The News is Good in West Chicago

Mayor Mike Kwasman Delivers Encouraging State of the City Address

West Chicago, Illinois: May 21, 2010 – The message was encouraging, “The City remained busy and productive, even amidst the financial uncertainty that gripped the nation. Confident in its direction, ambitious projects were begun and others successfully completed.” That was the welcome good news conveyed to the business community by West Chicago Mayor Mike Kwasman at the recent State of the City Address.

The meeting, which was well-attended, spoke volumes for the interest and support of the local business leaders who attended the breakfast meeting to learn how the City fared over the past year and to learn the direction in which it was headed.

It was an impressive litany of accomplishments for the municipality, especially considering the global downturn in the economy. Most notable was the fact that West Chicago’s 2010 budget has no tax or utility rate increases and no service reductions. “The budget emphasizes policy and procedure reviews to improve the productivity and effectiveness of service delivery to its citizens. Its overriding goals are to support the high standards set by the community and to provide long-term value at reasonable cost,” reported Mayor Kwasman.

The result of such policy and procedure review has produced the following cost-saving improvements in West Chicago:

The privatization of the operation and maintenance of the wastewater treatment plant saves the City $100,000 annually.
Privatization of the code enforcement function, has served the City well by the number of households caught with over-occupancy violations tripling, and the City experiencing compliance in this area.
Private development engineering review was brought in-house, saving money and reducing the review and permit turn-around time.
Proactive measures resulted in the City of West Chicago gaining a share of $16,000,000 provided through the Federal stimulus package, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for infrastructure projects.
Inter-governmental partnerships resulted in receiving $450,000 from DuPage County in a Community Development Block Grant for transportation-related improvements that will be used for street resurfacing.
Diligent and quick action over the loss of one car dealership, saved another from relocating to another community.

Mayor Kwasman pointed to other City successes, as well; successes that involve quality of life issues like public health and safety, community special events and City communications. For a complete transcript of Mayor Kwasman’s 2010 State of the City Address, visit this page.

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West Chicago is a diverse, family-oriented community with a rich cultural mix and a proud heritage. It is the first Illinois community established by the railroads and continues to be a convenient transportation hub served by three major rail lines, Illinois' third-busiest airport and three state highways. West Chicago offers award-winning schools, a growing industrial park and convenient access to parks, shopping and restaurants. Additional information can be found on the City's website at www.westchicago.org or by calling Rosemary Mackey directly at (630) 293-2200 x 139.

CITY OF WEST CHICAGO 475 Main Street, West Chicago, Illinois 60185 T - (630) 293-2200 www.westchicago.org