Engy Sutherland: 2023 candidate for Elmhurst City Council Ward 1

Bio

Town: Elmhurst

Age on Election Day: 40

Occupation: Senior actuary and managing director

Employer: Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

Previous offices held: Local School Council (LSC) - Norwood Park School

Q&A

Q: What is the most serious issue your community will face in the coming years and how should the city council respond to it?

A: The most serious issue our community will face is preparing for the upcoming recession and mitigating its impact on our city's finances and services without unduly burdening our residents.

From 2008-10, the city withdrew $950k from the working cash fund to alleviate the loss of revenue from the recession. This working cash fund is meant for temporary expenditures that are not accounted for in the budget. It was depleted and later replenished to the maximum level of $1 million over a period of four years.

Going forward, we need to proactively 1.) anticipate where some of our losses of revenue will be 2.) identify what solutions are available to make up that shortfall, and 3.) strengthen any existing safety nets at our disposal.

Something we can do immediately is increase the fund amount above the $1m maximum, given high inflation has significantly increased costs since 2008. We need a robust plan so the city is able to provide the same level of service, if not better, as before.

Q: How would you describe the state of your community's finances?

A: As of 2022, Standard & Poor's rated the city's general obligation bonds with a AAA rating - the highest quality rating S&P provides. The city has a strong ability to meet their financial commitments, which allows them to issue bonds at a low interest rate. These bonds enable the funding of capital improvement projects at a low cost to the city.

The city also restricts the debt to finance only long-lived capital and operating assets - and not day-to-day general operating expenditures, ensuring that our operating expenditures are covered by other non-debt revenue sources.

In addition, the city limits the amount of total debt to equal no more than 5% of the Equalized Assessed Value (EAV) for all taxable property within the city. The current debt-to-EAV ratio for 2023 is expected to be 3%, well under the 5% self-imposed limit. The city has been complying with their policy on long term debt, making the city's finances overall strong and responsible.

Q: What should be the three top priorities for spending in your community during the next four years?

A: Per the 2022 Citizen Survey, more than 77% of Elmhurst residents rated neighborhood street maintenance and repair as a very important service the city provides, yet only 38% are very satisfied with the service.

Street resurfacing and maintenance will need to be a top priority, as this reduces accidents and makes travel to, from, and within Elmhurst safer and more accessible. Communication also needs to be improved. According to the same survey, one-third of residents who have lived in the city for 5 years or less do not hear from the city.

This leads to a lack of awareness of the city's resources or services, events, or changes due to the decisions made in city council. The city needs to reach out not just as a service to the community, but to also increase trust and transparency. Stormwater management is another area of concern as flooding is still an issue in many parts of the city. The future stormwater projects will need to be monitored for their effectiveness and use in the coming years.

Q: Are there areas of spending that need to be curtailed? If so, what are they?

A: Currently the city is operating on a deficit where our budgeted annual expenditures exceed our budgeted revenue. However, a general fund balance reserve will be able to make up the shortfall. If we continue to use our reserves to cover budget shortfalls we will deplete our reserves by 2024. We need to ensure that we have adequate reserves in the general fund balance to be financially stable. Salaries, wages, and employee benefits account for more than 25% of total expenditures.

Hiring and retaining qualified employees is difficult in any industry, and reducing spending in this area would not be advisable without risking the quality of service the city employees provide. However, one way to curtail spending is to wait on replacing employees who leave or retire until we have more clarity on our financial picture.

Q: What do you see as the most important infrastructure project the community must address? Why and how should it be paid for? Conversely, during these uncertain economic times, what project(s) can be put on the back burner?

A: The city's 5-year capital expenditure budget of 2023-2027 identifies $17.3 million of stormwater management projects that are crucial to reduce flooding and damage to residences and businesses over the next 5 years.

Roughly $5 million will be covered by federal grants. The city conducted a stormwater fee survey to see if such a fee could fund the stormwater projects (16 suburban municipalities also charge a stormwater fee). The results of the study are not yet available, but depending on the structure of the fee, this would be a possible avenue to fund stormwater management.

The construction of a new police station can be put on the back burner. In order to fund that project, the city has to raise $23 million by issuing general obligation bonds, and we still need to pay our debt for completed projects. This project has been identified as one that can be delayed.

Q: Describe your experience working in a group setting to determine policy. What is your style in such a setting to reach agreement and manage local government? Explain how you think that will be effective in producing effective actions and decisions with your city council.

A: I sat on the Local School Council as an elected representative, where we were responsible for the annual school budget, the principal hiring and evaluation, and the continuous improvement work plan. Our meetings were subject to the Open Meetings Act, and we were always inclusive and respectful of various viewpoints.

My style, not just on the LSC but also professionally as an actuary, is to rely on data, identify the drivers of shifts and unexpected changes, engage with the community to understand their perspective, and think progressively about the future to avoid making short-term decisions at the expense of the long-term goals. And since we cannot be the experts on everything, my style is also to rely on the experts, as we are merely representing our residents and using our passions and skill set to facilitate governing.

I had a successful 4 years as a member of a governing body through the LSC, and by the nature of my job, I make decisions backed by data - data informs what we do and how we do it.

Q: What makes you the best candidate for the job?

A: I am deeply passionate about creating a community that's inclusive, safe, full of diversity, and accessible to everyone at every stage of their life. I would be the first millennial, first woman of color, and first professional actuary to join Elmhurst City Council. I'm a data-driven, financially astute, and highly engaged member of the community that enjoys problem solving.

So much information about our city government never makes it to the general public, and this wealth of knowledge needs to be distributed back to the community. While this information can be difficult to understand, I have had a career of explaining complex and technical topics to a non-technical audience in a meaningful way. With this, I will bring a fresh perspective and new energy to our local government that would make Elmhurst one of the best cities to live, work, study, and enjoy.

Q: What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?

A: Backyard chickens! They are a cute, sustainable, and ethical (when done correctly) way to access low cost eggs, especially as the price of eggs has increased astronomically due to the Avian Flu of 2022. Traditionally, the city of Elmhurst has resisted the backyard chickens conversation, but during these uncertain economic times, we need to reconsider allowing residents to raise chickens in their own backyard.