Des Plaines Mayor Arredia addresses chamber for last time

Des Plaines Mayor Anthony Arredia presented his final "State of the City" address to members of the Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce Thursday at the annual Mayor's Breakfast.

Arredia has annually addressed the city's businesspeople since he took office in 1999 to keep them apprised of the city's financial situation and ongoing projects with regard to flood control and economic development. He will leave office in April thanks to term limits.

He outlined how the economic problems of the country have hit home. The fact that lending institutions are now requiring 40 percent equity positions for developers in their large commercial projects instead of the 10 percent that had previously been required caused several major projects, like the Marriott Hotel on Mannheim Road, to stall.

And he showed how prices on necessary city supplies have increased Road salt, for instance, cost $35 per ton in 2000. Today it is $135 per ton. Asphalt was $42 per ton in 2000. Today it is $76 per ton.

Through manpower and other painful budget cuts amounting to $7.4 million for the current year, "Des Plaines has been able to maintain its reputation as one of the lowest property-taxed communities in the Northwest suburbs," Arredia said, praising aldermen for having "the foresight and courage to vote on what was necessary instead of what was popular during this severe economy."

He also reviewed the city's five tax increment financing districts, created to provide financial incentives for redevelopment. They are responsible for bringing to the city such new businesses as Feldco Windows and Doors, Yusen Global Logistics and Nippon, he said.

"Relaxing our aggressive development position would be a mistake," he stressed. "We can't afford to drift back to what was once an unassuming city."

The Big Bend Lake project, the next part of Des Plaines flood control work which began with Levee 50, will begin this year, he said. Once that project is complete, it will be the city's responsibility to expand its sewer capacity to end Des Plaines' vulnerability to floodwaters.

"That must stay a high priority for the next administration," Arredia stated.

Finally, he touched upon the casino license recently awarded to the city.

"This will be a lucrative revenue base for the city once the casino is open," he said. "But it is also true that we can't view casino revenue as the city's entire financial base. We need to continue to pursue other economic development opportunities."