Thomas Price: 2023 candidate for West Dundee Village Board

Bio

Town: West Dundee

Age on Election Day: 62

Occupation: Civil engineer

Employer: Environmental Consulting & Technology, Inc.

Previous offices held: West Dundee Village Trustee since 2019

Q&A

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

A: Although there are many areas for our community that are important, one of the most pressing issues is Spring Hill Mall. The mall continues to decline in sales and occupancy and we as a board recognize the need to be proactive.

We developed a vision plan that includes a mix of residential and various commercial uses. We are also in the process of analyzing the financials surrounding the mall including costs to update infrastructure, market conditions affecting the mall, and understanding the various agreements governing the mall.

As discussed further below, we are also working with Carpentersville to agree on goals for the mall property and potential incentives for redevelopment.

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

A: Even through COVID, we were able to maintain balanced budgets while maintaining services. This was partially due to state and federal government support that all communities received but also because we entered into the pandemic on very solid financial footing and diverse revenue sources.

Because of this, we were also in a position to help many of our local businesses weather the storm and survive the last several years. Due to constant vigilance, the village's budget is in very good condition. We have constantly right-sized our staffing levels to ensure the right level of support and avoided layoffs during lean times by avoiding overstaffing in prosperous times.

We have also been cognizant of the need to diversify our revenue base. This has kept our budgets in the black and kept our taxes relatively low even as revenues from the mall decline. Our residents continue to enjoy one of the lowest costs of residency of the surrounding communities when all costs and fees are considered.

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

A: Maintenance of public infrastructure: It is important to continuously maintain our street and utility infrastructure to preserve reliability and control long term costs. It is more cost effective to provide continuous maintenance than to let infrastructure decline.

Economic development: Our local businesses are an important component of our Village from both a budget diversity standpoint and quality of life. Residents from West Dundee and surrounding communities enjoy frequenting our local businesses. Thus, it is important to maintain the community's historic assets and provide incentives that make West Dundee an attractive place to start and maintain business.

Maintenance/replacement of aging assets: A number of our fire and police apparatus are approaching more than 20 years old and in need of replacement. Our police and fire do a great job of maintaining our fleet. However, at some point, the cost of maintenance begins to exceed the value of the vehicles.

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

A: We have maintained a solid and stable budget through continuous control of spending. Thus, I don't believe there are any areas of inappropriate or excessive spending at this time.

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: As mentioned previously, the village is on solid financial footing and we have long term budgets for infrastructure spending that prioritize projects into long- and short-term needs based on condition and age.

We have an annual budget for street, utility, and fleet infrastructure that we have found allows us to cycle through our maintenance needs on a sustainable cycle. We have many sources of revenue including property taxes, sales tax, and modest user taxes (utilities, food and beverage, etc.).

More recently, we created a TIF along the Route 31 and 72 corridors that is helping to fund additional capital projects such as downtown improvements. We do not place ongoing maintenance needs on the back burner but capital projects that improve quality of life but may not be essential to service delivery are scheduled over time.

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 village board.

A: As a current village trustee, this is a significant portion of my role. I am also our board's liaison to the village's planning and zoning commission.

In an earlier part of my professional career, I worked for the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning where I worked with local governments to provide technical assistance and provide support as they developed standards and policies.

I believe in a collaborative approach to decision-making, considering all sides to an issue. Precedent and consistency are also very important to me. I believe that we need to consider past decisions and the implications of new or changed policy.

I initiated recent meetings with the Village of Carpentersville to collaborate on areas of common interest, including Spring Hill Mall. I believe that my fellow board members as well as others view me as being levelheaded, knowledgeable, and fair in my ideas for policies and problem solving.

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

A: I don't know if I am the best candidate for the position but I do believe I bring a unique set of skills and perspectives to the board. As a civil and water resources engineer, I have a good technical understanding of what is necessary to maintain our public infrastructure and a good understanding of the development process from the developer's perspective.

As a former small business owner, I understand the impact of local rules, regulations, and support systems on attracting business to the community. I also understand that it is essential that we maintain our infrastructure and continue to invest in our downtown to attract and retain residents and businesses to our wonderful community. I have focused my professional career on environmental protection and sustainable design and will continue to interject that perspective into village decisions and operations.

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

A: As a sitting trustee, I would not be doing my job if I kept good ideas to myself. ;-) These are not necessarily new ideas but I would like to see Spring Hill Mall reinvented similar to what is articulated in our Inspirational Framework.

The plan envisions the mall property as a mixed use area composed of residential, commercial, office, and other mutually supportive uses that would be good for existing residents and businesses, future residents that may occupy the space, and attractive to developers from an implementation standpoint.