Working relationships among government entities in St. Charles are characterized by many as cordial, productive, and effective. Generally speaking, agencies relate well to each other and work cooperatively on matters of common benefit. Exceptions typically pertain to issues where parties do not see sufficient benefit or where “turf” issues may come into play. There may also be issues where districts serve constituents in unincorporated areas or other communities. In these cases, there may be a concern about St. Charles residents subsidizing services for non-residents, whether real or perceived.

Communication between the agencies is well-established and is generally recognized to be superior to that in other communities. As an example, on the 2nd Thursday of each month, representatives from several local government agencies meet for a continental breakfast and to discuss issues of importance to each agency or the community as a whole. Organizations that participate in these meetings include Kane County, St. Charles Park District, St. Charles Library, St. Charles School District #303, St. Charles Township, and City of St. Charles.

Generally, each agency presents information on an important project or initiative that is being undertaken. Participants also get a chance to interact in an informal setting to discuss community issues or other related items.

Some current examples of intergovernmental cooperation include:

• Snow plowing (City and Township agree to plow streets under the other agency’s jurisdiction to maximize efficiency)
• Sharing salt (School District is allowed to use salt from City storage facilities at cost)
• School Resource Officers (City agrees to provide police officers for high schools in exchange for compensation from School District)
• Neighborhood parks on school sites (Park District installs and maintains park equipment and playgrounds at School District sites)
• Neighborhood parks on city lands (Park District installs and maintains park spaces on land owned by the City such as Langum Park and Moody Park)
• Representatives of the Park District and School District serve as members of the City’s Plan Commission to review and comment on development projects that are proposed
• City land-cash ordinance (new residential developments are required to provide land or cash to benefit the School District and Park District based on the estimated number of persons to live there or number of school-aged children)
• Community Promotion Alliance (public relations staff from agencies meet quarterly to discuss and coordinate information-sharing and promotional opportunities)
• Independence Day celebration (City and Park District share costs/responsibilities for event)

Additionally, all local governments have entered into an intergovernmental agreement to evaluate substantial property assessment appeals and to share the costs of contesting those appeals, if warranted. You can view that agreement here.

While intergovernmental cooperation is strong, local government should always look for more ways to work together for the common good of St. Charles residents.

What opportunities would you suggest to enhance intergovernmental cooperation?

Each year at this time, government entities prepare a preliminary estimate of property tax revenue to be collected from taxpayers.  The estimate is announced at a public meeting and voted on by the corporate authorities (City Council, School Board, Park Board, Library Board, etc.). State law requires a public hearing, after a notice of public hearing is published. The final amount of property taxes to be collected can be reduced from the preliminary estimate when it is finalized in the spring of 2012. However, it cannot be increased. For this reason, most agencies are conservative in their estimates.

Many people do not fully understand the property tax process. In addition, some members of the media may not completely or accurately report it, leaving some property owners even more confused.

Here are some key terms that property owners should know:

Property tax levy – the total dollar amount of property taxes to be collected by an agency. Any agency that collects property taxes must establish a levy. Government entities are primarily concerned with establishing a levy that provides them with the financial resources needed to fund their programs and services.

Assessed value -  1/3 of the fair market value of your property. The township assessor determines the fair market value of property, and then establishes the assessed value at 1/3 of the market value. Assessors are only concerned with establishing values and those values are established in January, after preliminary tax levies are approved.

Tax rate - the rate established by dividing the total assessed value of all property by the amount of the property tax levy. It can be expressed as a percentage of the market value, a value per $100 of assessed value, or a millage rate. In Illinois, rates are typically expressed as a value per $100 of assessed value. As an example, the city’s property tax rate is currently $0.78 per $100.

While many residents would prefer that their property tax bills be reduced by the same percentage as the market value of the property, that is not the way the process works. The amount of property taxes paid by an individual is determined only in part by the value of your property. More important is how much money each agency needs to support the programs and services it provides to the community. In addition, the Consumer Price Index is also important because that is the amount that most government agencies are allowed to increase their levy from the prior year.

At this time, the City of St. Charles expects the taxable value (assessed value) of all property to decrease by approximately 4.5% for the 2011 tax year. As stated above, this does not mean that property taxes will be reduced by 4.5%. The value of property does not have a direct correlation with the amount of money needed to fund the services that the residents and businesses of the community need or want.

