The City of St. Charles is currently studying a licensing program and additional regulations for rental properties in the community. Preliminary analysis indicates that there could be as many as 4,300 residential rental units in St. Charles, although it is difficult to know the exact number because landlords are not required to register or obtain a license from the City. We also believe that the recession’s impact on the housing market has resulted in an increase in the number of rental properties. The inability to sell a home has caused many owners to turn to renting. In addition, the rental market has grown as a number of Americans don’t want to own a home because it is too risky, cannot obtain financing due to foreclosure or bankruptcy, or simply cannot afford to purchase one because they are unemployed.

For several years, St. Charles has maintained programs to address property maintenance, crime, and other nuisances that may take place throughout the community. The City attempts to work cooperatively with residents and property owners until such strategies prove ineffective. Then, we begin a legal process to mandate compliance through administrative adjudication (a process that is conducted locally with a hearing officer) or through the court system (typically at the Kane County courthouse with a judge). That process doesn’t always move as quickly as some would like or result in the best outcomes. For that reason, prevention is a major focus and a rental licensing program can be effective.

St. Charles has strong relationships with many rental communities via the Apartment Complex Officer Program. Under this program, participating complexes sign an agreement with the City that outlines how the two parties will coordinate enforcement efforts of unwanted behavior within the complex. Communication is also greatly enhanced.

A rental licensing program has been periodically discussed in St. Charles since 2003. At the direction of the City Council, staff is now preparing materials for the consideration of the City Council.

The programs are offered in many other area communities including Schaumburg, Elgin, and Addison. They typically consist of 4 main components:

1. a license to allow a property owner to engage in the business of renting residential property
2. a mandatory training program for property owners that provides information regarding a variety of landlord-tenant matters, including eviction proceedings
3. a “crime-free” addendum that is required for all leases and obligates owners to evict tenants engaged in certain criminal activities
4. mandatory inspections of rental units to ensure compliance with building and property maintenance codes

In addition, a license fee is charged to cover the costs of the program and to ensure that such programs are not subsidized by other taxpayers. The license fee should be directly tied to, and fully recoup, the costs of the program.

There are a lot of good landlords who rent property in our community. They screen their tenants, keep up with routine maintenance and repairs, and are intolerant of illegal activities. There are many others who can do a much better job. This City’s goal is to “raise the bar” for those that wish to engage in renting residential property and ensure that we keep our neighborhoods safe and attractive.

We have already heard from several landlords who are concerned about the City infringing on their ability to conduct business. We have also heard from property owners who support the rental housing regulations and training program that the city is proposing.

A rental licensing/crime free housing ordinance is a significant undertaking that requires careful study and deliberation. The City Council will begin the public review and debate of the rental licensing program at the September 12th meeting of the Planning & Development Committee. All interested parties are encouraged to attend.

If you have further questions about the city’s efforts, you may contact Rita Tungare, Director of Community Development, or James Lamkin, Chief of Police.

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.

Over the past year, the City has seen a significant growth of users to the City’s Facebook and Twitter pages, and in overall visitors to our website. The City has been able to embrace more electronic communication efforts with efficiency. As part of the continued evolution of the City’s overall communication strategy, The Den newsletter went electronic in July 2011.

The new Den, along with many of the City’s other electronic news resources, will be timely, easy to use, and will align with the goals defined in our strategic plan – to use open, clear communication methods for sharing information with all stakeholders to foster understanding and trust, and to enhance communication initiatives to adapt to changing demographic, societal, and technological trends.

The conversion to an electronic format will also be more efficient for the City to produce and distribute. It will provide for greater flexibility because the City is no longer limited to a set number of printed pages each month, allowing City officials and staff to provide even more information than in the past. Finally, it will allow anyone to sign up and receive the newsletter, including businesses, non-profit/community organizations, retirees, and residents who have relocated to another community.

So far, many residents have embraced the change. Hundreds of subscribers have provided their e-mail address to allow the City to deliver the Den directly to their in-box. You can do the same and sign up for City e-News here.

You can also view the July, 2011 edition of The Den here.

Did you know that the City of St. Charles levies a special property tax to support local mental health agencies?

