Story posted Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Bring Back City Treasurer?
Officials Weigh Idea Of Adding Comptroller Position
By CRAIG ADAMS Journal & Topics Reporter
Park Ridge's last city treasurer spoke at the Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday, Feb. 22 as aldermen discussed resurrecting that position and other budget policy changes.
"I would recommend instead of a city treasurer, you have a city comptroller," said Carl Brauweiler, who retired from the position in 2005. "You should have a comptroller though that has oversight... checking on and developing and implementing internal controls." Currently, city code provides that the city manager function as the comptroller, Brauweiler said. "The city manager is one of the persons the comptroller should be checking on."
The city eliminated the elected position when Brauweiler retired, but left the option for someone to be appointed to the post. City Clerk Betty Henneman recalled the process as political.
She said the council made the change in December, just as candidates were about to file to run in the next election. "It was done very quickly, done very quietly, and was not transparent at all," she said. She refuted statements that no one else of Brauweiler's ability was ready to run.
"There were other people who wanted to run for the office, but they were cut off at the knees by this process," Henneman said.
Aldermen discussed the possibilities of a referendum to gauge residents' desire for another elected official, the hiring of a professional when it needs assistance, and creating a separate financial task force similar to what is used by School Dist. 64.
Committee members also examined a proposed change to the Practices, Procedures, and Policy Manual. Staff created a draft policy calling for the submission of a proposed budget by the first Committee of the Whole meeting in February that must be balanced with revenues matching expenditures.
Park Ridge Mayor Dave Schmidt disagreed with the deadline.
"I asked for Feb. 1," he said. Schmidt also stated he wanted the change to city ordinance, not to the policy book.
Ald. Don Bach (3d) was unhappy that the policy did not address zero-based budgeting. He called for performing the exercise on at least one department budget each year.
Ald. James Allegretti (4th) complained the policy does not include a base level of city services any budget must contain.
"I think this needs a whole lot of work," Schmidt said.
Speak Out!
Comments are edited first by Journal staff before running in print and appearing online.