Last year, the City Council established the tax levy to support city operations (again, the total amount of property tax revenue to be collected) at the same amount as 2009. We intend to do the same this year. If approved, this means that the city’s tax levy will not increase. It will be the second year in a row that the City has frozen the levy.

Finally, many people believe the City of St. Charles has the power to control the taxes levied by the school district, park district, etc. We don’t. If you are concerned about the taxes levied by a certain entity, contact that entity. There are knowledgeable staff at each agency who can answer your questions or provide explanations for the amount levied.

By now, you probably know about the tussle over funding for Regional Offices of Education (ROEs) in Illinois. The State of Illinois is attempting to determine the importance of these offices and the regional superintendents that operate them. The state is also attempting to find a source of money to fund the offices. While this issue may not appear all that important to residents of St. Charles, any dispute over financial issues in state government impacts us.

Currently, the state is considering reducing revenue to local governments as a means to pay for the ROEs.

Corporate Personal Property Replacement Tax (CPPRT) taxes are collected by the state on behalf of local governments. The revenue is used to replace money that was lost by local governments when our power to impose personal property taxes on corporations, partnerships, and other business entities was removed. This revenue stream was created when the new Illinois Constitution directed the legislature to abolish business personal property taxes and replace the revenue lost by local government units and school districts.

It has been reported that HB 3828 would amend the State Revenue Sharing Act to add “regional officials and local officials” to a section that authorizes CPPRT payments to taxing districts. We believe this would allow the diversion of the city’s portion of the CPPRT in order to pay the state’s 44 regional school superintendents and expect this legislation to be addressed during the fall veto session.

The City of St. Charles strongly opposes any diversion of state-collected municipal government revenue to pay for the salaries and benefits of ROEs.

Annual revenue raised by CPPRT taxes over the past several years has varied from $1 billion to $1.5 billion per year statewide. According to the Illinois Department of Revenue, the total estimated amount of CPPRT allocations for FY2012 is $1.221 billion. Municipal governments receive 20% of CPPRT money on a statewide basis. St. Charles received approximately $90,000 in CPPRT revenue in FY 2011 and is expected to receive approximately $80,000 in FY 2012.

Any loss of revenue for the city will have consequences. Just as the state is facing a budget crisis, communities have had to make tough choices to balance their budgets. Municipalities have already reduced their expenditures commensurate to the decline in tax revenues that all jurisdictions have experienced. We believe the State of Illinois needs to do the same, without taking our share of the CPPRT funds.

I encourage you to contact your state legislator and tell them to leave the city’s share of CPPRT revenue intact.

The City’s leaf collection program will begin October 26th with the 1st of 4 scheduled pick-ups in each of the 4 quadrants of St. Charles.

In May, the City Council awarded a 3-year contract to Kramer Tree Service from West Chicago to perform this valuable service for St. Charles residents.  The value of the contract with Kramer for collection of leaves is $230,000 and the service is funded by a $3.35/month fee collected on most residential utility bills. More importantly, the City has always received very favorable comments regarding the quality of Kramer’s service.

In 2008, when the City outsourced this service, there were concerns expressed that quality would suffer. These concerns were expressed even though the City’s program was frequently subject to cost-overruns and delayed collection due to weather conditions and staff absences. In fact, the quality of the service has been improved as Kramer invested in state-of-the-art equipment and provided sufficient staff to operate it – all for a fixed contract price. In fact, both Batavia and Geneva have followed suit and contracted their leaf collection program to Kramer as well!

In placing leaves at the curb, residents should heed the following advice:

• Leaves must be on the parkway by 6:30 a.m. on your area’s designated day. 
• Rake leaves in a row parallel to the street, on the parkway, at least 1 ft. back from the curb and off the sidewalk.
• Pushing leaves into the street is a violation of Municipal Code 12.04.170, punishable by a fine of up to $500 for each offense. Piling leaves in the street can clog storm drains, cause localized flooding, and make the roadway slippery for cars, bikes, and pedestrians.
• Avoid raking foreign materials into leaf piles (brush, grass clippings, trash, etc.), as these could damage equipment or cause injury to personnel. 

For additional details regarding the City’s program, please click here.

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?

Since 1996, the City has conducted a citywide survey of residents called the “Priorities” survey. The services residents expect from their government, like police and fire protection, road maintenance and water, are important for a healthy community but expensive to provide. Because there are many needs and a limited amount of money to meet those needs, the City asks residents to help set its priorities.