Pursuant to the Community Mental Health Act, the City has established a Mental Health Board and a tax levy that authorizes expenditures “…to construct, repair, operate, maintain and regulate community mental health facilities to provide mental health services as defined by the local community mental health board, including services for, persons with a developmental disability or substance use disorder, for residents thereof and/or to contract therefor with any private or public entity which provides such facilities and services…”

The City’s mental health tax levy has been in place since 1986, when voters approved a referendum to establish the tax. The referendum was approved with 53% in favor of the initiative. Mayor Fred Norris presided over the first meeting of the Mental Health Board in April, 1986.

Although the referendum authorized a tax rate of up to $.15 per $100 of assessed value, the tax is levied at the rate of $.04 per $100 of assessed value. This means that the owner of a $400,000 home pays approximately $50 per year. The tax proceeds started small at just over $100,000 in the first year and have grown with the community.  This year, the amount collected will be approximately $630,000.

The funds collected for mental health services are segregated and kept in a separate account. Each year, the Mental Health Board meets to review funding requests and to allocate funding among the many different applicants. The Mental Health Board has a specific process that they go through each year. All agencies are required to complete a detailed application form. Agencies are asked to describe how funds will be expended and quantify services provided to the community. Organizations must also explain how funds allocated from the previous year were expended and the purpose(s) of those expenditures.

Organizations are also asked to execute an affidavit that requires 2 things:

1. that the funds be spent in service to St. Charles residents, and
2. that no St. Charles resident be denied services, based on inability to pay.

The Mental Health Board meets for many hours to hear presentations from the applicants, consider which organizations will result in the best services and outcomes for the community, and recommend how to allocate the limited amount of funds available.

It is worth mentioning that the fiscal woes of the State of Illinois have resulted in drastic reductions in funding to mental health agencies. This makes the locally collected and administered funding even more important for the agencies to carry out their missions.

This year, the Mental Health Board has recommended that agencies receive $634,000 in funding. Any agency that is slated to receive more than $25,000 in funding must make a presentation to the City Council. This year, eight (8) agencies are receiving more than $25,000 and presentations were made on June 20th and July 19th. Final approval of the funding requests is slated for the August 1st City Council meeting. For a full list of the agencies to receive funding in 2011, please click here.

One of the criteria that Family Circle magazine considered in naming St. Charles the #1 town in the USA for families is its “giving spirit.” The community’s generosity in providing funds to agencies that serve the less fortunate of St. Charles clearly demonstrates this.

This week, Family Circle magazine announced the results of its exclusive survey which named St. Charles #1 in its Annual Survey of Best Towns and Cities for families. The comprehensive survey included communities from across the country and is featured in the magazine’s August 2011 issue, which hit newsstands Wednesday. You can read the full article here. For a press release regarding the recognition that includes comments from local leaders, please click here.

The City of St. Charles was contacted several months ago by a representative of Family Circle. Financial information regarding the community was requested. The representative also requested information regarding a local family that could be contacted about the “St. Charles experience.” Mike and Monica Corbett graciously agreed to assist the city and talk about what attracted them to St. Charles, their experience living here, and why they love St. Charles. The Corbetts are a wonderful family and their contributions clearly helped St. Charles secure the top ranking.

It is so great to hear the community’s response to this recognition. It seems that it has given people a reason to express pride in their community. That is a good thing, becuase we have much to be proud of.

At the City’s appreciation dinner in 2007, I made some remarks about the things that I believe make St. Charles a great city. The same remarks hold true today, so I’m going to share them with you. I hope that you enjoy!

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“As I work and live in St. Charles, I hear a lot of comments about our community. Too much traffic. Too many vacant stores. Too many banks. Too many bars. Too many taxes. I think I even heard one person tell me that the river was too wet.

Some people try to be more positive. They ask why St. Charles can’t be more like some other community. That sounds like envy and Harold Coffin said, “envy is the art of counting the other fellow’s blessings instead of your own.”

So let me tell you what I see in St. Charles. We have:

• Great neighborhoods where people can raise their children
• More hotels than most communities in the western suburbs, including Pheasant Run
• More car dealers than any other community in the mid-valley area
• An award winning downtown ranked in the top 10
• Great schools and parks
• And let’s not forget the Q Center – there are only a few communities who can lay claim to a facility of this caliber

We have a great community. A community that I just don’t work in or work for, but have chosen to live in and where I raise my family.

