On Monday evening, the City Council’s Planning & Development Committee heard a proposal from Economic Development Director Chris Aiston to study the creation of a new Business District in the East Main Street area. This is an idea that has been developed over the past several months as a result of discussion internally about the question, “What steps can the City of St. Charles take to encourage redevelopment and reinvestment in east side businesses?”

The East Gateway area of St. Charles and the East Main Street corridor have ample opportunities for redevelopment. There are many vacant properties and other parcels that are underutilized. Those include Tin Cup Pass, the former Baker’s Square, the former Rex’s Cork & Fork restaurant, the former Bennigan’s restaurant, the former Richards Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge auto dealership, the 1501 E. Main Street property, and, of course, the Charlestowne Mall.

Residents have also noted that the East Main Street corridor seems to lag behind other areas of the community. In the 2009 Priorities Survey, almost 70% of respondents rated the appearance of East Main Street as “average,” “poor,” or “very poor.” It was the lowest rated corridor in St. Charles.

Staff is suggesting that the City Council consider the merits of establishing a Business District for the entire East Main Street corridor in order to enhance our economic development efforts. A Business District is a distinct geographic area that, once established, would permit the City to enact a special sales and/or hotel tax. The sales and/or hotel tax proceeds can then be used for a variety of activities including land assembly, public infrastructure improvements, site preparation, and advertising. In short, this is an opportunity to provide incentives for redevelopment and marketing activities. This document provides more details about Business Districts. You can see Chris Aiston’s full presentation to the Planning & Development Committee here.

At a forum held last week, business and property owners said that improving retail on the east side of the city is their #1 goal for the city as it forms a new comprehensive plan. This proposed Business District is one way to achieve that. The proposed district would impose a tax on purchases in this corridor to generate revenue to support additional development and leverage investment in the area.

Pursuant to state law, there are specific criteria that must be satisfied to create the Business District. While staff believes that the East Main Street area has lagged other areas of the city in development/redevelopment, we do not know if the area qualifies until a detailed study is conducted. At this time, city staff has requested permission from the City Council to study this idea and report the results. The Council’s decision is expected on October 17th.

What are your thoughts on the East Main Street corridor? Do you believe that an additional .25% sales tax to support redevelopment would be beneficial to the area? Or, would it cause you to change your shopping habits and drive to other areas?

Pace bus service is important to many residents of St. Charles.

The City of St. Charles has received notification from Pace Suburban Bus that significant service reductions are being planned for routes 801 and 802 that serve St. Charles. The reason cited for the proposed reduction is ”low ridership.”

This diagram indicates that the route serving St. Charles will be modified to eliminate most service to the east side of St. Charles. More information regarding the proposed changes can be found here for Route 801 and here for Route 802. You can also find out how to contact Pace with questions and concerns.

In response to the proposal to change fixed route service, Pace is proposing to offer a new “call-n-ride” program.

The Geneva-St. Charles Call-n-Ride is to be operated Monday-Friday from 6:30 am to 7:00 pm, and on Saturdays from 8:00 am to 6:30 pm. Pace will provide curb-to-curb transportation based on customer reservations, which will be made by the customer at least 1 hour in advance by calling the driver on a Pace-provided cell phone. The operator will also accept walk-on reservations at scheduled timepoints.

The call-n-ride vehicle will operate only within an area generally bounded by the following streets:

• Randall Rd on the west
• IL-38/State Street on the south
• Charlestowne Mall on the east
• E Main Street on the north

This will mitigate some of the concern regarding transit service cuts and improves service if your origin or destination is within the call-n-ride service area.

A public hearing on this proposal will be held on Wednesday, October 19th at the Kane County Government Center in Geneva. 

While the City of St. Charles understands the financial constraints that Pace is operating under, we oppose the proposed reductions in service due to the impact it will have on those that rely on transit services to access jobs, medical care, shopping, and other important community services. There are those in our community that desperately need this public transportation system to remain in place and the City intends to advocate on their behalf.

In addition, the City plans to request that the call-n-ride service area be expanded to include areas north of IL 64/Main Street on both the east and west sides of St. Charles to ensure that these residents and businesses continue to have transit service available to them.

What are your thoughts on these proposed service reductions? Can you attend the public hearing to support St. Charles transit services?

Doug Whitley discusses the business climate in Illinios and how to improve it.

