STATE OF THE
VILLAGE FINANCIAL NEWSLETTER
2 2013 013
A MESSAGE FROM YOUR VILLAGE PRESIDENT Dearr Bensenville Resident d Business Owner: It is my and pleasure asure to update you on an annual basis sis on the state of our VVillage. illage. I am hopeful opeful you endured this long winter nd are keeping the faith that spring and and summer will actually arrive. startt off by I would like to star acknowledging the VVillage illage Board of TTrustees rustees and staff for making tremendous headway on our Strategicc Plan Mission to be Financially Sounds and provide Customer Friendly Services Services of the Highest Quality. Quality. The headline of our story story is that for the fifth consecutive year, year, the Village Village of Bensenville operated under a balanced budget and we are Everyy complying with the key financial controls established in late 2009. Ever government resident has the right to expect our gover nment to operate this way and we year.. I am pleased to share that our fiscal have made progress in each passing year responsibility and approach to municipal finance has been recognized by national industry industry experts. experts. The Village Village received two top financial awards from the Government Government Finance Officers Association: the Certificate Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Reporting for our 2012 Comprehensive Annual Report Report and the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award Award for our 2013 Budget and Community Investment Plan. I want to note that while a balanced budget is essential to our financial stability, stabilityy, we do not attempt to achieve it simply by cutting programs which are needed by our customers. Rather, Rather, we are relentless in our continuous improvement efforts everyy efforts to gain efficiencies and reduce costs. We We seek se ever economic development opportunity opportunity to enhance our business community and expand revenues without increasing taxes or fees to existing stakeholders. Our Northern Business District have resolved several chronic investments in the Northern concerns and reconstructed streets are allowing safe access to all flooding concerns businesses. The District is now enjoying strong occupancy rates and property property We are reconstructing our circa 1940’s 1940’s wastewater values are improving. We treatment system by leveraging environmental grants and a 1.93 percent loan program provided by Gover nor Quinn’s Quinn’s Clean Water Water Initiative. We We have Governor year. We We reorganized wastewater operations and are saving $286,000 this year. remain one of the only utilities that have not passed on significant rate Water Commission. Commission. We We increases from the Cityy of Chicago and DuPage Water recognize families continue to struggle in this economy and have kept our rates reserves to delay this flat for the last three years by deploying utility fund reserves W were also able to negotiate a new waste hauling contract and increase. We were able to hold rates steady and provide a discount for our Senior Citizens. Our focus on the bottom line and improved bond rating has resulted in savings of more than $485,000 in financing costs and audit expenses. Job creation and revitalizing our local economy continues to be a priority for Village. Crain’s Crain’s Chicago Business recently reported reported that Bensenville our Village. property values increased by 9.7% in 2013, a higher percentage than many property communities in the region. This year we received the prestigious honor of the Yearr Award Award from the Construction Industry Industry Service Service Public Body of the Year efforts in hosting multiple union job fairs for Bensenville Corporation for our efforts residents and for our contribution to the overall quality of the construction
industr industry. y. We We have welcomed several new businesses to Bensenville this year and expect more to come with the Elgin O’Hare W ester Western Wester est n Access project now under way. We underway. We are seeing new reinvestment in the community from the private sector sector.. Hamilton Par Partners tners has recently acquired 11.5 acres on County Line Road and plan to build a 185,000 square foot industrial opportunities building, which will create new job oppor tunities for Village Village residents. By standing on solid financial footing, our community will attract investors as the Western Elgin O’Haree W Wester estern Access Expressway becomes a reality. reality. terms. The state of our community is not just measured in financial ter ms. The people, events, and organizations that comprise Bensenville are what make us special. Just a few weeks ago many of our citizens rallied to raise funds to artt sound systems at Bridgeway Christian Village, provide new state of the ar Village, Bensenville’ss senior citizen continuous care retirement communities. one of Bensenville’ This generous act, spearheaded by Bridgeway resident Bill Newell, will improve the quality of life for the seniors in this independent living community. community. Our spirit now reaches across