Jerald Bartels: Candidate Profile

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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:BioQA Bio City: East DundeeWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: East Dundee Village Board Age: 46Family: Married to my wife Laura for more than 23 years. We have three children. Elizabeth and Christopher are currently in college and Kimberly is a senior at Dundee Crown high school.Occupation: Sales Technical Enablement ManagerEducation: Bachelors degree in Computer Science.Civic involvement: Worship Aide at Immanuel Lutheran ChurchElected offices held: Village Trustee East Dundee - 2001-2005 Village President East Dundee - 2005-2007 2009-2013Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I am the fourth generation of my family to call East Dundee home. Like my grandfather William Bartels, I have had the privilege of serving East Dundee as both a Village Trustee and Village President. In total, I have four years of experience as East Dundee Village Trustee and six years of experience as East Dundee Village President. Additionally, I also have more than twenty five years of experience in technology and municipal engineering projects. During my tenure with the village, I worked collectively with the village board and village staff to accomplish some very important things. These include: 1.Improving the village's water supply as well as our water quality. 2.Annexing additional commercial properties along Route 25 to improve our tax base. 3.Creating enterprise zones to encourage investment in our community. 4.Improving our infrastructure in the way of streets and utility improvements. 5.Planning for remodeled village hall and police facility. 6.Maintaining a fiscally responsible and common sense approach to village spending. I also have a record of working with our surrounding communities to share equipment, resources and mutual interests. Having said this, I have also stood up to our neighbors when their interests and actions would negatively impact our community. I believe I am the best candidate for Village Trustee because I have the experience, I understand the issues and I have a proven track record of delivering results.What is your opinion of your community's present level of local sales and property taxes? Is the tax just right, too low or too high? Explain.The lifeblood of a community is the revenue it generates from sales tax. All dollars collected by East Dundee through sales tax helps to pay for services that would otherwise be paid for directly by the residents through property taxes or other fees. For example, East Dundee uses sales tax revenue to pay for trash collection rather than passing the cost on to the residents. In short, sales tax collection ensures that residents as well as non-residents contribute to the payment of municipal services in East Dundee. Our current collective sales tax is 8.5% which is consistent with our neighbors in West Dundee. Carpentersville and Hoffman Estates are higher at 9% and Elgin is slightly lower at 8.25%. Knowing this, I believe our present level of sales tax allows East Dundee businesses to remain competitive. As a result, I would say our current sales tax rate is correct.Rate the efficiency of your town's police and fire coverage. Are the departments well prepared for the next decade? What, if anything, should be changed? Do you have specific public safety concerns?The Village of East Dundee funds and operates its own police department. When it comes to fire protection the village is serviced by the East Dundee Fire District. As a result, police service is controlled by the Village of East Dundee and fire service is not. Having said this, I believe the efficiency of the police and fire coverage is very good. The East Dundee Fire District recently opened their new facility on Route 25. As a result, they are more centrally located in the total area they serve and have improved their response times. While the Village of East Dundee does not control the Fire District, as Village President, I along with the Village Board worked with the Fire District to help make this new facility a reality. In 2012, we worked with the Fire District to secure property for their new fire station. As a result of the referendum to build this facility and the completion of its construction, the village is presently converting the old fire station into a new police facility. (As well as renovating the village hall) Knowing this, I believe that both the police and fire services are well positioned for the next decade. While I do not currently have specific public safety concerns, I am concerned about village's increased spending as it relates to police services. In the past two years, the village seems to have moved away from cost controlling measures which were previously in place.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?The East Dundee budget is something that can and absolutely should be trimmed. Over the past two years, the village has been on a spending spree. From purchasing new equipment to hiring more full time staff to increasing budget items by record amounts, the village is currently on a path that is not sustainable for the long term. For example, in the past two years, the village increased its spending on community events and marketing from $15,000 to approx. $350,000. That alone is a change of more than 2300%. To put this in perspective, the spending from the village's general fund on community events and marketing is now almost half of what the village receives in sales tax revenue from Walmart. To control operating and maintenance expenses, the village used to exhaust all options before purchasing new equipment. Since 2013, the village now seems to purchase new equipment whenever opportunity presents itself. The largest strain on the Village's budget is village staff and their benefits. As a result, the village used to control expenses by employing part-time rather than full-time staff. Over the past two years, the village has returned to employing full-time employees as well as creating new full-time positions. The village's current spending requires a large income stream from TIF, sales tax and other fees to sustain its existing rate of growth which should concern all residents. I do believe the village should grow, I just believe that it should be at a more responsible rate.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?When the economy went into a downturn several years ago, unfortunately a number of houses went into foreclosure. As a result, many homes still sit vacant and many more have been purchased as an investment and converted to rental property. Because these investors do not necessarily live in our community, there are concerns that these folks are not necessarily aware of our codes and ordinances. In short, there is a fear that rental properties have a high potential to fall into disrepair. To address this issue, I would like to see East Dundee implement a rental licensing program similar to what exists in Carpentersville. Essentially, a residential rental property would be registered with the village. In doing so, the village can ensure rental units comply with all building codes, ordinances and minimum standards for occupancy. In addition, investor's contact information would be immediately available in the event property maintenance issues became a problem.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?First, after I left office in 2013, one of the first things the village board did was limit the ability for the public's ability to speak at board meetings. Today, when addressing village leaders, the public is limited to no more than 5 minutes. If your issue is something that is not listed on the agenda, you must wait until the end of the meeting. Second, the village showed little leadership last July when a resident was murdered in their home. When the community desperately wanted information about what was going on, village leaders were absent. The village has a number of communication tools at its disposal. It is disappointing that none of them were proactively deployed to help keep the community informed. Finally, the village continues to diversify its sources of revenue. While this is a wise effort, not all sources of revenue are the equal. Recently, the village paved the way for a medical marihuana dispensary in town. It required the village to change the proposed property's zoning. It's true the proposed site meets the technical requirements but it is still next to a bike path, residential area and very close to a church and school. While medical marihuana may be a diverse and great source of revenue, it is sad the village did not find a more appropriate location. I'm concerned that its proposed location will come at a price to the community that will far outweigh any benefits. Just look at what's happening in Colorado.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Barry Faga - Immanuel Lutheran School He is a person that has dedicated his life in service to the children and families of our community.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Homework is always easier when you do it as soon as you get home from school.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Spend more time appreciating the important things in life.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Computer programing because it helped me to develop organizational and problem solving skills.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?When choosing between what is right and what is easy, always go with what is right.