The St. Charles Chamber of Commerce Legislative Committee provides a series of programs that provide meaningful information to Chamber members on federal, state, and local legislative topics. 

Today, Doug Whitley, President and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, addressed a group of approximately 60 community and business leaders from St. Charles and Geneva at a breakfast meeting sponsored by the Legislative Committee. 

Whitley provided his opinions and insights on the current condition of Illinois government and the major challenges that face the state. He also provided attendees with: 

• an overview of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, how the organization operates, and the mission of the organization.
• advice on how to best communicate with legislators. Doug indicated that personal stories and information is most effective because it is unique. Legislators find this easier to remember when legislation is being debated and discussed. 

Doug said that the #1 priority for the Illinois Chamber is workers compensation reform. He said that since 2005, workers compensation costs in Illinois have increased by 15%, while other states have experienced a 19% decrease in costs. 

Doug also highlighted the work of the Illinois Chamber in developing a white paper called, Jobs Agenda – A Blueprint For Growth and Prosperity. 

The report proposes an agenda to reinvigorate Illinois as a business friendly state dedicated to growth, retention, and innovation. It recommends that Illinois confront the reality of the situation and take demonstrative steps to improve the economic fortunes of employers and citizens of Illinois. 

The report was developed after soliciting the expertise of local chambers, professional site selection personnel, economic development directors, tax experts, and business executives. The report proposes solutions to address the challenges of job creation. You can view a full copy of the report here. 

Attendees left the session better informed and inspired to work to improve the business climate, both locally and in Illinois.

On Friday, February 4th, the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce held its annual Charlemagne Awards Dinner at the St. Charles Country Club. Over 250 attendees were present from local businesses, non-profit agencies, and community organizations. 

The City of St. Charles received the Community Development Award for efforts to restore the marquee at the Arcada Theatre. The collaborative venture with the Downtown St. Charles Partnership and Onestic Entertainment resulted in the restoration of the marquee and the addition of digital signs to advertise shows at the Arcada, as well as other community events and information. You can get more information regarding this project here. 

The City of St. Charles also received the Civic Image Award for the Municipal Center Riverwall Project. The $4 million project was undertaken to rehabilitate and restore the wall between the Municipal Center and the Fox River to its original 1940s splendor. The project also addressed structural deficiencies and deterioration that had occurred through the years. You can click here to see a presentation regarding this project.  

John Collins, a local real estate broker, developer, and St. Charles area resident was the winner of the prestigious Charlemagne Award. John is a member of the Norris-Baker-Collins family that has been so generous to St. Charles over the years. The family’s contributions include the Baker Center, Norris Recreation Center, Norris Performing Arts Center, Baker Memorial Church, and the St. Charles Municipal Center. 

John is on the board for several local non-profit organizations including Delnor Hospital, Norris Recreation Center, and Tri-City Family Services. Congratulations, John!! 

Members of the Collins family join John for a photo at the Charlemagne Award Dinner.

For a list of all Chamber of Commerce award winners, please click here.

On Tuesday, the Metro West Council of Government hosted the 2011 Legislative Breakfast at Eagle Brook Country Club in Geneva. The event was attended by over 90 individuals from local government, private businesses, regional planning agencies, and utility companies. The featured guests were 7 state legislators from the Metro West area. They are:

• Senator Linda Holmes from Aurora
• Representative Linda Chapa LaVia from Aurora
• Representative Keith Farnham from Elgin
• Representative Mike Fortner from West Chicago
• Representative Kay Hatcher from Yorkville
• Representative Bob Pritchard from DeKalb
• Representative Tim Schmitz from Batavia

Metro West presented information regarding 3 important issues:

1. Protecting municipal revenue and ensuring that state-collected tax revenue is deposited directly into the Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF) rather than being subject to the normal state payment process.
2. Reassessing the process by which commercial entities can use the Freedom of Information Act to obtain information from local governments.
3. Funding the state capital program and investing in infrastructure

Legislators were also given time to address the audience. Topics that received attention during this segment included dealing with the backlog in the state’s bills, continuing pension reform, workers compensation reform, and making wise use of the additional revenue generated by the increase in the state income tax.

St. Charles residents are represented by Representatives Randy Ramey (east of the river) and Tim Schmitz (west of the river). They are also represented by Senators John Millner (east of the river) and Chris Lauzen (west of the river). To contact these elected officials, please go here.