borders as we continue to deepen the special relationship we have with our Sister City of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Mexico. I was honored to lead a contingent from Bensenville and the Cook County Board to explore ideas on how to improve both cultural and opportunities tunities for residents and business owners in Bensenville and economic oppor returning ning I met with the Consul General of Mexico about Zihuatanejo. Upon retur further ther strengthening our connection to our our Sister City relationship, fur neighbors to the south. illage and engaging our Promoting this great VVillage residents is something we strive to do constantly and 2013 was no exception. I had the distinguished honor to be a guest Manager’ss speaker at the DuPage Mayors & Manager’ Conference presenting on current legislative cting Bensenville and our region. I also issues impacting spoke at the John Marshall Law School on ways to help disadvantaged importance tance of civics at Holy Family School. We We children, and I spoke on the impor also like to recognize the achievements of the youth in town during our VVillage illage Board Meetings. This year we recognized many student achieveachieveeam and Fenton Dance Force who both ments such as the Fenton Academic TTeam forward ward to continuing our made it to the State Championships. I look for Neighborhood Conversations this year to allow us to hear from you what is important important and what we should achieve this coming year. year. Finally, Finally y, as we all emerge from the grip of this long winter, winter, we do so with added excitement for a quality line-up of family events throughout the summer.. I look forward summer forward to seeing everyone everyone at our summer concert concert series, our farmers far mers market, and many of the other great events that bring us together as community.. a community
Thank yyou ou for making this a Bensenville. great yyear ear to be in Bensen sennville ville.
FRANK SOTO TO | VILLAGE PRESIDENT
come through grant funding and exceptionally low interest rates. With five consecutive years of balancing our budget and instituting vast improvements in our financial condition, we will save $420,000 spread over several years due to our improved bond rating and $65,000 this year in reduced fees for audits.
MAKING THE MOST OF OUR BUDGET We are pleased to recognize that for the fifth consecutive year, the Village of Bensenville operated under a balanced budget. If you follow the stories of government at any level you know what an extraordinary achievement that is. Before a budget is put to paper, a great deal of analysis and evaluation takes place regarding both the revenues and the expenses of the Village. In recent years, much of our financial gain has come from improved operations, reduced waste, improved credit ratings, a more aggressive pursuit of grants, the introduction of new businesses in the community, and a more disciplined approach to the budgeting process.
We are constantly looking for new ways to save our residents money. Our newly negotiated waste contract with Allied Waste reduced rates for seniors while keeping our residential rates at the 2011 level and added new recycling carts. Also, our energy aggregation program continues to save our residents over $300 per year annually on their electric bills. Each year we strive to improve the level of services we offer while finding revenue streams that reduce our dependence on property taxes. The more we are able to attract and support retail, manufacturing, light industrial, and professional services businesses to our community, the less we rely on homeowners for revenue. The chart below shows the sources of revenue from the past year.
Without question, the harsh winter we recently experienced played havoc with some of our expenses related to snow and ice removal. We are grateful for our dedicated Public Works teams, many of who worked double shifts several days at a time during the peak snow and cold events. Our teams are using the warmer weather to begin addressing the many potholes that appeared on our streets and we will do so as efficiently as we can relative to costs and timing.
Simply cutting expenses is not a sound budgeting plan. For a community as vibrant as Bensenville, and one with so much potential for growth, expenses will be incurred in infrastructure, services, safety, and operations. The pending Western Access to O’Hare and the airport expansion itself will bring significant revenue opportunities to the village. We have already seen an increase in speculative land purchases such as the recent $5 million purchase of an 11.5 acre parcel in the Green Street
The insourcing of our wastewater treatment facility will save us approximately $286,000 while work to minimize water main breaks and leakage into our system will provide savings of nearly $500,000 per year. Some of these savings
BALANCED BUDGET...VILLAGE REVENUES EXCEED EXPENSES! Sources of REVENUE
Property Taxes
Taxes
Sales Taxes
Taxes
Other Taxes
Taxes
Intergovernmental
*What are the CHARGES FOR SERVICES?
Where is the REVENUE used?