And a huge part of what makes our community so great is the services that we all provide. We have great employees who work hard….day and night.

We have volunteers who take time away from their families on evenings and weekends to help out.

And while we all appreciate recognition from our customers, whether it be residents or businesses, we don’t crave it. In our line of work, great service is more often recognized with silence than with fanfare.

Our employees and volunteers are satisfied with going about their work in a dedicated, yet matter-of-fact kind of way. In some ways, we’re like parents on Christmas morning. Kids think that the gifts arrived in some magical way, but the parents know that there’s so much more that happens behind the scenes to create those special moments.

This year, there have been challenges. We’ve had to cope with a declining economy and a downturn in housing. We’ve lived with skyrocketing fuel and insurance costs. We survived a significant power outage in May and record thunderstorms and flooding in August. And we’ve handled the departure of fellow employees – whether it is to pursue other opportunities or to retire to warmer climates. We’ve also coped with the untimely and tragic passing of 3 of our colleagues.

And, we have continued to provide services to the community….keeping the water flowing and toilets flushing, maintaining a safe and secure environment, making the community more attractive, and making sure the needs of our residents are met.

These are all services that are appreciated by many, even though we may not hear it often.

So for those that choose to dwell on what we are not, I say “thanks for caring.” And to those of you who are in this room tonight, I say “Thank you for sharing”…..your time, your hard work, your commitment, and most importantly your love for St. Charles.”

CONGRATULATIONS ST. CHARLES! WE ARE #1!!

On Tuesday, June 28th, the City held the bid opening for Phase 1 construction of the Red Gate Bridge. Phase 1 construction includes earthwork, tree removal, construction of stormwater detention facilities, and the erection of a pedestrian bridge over the Fox River bike trail. There were 7 bidders for the project and the engineer’s estimate for this scope of work was $2.7 million.

I am pleased to report that the low bid is $1.65 million and it was submitted by Herlihy Mid-Continent. After staff and consultant review, the low bid is in order and City staff will be recommending that the City Council award the bid at the July 5th meeting.

Other vendors that submitted bids, with their associated bid amount, are as follows:

• McHugh $1,996,690.09
• Lake County Grading $2,000,750.00
• IHC $2,024,011.84
• Illinois Constructors $2,265,127.64
• Sjostrom $2,288,882.04
• EarthWerks $2,944,854.24

It is my understanding that Herlihy is a reputable, qualified firm that worked on the Stearns Road bridge and performed admirably.

It is clear from the bid results that most vendors were very aggressive in their pricing and that the City is going to be able to perform this work at an extremely attractive price. On this phase alone, we will save $1 million (based on what was anticipated). The “Great Recession” and the current economic conditions have presented challenges for the City of St. Charles. In this case, it appears that the economy had a favorable impact on the construction industry, the bid environment, and the bid results.

The City anticipates that opponents of the Red Gate Bridge project will be in attendance at the July 5th City Council meeting. That is their right and they will be given a fair opportunity to speak. I encourage any and all parties that SUPPORT the bridge project to attend the meeting as well. From my discussions in the community, and from prior surveys, I know you are out there!

For additional information regarding the Red Gate Bridge, please go here or here.

For 10 years, a need has been identified to reconstruct and widen East Main Street/IL Route 64 on the east side of St. Charles. The area has experienced a high number of accidents due to a variety of factors including traffic volume, roadway design, the number of driveway access points, and driver error.

I am very pleased that the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has announced plans to complete the reconstruction of East Main Street by January, 2013. The first phase of construction will take place in 2011 and will consist of tree removal and utility relocation. Those who drive the area may have noticed the utility work near Charlestowne Mall and the tree removal in front of Pheasant Run Resort.

The second phase of construction will take place in 2012 and consist of the actual reconstruction and widening of the roadway. That work will include the construction of a dedicated left-turning lane from 7th Avenue near the St. Charles library to Dunham Road. This improvement will make the road safer for motorists.

