City of Sandwich Committee of the Whole met Feb. 8.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
In the absence of Mayor Robinson, City Clerk Ii called the Special Committee-of-the-Whole Council Meeting to order at 8:00 AM
Roll call was taken:
Present: City Clerk Ii, Aldermen Chmielewski, Dell, Kelleher, Killey & Kreinbrink
Also present: Department of Public Works / City Engineer Horak, Chief Bianchi & EMA Director Ciciora
Absent: Mayor Robinson; Aldermen Redden & Surratt
Clerk Ii requested a motion to appoint a Mayor Pro Tem for the remainder of the meeting. Alderman Kelleher moved to appoint Alderman Dell, and motion was seconded by Alderwoman Killey. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote
Continued Discussion on the 2020-2021 Budget: Wes Levy, from Lauterbach & Amen, presented a draft budget for review. He noted that he used last year’s numbers for Admin, Tourism, Water & Sewer because worksheets had not been submitted to him yet. He explained that the City average spending is $700,000.00 more annually than what is received in revenue reflecting a continued downward spiral in reserves. Wes will be at City Hall on Wednesday, February 12th, to assist Engineer Horak and City Clerk Ii with their respective departmental budgets. Concern was raised about the loss of Gjovik Ford’s tax revenue of approximately $250,000.00 annually. It was surmised that Gjovik will be relocating early fall, 2020.
Discouraged by the proposed budget, discussion turned to financing the new public safety building located at 1251 E. 6th Street. The estimated cost is $3.2 million. Wes Levy said there are several creative ways to handle the financing for the project such as a 20-year bond of interest only payments with a balloon payment or finance a $3 million 20-year loan at 3.9% with an annual payment of approximately $220,000.00. Council acknowledged that revenue will need to be generated without raising real estate taxes.
Alderwoman Killey, liaison to the Opera House, said the bathrooms need maintenance. The bathrooms have not been upgraded since the 1980’s. Clerk Ii reminded the Council that last year she was advised that 2 furnaces and an air conditioner needed replacement. Those items were not budgeted, and the City was forced to replace a furnace last month. HVAC contractor has advised that additional furnaces and air conditioners need replacement. Emphasis was placed on prioritizing projects.
The next Special COW Meeting to discuss budgets matters will be Wednesday, February 26th at 1:00 PM.
Audience Comments: WSPY news correspondent, Jim Wyman, asked if the City was collecting tax on utilities, such as electric and gas. He also asked the cost to renovate the bathrooms in the Opera House.
Adjournment: Motion made by Alderwoman Chmielewski and seconded by Alderman Kreinbrink to adjourn the Special Committee-of-the-Whole Council meeting at 10:00 AM. Motion carried unanimously by viva voce vote.
http://www.sandwich.il.us/MINUTES/bud020820.pdf
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