$6,829,219
Water and Sewer
$10,072,850
Salaries
$8,777,214
$8,282,500
Edge/Redmond Edge/R g Redmond Park
$2,457,500
Benefits
$3,656,777
$3,480,000
Inspection Fees
$3,969,000
Movie Theatre Complex
Licenses & Permits
$926,700
Programs/Other Program g ms/Other
Fines & Forfeits
$753,500
Recycling Recyclin y ngg and Refuse
*Charges for Services Investment Income Miscellaneous Total
$14,739,550 Income $47,000
$69,000
Team Development
$122,000
Professional Services
$2,024,503
$472,700
Contractual Services
$9,348,692
$1,500,000
Commodities
Commuter Parking
$32,500
Other Expenses
Dial-A-Bus
$13,000
Programs
$61,000
Debt Service
$39,088,469
Total
$14,739,550
Total
$253,404
$871,270 $1,172,475 $776,187 $8,125,355 $35,005,877
PROJECT S THERE’S A GREAT DEAL OF ACTIVITY PLANNED AND ALREADY UNDERWAY IN BENSENVILLE
Police Headquarters The plans for the new Police Headquarters at 345 East Green Street are beginning to take shape and in the months ahead you will see increased activity at the site. By repurposing an existing 47,000 square foot warehouse, we are greatly enhancing the services of our Police Department and increasing safety, training, and professional development opportunities for the officers and staff. The majority of the existing exterior structure, roof, walls, and foundation are all being used with minor demolition and construction needed, allowing the project to move quickly while managing the overall cost of the project. Our goal is to be LEED certified which will further reduce operating costs for the facility. The project plan calls for the station to be operational by July of 2015.
Quiet Zone
er at the Church Street, Median barriers will be installed this summ ings as part of our Addison Street and Center Street rail cross n Pacific/Metra rail on-going Quiet Zone project along the Unio trains to silence their lines. As part of this process that will allow lling a horns in certain areas, we will also be insta wayside horn at the York Road crossing. Our target for approval from the Federal Railroad Administration is September of this year.
new businesses ness sses es Business District by Hamilton Partners, Inc. Similarly, we have welcomedd several new neew retailerr too this year including McDonalds and we are working diligently to bring an exciting new the Dominick’s property in our community. For us to grow and attract world-class dd-class clas ass ss businesses, busines inesse ssees, we n l services nal na services vices to our need to support them, just as wee make every effort to provide exceptional residents. The chart to the left provides a glimpse of the expenses we incurred curredd in the past year in meeting both the residential and business needs of our community.
AIRPORT AIRPO PO ORT NOISE N NO REDUCTION AN ON ON-GOING N-GOIN OIN ING N EFFORT O proximity oximity to O’Hare International Internat ernaational oonal a Airport supports infinite business Our o opp opportunities ities and and a flourishing business iness ess district with one of the lowest i in industrial trial vacancy va rates ates in the he market. arket.t Con C Consequently, we are also subjected subje bjecte cted to some me of the negative tive consequences equences qquences uen es of being adjacent one o th of the he world’s ld’s largest and nd businest airports. orts. t While increased creased sed property values and economic development nt are on the horizon, we remain ain aggressive inn monitoring onitoring the impact impact act of aircraft aft noise and creating ways t mitigate to mitig igate t it for f r our residents r idents in the present. sent.t sent
As a testament to our focus on the budgeting process, Bensenville recently received two prestigious awards from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for our financial reporting. The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting was awarded to the village for our 2012 12 Comprehensive prehensive ensive Annual Financial Report. This his recognition speaks to the goals the village v ge has vill h established for or transparency in financial reporting. It is the highest form or recognition in the he area rea off governmengovernmental accounting and finance reporting as judged by an impartial panel.
ommission i i i off RRunway issi w 10C/28C 0C/28C has adversely d ersely l affected ff t d Th recentt commissioning The noise levels in our community and our Board of Trustees is working to identify solutions to mitigate the negative impacts of the new runway. At a recent meeting of the O’Hare Noise Compatibility Commission (ONCC) ONCC) Bensenville Village Trustee and ONCC Member JoEllen Ridder called alled for a meeting with the City of Chicago and the FAA to discuss cooperative ooperative solutions to the increased noise levels.
