New and Reduced Property Tax Hike Proposal Is 10.5 Percent

By Mary Helt Gavin

It was business time at the Feb. 2 and Feb. 4 budget workshops. At the Jan. 26 budget workshop, Council members appeared stymied at both the City Manager's proposed 15.15-percent hike in the City's portion of the property tax and some of the cuts she proposed to reduce that increase. By the end of the Feb. 4 workshop, aldermen had approved several revenue enhancements that brought that proposed increase to 10.5 percent.

The City takes about 20 percent of the property tax bill. City figures show that the increase would amount to an additional 57¢ per day on a $10,000 property tax bill.

Although operating expenses have been pared to about a 4-percent increase, liabilities to the firefighters' and police pension funds - estimated to be about $140 million - are responsible for the large proposed jump in the property tax.

So far Council members appear to be about half-way through a three-part task in hammering out a budget for 2008-09: 1) considering the proposals in the tentative budget; 2) selecting from among additional cuts and revenue enhancements the City Manager proposed in a series of options presented on Jan. 26; and 3) finding a long-term way to address the City's liability to the police and firefighters' pension funds. Another budget workshop is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Feb. 9. The City must approve a balanced budget by March 1, the beginning of its next fiscal year.

The Tentative Budget
Aldermen appear to be willing to cut few programs and services beyond those in the City Manager's original budget. Most of the reductions in the proposed increase in property taxes has come from revising revenue projections upward and adding or increasing taxes or fees. Tentatively approved steps include the following:
• Revising projected revenues upward by more than $500,00
• New landlord licensing fee ($40 per unit): $560,000
• New prepared-food and non-alcoholic beverage tax (1 percent): $800,000
• Increase in refuse and recycling pickup fees to cover basic City costs: $423,000
• Increase in motor fuel tax (1¢ per gallon): $137,000

Options on the Table
At the Jan. 26 budget workshop, City Manager Julia Carroll presented four options - combinations of new revenue enhancements and cuts in programs and services to bring down the proposed property tax hike. "We need direction from you," Ms. Carroll told the Council members. "What is preferable - having a single-digit property tax increase or retaining all the programs and services the City normally has?" Either choice, she reminded the Council, would require revenue enhancements. Aldermen appear to be dodging that question, as their efforts to bring down the proposed tax hike and balance the budget

D65 Middle Schools Hold Mock Primary

By Joe Linstroth

As voters in Illinois and 21 other states hit the polls yesterday to help choose the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees, middle school students from five District 65 schools wrapped up their own primary elections.

While the final vote tally from the sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students will not count toward the official nomination, of course, the process should go a long way toward preparing them for future elections, when their votes will count.

"The hope is the students get the importance of having the right to vote and of the democratic process," said Sharon Leggett, an eighth-grade teacher at Chute Middle School.

The middle school election process was designed to mirror, as closely as possible, the one used in Cook County. Last month, the students registered to vote during their lunch periods; they were required to present their student identification numbers as well as their assignment notebooks or physical education uniforms as proof of "citizenship."

"The goal was to not make it easy," said Erin Murphy, a teacher at Nichols Middle School and the curriculum coordinator for middle school social studies. The ballots were virtually the same as the ones used in Cook County, she said, with the parties and the candidates' names in the same order.

The number of delegates for each school was based on student population and ranged from two delegates for Bessie Rhodes Magnet School to 13 for Haven Middle School. Delegates were awarded to the Republican, Democratic and Green Party candidates who received the most votes in each school. A minimum of 22 delegates was needed to earn the District 65 nominations.

"It is exciting to do something in all five middle schools," said Ms. Murphy.

She said the plan is to hold party conventions in April, with assistance from the League of Women Voters, and a District-wide general election next fall that may include students from the elementary schools.

The final results were incomplete when this article went to press, but the early reports show the students overwhelmingly favored the Democratic Party and Senator Barack Obama.

More significant than party affiliations, however, is the number of students who actively participated in the democratic process. Chute reported 54 percent of its students had registered to vote, and 264 cast ballots. Ms. Murphy said most of her Nichols students were enthusiastic about the process, asking questions such as why the Democratic delegates from Florida and Michigan might be excluded. She said some parents expressed amazement that their children were watching CNN.

Even if her students think their one vote does not matter, Ms. Leggett said, she hopes they recognize that "many people have sacrificed so that we have that right." The final results of the primary will be posted on the District 65 website: www. d65.k12.il.us.

Council Bytes

The Levy Senior Center Advisory Board welcomed City manager Julia Carroll, assistant City managers Judy Aiello and Rolanda Russell, director of parks/ forestry and recreation Doug Gaynor, 8th Ward Alderman Ann Rainey and other City officials to a breakfast thanking them for their support of the fiveyear old community center.

