WB_110719

10 | November 7, 2019 | The wilmette beacon NEWS
wilmettebeacondaily.com
Kenilworth Village Board
Posted to WilmetteBeaconDaily.com 9 days ago
Revenues exceed expenditures by $58K in proposed 2020 budget
Neil Milbert
Freelance Reporter
“The most important
thing is the budget is balanced,”
Kenilworth Village
Manager Patrick
Brennan said when he
presented the proposed
fiscal 2020 budget to the
Board of Trustees at its
Oct. 28 meeting.
“Revenues exceed expenditures
by $58,320.”
The budget has been
posted on the village’s
website for review and a
public hearing is scheduled
prior to the board’s
Nov. 18 meeting.
Following that hearing
the board may adopt the
budget.
“With the village’s dependence
upon property
tax revenue as the primary
source of revenue receipt
of the full levy amount
is important,” Brennan
pointed out. “Each year
the amount requested is
limited by various factors…the
most significant
of which is the Property
Tax Extension Limitation
Law. For 2020 our PTELL
cap is 1.9 percent [over
the prior year] and the
estimated levy is structured
to capture the full
amount.”
The proposed budget
estimates revenues of
$4,561,586 and operating
expenses of $1,053,743
for administration,
$631,789 for public works
and $2,817,653 for public
safety.
“The 2020 budget has
been prepared to ensure
the resources necessary
to provide core village
services and achieve the
goals and objectives for
the year,” Brennan said.
The village manager
then provided a comprehensive
rundown of the
village’s 13 goals and objectives
and enumerated
how each endeavor will
be financed.
The goals and objectives:
1. Complete a review of
the Green Bay Road Corridor
Plan;
2. Initiate the process
of adopting a Streetscape
Master Plan for the Business
District;
3. Develop engineering
plans and bid documents
for the construction of a
new water main on Brier
Street, north of Roger
Avenue, and on Maclean
Avenue;
4. Develop engineering
plans and bid documents
for the construction of a
new water main on Green
Bay Road, north of Park
Drive, and on Park Drive;
5. Complete neighborhood
meetings in advance
of selecting the porous
roadway surface prior to
finalizing the KW2023
Phase II construction
plans and bidding;
6. Complete the relocation
of conflicting
public utilities within the
KW2023 Phase II project
area which includes Raleigh,
Leicester and Warwick;
7. Complete the construction/design
plans for
the resurfacing of Kenilworth
Avenue between
Green Bay and Sheridan
Roads;
8. Rehabilitate Cumnor
Road north of Kenilworth
Avenue with new curbs
and pavement surface;
9. Complete a buildup
of the Kenilworth train
station to support concession
operations;
10. Initiate the request
for bids process in advance
of entering into a
new agreement for refuse
and recycling services
with an effective date of
May 1, 2021;
11. Complete Phase II
of the Village Hall refresh
to include the public restrooms,
conference rooms
and west administrative
offices;
12. Continue development
of the improvement
plans for the former water
plant and adjacent lakefront
13. Develop a recommendation
regarding the
future of elevated water
tank and cellular lease
agreements.
In his budget summary
Brennan noted that “The
impact of increased pension
costs continues to
be a significant factor in
the village budget process.
After experiencing
a one-year drop in IMRF
(Illinois Municipal Retirement
Fund) contribution
the village’s required
contribution will increase
in 2020.”
After totaling 9.17 percent
of payroll in fiscal
year 2019 the amount is
expected to increase to
11.34% in 2020.
General Obligation Bonds
The Trustees held a
public hearing regarding
the issuance of general
obligation limited bonds
not to exceed $1 million
to finance various capital
projects and other expenditures.
“We normally ask for
around $600,000 every
year which gets paid back
from property taxes but
this year we paid off a
bond with a payment of
$400,000 and voters have
allowed us the authority
to extend the debt service
base to $1 million,” Brennan
explained.
“Of this amount
$600,000 will go to
2020 capital projects and
$400,000 will be allocated
to the KW 2023 capital
projects.
“This has zero to do
with the TIF (Tax Increment
Financing) Fund.”
The Trustees are expected
to vote on the proposal
at the Nov. 18 meeting.
Other business
The appointment of
Ken Kaufman to fill a vacancy
on the Plan Commission
was approved by
the Trustees. His term will
expire in June 2021.
Kaufman has lived in
the village for 21 years
and has received an award
from the Kenilworth Historical
Society for the
renovation of his home.
A graduate of the University
of Chicago’s Booth
School of Business and a
member of the university’s
Advisory Committee,
he is the chair and one of
the founders of Kaufman
Hall, a firm that specializes
in health care strategic
planning and consulting.
A resolution authorizing
the purchase of an
in-car video recording
system from Watchguard
of Dallas for an estimated
$25,856 was approved as
was the purchase of in-car
computer equipment from
CDS Office Technologies
of Itasca for $25,324.
D39
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one.”
Erin Stone was the lone
board member who expressed
support for doing
a lottery.
“The faster we recoup
the cost, the faster we
can talk about doing an
all-day option that isn’t
a tuition-based half-day
enrichment program,”
she said. “Out of fairness
to the McKenzie and Romona
families, I think
we should give them a
chance at spots that are
unfilled.”
Other kindergarten enrichment
programs are
offered in the community
such as the Wilmette Park
District’s kindergarten
enrichment program. So
without having access to
the District 39’s program
next year, the kindergarten
enrichment program
options for Romona and
McKenzie families will
be the park district’s program
and others in the
community.
Romona parent Lauren
Litchfield, who was the
lone person to speak during
public comment, was
disappointed that McKenzie
and Romona parents
won’t have access to the
District 39 program next
year that is less costly and
lengthier than the park
district’s program.
“The cost of the District
39 program is less and
it’s a longer program, so
you’re asking (Romona
and McKenzie) families
to pay more for a shorter
day (at the park district),”
she said.
According to the press
release sent out by the
district, KEEP39 will be
led by certified D39 kindergarten
teachers. The
program will include “experiences
designed to enhance
critical and creative
thinking development
while allowing additional
opportunities for socialization
and play among
students.”
“KEEP39 will enhance
District 39’s high-quality,
half-day academic kindergarten
through enrichment
centers, theme-based
exploration, additional
STEAM activities, naturebased
experiences, art
enrichment and purposeful
play,” the release
reads.
Construction projects at
each of the district’s four
elementary schools are
necessary to accommodate
KEEP39 programming
options according to
release.
“Construction at Harper
Elementary School began
in Spring 2019 and construction
at Central Elementary
School is scheduled
for this summer.
Both projects are planned
to conclude in time for
launch of KEEP39 in the
2020-21 school year,” the
release reads. “The Wilmette
Board of Education
has begun preliminary
planning for construction
at McKenzie and Romona
Elementary Schools to accommodate
KEEP39 programming
district-wide
as early as the 2021-22
school year, pending program
evaluation and expansion.”