously and discussed. Trustee Dodge brought up concerns about development projects going straight to the village board if approved by the planning commission unanimously and the development services director felt it was appropriate to do so (potentially controversial issues would be left on committee of the whole for an extra round of discussions). Staff explained that at village board meetings these items could still be discussed. Speeding up this process will trim 2 to 5 weeks off of the old process which makes the village much more friendly to development (time is money). The changes don’t make it easier to get things approved, they simply make the process faster. Trustee Dodge and Fenton voted against the measure after voting for it a month prior. It still passed 5 to 2. Apparently change comes slowly for some. We also discussed approvals for a third concert in our concert series. Because of the way the budget works we had to approve a budget amendment for the expenses. However, to be conservative we don’t approve any revenue (though we will be selling tickets and bringing in revenue). The measure passed 5 to 2 with Trustees Dodge and Fenton voting against. Trustee Fenton said that she would support two but couldn’t support the third because of financial reasons. I am very glad that she is now supporting two concerts. For the first two years of my term she voted against concerts every time and at the budget meeting would only support one. Trustee Dodge indicated he was only voting against the measure because of the budget adjustment. However, he knows that the only way to approve the village manager contracting for the concert is to make the budget adjustment. I am surprised by the fact that that both trustees who voted against the added concert were on the board that spent millions to build Centennial Park West. Why build it if you aren’t going to use it? I am glad we have been able to add the concerts and the goal remains to make them budget neutral. It will likely take a couple of years to get to that point. For example, the Taste of Orland was subsidized by $74,512 per year on average prior to my term (2010-2017) for a total of $596,101 in subsidies since inception. Staff was able to achieve the goal I set of reducing subsidies and making the Taste budget neutral in just 2 years. In 2018 the subsidy was reduced to $19,373 and in 2019 it generated positive revenue (thought the final numbers are still not in). Historically, the Civic Center also had a huge subsidy ($246K average per year and total of over $3.2 million from 2004 to 2016). In 2017 and 2018 the subsidy was reduced to approximately $38K and further reduced in 2019 (final numbers not yet confirmed). As you are aware, I have worked diligently with the trustees to make the village more fiscally responsible, while also investing in our roads, parks and infrastructure which were woefully forgotten in this century. Our operating budget has been reduced over 7% and debt has been reduced over $40 million since taking office. We re-developed John Humphrey Complex and increased our local road program from 1.5 to 11 subdivisions in 2019. In 2020 we are master planning our other 2 major parks (Schussler and Centennial) and plan to completely redevelop Schussler in 2021. Additionally, we committed to the increased funding levels of our local road program from 2020 to 2023, which should help us catch up. While doing this, we need to continue bringing residents events to enjoy like ticketed concerts (inaugural event last year), the farmer’s market (which moved to Crescent Park after I was elected) and Brewfest (inaugural event last year). I will continue working to ensure the village remains fiscally responsible while supporting our over 650 acres of land in our 66 parks, our 250 acres of open lands and 15,000 acres of Forest Preserves either in or bordering Orland Park. Also, we will be announcing the acts for our concerts soon. We have several upcoming events, including: Feb 5th, Republican candidate night at Papa Joe’s at 7PM with ORRG Feb 6-8th, Quilt of Tears, Civic Center Feb 8th, Coffee with the Mayor, 9AM Southfork Restaurant, https://www.facebook.com/events/776400022870175/ Feb 15th, Capone & Ness, the True Story of the Untouchables, 11AM at Orland Park History Museum Feb 16th, Southwest Community Band Concert, 2PM, Cultural Center Feb 21st, Comedy Improv at Cultural Center from 8-10 PM (Age 18+) March 4th, Democratic candidate night at Papa Joe’s at 7PM with ORRG March 7th, Lincoln’s Generals, 11AM at the Orland Park History Museum March 17th, Primary Election Day, St. Patrick’s Day March 19th, Mayor Pekau fundraiser at Blissful Banana https://www.facebook.com/events/2381021805336846/ |