During the construction, motorists and area businesses will be impacted. Normal traffic patterns will be disrupted, lane closures will be required, travel times will be extended, and patience will be needed. The City and IDOT will be strongly encouraging motorists to use alternative routes, including the Stearns Road and IL Route 38 corridors.

To provide information regarding the project, the City of St. Charles is hosting an Open House on Monday, June 27th from 5:30-7pm at St. Charles City Hall. City staff will be on hand to discuss the project and talk with persons interested in learning more about the project. All available reconstruction and traffic management plans will be available for public viewing during the Open House. We encourage everyone to come and view these documents. 

For more information on the Open House and the planned roadway and utility reconstruction work, contact Jim Bernahl at the St. Charles Public Works Department. He can be reached at 630-377-4405 or jbernahl@stcharlesil.gov

In addition, the City will provide weekly project updates at this website.

Finally, I want to communicate that the City has received word that the State of Illinois budget impasse that has threatened to shut-down transportation projects will NOT impact the East Main Street work. IDOT has informed the City that the project will proceed as planned.

On Thurday afternoon, Mayor DeWitte and I attended an event at DuPage Airport that featured the United States Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. Secretary LaHood was in the area to meet with DuPage Airport officials and to tout the benefits of general aviation airports and the economic impacts that the facilities provide to the adjacent communities and the region as a whole. 

The event was attended by several prominent leaders including State Senator John Millner, State Representative Randy Ramey, DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin, and Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns.

With the completion of the 2010 Census, one of the tasks that government entities must now do is redraw districts for elected office. For St. Charles, this means changes to boundaries for offices such as:

• Alderman
• County Board
• State Representative
• State Senator
• U.S. Congress

The process to redraw ward boundaries for City aldermen is not expected to commence for several more months, since they do not need to be set until until 30 days before the petition filing deadline for the 2013 municipal election; however, the boundaries for other government offices is already substantially complete. There has been significant media coverage about the process to redraw maps, but there hasn’t been an article that has focused exclusively on what the new maps will mean for residents and businesses in St. Charles.

In Kane County, the County Board has already reviewed and approved a new map for district boundaries. The new boundaries reflect a reduction in the total number of County Board seats (from 26 to 24). There was some interest in reducing the number of County Board seats even further, but that did not happen.

A copy of the approved map for Kane County can be found here. You can also obtain additional information about the process here.

The City of St. Charles is currently split into 3 County Board districts – District 12 represented by John Hoscheit, District 13 represented by Phil Lewis, and District 14 represented by Mark Davoust. Under the new map, the boundaries of the districts will change slightly, but the community will still be represented by the same 3 County Board districts.

At the state level, St. Charles is currently divided into 2 Senate sistricts and 2 House districts, with the Fox River separating them. The portion of the community located east of the Fox River is represented by Senator John Millner (District 28) and Representative Randy Ramey (District 55). The portion west of the river is represented by Senator Chris Lauzen (District 25) and Representative Tim Schmitz (District 49). It is fairly simple to tell residents or businesses who to contact by simply asking where they are located – east or west of the river. Under the new map, it’s going to be more complicated.

The new map, approved by the Illinois General Assembly and Governor Quinn, will split St. Charles into 3 House districts – the 49th, 50th, and 65th. You can view the map here. St. Charles will continue to be represented by 2 State Senators – the 25th and 33rd districts.

At the federal level, St. Charles has been part of the 14th Congressional District for many years. The city was represented by former Speaker of the House Dennis J. Hastert. In 2008, Bill Foster was elected to serve the 14th District. Currently, Randy Hultgren serves as the Congressman for St. Charles. Under the new map, also approved by the Illinois General Assembly and currently under review by Governor Quinn (you can view it here), St. Charles will be split into 2 Congressional districts. Generally, residents who live south of Main Street will remain in the 14th District. Those who live north of Main Street will now be in the 6th District.

While there has been a great deal of debate about the process to create the new maps, with charges of gerrymandering and politics being the primary motivation, most experts seem to agree that the possibility of the maps being overturned by a court challenge is remote.

To recap, St. Charles will consist of:

• 5 Aldermanic wards (same as today)
• 3 County Board districts (same as today)
• 3 State House districts (an increase of 1)
• 2 State Senate districts (same as today)
• 2 Federal House districts (an increase of 1)

There are pros and cons associated with having multiple representatives in the Illinois General Assembly and U.S. Congress. The important thing is that St. Charles residents and businesses identify their legislative districts well in advance of the election and get educated on the candidates before casting their ballot.

