Long Grove Village Government

Village Tavern Event

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One of the benefits of having an upcoming election is getting the chance to mix and mingle with residents at campaign events. Last night the Village Tavern hosted a fun and well-attended community night to meet several of the candidates, and ask them questions about the issues the Village faces. It was a great opportunity to meet up with merchants, neighbors, and friends in a casual setting. I am gratified to see so many residents really engaged in the current topics, and the collective desire that I saw last night to all work together towards the common goal of making our Village more vibrant was heartwarming. With Trustee Joe Barry retiring, we are guaranteed to have at least one new face on our Village Board later this Spring. A contested election is always a bit stressful on a community, but what I saw last night was a community really pulling together to empower some positive momentum.

 

Sharing in the Sacrifice

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openpurseIn his inaugural speech on January 12th, Governor Bruce Rauner stated that, “Each person here today and all those throughout the state will be called upon to share in the sacrifice,” in reference to fixing our current state financial woes. On February 18th, we learned of his proposal for Long Grove (as well as every other municipality in Illinois) to share in the sacrifice. This proposal, if passed into the next Illinois budget by both the Senate and House would take effect on July 1st, 2015. And it would cut in half the state income taxes that Springfield hands down to its municipalities. To Long Grove, this means a loss of about $400,000, out of an operating budget of less than $3 million. Long Grove has never charged a property tax, and this state income revenue is our second-largest source of funding, behind only sales tax.

At our Village Board meeting last Tuesday, we discussed this proposal and the effects that it may have on our next fiscal budget, which is set to be approved in April. The Village Board will be adopting a resolution at our next meeting opposing the proposed reduction of distributive revenues by the State of Illinois. I have written letters to Governor Rauner and our state representatives expressing our opposition to this loss of revenue. In Long Grove, we have been forced to make tough decisions to keep our budget balanced every year, and now it seems we are asked to dig a little deeper into the reserves for the sake of the State of Illinois. I hope this is one sacrifice we will not have to make.

BACC Economic Summit

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Barrington Economic Summit
I had the opportunity to speak last week at an event sponsored by the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce. Mayors and Village Presidents representing 8 different towns in the area participated in a breakfast panel to discuss economic development in each of our communities. It is always great when I get to interact with my peers, and even better when I get to hear what they are doing in their municipalities. Since the start of 2015, Long Grove has initiated two additional ways to help our local business community. We have hired a Chicago-area expert in the field of economic development to consult with the Village on an ongoing monthly basis, to work on targeting locations within our borders for new business development. She will also head up an Economic Development Task Force, made up of representatives of the Village Board, Plan Commission, property owners, business owners, residents, and the downtown LGBCP. This committee will meet monthly to brainstorm and share ideas and connections that can help attract and retain the types of businesses, restaurants, and entertainment that will enhance our community. Many of the old buildings on Fountain Square are in the process of being updated, and we at the Village are looking forward to working with the new property owners to get businesses up and running in the renovated spaces.

Our Village Valentines

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Long Grove Village Tea

The Village staff ladies (Margerita, Sherry, and Julie) enjoy a spot of tea with the Village Board ladies (Angie, Lori, and Heidi)

I have always enjoyed St. Valentine’s Day, as it is a good excuse to tell those special people in our lives how much we appreciate them. One group of “sweethearts” to those of us living in Long Grove would be the members of our Village Staff. We are small but mighty here in our community, with only four full-time staff members and one part-time employee to manage our Village of 8,000-plus residents. But what we lack in numbers can be more than made up for by the friendly smiles that will greet you on a visit to Village Hall.

Our small staff means that they sometimes have to be “jack of all trades” and flexible enough to fill in however needed. How many of you could: sell a used truck, fix a furnace on a 150 year old building, help a resident find garage space for a new garbage can, draft a zoning change, approve a building permit, smooth over a merchant’s ruffled feathers, and cheerfully mediate a neighborly dispute over a dead deer, all in a day’s work?

So, on behalf of all Long Grove residents, here’s a Valentine poem for Julie, Sherry, Margerita, Jim and Dave:hearts

In a leafy, green ‘burb of Chicago,
Toils a crack Village Staff; and we all know,
To be pleasant and kind,
And not lose your mind,
Is a skill, and to you we say “Bravo!”

And the next time you’re tempted to call,
A complaint in to our Village Hall,
Be sweet and genteel,
And in turn, you will deal,
With our lovable staff, one and all.