Our 2013 Budget was recognized with the Distinguished Budget Award, reflecting that the highest principals of Where Do My Property Taxes Go? governmental That is a very common and very fair question. The chart below budgeting have been met. As bond rating indicates that while your property resides in Bensenville, your Village agencies such as government only receives about a 10% share of the property taxes you Standard & Poors and pay. A resident with a $200,000 home is paying around $590 year Moody’s view these in property taxes to the village for services like public safety, street awards favorably, we repair and maintenance, and health services to name just a few. are more than pleased County of DuPage (2.07%) to be the recipient of Forest Preserve (1.65%) them, and will work to DuPage Airport Authority (0.18%) meet the standards for Addison Township (1.75%) continued recognition Fire District (7.71%) in the future.
Village illage President Frank Soto recently attended the National Organiza Organiza-tion on to Insure A Sound Controlled Environment (NOISE) legislative ummit on Washington, DC. NOISE is an organization committed to summit educing the impact of aviation noise on local communities. The summit reducing provided rovided connections and opportunities to speak with community leaders ear airports in other parts of the country where airport noise levels have near mpacted the quality of life. impacted
VILLAGE OF BENSENVILLE (10.42%) Park District (5.05%) Library (2.53%) School Districts (68.63%)
We understand that after previous battles over airport expansion that different ifferent strategies must be employed. Knowing that the Federal Aviation Administration dministration maintains authority over the airport, we are addressing ur issues at the Federal level by working with our Congressional our representatives. epresentatives. t ti W We are working towards a comprehensive noise mitigation itigation strategy for now and in the future. There are no quick and easy asy solutions, but by drawing on this wide range of resources, we hope too be a catalyst in finding answers to this key issue in our community.
P OT L I G H T THIS YEAR. HERE’S A QUICK UPDATE ON MANY OF THE KEY PROJECTS AROUND TOWN.
Water Meters
As we have shared with you
over the last several editions of our newsletter, our water meter replacement program has a goal of 100% completion by June 1 of this year. To date we hav e completed installations in alm ost 80% of our residences and businesses. The installation pro cess generally takes about a half hour. Participation in the program is mandatory for all homes and places of bu siness and failure to allo w for the installation of the new unit will ultimately lead to a discontinuation of wa ter service. If you have not already scheduled your replacement, please call the Village’s inst allation contractor United Meters, Inc. (UMI) toll free at 1-877-533 -8964.
Wastewater Treatment Plant
Over the next two years our nearly 70 year old wastewater treatment plant will be converted to a state of the art facility. The $30 million project will be managed by Williams Brothers Construction, Inc. and when complete, will have rehabilitated nearly three-quarters of the existing plant. The project will be financed through the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Water Quality Revolving Loan Program. The IEPA has also extended a grant of nearly $765,000 as principal forgiveness on the loan. In addition to the IEPA grant, the Village was successful in obtaining nearly $500,000 in energy efficiency grants through the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and Illinois Clean Energy (ICE) Program.
