Jeanne (Schwartz) Sanders: Candidate Profile

Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: Vernon HillsWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Vernon Hills Village boardAge: 50Family: Married, 2 children (21 and 18)Occupation: FB ManagerEducation: Bachelors of Science in Accounting, Northern Illinois University, 1983Civic involvement: GLMV Chamber, Lake County Municipal LeagueElected offices held: Village Trustee of Vernon Hills, 2004-presentVillage Clerk of Vernon Hills, 1997-2004Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NOCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Continue to maintain financial solvency.Key Issue 2 Continue to attract retailers and maintain Vernon Hills as a top destination.Key Issue 3 Stay vigilant with elected state officials on making our needs known and monitoring Springfield to preserve our revenue stream.Questions Answers Should the village continue to offer incentives to fill building vacancies?Over the years it has been a common practice in many towns to offer incentives. Until the recession, the Village had only offered 1 incentive and that was to CDW. Vernon Hills has always been a desirable location for retailers and there has been no need to offer incentives in the past. With the recession came a pronounced increase in store vacancies. In order to attract Dick#146;s Sporting Goods and turn the occupancy rate in that shopping center from 40% to 80%, we offered an incentive. We also offered an incentive to make improvements and fill two big box vacancies that would have otherwise been left empty. Even with these incentives the Village is going to receive more sales tax revenue than we would have if left vacant. Each incentive has been on a case by case basis and warranted by need. If in the future, it is warranted with need being established along with a positive outcome for the Village, I would consider it.If state funding drops, how do you propose making up the difference? Would you consider a village property tax? Explain your answer.I can proudly say that Vernon Hills has been ahead of the curve in planning for a downturn. Since we have been proactive over the past 10 years in preparing for a drop in revenue, the Village presently has $18 million in strategic reserves. The Village has also gone from a AA bond rating to a AAA bond rating in the worst economic crisis of the century. This has been accomplished because of a number of factors. We carefully analyze the budget line by line every 6 months and make cuts where needed. Having a philosophy of not replacing employees unless warranted has brought us down to 99 employees from 128 back in 2002. This is a 25% reduction and almost a $1 million in savings annually. In 2008 when other towns were still giving raises, we made the unpopular decision of not giving a raise to our employees because of concerns as to where the economy was headed. Along with keeping our storefronts occupied, we have also looked for other ways to generate income. We now have 4 cell towers in the Village currently netting us $66,000/year with the possibility of up to $140,000/year. We do not levy, have never levied and plan on never levying a property tax. This can be accomplished by continuing to carefully monitor expenditures, looking for new ways to increase revenue and staying abreast of what is going on in Springfield. I support House Bill 213 which states that distribution to local government would continue to be 10% in the event the state violates the spending caps in the coming years.What can the village do to convince the owners of Westfield mall to make improvements?We have had active discussions with the owners of Westfield Mall for 6 years and will continue to help them in any way we can to make improvements. We have offered sales tax rebates, creation of a special taxing district and offered assistance in moving utilities.What do you regard as the most pressing transportation need in the village?Transportation and the condition of roads is a top priority for the Village. The Village has a $5.5 million neighborhood road program which has spanned the last 5 years and is almost complete. We continue to evaluate all residential roads and have them scheduled to be fixed through our capital improvement program. The commuter rail service came to Vernon Hills in 1996. It has since been double tracked and we now have a 600+ car parking lot. Expansion of Metra service for Vernon Hills is being discussed. Continued public support for Lake County transportation needs and improvements is important along with taking a proactive role on improvements for Route 45 and Route 53. We are also exploring the need for a third eastbound lane on Route 60 from Butterfield Road to Route 21.What suggestions do you have for increasing revenue and/or decreasing expenses?We have been proactive in economic development and redevelopment. Filling vacant big boxes, which contributes to a significant share of sales tax, has been a top priority for this Board. We have agreements to fill Rivertree Theatres and Home Expo and recently brought Dick#146;s to town. There has been a need for an upscale grocery store and construction is now taking place next to Lowes to fill that need. We will continue to target priority businesses that the community desires to increase revenue. At this time, we are working on trying to bring Nordstrom's to town. Upgrading our Village website to make it more user friendly for shoppers to find retailers will help to increase sales tax revenue. We are also looking at developing a smart phone application to showcase our retailers. Our completion of the 1994 Strategic Plan has warranted us to create a new one which we are now formulating. Construction of a post office, commuter rail station, arbortheater, library, high school, and affordable senior housing (under construction now) have all been accomplished. Creating new goals will increase revenue in the coming years. Continuing to explore shared services with adjacent taxing bodies will be important. We recently integrated the 911 service with Countryside to save money. Continuing to review the budget every 6 months will keep expenditures in check. By offering incentives where needed, aggressively promoting new and existing businesses, creatively finding new sources of income (4 new cell towers in town), and closely monitoring expenditures, we have built up an $18 million strategic reserve with a AAA bond rating and have never gone to referendum on any capital project. Going forward it will be imperative to monitor Springfield and maintain a voice. We hired a government affairs attorney approximately 5 years ago to protect the Village#146;s interest in Springfield. Streamline sales tax was and still is a threat to the Village in losing $2 million a year. By keeping abreast of what is being proposed in Springfield we will protect ourselves and maintain Vernon Hills as a desirable place to live.