Evanston residents Dale Cherry, David Hodgman and David and Julie Cutter received Community Service Awards from the City's parks/Forestry and Recreation Department at the Jan 28 City Council meeting. Mr. Cherry, a long-time and generous contributor to many Evanston events and institutions, was one of the original benefactors of the City's Ethnic Arts Festival, said Doug Gaynor, director of Parks/Forestry and Recreation. Mr. Hageman served for many years on the City's Recreation Board, overseeing the rehab of several parks and advocating strongly for a new recreation center.

The Cutter family, said Mr. Gaynor, worked with the City to help renovate Lawson Park, raising more than $400,000 to create a new playground there that will be accessible for all children. Called Noah's Playground for Everyone, it is named for the Cutters' son, who had several disabilities and who died at 2 years of age.

Aldermen also did the following:

• Approved a 45-day moratorium on new downtown construction, which will expire on March 13;

• Approved the expansion of the West Evanston taxincrement financing (TIF) district, which now runs from Simpson to Dempster streets, cutting a rough parallelogram east and west of Dodge Avenue;

• Voted to engage the firm of Virchow Krause to conduct the annual audit of the Township of Evanston and to conduct a review of the Township Assessor's office.

A request for $300,000 of HOME funds, to be used by Econ Development for three affordable two-bedroom condominium units at 241 Callan Ave., was held in committee for further discussion.

Alderman Ann Rainey, in whose 8th Ward, the property lies, said she opposed the grant for several reasons. "I don't think people should be told they can live only where the developer tells them they can live," she said at the Planning and Development Committee meeting held just before the City Council meeting. "I would rather subsidize three families with $100,000 each and tell them to live where they want," she said.

Alderman Delores Holmes, 5th Ward, told developer Neal Davidson of Econ Development, "I'm sorry you pulled out the granite countertops from the design. The Housing Committee did that. I think people of modest means deserve nice things."

City staff recommended that Econ Development receive $250,000, and Alderman Edmund Moran, 6th Ward, upped the amount to $275,000. Neal Davidson of Econ Development said he had completed several other affordable residential projects in Evanston and he hoped the City would support this one. Council may vote on the project at its Feb. 11 meeting. have taken place for the most part on the revenue side.

At the Feb. 4 public hearing on the budget and the Jan. 26 budget workshop, some residents advocated less City spending. Patricia Corirossi said, "Why is Evanston's spending higher than those of Arlington Heights and Skokie? What is being done to reduce City administration and humanresource costs?"

Most of the speakers, though, urged the aldermen not to approve proposed budget cuts that would eliminate the elm-tree injection program, slash the mental health funding by 25 percent, and reduce the library's budget by closing the two branch libraries and increasing the fines for overdue books from 10¢ to 15¢ per day for adults' overdue books.

Mimi Peterson, co-founder of T.R.E.E. (To Rescue Evanston Elms), reminded Council members of the efforts by two then-seniors at Evanston Township High School, which raised $2,000 to inject lakefront elms with a fungicide designed to protect against Dutch elm disease. "The Forestry Department should be waving a banner in front of your faces saying ‘The elm-tree program is working.'" Martha Arntson, executive director of the Childcare Network of Evanston (CNE), described how CNE was able to help provide quality childcare for the youngest child in a family working to get back on track. "Studies have shown that for every $1 spent on early childhood education, society will save $7 to $14 in later social costs," such as academic remediation, truancy or incarceration.

Two speakers, representing real estate associations, said they opposed the proposed landlord licensing ordinance, in part because of the cost. They questioned whether there was a rational basis to connect the fee - $40 per rental unit - to the cost of administering the program and said other municipalities charge lower fees.

City attorney Herb Hill said some municipalities have programs that charge up to five times the cost of the program.

"You heard the people; they want services," Alderman Ann Rainey, 8th Ward, said.

Alderman Elizabeth Tisdahl, 7th Ward, made the only concrete proposal for additional service cuts, one that drew no response from her colleagues. Given that the CTA will give free rides to senior citizens, she proposed reducing the City subsidy for taxi rides for senior citizens. "Why not ask them to change their routes to pick up senior citizens?" she said, adding, "Taxpayers are already funding rides for senior citizens." In a separate interview, Ald. Tisdahl also noted that encouraging residents to take public rather than private transportation was an effort at sustainability."

The Pension Council members agreed last month on the establishment of a blue-ribbon committee, composed for the most part of people who live or work in Evanston, to address the City's long-term and immediate obligations to the police and firefighters' pension funds. At present the City has a $140 million liability to the two funds - slightly less, $127 million, by a state estimate.