On Tuesday, the City of St. Charles was honored by the Fox Valley Branch of the American Public Works Association with the Project of the Year award for the Municipal Center Riverwall/Plaza project. St. Charles won in the category for projects less than $5 million – Historic Restoration/Preservation. 

The $4 million project was undertaken to rehabilitate and restore the wall to its original 1940s splendor. The project also addressed structural deficiencies and deterioration that had occurred through the years. You can click here to see a presentation regarding construction challenges that were overcome to complete this project. You can click here to see a presentation that was made on Tuesday at the awards luncheon. 

Then - a photo from 1940s.

Now.

An aerial view of the plaza area.

In addition to the project award, Public Services Division Manager Dan Rowe was named “Professional Manager of the Year in Water Resources” by APWA. This is a testatment to Dan’s hard work, dedication, and length of service to the City of St. Charles. Dan has been employed by the City for over 30 years.

The St. Charles Countryside Fire Protection District is moving forward to terminate its long-standing relationship with the City of St. Charles and Tri-City Ambulance. This is being done in order to establish District-administered fire stations, equipment, and staffing. The City of St. Charles is concerned about the planning and execution of this initiative as well as the potential for operational and financial impacts for the residents and businesses of the City of St. Charles. We are also concerned about the impact on public safety services for the residents of the District.

Below is the text of an open letter that Mayor DeWitte sent to the Kane County Chronicle in response to an editorial from Jim Gaffney, President of the Board of Trustees for the Fire Protection District.

For decades, the St. Charles Fire Department and Tri-City Ambulance has provided the residents of the St. Charles Countryside Fire Protection District with professional, responsive, and comprehensive paramedic and fire suppression services.

Through service agreements, district residents have enjoyed the advantages of intergovernmental cooperation to obtain a very high level of service at a very low cost. 

These services are currently provided to the district at a cost that is irrefutably the lowest in the region. The tax rate of $.19 per $100 of equalized assessed valuation (roughly $190 for a home with a market value of $300,000) is 33 percent less than the Batavia Fire Protection District, also a paper district operated similarly.

For additional comparison, South Elgin is $.56, Pingree Grove is $.65, Maple Park is $.49, and Elburn is $.62. This proves that lack of revenue, not costs and expenses, is the reason for the district’s reported financial challenges.

In addition, the district over the last several years, has maintained capital reserves in excess of $1.3 million. St. Charles has implored the Fire Protection District to either increase its tax rate or spend down those reserves to pay St. Charles for its “fair share” of overhead and services. The district has refused to do either.

It is true that the district has changed dramatically since the original agreements were negotiated. The area has expanded significantly, and the number of properties has exploded over the last 20 years.

More residents have chosen to live in a more rural environment. In doing so, they accept that emergency services may not be provided at the same level as those within a city.

However, it has always been the policy of the St. Charles Fire Department to respond with the same or higher levels of staff and equipment than is provided to residents of the City of St. Charles, given the lack of a water supply in rural areas.

It is our opinion that service quality will detrimentally change for the residents of the Fire Protection District, if the board moves ahead with its plans to establish a standalone fire department on May 1, 2011.

Over the last several years, a cooperative venture to construct an additional City of St. Charles fire station at Red Gate Road has been discussed, with district residents being the primary beneficiary.

That opportunity would no longer exist with the Fire Protection District’s two station east/west configuration and subsequent loss of assistance from the St. Charles Fire Department. After all, if the district moves forward with this plan, St. Charles will have no obligation to respond to calls outside of our city, including the numerous elementary schools, and recreational areas.

In September of this year, discussions regarding ambulance and paramedic service with the District were suspended to allow the voters to share their views on non-binding referenda regarding a tax increase to maintain the current level of services.

This action was followed shortly by reaching an agreement of terms with the district for fire suppression services for the current budget year. With the outcome of the referenda demonstrating support, we believed that the district was planning to move forward to provide sufficient funding to St. Charles.

To our disappointment, we were notified within days of the Nov. 5 result that the district had already made its decision to sever our relationship, had placed orders for new equipment, and was in the process of securing facilities to establish stations. 

We believe the Fire Protection District Board should reconsider this approach and re-establish discussions with St. Charles regarding the continuation of our long standing, successful relationship, including the joint-venture construction of a Red Gate Road station.