Earlier this year, St. Charles was selected as the “Best Town for Families” by Family Circle magazine. While we appreciate the recognition from a prominent publication like Family Circle, we place greater value on the opinions of residents. It is for this reason that we regularly survey residents to obtain their opinions about the community.

The fact that we find ourselves living in a period of extremely challenging economic times makes this survey process even more important. By identifying issues that residents believe are priorities, City officials can determine the expectations of its citizenry and set an appropriate course for the future.

Throughout the survey, residents are asked several questions about quality of life, communication, transportation, development, and city services. The survey is divided into sections based on the six vision areas in the City of St. Charles Strategic Plan. Those are:

• Quality of Relationships
• Sense of Place
• Service Delivery, Resources and Needs
• Economic Vitality
• Mobility and Connectivity
• Vibrant Downtown

The City’s sample population of 1,800 households is selected randomly from the Utility Billing database, and participation is anonymous. The city uses the online survey tool – SurveyMonkey - to gather information from residents, compile the data, and present the information to the City Council and community at-large.

This year, the survey will be distributed to selected households on September 30th. Residents selected to participate will receive a letter from Mayor DeWitte on or about October 1st. The survey should take about 20 minutes to complete.

Responses to the survey are due by October 30th and results will be made available to the public in January with a formal presentation to the City Council.

For more information regarding the survey and the results of the 2009 survey, please go here.

At the Planning & Development Committee meeting on Monday evening, there was a discussion about changing the way that the community is notified of development proposals or zoning changes that require a public hearing. The discussion took place at the request of Alderman Ray Rogina, who suggested further steps were necessary as a result of comments that he heard from constituents regarding the Illinois Central School Bus proposal.

City staff and legal counsel provided information regarding the City’s current practices and those of other area communities. This information can be found here and demonstrates that the St. Charles requirements are similar too, or more stringent than, most other communities in the area.

At the present time, there are many ways that interested parties can learn about proposals being considered by the City:

1. a sign posted on the property that is the subject of the public hearing. The sign is posted by the City and includes a phone number to call for more information.
2. a notice mailed to the registered owner of property located within 250 feet of the subject property
3. a notice published in local newspaper of general circulation
4. notices/meeting materials posted to the City’s website and distributed to local news media
5. contact with the city staff or officials

Traditionally, there has not been outcry from residents that they did not know about, or cannot find information regarding, what is occurring in St. Charles or their neighborhood.

In the City’s 2009 survey of residents, the number of respondents that rated the City’s communication as “poor” or “very poor” was 3.5%, a decrease of .5% from the 2007 survey. This means that over 96% of city residents believe we are doing an adequate job of communicating with them. That survey also revealed that the three most frequently utilized sources of information about things going on in the city were:

• the city newsletter
• a public hearing/meeting
• word of mouth

In addition, the City is a recognized leader in communicating with constituents. Over the past few years, technology has rapidly changed and new methods of communication have been implemented by forward-thinking organizations. St. Charles has changed the way that we communicate with stakeholders, including the deployment of Facebook, Twitter, e-mail list serves, blogs, and RSS feeds. All have been well-received by constituents who have also adopted new ways to communicate with their co-workers, family, and friends.

Ultimately, the members of the City Council elected to ask staff to consider installing a larger sign on the properties that are the subject of public hearings. They elected to maintain all other current standards for providing public notice at this time.

What do you think about the City’s efforts to communicate regarding development proposals or public hearings? What methods would you suggest the City employ to communicate with you about these projects or proposals? 

Your feedback is welcomed.

I have a bit of writer’s block this week, so I thought I’d use the opportunity to provide updates on several topics of interest.

IL 64/Oak Street intersection project

Some of you may have noticed that the project to widen the intersection of IL 64/W. Main Street and Oak Street has been delayed. The delay is due to land acquisition activities that have not yet been completed by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).

The project will include the reconstruction of IL 64 starting east of Oak Street and extending west to Campton Hills Road. The work will include the addition of one through lane in each direction and a new traffic signal. The City has awarded a contract to Curran Contracting Co. to begin work; however, IDOT will not issue a permit until all land has been acquired.