The referendum question on yesterday's ballot sought an increase in the real estate transfer tax, with the increment - $1 per $1,000 of value - to be dedicated to the pension funds.

From Iraq to Lake Michigan: Evanston Legislators Make Their Presence Felt

By Joe Linstroth

The Evanston RoundTable caught up with some of the City's elected officials and their staffers to recap their accomplishments last year and to lay out their legislative priorities for 2008.

State Representative Julie Hamos (D-18th District)
As chair of the House Mass Transit Committee, Rep. Hamos was instrumental in hammering out a new funding bill for Chicago's troubled commuter rail and bus system, preventing multiple "Dooms day" fare hikes and route terminations from materializing. Rep. Hamos's legislative aide, Angie Lobo, said the state representative also recently introduced a trailer bill, which has already passed in the House, that would limit free rides to low-income seniors and expand the fare exemptions to include low-income riders with disabilities.

Ms. Lobo outlined a number of other issues Rep. Hamos plans to address in the coming year as funding for mass transit approaches a resolution. Citing concern over the use of the private military contractor Blackwater Worldwide in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, Ms. Lobo said Rep. Hamos is working on a bill to prevent the state, as well as local municipalities, from doing business with private military companies. Other items on Rep. Hamos' agenda for 2008, Ms. Lobo said, include an effort to regulate ballast water discharges from Great Lakes cargo ships to curb the introduction of invasive species into Lake Michigan; the proposal of a Healthy Workplace Act that would require employers to provide sick days for part-time employees; and to lead regulatory efforts in Springfield to reduce the number of toxic toys and baby products sold in Illinois. Evanston office: 847-424-9898; www.juliehamos.org

State Senator Jeff Schoenberg (D-9th District)
Sen. Schoenberg obtained a $1 million grant for Evanston/Skokie School District 65 to make environmental and air-control improvements in its older buildings. "As chair of a key Senate appropriations committee, it is a top priority of mine to ensure that where funding opportunities exist, we take full advantage of them," he told the RoundTable.

A chief architect of the state's current hospital assessment plan, Sen. Schoenberg said he has helped bring $1.8 billion in Federal Medicaid funds to Illinois hospitals and health care facilities in the last three years. The plan is due to expire June 30, the state senator said it is a top priority to ensure a new one is in place.

"Hospitals depend heavily on this infusion of new federal resources to provide accessible and affordable health care,"

Sen. Schoenberg said, adding that the plan is crucial for publicly-funded "safety-net" hospitals and private hospitals like St. Francis in Evanston , which serve a large number of Medicaid-funded patients.

Sen. Schoenberg said another priority is to work on a comprehensive ethics package that would enhance accountability for and place tougher restrictions on the state's investments and pension funds as well as eliminate the "pay to play" culture in Springfield.

"Campaign contributions, under no circumstances, should be prerequisites for state contracts," he said.

Sen. Schoenberg also said he will work to "restore [Governor Rod Blagojevich's] misguided cuts to arts funding, education and human services." Evanston office: 847-492-1202; www.jschoenberg.org

United States Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-9th District)
Rep. Schakowsky told the RoundTable she secured over $350,000 in federal funds for various improvements to Evanston 's emergency response system in 2007. The funding, which will help streamline communication between police, fire and other emergency services, should reach the City coffers in three to nine months, said Daniel Penchina, Rep. Schakowsky's legislative director.

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is slated for renewal in Congress this year and Rep. Schakowsky said she plans to address concerns outlined by School District 202 officials that contributed to the federal government's labeling of Evanston Township High School as a "failing school" last year.

The congresswoman cited a $70 billion shortfall in funding for NCLB mandates, as well as the need for better test synchronization and to address the disadvantages under the current policy of more diverse schools such as ETHS.

"ETHS is an outstanding institution and ends up being considered a failing school," said Rep. Schakowsky. "It is a nationwide concern."

Regarding the war in Iraq, Rep. Schakowsky said she is working on legislation that would require the president to seek congressional approval before entering into an agreement establishing a long-term American military presence in the country. The congresswoman also outlined numerous consumer protection bills she is working on, most of which focus on improved child safety, and the Great Lakes Pollution Prevention Act which would require approval from all states bordering a Great Lake for pollution agreements similar to the one between BP and the state of Indiana that drew a firestorm of criticism last summer.