This will ensure the continuation of high quality emergency services that the residents of the St. Charles Countryside Fire Protection District have come to expect.

In closing, we believe there is nothing the district will be able to provide its residents on its own, that will be any improvement over what we currently provide to those same residents together. Should the Fire Protection District move forward with its shortsighted plans, we believe the board will have disobeyed a rule that we all learned as children – never play with fire.

Unfortunately, the only people getting burned will be the residents of the St. Charles Countryside Fire Protection District.

Representatives of government agencies gather at Primose Farm for a monthly intergovernmental meeting.

In St. Charles, residents are served by a variety of governmental agencies that work diligently to provide high quality services, programs, and facilities for the community. These agencies include the City, Park District, Library District, School District, Township, and County. With all of these entities providing services, it can be difficult to understand who is responsible for what. For that reason, it is important that the local government representatives communicate regularly regarding their programs and activities.  The current economic climate will also force more government entities to look at working more closely to serve common populations.  

In St. Charles, intergovernmental meetings are held on a monthly basis. Representatives from the City of St. Charles, St. Charles Park District, St. Charles Library District, St. Charles Community School District, St. Charles Township, and Kane County get together to discuss new projects, upcoming events, organizational initiatives, or other news. The meeting location rotates between city, school, park, and library facilities.  

At the July 8th meeting, the following items were among those discussed:  

1. the establishment of a St. Charles Arts Council;
2. the status of the Arcada Theatre marquee project;
3. bids for the Pottawatomie Park pool improvements;
4. the planning for Belgium Town Park (located on N. 9th Street);
5. the announced retirement of Park District Executive Director Jim Breen;
6. the school district’s expanded role in upgrading and maintaining the pool facility at the Norris Recreation Center; and
7. the library’s proposed building expansion program and community outreach efforts.

These meetings are a wonderful opportunity to get together, network, and communicate. During conversations that I have had with colleagues from other cities and villages, they have expressed admiration for the efforts that we take to work collaboratively. These meetings are just one example of how committed government officials are to serving the residents of the community.

Last week, the Illinois legislature failed to complete pension reform by not passing any legislation regarding public safety (local police and fire) pensions. There was legislation drafted and considered by the Senate, but it was not called for a vote due to opposition from municipalities. Now, you may be asking, “Why would municipalities OPPOSE pension reform that is supposed to save taxpayers money?” Let me explain.

The proposed legislation establishes a 2-tier pension program for police and fire employees. The changes in pension benefits are logical and St. Charles supported them, In fact, St. Charles and other cities, villages, and towns support all provisions of the reform bill, except one. That provision has to do with an enforcement mechanism that was ill-conceived and could have an extremely detrimental impact on city services.

This enforcement language would go into effect 1/1/15, if no other statutory alternative is enacted. It would apply if employers (cities and towns) fail to make the required pension contribution, as determined by the Illinois Department of Insurance, within 90 days of the date due and would allow the State Comptroller to deduct amounts from state funds (sales tax, income tax, telecommunications tax, etc.). Further, it would allows action in circuit court if state funds are not available.

Municipalities oppose this language for 3 main reasons:

1. We do not believe that the Department of Insurance calculations are always fair and reasonable. St. Charles typically uses its own actuary to determine the pension payments required. This has served us well for many years.

2. By allowing this type of “garnishment,” the legislation asserts that pension payments take precedence over ALL OTHER CITY SERVICES AND PROGRAMS. We simply cannot agree with this. It does not allow for extenuating circumstances or other factors to be considered. Quite frankly, the legislation determines that pension payments must be made without regard for any other obligations of the City.

3. The enforcement language was not included in the prior pension reform legislation and the public safety unions are gaining something that others do not.

In summary, the public safety unions were able to secure something that would assure that pension payments could be given precedence over all other local government expenditures. Municipalities were not prepared to agree to that. The Pension Fairness Coalition issued a statement regarding the issue – PFIC Statement HB 5873 FINAL. This letter from Ed Paesel also helps to explain.

Recent communication with state legislators regarding this matter have been promising and there is a strong belief that the matter will be taken up again in the near future. I hope that is true.

In the meantime, I encourage local residents to contact their legislators and tell them that public safety pension reform should be enacted.