Commissioner Myths, Facts and Roads
First off I must apologize, when I created this blog my intention was to post regularly about what I’ve learned about my duties as Commissioner of Public Works, Township Trustee, and being on the board of the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO). Best laid plans, and so on
To begin, let me say that some of my answers will probably disappoint some people and not satisfy others, but I will be as factual and correct as I am able. I am going to paraphrase the topic rather than taking a direct quote or attributing it to a specific person.
Roads and Alleys. I have seen a lot of comments about the condition of the roads and alleys.
As Commissioner of Public Works and Engineering, this is the issue that I am closest to, and it’s the one where my answers are probably going to disappoint many of you.
On my first visit to the Public Works facility, Ray Roberts handed me a binder with copy of a 2013 report on pavement conditions in the City of Zion.
Spoiler Alert, it’s not a feel good story.
According to the Zion Pavement Analysis completed in December of 2013 by Bollinger, Lach & Associates, Inc. The top recommendation was that in order to maintain an average pavement condition index of 57 (borderline fair) would require an investment of $2.77 million a year over 7 years (starting in 2014). Unfortunately, Zion’s resources haven’t been able to meet that target.
Public Works has operated under tight budgets for several years, stretching every dollar by obtaining Community Block Development Grants, and FAU (Federal Aid Urban) matching funds for road projects in Zion. The Lorelei repavement completed last year, is an example of a FAU matching funds project. Also last year we were able to take advantage of closing out the downtown Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District to repave some streets and complete sidewalk enhancements.
At the May 1st City Council meeting, the bid for the 2018 Street Program was approved in the amount of $535, 654.26. That is about 19% of what was recommended in the 2013 pavement analysis.
The bottom line is that we are very aware of the condition of our streets and alleys, and we are doing what we can while working within our budget.
I hope this post helped clear up some questions, and if there is anything related to the City or Township that you want to talk about, please feel free to contact me at christopherf@zion.il.us and I also invite you to like and follow my Commissioner Fischer Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/cityofzioncfischer/ where I post public works information and other items of interest.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Realizing that I had let this fall by the wayside, I have been working on an annual review to coincide with the completion of my first year in office. However, as I have been following comments on local Facebook community sites such as We Love Zion, and Zion Community Forum I feel that there is a need to dispel some common misconceptions that are being passed around.
To begin, let me say that some of my answers will probably disappoint some people and not satisfy others, but I will be as factual and correct as I am able. I am going to paraphrase the topic rather than taking a direct quote or attributing it to a specific person.
Claim: Taxpayers are funding two pensions for Commissioners / Trustees.
Fact: Commissioners / Trustees do not qualify for IMRF (Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund) as the positions do not meet the minimum work hours requirement. Now, that may have been different in the past, but the only benefit that I was offered upon taking office was a $50,000 Term Life Policy, which I did not sign up for anyway.
Claim: Public Comments at the City Council meetings are cut short and the questions have to be submitted in advance.
Fact: Public Comments are open to as many people who want to speak at the meeting. The only requirements are that you have to sign in on the speakers sheet at the door, and comments are limited to three minutes, officially. But, if the topic is of particular importance, or requires some discussion between the speaker and the council members the time limit is usually dispensed with. I’ve attended almost every Council meeting since about 2011, and the only times a speaker has been cut off, is when they have become repetitive, hostile or disruptive to the order of the meeting.
Claim: Closed Sessions are longer than the Public Meeting, and that’s where the real decisions are made.
Claim: Public Comments at the City Council meetings are cut short and the questions have to be submitted in advance.
Fact: Public Comments are open to as many people who want to speak at the meeting. The only requirements are that you have to sign in on the speakers sheet at the door, and comments are limited to three minutes, officially. But, if the topic is of particular importance, or requires some discussion between the speaker and the council members the time limit is usually dispensed with. I’ve attended almost every Council meeting since about 2011, and the only times a speaker has been cut off, is when they have become repetitive, hostile or disruptive to the order of the meeting.
Claim: Closed Sessions are longer than the Public Meeting, and that’s where the real decisions are made.
Fact: Under the Open Meetings Act, closed sessions can only be held for specific purposes, like discussing pending litigation, or personnel issues where privacy is a concern. And the time for those sessions will vary depending on what is being discussed. Reviewing the language in the union contracts recently took a good hour and a half.
But hey, it’s a closed meeting right? Sounds pretty sinister, doesn’t it? The truth is, it’s pretty mundane stuff, and after a year of these meetings if there really was anything shady going on I would have been in the Attorney General’s office in a heartbeat.
But hey, it’s a closed meeting right? Sounds pretty sinister, doesn’t it? The truth is, it’s pretty mundane stuff, and after a year of these meetings if there really was anything shady going on I would have been in the Attorney General’s office in a heartbeat.
A couple of days before meeting dates, I post the text of the Meeting Agenda on my Facebook page, and if you look at the last section where it indicates a Closed Session, there is a general description of the topic to be discussed. Oh, and that’s the other part of the Open Meetings Act; the Council cannot take action while in Closed Session, any votes regarding a closed session item must be placed on the Public Meeting Agenda and voted on in the Public Meeting.
Roads and Alleys. I have seen a lot of comments about the condition of the roads and alleys.
As Commissioner of Public Works and Engineering, this is the issue that I am closest to, and it’s the one where my answers are probably going to disappoint many of you.
On my first visit to the Public Works facility, Ray Roberts handed me a binder with copy of a 2013 report on pavement conditions in the City of Zion.
Spoiler Alert, it’s not a feel good story.
According to the Zion Pavement Analysis completed in December of 2013 by Bollinger, Lach & Associates, Inc. The top recommendation was that in order to maintain an average pavement condition index of 57 (borderline fair) would require an investment of $2.77 million a year over 7 years (starting in 2014). Unfortunately, Zion’s resources haven’t been able to meet that target.
Public Works has operated under tight budgets for several years, stretching every dollar by obtaining Community Block Development Grants, and FAU (Federal Aid Urban) matching funds for road projects in Zion. The Lorelei repavement completed last year, is an example of a FAU matching funds project. Also last year we were able to take advantage of closing out the downtown Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District to repave some streets and complete sidewalk enhancements.
At the May 1st City Council meeting, the bid for the 2018 Street Program was approved in the amount of $535, 654.26. That is about 19% of what was recommended in the 2013 pavement analysis.
The bottom line is that we are very aware of the condition of our streets and alleys, and we are doing what we can while working within our budget.
I hope this post helped clear up some questions, and if there is anything related to the City or Township that you want to talk about, please feel free to contact me at christopherf@zion.il.us and I also invite you to like and follow my Commissioner Fischer Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/cityofzioncfischer/ where I post public works information and other items of interest.
I look forward to hearing from you.
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