THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2008
Ax Property Tax Increase? Nah...
By CRAIG ADAMS
Journal Reporter
A Park Ridge alderman made the unusual suggestion of eliminating a property tax increase while keeping a balanced budget, but fellow city council members rejected the idea.
"Eliminate the property tax levy," said Ald. Frank Wsol (7th), as one of a series of suggestions at a special Finance Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday, Apr. 14. He explained by making a few significant changes, the city could save its taxpayers money. "It's the taxpayers' money," he said. Wsol referred to the recent tax increase from the school referendum and asked the council, "Where the hell is our courage?"
Wsol suggested selling property the city owns on Courtland Avenue, keeping Acting Police Chief Thomas Swoboda in that position for a year to eliminate the salary of a deputy police chief, and removing a salary study and the Vision 2025 study from this year's plan. He explained those actions would allow the city to still spend $100,000 on street resurfacing, work on the air quality problem at the Public Works service center, and create a $15,000 bonus pool for exempt city employees. "I think we can do that and we can be courageous. For once, the city government is going to do what we said; we're going to be smaller." He added the council recently voted to increase the water tax and the sewer tax and eliminating the property tax increase would benefit the residents.
"It will benefit every business owner in this town, too," Wsol concluded.
Ald Don Bach (3rd) agreed with Wsol's idea.
"I concur wholeheartedly with what Ald. Wsol just said," Bach stated. "I think everything he just said aligns us up with what we need to do."
However, Finance Director Diane Lembesis was not supportive.
"I don't like eliminating the property tax levy," she said. She explained the levy is the city's surest levy while the sale of property depends on finding a buyer. "Property tax is the only one I can guarantee. Fine, sell the house, but why do you take away my levy?" she asked the council.
Ald. Rich DiPietro (2nd) joined Lembesis.
"I don't think we should not pass that property tax increase. We should do that because it might take a year to sell that property," he said. He also questioned keeping Swoboda on for a year, saying that should be the decision of the new city manager.
Ald. Robert Ryan (5th) disagreed with removing the Vision 2025 study characterizing it as "the most important part of our budget." Ryan said, "Planning dollars are cheap dollars. It allows us to get organized. I really don't think we can afford to be short-sighted."
DiPietro called for a consensus on Wsol's idea that was supported by Wsol, Bach, and Ald. David Schmidt (1st). He then went through each suggestion separately.
To not increase the tax levy, Schmidt, Bach, and Wsol supported that idea while the other four did not. To sell the Courtland property, all supported that idea except Ryan. To keep Swoboda in place for one year was rejected by the same votes as the tax levy. An alternate proposal to keep him in place for six months also lost; Schmidt, Bach, and Ald. Thomas Carey (6th) voted for that idea; DiPietro, Ald. James Allegretti (4th), and Ryan voted against, and Wsol abstained.
The council members were unanimous in their consensus to remove the salary study and to move that money to alleviating the air quality concerns at the service center. However, only Schmidt and Wsol agreed to remove the Vision 2025 study.
DiPietro also called for a vote on Schmidt's suggestion to televise city council meetings. Schmidt and DiPietro were the only two affirmative votes for that issue.
The council discussed other ways to save or raise money. In light of the imminent closure of Napleton Cadillac, Lembesis suggested reducing funding to the motor equipment and computer replacement funds to save the $200,000 in sales tax the city expected from the dealership. She also hopes a recalculation of employee medical, dental, and life insurance expense could generate $75,000, enough for the police office if the council chooses the firm of Ekl Williams at the next meeting.
"I can only estimate at this point," Lembesis said. "I should get the $75,000 out of it." She added the council could still select a higher-priced firm.
"We can always have something cost more than what we originally budgeted," she explained.