The City has received word from the Illinois Municipal League that the Illinois General Assembly adjourned on Tuesday night with the local share of the state income tax left in place with no reduction. This means that the City of St. Charles will continue to receive approximately $2.5 million in state income tax to fund vital community services.

Originally, there was a proposal put forth to reduce the municipal share of the state income tax by $300 million statewide. Under this proposal, St. Charles would lose approximately $800,000 annually. In response, St. Charles put on a “full court press” by contacting the state legislators that represent our community in Springfield. In addition, Mayor DeWitte took the unprecedented step of sending a letter to every St. Charles household and encouraging residents to contact Governor Quinn and their elected representatives to communicate their concerns with what was called a “stealth tax.”  The response was amazing as hundreds of letters, faxes, and e-mails were sent by St. Charles residents. In the days leading up to the close of the Spring legislative session, St. Charles received pledges of support from Senator John Millner, Senator Chris Lauzen, Representative Tim Schmitz, and Representative Randy Ramey. All agreed to oppose a reduction in the local share of state income tax!

Municipal officials and representatives were monitoring the activity in the legislature right up to the midnight deadline on May 31st. As recently as Monday, there were reports that the Local Government Distributive Fund would be reduced, with estimates ranging from $45-200 million. The impact to St. Charles would have ranged from $120,000-$530,000.

The State budget has been sent to Governor Quinn along with the FY2012 Budget Implementation Act (SB 335 House Amendment #2) which actually implements the State budget. 

This is a major victory for the City of St. Charles, and the residents of St. Charles, who fought diligently to preserve our portion of the income tax!

On behalf of Mayor DeWitte and the City Council, I would like to thank all residents and businesses who contacted Governor Quinn or state legislators to request that the local share of the state income tax be maintained at the current levels! 

Also, I encourage all residents to join me in thanking Senator Millner, Senator Lauzen, Representative Schmitz, and Representative Ramey for their support!

This week, the City of St. Charles will solicit bids for the first phase of construction of the long-awaited Red Gate Bridge. The advanced construction phase is estimated at approximately $3 million and includes:

• Mass Earthwork (moving dirt)
• Fox River Trail Pedestrian Bridge (a small bridge over the existing Fox River bike trail)
• Tree Removal
• Stormwater detention

The advanced construction documents have been completed by the City’s engineer and are ready to be released for bidding. This phase of construction is estimated to create approximately 100 jobs with a total payroll of approximately $2 million.

On Monday evening, the Government Services Committee of the St. Charles City Council directed staff to proceed with bidding for the advanced construction work and return to the City Council with a bid award as soon as possible. At this time, the City anticipates that a bid will be ready for award at the July 5, 2011 City Council meeting with construction work starting shortly thereafter.

The advanced construction phase will be paid for with approximately $7 million that the City currently has set aside in a dedicated fund for the bridge project. No new taxes or borrowing will be needed to fund this phase of the project.

The Red Gate Bridge is being constructed for several reasons:

• Traffic reduction on Main Street
• The project will improve the overall transportation infrastructure in the community by providing other options to cross the Fox River. Having additional, alternative routes to cross the river is a benefit
• The bridge will allow increased ties to the St. Charles community by connecting the north part of St. Charles in a new way
• Emergency vehicle access will be improved. This applies not just to fire department vehicles that may be located at a future Station #4 at Red Gate Road and Route 31, but also St. Charles police and Kane County sheriff’s police officers that may need to respond across the river in that area
• The bridge will provide an important new recreational amenity by constructing a pedestrian bike bridge over the river. It will also enhance access to the existing forest preserve lands in the area

A second construction contract for the bridge and related roadway improvements is slated to be let in early 2012, with construction on that phase to commence shortly thereafter.

This project serves as a key solution to resolve many of the concerns regarding travel for all residents and visitors to St. Charles and will improve overall transportation. Those who would like additional information regarding the project can go to www.redgatebridge.org or contact Mark Koenen at 630-377-4408.