May 16, 2011 - Good evening, and welcome to the annual West Chicago State of the City message.

While this has been a stormy year, we have seen it through, and I am delighted to report many areas in which welcome good news can be reported. We have indeed weathered the effects of the worst recession since 1929 and are seeing definite signs of recovery. And if that is not good news enough, we actually realized substantial savings, over $4.3 million, for our customers through creative and strategic financial planning by calling the bonds issued for the construction of the water treatment plant 10.5 years prior to maturity; and we conquered snowmegeddon – the great blizzard of 2011 that dumped more than 20 inches of snow on our neighborhoods!

Topping the list of other noteworthy successes for 2010, a 27% drop in the overall crime rate from 2007 – 2010, with a 17% decrease in violent crime and a 20% decrease in the rate of property crime since 2009, may well be one of the City of West Chicago's greatest accomplishments. As public safety ranks high on quality of life measurement scales, we have much to celebrate.

A citywide culture that prioritizes community relationship-building between residents, businesses and the police department, is credited for the stunning success. Programs like National Night Out, Neighborhood Watch, West Chicago Youth and the Neighborhood Resource Centers, provide a proactive rather than reactive approach that has definitely been key to the City's success. The joint efforts of many have strengthened individual neighborhoods, and the philosophy of 'community policing' which emphasizes open, honest and approachable communication with community members, is working to reduce crime.

City leadership has made public safety a number one priority, evidenced by the addition of 10 – 15 officers to the force since the 1990s, increased manpower on the street in 12-hour shifts, and a realistic approach to crime that acknowledges the issues and deals with them head-on. As a result, there has been a dramatic decrease in the number of gang incidents and graffiti, and we are committed to continuing our efforts in this area.

Also notable are accomplishments in other City departments including Community Development, which strives to safeguard public health and safety through code enforcement, provides planning guidelines as well as long-range community visioning and smart growth through economic development strategies, while protecting and preserving the cultural and historic fabric of the community.

This past year, the department has succeeded in identifying and citing nearly double the number of over-occupancy violations in the last several years. The majority of these violations have been in rental properties where landlords knowingly rent to more people than are allowed by the City Code, thereby jeopardizing the safety of the inhabitants and the quality of life in these neighborhoods. Plus, higher compliance rates are resulting for property maintenance violations through the City's in-house adjudication system, which has become a model for other cities looking for an alternative to having the court system handle such matters.

The City took action through the annexation of approximately 45 areas in town into improve service delivery and maintain equity amongst non-residents who were gaining the benefit of municipal services without paying for them. To encourage residential growth, the City participated in outreach opportunities that connected it to the home-buying public through realtor training workshops, homebuyer fairs and the launch of an ongoing advertising campaign aptly named Sweet Home, West Chicago.

We were awarded an Illinois Arts Friendly Community designation by the Illinois Arts Alliance for our continued support of downtown cultural attractions, and have re-established the community Preservation Awards, which recognize the outstanding work being done by our residents to maintain and preserve the architectural integrity of our community. This year's recipients, Keith Letsche, Sharon and Charles Shelhamer, Frank and Evelyn Canabal and Peter and Barbara Laimins have earned this distinction for amazing restorations of their respective homes on East Washington Street, Arbor Avenue, Claremont Avenue and Highland Avenue.

It should come as no surprise that the prevailing preoccupation for government today is recovery. Sure signs of an improving economy in West Chicago include significant new development projects like McCollister Trucking, US Plywood, Tampico Market, the new Ball Horticultural facility and Educare; a booming downtown TIF district with assessed valuations growing at record pace as compared to back in the 2000s; and business expansions at Jel Sert, Aspen Marketing Services and Clariant. The swift action of the City kept Haggerty Ford in the community through a sales tax sharing agreement which allowed them to take over the Crossroads Chevrolet Buick dealership on Route 38. Haggerty Ford enjoyed outstanding first year's sales figures.

Not only did we celebrate ribbon-cuttings and ground-breakings for exciting new business ventures, we also continued to show our support and appreciation for existing businesses. We acknowledged the accomplishments and contributions of six brilliant businesses in our community through our annual business recognition program. The Jel Sert Company, Casa Rios Bridals, Natural Healing Whole Dog Wellness, Buck Services, Ball Horticultural and We Grow Dreams have been honored for their outstanding corporate citizenship to our community. We honored West Chicago's General Mills in 2010 for their 50th anniversary and look forward to marking 100 years for the West Chicago Printing Company later this summer.

