Streamwood Newsletter - March/April 2010 - Village of Streamwood

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Recent Board Actions The Village is now working with the Northwest Housing Partnership (NWHP) to provide residential rehabilitation services for our residents. NWHP is a regional organization operating the Cook County Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Single-family Residential Rehabilitation Program. This program provides grants to incomeeligible homeowners to make code-related repairs to their homes. The Village had operated its own program for 25 years. A recent change in the County’s guidelines made municipalities ineligible for these funds. To ensure that our residents would still be able to continue to receive services, the Village has contracted with NWHP. For more information on the program, please contact NWHP at (847) 969-0561. Village honored for financial excellence. The Village of Streamwood was recently given the Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association. This prestigious award recognizes the highest standards in government reporting and financial management. The 2009 Award marks the 20th consecutive year the Village has received this honor. Labor contracts approved. The Village Board approved labor contracts for all finance, community development, and public works employees. The Board and staff worked cooperatively to adopt multi-year contracts, which provides for no pay increases in 2010. The Board also adopted the non-union pay scale, for management staff, which also included no pay raises. Village Board News Census is Here! Please remember to complete and return your 2010 Census form. A correct Census count is important. Many state and federal funds are issued on a per capita basis. An accurate count generates revenue from other sources, rather than property taxes. It also determines our local legislative districts. An accurate count ensures you are properly represented. Be counted! Business Outreach Breakfast The Community and Economic Development Commission and Streamwood Chamber of Commerce Power Networking Group are hosting a Business Outreach Breakfast on March 16, 2010 at 8:00 am. Presenters will review the complete results of the 2010 Business Survey, provide an assessment of our local condition and economic forecast, and suggest ways businesses can position themselves for an economic recovery. The entire business community is invited to attend. To register for this event, please call the Village at (630) 736-3802, the Chamber at (630) 837-5200, or email mayor@streamwood.org. Register Now for Emergency Alert Program Streamwood, in cooperation with Northwest Central Dispatch, has just unveiled its Emergency Alert program using Reverse 911 technology. Reverse 911 allows emergency service providers to quickly contact members of the community with important information. Instead of using 911 to call for services, Reverse 911 allows emergency service providers to contact the public during critical area emergencies. The system has been used in hundreds of communities to solve and prevent crimes, and avert disasters. As long as you have a traditional landline phone, you are already signed-up for this service. However, if you want to receive notification at work, on your cell phone or by email, you do need to register. Please be assured this information will only be used for emergency notification purposes. To register, simply go to the Village website at www.streamwood.org. Walking Inspections Program 2010 Starting in May, the Village will once again launch its Walking Inspections Program. This program inspects every house on streets randomly selected throughout the community to ensure Streamwood continues to look its best. If you live in a neighborhood scheduled to be inspected, you will receive a letter regarding the program and when Village personnel will be in your neighborhood. The goal of this program is to enhance the appearance of the community and gain compliance with Village Codes. A clean, well-kept community increases property values and enhances civic pride. Your cooperation in the success of this program is greatly appreciated. If you have any questions or want to see if your area is scheduled for this program year, please contact the Community Development Department at (630) 736-3839. Board News 2 Billie Roth Michael Baumer William Carlson James Cecille William Harper Guy Patterson Jason Speer Your Village President, Board of Trustees, and Village Clerk Kittie Kopitke
Business Survey (continued from page 1) What are the key issues facing businesses Not surprisingly, the economy was the primary concern from businesses. 41% reported that their business is decreasing. However, 45% reported business as stable, and 14% saw increases. Respondents’ report that the primary reason business is down is the economy (39%). We would expect employment projections to mirror business projections. Yet, the majority of respondents stated employment is either stable (70%) or increasing (11%). Only 19% of businesses were looking to reduce workforce. The overall stability of our business community and strong employment projections indicate that local businesses remain strong even during these troubled economic times. Nearly half of the businesses said surviving in this economy has been a significant accomplishment. But, 16% reported experiencing growth, and 11% told of significant advances such as selling to major retailers, patenting unique products, or being recognized nationally for their product or services. These positive signs are further evidence of the overall health of our local business community. How do businesses rate the Village Businesses were asked to rate community characteristics, such as housing and taxes, as well as Village services. We’re pleased to report that both our community and our services received positive marks. Overall, community amenities are looked upon favorably (3.86 out of 5). Not surprisingly, taxes are seen as the biggest concern for businesses with an overall rating of 2.71. When the tax rating is removed, the overall perception of our community increases to a 4.0 rating. And, while taxes received the lowest rating in 2010, it is higher than it has ever been in past surveys. This can be attributed to the Village’s willingness to work with businesses on certain tax incentives. Village services rated very well (4.73 out of 5.0). The highest rating was for fire services (4.89), followed closely by police services, health inspections, and general outreach (4.78). The lowest rating was for sign regulations (4.64), where businesses expressed concerns about site specific issues. As with community ratings, when compared with past surveys Village services received higher ratings in all categories. This seems to validate the Village’s efforts over the years to improve our service delivery to our businesses and residents. Conclusion The Village of Streamwood has a diverse and stable business community, which seems satisfied with both Village services and amenities. Village services clearly receive some of the highest ratings overall, and show a positive upward trend over the past 20+ years such surveys have been conducted. The primary concern for the business community, not surprisingly, is the state of the economy. The majority of businesses see survival as their greatest accomplishment. But, some businesses are reporting positive gains and expanded markets. Most businesses note stable growth and employment projections. This is another positive sign for the continued health and stability of our community. Message From The Village President Every household in town should have received its 2010 Census questionnaire. Please complete it and return it as soon as possible. The Census Bureau has worked to make this the easiest questionnaire ever! It’s only 10 questions, and should only take 10 minutes to complete. The Census is critically important to us all. First, and foremost, it affects your voice in government. Census counts are used to create federal and state legislative districts. This affects who represents you in Washington and Springfield. Second, the Village receives a variety of funds based on our Census population. Our ability to leverage these funds allows us to keep property taxes as low as possible. One of the most important per capita revenue we receive is from Motor Fuel Taxes. The Village has dedicated these funds to the maintenance of our streets and infrastructure. An accurate population count will ensure the future continuation of this vital service. Finally, Census data is used by other agencies and researchers to help us provide better service to the community. Senior services, educational tools, and workforce development assistance are all dependent on information received from the Census. An accurate count ensures that our community receives the services and resources to keep our community strong. Please take a few minutes and complete the Census. An accurate count is truly in our hands. We recently had the pleasure of attending graduation ceremonies for many of our fifth grade DARE classes. We are very proud of the partnership between the Village of Streamwood and local schools. The strong bond between our children, our schools and the police department was evident in every school. I would like to congratulate the graduates of this year’s program, and thank Officers Steven Millar and Matt Stastny for their dedication to the children and the instruction of DARE. The summer season is right around the corner – and with summer, comes a number of our community-wide celebrations. We look forward to seeing you at our annual Memorial Day ceremony on May 30th, the 4th of July fireworks display at Dolphin Park, and, of course, please keep July 23rd through July 25th open for Summer Celebration. This year’s theme is Once Upon a Time. Sincerely, Billie D. Roth, Village President President Roth congratulates Jhantelle Damasco, one of St. John the Evangelist's DARE essay winners. 3
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Page 5 and 6: Daylight Savings Time Starts March
Page 7 and 8: What’s Happening at Oakhill Schoo

Streamwood Newsletter - March/April 2010 - Village of Streamwood

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