We understand that IDOT and the US Postal Service are very close to finalizing documents. With the execution of documents, IDOT will issue a permit to the City so our contractor can move ahead with construction. If construction can start this month, the project can be complete by mid-November.

Rental Licensing Program to be presented on September 12th

On Monday, city staff will be making a presentation to the Planning & Development Committee regarding the proposed rental licensing program. Background materials including a staff memo, draft ordinance, and draft lease addendum will be posted to the City’s website on Friday. All interested parties are encouraged to review and study these materials in advance of Monday’s meeting.

Some of the items to be discussed on Monday include:

1. What properties should be subject to the licensing and inspection program? What properties should be exempted, if any?

2. What should the inspection program include? Should it include the exterior of the unit/building only? Should interior inspections be conducted? If so, should the interior be inspected on a regular schedule, on a complaint basis, or when a unit becomes vacant?

3. Is the proposed license fee appropriate, given those charged by other communities and the costs that the city is to incur?

Family Circle banners coming to Main Street

Banners to commemorate the City’s recognition as the “best town for families” have been designed and fabricated. Look for them to be displayed on Main Street in the next few days. Other government agencies have also obtained banners to display at their facilities.

City staff is also working on signs for gateways to our community. We are also working on window clings and other items that can be displayed at homes and businesses.

This week at the City Council meeting, Mayor DeWitte and the City Council recognized the Corbett family. Mike and Monica Corbett, together with their 4 children, played a key role in St. Charles being named the #1 town for families. Their interview with the representative of Family Circle was a contributing factor in our community being selected #1. Family Circle was very impressed with what the Corbetts had to say about their decision to locate here and their experience living in St. Charles.

Red Gate Bridge Webcam Now Live

For the past few years, the City has utilized web cameras to provide residents and other interested persons with real time views of various construction projects. Past projects include First Street, Fire Station #1, and Well 3/4 Radium Removal.

The City now offers a live construction view of the Red Gate Bridge project. You can view the construction activities here.

As you can see, construction is progressing very well. Work continues on the embankment operations of the new Red Gate Road, east and west of the Fox River Trail. The grading and shaping of the detention pond west of the trail also continues.

The contractor has installed some storm sewer near the trail. The tree clearing along the bluff, east of IL 31 moved forward as well.

During the past few weeks, there has been some discussion about the City’s decision to permit a private school bus company to operate from a location on Randall Road. Questions include:

• Is a school bus facility really the best use of that property?
• Why would St. Charles allow this company to operate, since it serves kids who don’t live here?
• Won’t the traffic congestion from the school buses mean additional delays in the heavily traveled Main Street/Randall Road area?

The City undertook a careful analysis of this project and there are logical answers for these questions. That analysis resulted in the City Council approving the project by a vote of 8-2.

A portion of the site at 300 N. Randall Road (former Seigle’s stockyard and vacant area) is zoned M-1 Special Manufacturing (industrial). Uses permitted in the M-1 zoning district include:

• light manufacturing,
• warehouse/distribution facility, and
• minor motor vehicle repair, among many other uses

During the public meeting of the Planning & Development Committee, it was stated that some of the uses permitted under the current zoning could have a more detrimental impact on the area than the proposed bus facility, including increased traffic volumes and other objectionable activities.

A traffic analysis was conducted by the City’s traffic consultant to assess the impact of the bus facility on the adjacent road network. The analysis examined traffic conditions resulting from buses exiting the site during a single peak hour. The analysis concluded that there are no capacity issues anticipated as a result of the bus facility.

The intersections of IL Route 64/Randall Road and Dean Street/Randall Road were further studied. The analysis identified a potential area of concern with traffic signal timing at the IL Route 64/Randall Road intersection. The traffic signals were retimed to alleviate this concern.

Illinois Central School Bus will have approximately 150 employees at the facility, including drivers, dispatchers and mechanics, with a combined annual income of approximately $2.4 million. These jobs, while not considered high-paying, are still jobs that some people in our community want and need.

The drivers will serve school-aged children in the neighboring communities of West Chicago, Batavia, and Geneva. There is no legal basis to deny the company from operating because it serves residents in other communities. Should the city prohibit companies that offer services and products to those outside of St. Charles? I think we all know that answer.

The investment in improvements to the 300 N. Randall Road property is estimated at approximately $1 million, which includes renovations to the former Siegle’s building, removal of the storage outbuildings and rail spur, extension of the access drive from Xsport Fitness to the site, construction of the bus storage yard, installation of a fueling station, and construction of a stormwater detention basin. For a copy of the site plan, please click here.