Our endorsement of a shop local program, The 3/50 Project, challenges consumers to pick three businesses in the community they would hate to lose and spend a total of $50 a month in them. The straight-forward approach of The 3/50 Project, which illustrates the collective power of many doing a little, will hopefully gain traction and have a positive impact for our local business community, not just for a day or a week, but as an ongoing lifestyle choice. A vibrant business community is the City's best recruitment tool for further economic development.

The City will begin exploring interest for the Central Main Street redevelopment project with developers later in 2011; and now that most of the land along Washington Street has been acquired, a future government campus that will include a new City Hall, the Park District and the Public Library. This positioning makes the downtown ripe for investment from the small business community. We are also looking forward to working closely with the DuPage Airport Authority and CenterPoint Properties to develop the land once designated for the High Tech Park and an agreement entered into with Menards on North Avenue to fund a traffic signal warrant study should, if accepted by IDOT, make the surrounding area more attractive to potential retailers.

I mentioned snowmegeddon and the impact it had on our community. The response from our Public Works Department was tremendous and deserving of recognition, but that wasn't all that kept it busy this past year. With over $1 million in grant money, the City continued its aggressive street maintenance and resurfacing program.

A request for proposal was distributed for the replacement of all meters in the community, for residential, commercial and industrial customers. This project, funded via a home rule sales tax, should lead not only to more accurate readings, but also to better customer service, as the new system will be able to track usage and alert customers soon after problems are noted, as opposed to when the next bill arrives.

Land was acquired at deeply discounted prices for two future water towers, the first to be constructed within the next 3 - 4 years. The water towers will not only improve pressure and fire flow throughout town, but they will also ensure that our community has an ample water supply under drought or emergency conditions.

The City has taken a lead role in dealing with the Emerald Ash Borer problem. All City properties and rights-of-way have been inventoried, and an arborist has created an action plan to deal with such. The plan includes not only removing the worst infected trees, but also treating those larger, mature trees that can still be saved.

Also, the City is working towards attaining a Quiet Zone along the EJ&E railway. We have submitted the required information to the Federal Railroad Administration, and following the completion of several capital projects that address alternative safety measures like the realignment of S. Aurora Street and the installation of concrete barrier medians at Smith Road and Ann Street, the City should achieve the designation, hopefully in early 2012.

I'd like to take a minute to thank some extremely supportive legislative partners; Representatives Randy Ramey and Michael Fortner, and Senator John Millner, along with U.S. Representative Peter Roskam for their help in making sure that funding was available from the State of Illinois to continue the work of cleaning up the residual thorium in our community. Thanks to their efforts, the project is back on track after Tronox filed bankruptcy last year. All residential properties with residual thorium have been cleaned, with only restoration remaining on three of them.

I've saved the best for last. Our financial picture looks healthy. At a time when taxpayers are being stretched by higher levels of government which threaten to tax cities and counties throughout the state in order to solve its own budget problems, the City of West Chicago saw an opportunity to increase savings to the customer by thinking outside of the box. Rather than jumping on the traditional route of debt refinancing, staff took the time necessary to develop and analyze an alternate approach, which resulted in the retiring of the bond debt for the water treatment plant. This bold and unconventional strategy will provide great benefit in the form of stable water rates over the mid-term.

The 2011 Annual Budget totals approximately $54.4 million, which is a decrease of 6.85% from the previous year. Your City Council has decreased the General Fund Budget for five years straight. Considering the budget included no utility rate increases, no layoffs and no service reductions; and sales tax revenues are starting to increase for the first time in three years, we can afford a cautious measure of confidence for the future.

Communication with all of our stakeholders remains a priority, and this year we launched a Twitter account, a fast and convenient way to stay on top of current news from the City and to supplement our other communication channels. I encourage you to become a follower by clicking the link on our website which takes you to directly to our Twitter account.

There will be a lot to Tweet about in the coming months as the City continues to seek new ways to improve the delivery of service and connectivity to its citizens. I'd like you to know about a special committee we have formed for the planning of a 10th Anniversary Observance of 9/11; one that we hope will educate, touch and inspire all of us, and one that we hope will see everyone involved. Also, the City has recently partnered with other DuPage County leaders to coordinate a special fundraiser at West Chicago's own DuPage Airport on October 1st of this year, that will provide the resources to fly DuPage County World War II veterans to Washington D.C. for a day of honor. I urge everyone to become involved by supporting this worthy event.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank the City Council for providing their support and guidance on the tough issues we faced this year, and for their dedication and genuine concern for the people of this City. I would also like to thank City staff for the monumental job they have done this past year to think creatively, implement effectively, and serve unfailingly. And to the citizens of West Chicago, thank you for your continued encouragement and confidence in our administration.