Committte of the Whole 2/1

I attended the Committee of the Whole Meeting to discuss Annual Perm Improvement Budget Appropriations, and here's what I saw.

First agenda topic, unrelated to Approp was a change to the Medical Pool we entered in in 2010. I support the change to make the entry and exit of communities more equitable. Costs are higher than I'd like, but there is reason to believe they will come down to more modest levels and this is already occurring.

Maintenance Needs. I support replacing the final severely rusted (pre garage) pickup truck. I think we need to get into the habit of a 10 year outlook on these charges. Then we have fewer, maybe no surprises. Dumptruck in yr 1, ATV yr 2, pickup truck yr 3, etc. I pushed to get an additional $17K for trees above and beyond the $23 set aside for Ash removal, however it's not included in the minutes. I will followup at the next Council meeting.

Police. I support a new car this year. I would like to see us get into a 5 year rotation for Cruisers, since the liability becomes an issue at 6-7 years. I would also like us to take a hard look at how many cruisers we need. Can we share the tahoe w Fire and go down 1-2 vehicles? Can we make that Tahoe a hybrid when its time for replacement? Instead of the ideal 4 marked and 2 unmarked, since we have no more than 2 officers patrolling at any one time (I think this is correct), can we get by with 3-4 cars + shared Tahoe (all marked)?

Fire. I support working through the turnout gear in annual chunks. While we received confirmation that we have the right number on the roster, it still feels like a lot of turnout gear. I don't have the understanding of those on Safety, but I wonder about more sharing of equip, and/or fewer on the part time roster.

Tax. I think it's premature to allocate money for the software until we learn more about it. But, conceptually, it's a great idea. And I would like to see more streamlining and automation for the annual tax process. Ideally a process that mirrors TurboTax (that is cost net-net neutral for the Village to operate)would be fantastic.

Pool. Hot Dog machine will probably pay for itself, so it's a yes for me.

Improvements to the Municipal Bldg. Windows are overdue and I support them. I think making this building more energy efficient is a worthy investment since lower fuel bills will save in the general fund. I do not and support any addition to the Muni building with the exception of a modest footprint for an elevator (ADA access). We have wasted space in old Mayor's Court that could be great space with the addition of big window wells for light & egress. Our document storage is inefficient as well. We should get it out via cheap fireproof storage offsite or digitally scan and discard. We should eliminate the dedicated Mayor's office and instead have a soundproof conference room for Tax, Mayor, Interrogation etc for confidential conversations. The days of dedicated offices are gone in many Corporations, let's reapply. I know there are difficulties in both Fire and Police, and I can't say I fully understand them. But we have to wring out inefficiencies like the above first. Our roster of Village Employees keeps going down, yet we need more space? At a macro level, it doesn't line up for me.

Using savings for the Municipal Bldg. I support drawing down this savings account to a balance for around $250K since there is no need for an addition. I do support continuing saving for the new fire truck - agree this is the right way to be ready or at least more ready for big expenses that happen infrequently.

Cortney