I have been a Trustee in the Village for 16 years. My background includes 4-US Design Patents, I was the Vice-President, promoted to President of a manufacturing firm in Batavia for 23 years. I also made a career change in 1993 20 years ago in the Security and Life-Safety field and hold a NICET Level II certification. I also hold a FEMA ISO 100, 200 & 700 Certification. My community involvement includes, coaching softball, basketball, T-ball, Corn Boil Volunteer for 19 years and started and continue to bring the Corn Boil Fireworks to the Village. My civic involvement is testimony of my love for the Village of Sugar Grove.
• The commercial and retail growth along the Rt. 47 and Galena corridor has been encouraging. The new businesses like McDonalds, Walgreens, and the Rush-Copley Convenience Care Center are great additions, but more is needed. Commercial and retail business does not put children in the school system. The residents gain by new amenities and support to the Village, the school district will gain by the additional tax revenue from the property tax and the Village will gain from the additional sales tax dollars.
• I would like to see FIBER OPTIC brought into the Village to meet the needs of the residents and our commercial and industrial partners. Fiber is essential for substantial growth. Wireless technology has been mentioned. For most, I believe the difficulty comes in from the uploading side and needs to be addressed for wireless to be viable.
• We need to continue working on funding for the Rt.47 and I-88 interchange and expansion south from Cross Street to Rt. 30. There is a developer looking at the I-88 and Rt. 47 interchange for a future project. We have been working on the project for a number of years and are currently seeking “Prairie Parkway” dollars for the improvements.
• We have existing, unfinished subdivisions (Hannaford Farms, Prairie Glen, Settlers Ridge) that need attending to. All single family new growth needs to come from existing subdivisions and not by expanding outward.
No I would not be in favor of freezing the tax district’s levy. Holding an increase without covering inflation the residents would see a reduction in services. We have done a good job at holding expenses down by a 20% reduction in staff and that enabled us to balance the budget. There are not a lot of communities in the Valley can boast about that. If you want to reduce taxes, adding more commercial and retail growth is one of the answers. Freezing the tax rate without knowing the future needs could be disastrous. Take for instance the cost of Obamacare. We have some good numbers but we don’t know for sure. We need to keep flexible and financially solvent.
I don’t believe I strongly disagreed with the Board on any issue. Something that stands out was with the Board entering into a new impact fee agreement with the Kaneland School District. I had several reasons for that decision. One, the existing subdivisions where the new development would take place already has a full impact fee structure in place. Therefore, it would not impact the School District or the Village paying it’s fair share for growth. Second, the economy was in turmoil and property values were dropping. I felt a new impact fee study was needed to explore the viability of impact fee reduction. Third, I did not know what the Elburn Board was going to agree on with the planned subdivision with Shodeen and wanted all impact fees to be the same. As it turned out, I believe they signed an agreement at 50% of the proposed fees.
Hands-down, it was the Mallard Point – Rolling Oaks water drainage agreement. Some residents had huge flooding issues and little recourse if the Village didn’t get involved. There were a lot of issues at hand and agreements with other governmental bodies and landowner’s was needed to proceed with the eventual solution. My biggest concern was twofold. One, the impact on the residents from additional fees the residents were going to have to pay and second, was the work being done going to solve the problem? From the latest reports, it appears the new drainage tiles have worked.
My wife Sandy and I have been residents of the Village for 28 years. We raised our family here and have lived through the changes that have been made in the Village. I have been fortunate to have been elected as your Trustee for 4 Terms - 16 years. We have seen tremendous change in the landscape and population in the Village. The groundwork was laid years ago on how the existing residents viewed growth. As a Board, we listened then and will continue to do so in the future. Different visions were cultivated into what we have today. The Village constantly strives to look at change and adaptation. Not all progress is good for the Village and not all visions are the same. We have worked together before in shaping the Village and I would appreciate your confidence in my abilities in moving forward in the future by voting for Robert Bohler.
I have worked for 30+ years in Law Enforcement/Emergency services and hold a M.S. Degree in Management & Organizational Behavior. I believe that every Trustee should bring a unique skill set to the board so that we can share our particular areas of expertise to improve the quality of life for our residents. My background in emergency services brings valuable insight to issues like community emergency planning, police equipment purchasing, traffic flow issues for special events and so forth. I have lived in this community for 19 years and have coached youth soccer, baseball & basketball, been active in Kaneland Music Boosters & Sports Boosters, actively involved in the development of the new St. Katharine Drexel Church, served 7 years on the public safety committee, 5 years as the Chair of the Board of Police Commissioners, and the last 4 years as Village Trustee, during one of the toughest economic times this country has seen in decades. We have accomplished many things over the last four years while keeping within a balanced budget. I believe we have provided effective and efficient government while showing that we have been fiscally responsible and are providing quality services to our residents, while many communities around us have been struggling. My experience, educational background and dedication to a lifetime of community service are what make me a good candidate.
Four years ago, my goals were to improve our roads, find a soulution to the flooding problems in the Mallard Point / Rolling Oaks subdivisions, bring additional business and industry to the community like McDonalds, Walgreens, various fast food businesses, health care providers, hair salons, tax preparers etc., and make local government more accessible to the residents. I am happy to say that I believe we have accomplished these goals, but we still have a lot to do. During the next four years I believe our first priority should be continued concentration on controlled sustainable growth of business, industry and residential in the existing subdivisions that have not been completed, along with more diversification of affordable housing in terms of multi-family building and senior housing/care facilities so that people who have spent their lives in our community don“t have to move out of the community when they can no longer physically take care of their homes. Our second goal should be to continue to invest in new technology to enhance the efficiency of services provided to our residents. Our third goal should be to obtain funding for the RT 47 I-88 interchange and the improvement of RT 47 through town to make us a more desirable location for companies to invest in our community and growth to develop.