General Construction The 2014 Construction Season will be another busy one for our residents. The Villages Community mmunity Investment Program will includee the following projects: JEFFERSON STREET CORRIDOR WATER MAIN REPLACEMENT PROJECT | PHASE III The Jefferson Street Corridor Water Main Replacement Project is a three year, three Phase project aimed at upgrading one of the Village’s most problematic areas as it relates to frequent water main breaks ks and repairs. With Phase I and II complete, Phase III will consist of replacing water main infrastructure along Addison, Walnut, Judson, and Ellis Streets between Jefferson and Washington. Work is scheduled to begin in late May. GRANT FUNDED VOLK BROTHERS SUBDIVISION PROJECT | PHASE IV The Village has made an application for obtaining DuPage County Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
BEFORE
funds to continue improvements in the Volk Brothers Subdivision. Phase IV encompasses Martha Street, Ridgewood Avenue, and Franzen Street between Grove and Wood. Improvements will include roadway reconstruction, curb and gutter, sidewalks, storm sewer, sanitary sewer repairs, water main installation and parkway restoration. Estimated cost of construction is $1.5 million. Approximately, 27% of the construction costs (or $400,000) has been requested through the CDBG program. This project is scheduled to begin in June. IRVING PARK ROAD WATER MAIN AND CULVERT REPLACEMENT The Village intends to replace and relocate water main along IL-19 between Church Road and East View Drive as well as culvert replacement under Parkside Lane. This section of water main has experienced multiple breaks over the past three years. The project is scheduled to begin in late June or early July. AFTER
IRVING PARK ROAD STREETSCAPE PROJECT | PHASE I The Village is about to embark on a significant streetscape renovation along Irving Park Road. In conjunction with the planned
improvements as part of the York/Irving Park Grade Separation, the Village intends to extend new stamped concrete sidewalks and streetlights along the Irving Park Road Corridor from Silver Creek to the western limits. This two year – two phase project will begin in June or July and will ex tend to Church Road this season. Phase extend II will take place in 2015.
FAÇADE IMPROVEMENTS The Community and Economic Development Department is offering funding to local business owners to improve the aesthetics of our business corridors with a Façade Improvement programs. We recently approved funding on our first applicant and we encourage more businesses to learn more about the program at http://www.bensenville.il.us/index.aspx?nid=588.
BUSINESS MATTERS
We’ve Come a Long Way... Over the last four years, the village has taken a number of proactive steps to improve the relationship between local government and the valuable business community in Bensenville. In order to gauge our progress, we conducted a survey at the end of 2013,
UÊÊ } ÌÞ ÌÜ Ê«iÀVi ÌÊnÓ¯®Ê vÊLÕà iÃÃiÃÊÃÕÀÛiÞi`ÊLi iÛiÊÌ iÊ6 >}iÊ Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Government is headed in the right direction with regard to being financially sound and having customer-friendly services.
reaching out to over 200 randomly selected local businesses. While there is
This type of reaction from our existing business community can be of great
always room for improvement, we were pleased with the results. Some of the
value when attracting new enterprises to our town. We plan to learn from
findings include:
the process and continue improving the level of services we provide to
UÊÊ -iÛi ÌÞ Ã ÝÊ«iÀVi ÌÊÇȯ®Ê vÊÌ iÊLÕà iÃÃiÃÊÃÕÀÛiÞi`Êvi ÌÊÌ iÊ6 >}iÊ vÊ Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Bensenville was a business friendly community. UÊÊ } ÌÞ ÌÜ Ê«iÀVi ÌÊnÓ¯®Ê vÊÌ iÊLÕà iÃÃiÃÊÃÕÀÛiÞi`ÊÜiÀiÊÃ>Ì Ãv i`ÊÜ Ì Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê the quality of customer service from Village employees. UÊÊ } ÌÞ Ì ÀiiÊ«iÀVi ÌÊnί®Ê vÊÌ iÊLÕà iÃÃiÃÊÃÕÀÛiÞi`Ê ` V>Ìi`ÊÌ iÞÊ Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê would recommend Bensenville as a business location to others.
current owners while looking to bring even more businesses to town. These survey results show we continue to move in the right direction; however we know we have much more work to do and will continue to work hard for our residents.
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 72 BENSENVILLE, IL STREET 12 SOUTH CENTER STREET BENSENVILLE | ILLINOIS 60106
POSTAL CUSTOMER BENSENVILLE | ILLINOIS 60106
In order to beautify b the community, and improve safety for residents esidents and local workers, we are embarking on a number of general eneral improvements impr throughout town. Certain areas will receive new ew LED lighting ligh in street lamps to improve visibility while enjoying njoying the added bonus of reducing our energy costs. We are also so moving forward with our streetscape improvements along Route oute 83 andd you’ll soon be seeing new signage at certain entry points oints to the community. We are pleased plea that some of our recent efforts have been recognized ecognized as well. Due to our aggressive efforts to save our neighborhood eighborhoo canopies in the battle with thee emerald ash borer, we were named a 2013 Tree City USA Community.
IMPROVING OUR LOOK