Geneva city budget planning faces lots of questions
As Geneva city administrators work on the city's 2012-13 budget, they're asking elected officials for guidance on some issues.
Some are seemingly minor topics, such as whether to hire out the mowing of the cemeteries, or how to get money to paint the water towers.
Big questions, like whether to look at charging more sales tax at downtown businesses.
And all under the shadow of ongoing economic malaise. At a 2-hour-plus committee-of-the-whole meeting Monday, they posed questions to the council about:
Ÿ How much the city should pay to maintain downtown parking lots and sidewalks in special service area taxing district 1, vs. how much the owners of downtown properties should pay?
Ÿ Why did the equalized assessed valuation of SSA1 decline 15 percent in 2011, when property values in the rest of town averaged a 4 percent decline?
Ÿ How much money, if any, should the city spend on utilities to attract industrial development to an area near Kirk Road and Fabyan Parkway?
Ÿ How, as it negotiates new contracts for brush and leaf pickup, can the city make sure property owners are being charged fairly?
Ÿ Should maintenance of the two cemeteries be contracted out, to improve service and possibly save money?
Ÿ Should it study overlaying a tax-increment financing district on the central business district, so it could collect an extra sales tax to use for improving buildings and taking over the parking lot and sidewalk maintenance?
Ÿ Should the city seek advertising to help pay for painting the city's two water towers, an estimated cost of $400,000?
Since it was a committee-of-the-whole meeting, no motions were made or votes taken.
But a few aldermen had strong opinions.
Alderman Dawn Vogelsberg, on whether the city should charge construction fees for nonprofit organizations: “I am in charge of a nonprofit, and everybody else charges. That is the cost of doing business.”
And at least two aldermen blanched at hearing the estimated cost of $20 million to extend water, sewer and electricity to an area between Fabyan and Route 38, east of Kirk. Aldermen Charles Brown and Sam Hill suggested not spending anything more to study that area.
“At the moment we can't compete with the DuPage Airport Authority. They have deep pockets. They have the whole county (DuPage),” Brown said, noting the DAA recently announced it is converting its proposed technological park into more of a general business park on airport property off Route 38 and Kautz Road.
City Administrator Mary McKittrick said city staffers are trying to meet with the Geneva Township assessor to find out why she decreased property values on some downtown buildings as much as 35 percent. None of them were the result of a property-owner protest.
“It's curious, and we would like to find out more information,” McKittrick said — including whether the city can challenge the assessments.
Geneva's 2011-12 budget was $71.76 million, including $14.64 million for its general fund expenditures. The rest was for the water, sewer and electrical utilities.