We Are The Champions

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Angie Underwood and State Champions

At Tuesday night’s Village Board meeting I had the pleasure of issuing a proclamation. It read, in part:

WHEREAS, the hard work, dedication, sportsmanship, talent and exceptional team chemistry of the 2014 Adlai E. Stevenson High School Patriots football team has enabled these student athletes to earn a State Championship title; and

WHEREAS, winning the 2014 Class 8A Illinois High School Association State Championship brought honor to Adlai E. Stevenson High School and the Village of Long Grove on the local, state and national level;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Angela Underwood, Village President of Long Grove do hereby recognize and heartily congratulate Adlai E. Stevenson High School and the 2014 State Championship Football Team on its outstanding accomplishment in this 50th year of the school’s history, and

FURTHER, I urge all citizens of Long Grove to join me in recognizing and celebrating the team’s achievement and wish the members of the team continued success.

Nineteen residents of Long Grove are part of this Patriot varsity team.  How wonderful it was to have most of these students in attendance at our Board meeting, along with their parents.  It was an honor to recognize these boys for their hard work and achievements!

To read more about what happened at this Village Board meeting and what is happening in our historic downtown, check out the Daily Herald article and video:

 http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20150211/news/150219808/

 

State of the Village of Long Grove

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Happy New Year!  I hope that your 2015 is off to a great start.  I’d like to take a moment of your time to recap some of the significant things that happened on the Village Board in the past 12 months, and give you a peek ahead to what is on the agenda for Long Grove in the coming year.

GOALS ACHIEVED

Every two years, as new Village officials are elected, the new Board spends a workshop day identifying goals for the months ahead.  2014 saw the realization of several of those goals, and significant work was achieved on many goals that are ongoing.  Goals that were achieved include:  the replacement of street signs throughout the Village, update and expansion of the permitted uses in the downtown historic district, lease of the Village soccer fields, and determining the specifics of a road maintenance funding referendum, which was held this past March.  One goal that is ongoing is to “identify sustainable long-term funding sources for needed infrastructure repair and replacement.”  Following the failure of the referendum, this goal became a high priority.  A series of infrastructure workshops was held over the summer and fall months, with the 4th and final workshop planned for January 20th.  Members of the community were invited to work with the Board of Trustees in exploring funding options aided by the guidance and advice of consultants in the fields of strategic planning, engineering, economic development, and finance.  As an outcome of these workshops, the Board expects to have a consensus on direction with regard to funding our current and future infrastructure needs.  The completion of a long-range Capital Improvement Plan that provides a comprehensive view of the Village’s capital needs is another goal that is ongoing, and has been a topic of this workshop series.

ADDITIONAL 2014 ACTIONS

Several new issues were brought before the Board this year, two of which resulted in large attendance at public hearings and Village Board meetings.  Video Gambling was approved by the Board on a six month temporary basis, and is currently available at four locations in the historic downtown.  The decision on establishing this on a permanent basis will come before the Board this coming April.  Two new Senior Living & Memory Care developments have been approved in the Village, one near the intersection of Routes 53 and 83, another near the intersection of Rt. 53 and Long Grove Road.  Construction is expected to start on both of these projects in the coming months.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2015

On April 7th, you will be asked to participate in the future direction of our Village as three of the Trustee positions will be up for election.  Six candidates are running in the race, and your vote will be important.  Our Village Clerk position is uncontested.

One of the first goals that the Board will be addressing in 2015 is an update of the Comprehensive Plan.  It has been many years since the previous update, and the time has come to take the pulse of the current residents to make sure that our policies and guiding principles accurately reflect those of the majority.  To assist with this, the Village is hiring a professional survey organization to conduct a Village-wide survey this winter.  If you are called to participate, please let us know your opinion.

In the coming year we expect to make progress on the extension of our Village pathway system, finalizing a connection between the south Schaeffer Road path and the Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve.  A decision on the renovation or replacement of our covered bridge will be made, and steps will be taken to get this work underway.  Our Village water system will be extended from the municipal well at Sunset Plaza into the downtown crossroads.  This will bring higher quality water into the shops and restaurants in our historic business district and be an important factor in attracting new development and encouraging improvements to existing properties.  Speaking of new development, many of the properties in the historic downtown have recently come under new ownership, with several more expected in the next few months.  The Board is looking forward to working with these new owners in 2015, as new shops and restaurants are opened.  We will be assisting with efforts to attract new businesses by forming an Economic Development Commission, and will be taking a more active role in outreach.

Many goals are yet to be achieved.  But your Village Board has the willingness to work hard, and with your support much can be accomplished in the year ahead.