Evanston office: 847-328-3409; www.house.gov/schakowsky

Central Street Plan Approved

By Mary Helt Gavin

Portion of the new zoning mapshowing the Central/Green Bay area.
Key to Zoning Districts and Maximum Height:

R1 - single-family residential;
lesser of 35 ft. or 2-1/2 stories
R3 - two-family residential;
lesser of 34 ft. or 2-1/2 stories
R4 - general residential; lesser of 35 ft. or 2-1/2 stories
R5 - general residential; lesser of 50 ft. or 5 stories
B2 - business; lesser of 40 ft. or 3 stories
O1 - office; 52 ft. max.
C1 - commercial; 45 ft. max.
C2 - commercial; 45 ft. max.
OS - open space

Neighborhood opposition to a zoning change in one small district in the Central Street master plan and overlay district continued at the Jan. 28 Planning and Development Committee and City Council meetings, but aldermen approved the plan unanimously even as some of them acknowledged the neighbors' concerns. The office, or O-1 district within the overlay, will now allow dormitories as a special use.

The plan calls for downzoning of the low-rise buildings between Green Bay Road and Hartrey Avenue and up-zoning of the buildings the Central/Crawford/ Gross Point area and the Central/Green Bay area. Buildings in the small shopping area sometimes called Evanston's "crown jewel" of shopping would be rezoned from a maximum height of four stories or 45 feet to a maximum of two-and-one-half stories or 35 feet.

The more intensely commercial areas, along Green Bay Road both north and south of Central Street and at the Central/Crawford/Gross Point junction are rezoned B1a, which permits mixed-use developments up to four stories. Enhanced streetscapes and improvement to Bent and Independence parks are also part of the plan. Several months ago, the plan called for a hotel near Ryan Field, on land owned by Northwestern University, but that was withdrawn after the University objected to the proposals.

Neighborhood objection arose from a zoning change approved last summer by the Plan Commission, which would allow dormitories as a special use in the O-1, or office, district within the overlay district - in the 1600 block of Central Street. The request for the change to allow the special use came from National-Louis University, which wishes to purchase the office building (known locally as the "insurance building") for its PACE program. The 26,700 square-foot building would provide both classrooms and living space for the program's 60 students and seven instructors, said Jack Lawlor, attorney for National-Louis.

Mr. Lawlor also noted that National-Louis had sold its former property on Sheridan Road north of Isabella Street to a for-profit developer, adding 54,000 square feet of property to the tax rolls and now "National-Louis is interested in acquiring 31,000 square feet." He said the net gain in property taxes is between the two properties is about $63,000 per year.

Citizen Comment Several neighbors said they objected to the special use. Some felt the process had been unfair, since the proposed zoning amendment had been approved by the Plan Commission after the plan itself had been approved. Ken Bailey, who lives in the 1600 Central block, said, "If it's not in the plan, it shouldn't be in the zoning implementation."

Others said they felt the noise and traffic congestion resulting from a dormitory nearby would affect their quality of life. Susan Yont, who said she was speaking for several condominium owners in the area said she was "adamantly opposed to the rezoning of 1620 Central St. to allow a dormitory. ... This will add to noise and traffic." The neighbors also objected to the process, she said.

Another criticism was that the request for the addition of dormitories as a special use in the O1 area was "transactiondriven," - generated, in other words, by the desire of National-Louis to purchase the building for its PACE program rather than by the planning process itself.

Several people spoke in favor of the plan. John Walsh, vice president of the Central Street Neighbors Association, said he "urged passage [of the zoning implementation] with or without the [special use]." Alderman Anjana Hansen, 9th Ward, who chaired the Planning and Development Committee, limited most of the speakers to the zoning amendments, saying that comment about the PACE program of National-Louis was premature, but did allow some comments on the program.

"Noise as to happen if we're gong to do more than go to work and come home," Richard Fleer, a student in the PACE program told Council and audience members, " There's more to life in a city than just having it quiet." Patrick Hughes, who lives nearby and who has advocated for inclusion of persons with disabilities in daily living, said, "I'm passionate about this issue. ... I have to say that part of this discussion is about who is going to be living in this dormitory. ... But the PACE program has been part of National-Louis for 21 years and when it was on Sheridan Road, people who lived across the street in million-dollar houses didn't object. Most people didn't know about it. ... Businesses are supporting it. Mustard's Last Stand is ready; Bluestone is ready. ... A lot of us who live in the neighborhood are exited."

Discussion Alderman Steve Bernstein, 4th Ward, said, "I'm concerned about the process and concerned about the genesis of the change and how it came to us. ... Although some might think that a vote for dormitories as a special use is a vote for the PACE project, it is a vote on special uses." James Wolinski, director of community development for the City, said, "This is a comprehensive concept plan, with the types of uses and building types you would like to see. ... Zoning is a fluid situation and its stops being fluid when Council approves it. ... It's unfortunate that people think this was done at the 11th hour and they weren't informed, but that's the nature of zoning."

Next Steps Mr. Lawlor said National-Louis plans to proceed promptly with an application for a special use for the dormitory for the PACE program. PACE, or Professional Assistance Center for Education, has been a program of National-Louis for 21 years.