During the review process, the owners stated that the bus company proposal is not their preferred use for the property. Retail/commercial use is their long-term goal, but the current economic climate makes that impossible. As a result, Illinois Central School Bus will enter a 5-year lease for the 300 N. Randall Road site. The City’s approval will also terminate in five years. The future goal is to redevelop the site with improved access to Randall Road. The expiration of the lease and special use will permit this to occur.

Finally, as part of this process, the owner will dedicate a public access easement for a future roadway through the site. For a copy of the site plan, please click here. The completion of the access drive from Randall Road to Dean Street is part of a long-term vision of the City’s that will allow for vehicles to travel between Dean Street and Peck Road. This will provide alternate routes to West Main Street/IL 64 and Dean Street.

While I will be the first to admit that the bus facility is not something with significant allure or charm to many, it is not the negative and harmful project that many claim it to be. There are benefits including:

1. Rehabilitation of an abandoned site into a productive, commercial use
2. New jobs and employment opportunities for those that sorely need them
3. A capital investment of approximately $1 million, increasing the value of the site that will benefit all local taxing bodies
4. Accommodations for a future public roadway at no cost to the City.

Mayor DeWitte, members of the City Council, Mark Koenen, and I at the ceremonial groundbreaking.

It was a beautiful day in St. Charles yesterday!

The sun was shining. There was not a cloud in the sky. The temperature was in the low 80s.

And, the City of St. Charles celebrated with a ceremonial groundbreaking for a new bridge across the Fox River – the Red Gate Bridge.

Over 100 people attended the event held at the point where Red Gate Road will be extended across IL Route 31 and the Fox River to connect with IL Route 25. Local residents, business owners, and city leaders joined with federal, state, and county officials to celebrate this occasion. Speakers included:

• Norman Stoner, Illinois Division Administrator - Federal Highway Administration
• Randy Ramey, State Representative
• Karen McConnaughay, Kane County Board Chairman
• John Hoscheit, Kane County Forest Preserve District President
• Don DeWitte, Mayor

Other current and former elected officials who came to celebrate included:

• Chris Lauzen, State Senator
• Phil Lewis, Kane County Board
• Mark Davoust, Kane County Board
• Cathy Hurlbut, Kane County Board
• Mike Kenyon, Kane County Board
• Jerry Swanson, St. Charles Township Supervisor
• Colleen Lang, St. Charles Township Assessor
• Warren Kammerer, Former Kane County Board Chairman
• Sue Klinkhamer, Former Mayor of St. Charles
• Kevin Burns, Mayor of Geneva
• Jeff Schielke, Mayor of Batavia
• Patsy Smith, President of Campton Hills
• Jan Carlson, Former Kane County Board Member and current Regional Transportation Authority Board Member
• Caryl Van Overmeiren, Former Kane County Board and Metra Board member
• Betsy Penny, Former Alderman for St. Charles
• Pat Perez, Kane County Sheriff
• Jim Gaffney, District 303 School Board Member and President of the Fox River & Countryside Fire Protection District
• Mike Hill, St. Charles Library Board Member
• Ron Johnson, St. Charles Township Road Commissioner

Several other federal and state legislators sent representatives or staff members to participate on their behalf.

It was a day where all seemed right and good in the Fox Valley.  Everyone recognized that this bridge is being built for the right reasons:

1. to enhance transportation infrastructure
2. to alleviate congestion in downtown St. Charles
3. to connect the St. Charles community in a new way
4. to provide a new recreational amenity and enhance access to existing forest preserve district lands and bike trails
5. to enhance public safety
6. to save residents of St. Charles and the surrounding area time and money

This project has been discussed for a long time. Speakers at the groundbreaking talked about all of the discussion and debate that has occurred over the years. They also commented on the fact that this has yielded a stronger project, a better project that now enjoys overwhelming support. It is a project that will serve residents present and future, and allow our community to grow and prosper.

The project is based on thorough study, careful analysis, detailed technical review, federal and state oversight, and overwhelming popular opinion. There is no such thing as a perfect roadway expansion project, but the Red Gate Bridge project is about as close as you’re going to find in St. Charles.

For a slide show of images of the bridge location and artist renderings, please click here.