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are determined each year basedupon a survey of comparablecommunities in this geographicarea. Mandated pension costs andhealth insurance cost increases have putconsiderable strain on the City’s budget, as they have every community.Highland Park is part of the larger economy. If there were aQ? sustained inflationary period, how would that be felt locally?Inflation is reflected first in sales tax figures, which are the singleA! largest revenue source in the City’s budget. The City is unique inthat it has sales tax revenues in excess of property tax revenues withouthaving a major shopping mall.Q?How does Highland Park keep sales tax revenues strong?The City works aggressively, through economic incentives, toA! attract new businesses (for example, Renaissance Place, Target,Staples, Sam’s Liquors). We also apply sales tax retention strategies toensure, for example, that we keep our auto dealerships here in town.Establishing the POSO (Pedestrian Oriented Shopping Overlay) districtdowntown in 2004 also strengthens the retail base.Wasn’t the POSO driven by local business owners’ concernsQ? about too many banks in the Central Business District?Banks are the most visible, but the POSO was a zoning change thatA! restricts certain streets from first-floor, non-retail uses. CommunityDevelopment and the Plan Commission want to restrict non-retail uses tothe outer edge of the business district. If an existing bank in the POSOdistrict should leave, it would have to be replaced by a retail use.What kind of attention is being paid to the other businessQ? districts?That’s an entire other conversation. Still, just as an example, theA! Ravinia Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district was approved inJuly 2005. Residents and business owners always have the opportunityto bring attention to their needs through the Business and EconomicDevelopment Commission and, of course, through City Council.Q?From a city finance point of view, how do retail sectors differ?A grocery generates 1% sales tax as opposed to 2% fromA! standard retail. So having Staples and Sam’s Liquors whereDominick’s was makes a difference. It’s also important not to rely onany one sector. We have a strong base in the auto industry. That’snow about 28% of sales tax revenues, but that used to be 43%. Thebalance changes through diversification.As we go to press, gas prices are back to what we used to callQ? “normal,” in the mid-$2 per gallon range. Will this save moneyfor the City?Only minimally. The City converted its fleet of 21 standardA! vehicles to Prius Hybrid vehicles two years ago, which hasallowed us to avoid much of the added expense of increasing fuel costs.Q?What are the gold-star efforts in this fiscal year?That is a tough question. There are quite a few: completion of theA! new police headquarters facility, continuing efforts to locate ahome for the performing arts in downtown Highland Park, bringingwater bill payments online, focusing on ensuring that communityinterests are considered in the Fort Sheridan district, accelerating streetimprovements, improving Central Avenue in the CBD and establishingthe downtown alliance to further enhance the vitality of the City’sCentral Business District. All of these rate a gold star in my opinion, asdo parking lot improvements at the Braeside train station, funded inlarge part by a federal grant of $512,000.You will begin the FY08 budget planning process in November.Q? Can residents participate?Input from residents is always welcome during the budgetA! preparation process. Several budget workshops are conductedwith the City Council in January through March (watch the Citywebsite and Highlander for dates and times). These are public meetings.A formal Public Hearing is also held, providing all residents with anopportunity to speak in support of or opposition to any proposal. That istentatively scheduled during the April 9, 2007, City Council meeting(7:30 p.m., City Hall).There are so many more questions we wish we could ask. WhatQ? one last answer would you like to give?I did want to talk about the “Plus 30” vehicle sticker program. It’sA! unique. That is the single greatest fund-raising effort of the 112Education Foundation each year. Residents can add a tax-deductible $30donation to their sticker fee; they receive a different design sticker toacknowledge their contribution, and we pass those donations on to thefoundation. In 2005-06, that raised more than $35,000 dollars.Check out the City’s website, www.cityhpil.com, where youcan navigate through excellent information on all Citydepartments and governance as well as find communitylinks and visitors’ information. Email cityhall@cityhpil.comor phone 847-432-0800 for further information.Holiday 2006 / 33