Five Things On the Agenda This Week

After a week-long break, village trustees will meet twice this week. The Village Board will convene on Monday at 7 p.m., and the Committee of the Whole on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Here’s a look at five things they’ll be talking about.

1. Employee vehicle policy. In an effort to save money, several trustees have suggested revising the employee vehicle policy. , a majority of trustees lent their support to a plan that would “grandfather” in all current employees who get vehicles or vehicle allowances, but the board would consider each new hire on a case-by-case basis.

The Village Board will vote on this on Monday.

Montgomery provides take-home vehicles to the public works director, the police chief and two other members of the police department, and pays for the fuel costs, which total and Zoephel’s annual total for those cars is estimated at $6,072.

Additionally, the village manager gets $7,200 a year in vehicle expenses, as guaranteed by contract, while the finance director and community development director each get $1,200 a year.

2. A new police SUV. Trustees budgeted $50,000 in Fiscal Year 2012 for a new SUV, which Police Chief Daniel Meyers wants for snow emergencies. Public Works Director Mike Pubentz is asking to purchase a 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe from Miles Chevrolet of Decatur, through the Illinois Joint Purchasing Program, which gives municipalities a better price.

The SUV would cost $35,490, but it would need to be outfitted as a police vehicle, with a radio, computer and other items. The cost for that work would be $14,431, bringing the total to $49,921, or just under budget. Trustees will vote on this Monday night.

3. Reducing the temporary sign fee. A 15-day temporary sign permit currently costs $25, but , a majority of trustees agreed to reduce it to $15. The fee was last dropped in February, from $55 to its current $25. Trustees say this is part of their efforts to be more business-friendly, and to respond to complaints about the sign ordinance from business owners.

Both Trustee Bill Keck and Trustee Andy Kaczmarek suggested dropping the fee to zero, but Village President Marilyn Michelini said keeping some fee allows the village to regulate temporary signs, and prevent “sign pollution.” Trustees will also vote on this proposal Monday night.

4. Aggregating energy costs. This is a complicated way of saying the village is looking at buying energy from ComEd in a lump for residents and small businesses, to save money. A state law allows municipalities to negotiate on behalf of residents and small businesses, to see if a cheaper rate than the one ComEd offers could be arranged.

Montgomery would work through the Northern Illinois Municipal Electric Collaborative, a group of 140 cities and villages that negotiates as a group for cheaper electric rates. If no cheaper rate can be arranged, residents and businesses would still be able to buy from ComEd directly.

In order for Montgomery to do this, residents would have to vote for a referendum allowing it. The next election in which such a measure could appear is a primary, on March 20, 2012. Even if it passes, residents and businesses can opt out, according to a memo written by Pubentz.

The Committee of the Whole will discuss this on Wednesday, so no action will be taken. More details will be presented then as well.

5. The 2013 budget. Yes, it’s that time again. Montgomery’s next fiscal year begins on May 1, 2012, and staff is already preparing for the budget process. According to a calendar distributed with Wednesday’s Committee of the Whole agenda, budget season launches on Nov. 9 with a kickoff meeting.

Personnel and vehicle requests are due by Nov. 30 and Dec. 7, respectively, with a public hearing on the tax levy set for Dec. 12. The budget will be prepared over the next two months, with trustees getting their first look at it on Feb. 8. Two months of deliberations are planned, with a final vote scheduled for April 9.

This will be the first budget process for Trustees Stan Bond and Matt Brolley, who were elected to the board in April.