Let me start by saying that nobody likes to pay taxes and that we all feel our taxes are to high, no matter what we pay. I would be against freezing our taxing district\\\\\\\'s levy because it is the base for the level of services that we provide our residents. Every year you freeze the levy not only effects your community for just that year, it effects it for all the years that follow because you never get that money back. Just look at the current financial problems currently being faced by the State of Illinois. You cannot put off your financial obligations until a future date because they will just start to compound. The tax levy is used for running government, water supply, fixing roads, snow plowing, police services, etc.. If you put off road repairs until it“s too late it will cost more. If your infastructure starts to deteriorate your residents suffer. In addition, freezing the levy doesn“t take into consideration that costs continue to rise each year and this rise in operational costs may cause a community to tap into it“s reserves, ultimately effecting its bond rating and the amount it may cost to obtain funding for future projects. Again, I reference the mess the State is in. We have an A+ bond rating because, I believe, we have been fiscally responsible.
Being a current member of the Village Board I would have to say that there is no one decision that I disagree with the most. There are times when we have spirited discussions and differences of opinions, but the bottom line is that we have to consider the impact of our decisions on the lives of the community, in its entirety, and have to work as a cohesive group to attain that goal. Many times there are hard decisions to be made and I can say that over the past year the hardest decision that I had to make was to vote for the special service assessment in the Mallard Point / Rolling Oaks subdivisions as part of the flood control project. I would have liked to keep the residents cost at a much lower amount. There was a fine line to walk as to how much each entity should be responsible for and we tried very hard to keep costs for the effected residents to a minimum. In the end, I believe the residents who did not flood, of which I was one, realized that the assessment was necessary to bring relief to those families that were experiencing severe flooding issues and that this project would remove the stigma from the neighborhood, ultimately raising property values for everyone down the line.
The board has had many acomplishments over this past year. We have encouraged many new businesses to invest in our community, we have improved many roads, we have paid off the mortgage on the Village Hall, we have improved our water supply, negotiated a new contract with Waste Management along with the new rolling cans for residents, kept our budget in the black, obtained an A+ bond rating from Standard & Poors, and on and on. Other than the few residents who regularly attend our board meetings, or read the minutes on line, many residents don“t realize the work their village board and staff put into running the village and providing the level of services that they receive. Having said that, I would have to say that I feel our biggest accomplishment this past year was finding a solution to the flooding problem in the Mallard Point/Rolling Oaks subdivisions and providing relief for those residents because that is something that can been seen and felt by the residents.
Anyone who knows me can attest to my honesty, integrity, ethics, and devotion to community service. I am not afraid to call it as I see it and make the tough decisions. I feel my background, education, dedication and experience are what this position calls for to keep us on track as a progressive, stable community. I believe that I worked hard to accomplish the goals I set four years ago and know that there is still so much more to do. Please help me keep the Village of Sugar Grove the type of community we can be proud of and know that I will continue to work hard to improve our quality of life and provide the best services we can to the residents of the community. Please give me your support and Vote #1 on the ballot April 9th.
I have worked with corporations and not-for-profit organizations in the field of Business Development, Marketing, Public Relations and Special Events. I have achieved my CMP designation from the CIC and have been a keynote speaker at local and national conferences. I am currently the Director of Special Events for the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago and I am responsible for all of the organizations events and fundraisers, as well as developing their sponsorship programs to achieve their financial objectives. Additionally, I have also had the honor of writing state legislation. I was the constituent that brought House Bill 180 to State Representative Kay Hatcher. The bill sought to keep protesters 1000 feet away from funerals, including military funerals, and restrict any protesting an hour before or after a funeral. I assisted in the drafting of the bill and was asked to testify before Committee in Springfield. The bill achieved record bi-partisan support from both houses and was signed into law. With my diverse background, I hope to implement my many years of business experience and community involvement to help the Village of Sugar Grove to achieve their goals in a responsible manner that will be beneficial to all residents.
I would like to first offer suggestions and further assist in facilitating responsible growth and development within the Village in a manner that will keep our small town atmosphere, yet welcome new and exciting businesses to Sugar Grove. Through this growth, I believe that we will be able to strengthen our community resources, provide more support to improve our school district and increase our recreational programs. My next goal would be to develop a plan that would allow the Village to use a common sense approach to streamline our government processes in order to increase our reputation in being a “business friendly” village to ultimately enhance the lives of the residents of Sugar Grove. Lastly, I believe that communication with residents on a regular basis is key to insure an understanding of what their needs and expectations are in regards to the future of Sugar Grove. While I understanding that some information may be privileged or confidential, I would implement programs in a responsible way to keep the residents more informed and involved.
In an ideal situation, if expenditures and revenues were equal and remained flat, I would be able to answer yes. Unfortunately, that is not the reality of the situation and as expenses increase, the village must increase revenues to compensate. I will however work diligently to continually monitor the Village\\\\\\\'s revenue and expenses, keeping an eye on the bottom line. I will make recommendations to solicit proposals from many vendors to ensure the best and completive pricing, and award bids within Sugar Grove whenever possible. I would also encourage programs that would assist in the overall successful development of the community, while maintaining a balanced budget. In order to facilitate this successfully, I believe that we need to attract new businesses that would further complement our community, therefore growing the tax base and reducing taxes to our homeowners.
There is not one particular decision that I strongly disagree with, but more the overall administrative processes. There is a reoccurring complaint that I frequently hear which is; due to the Village’s variety of lengthy or overly complicated procedures, many businesses have found Sugar Grove difficult to work with, ultimately giving the impression that Sugar Grove is not business friendly. If elected, I would passionately investigate these allegations and review all government processes to insure that they are streamlined as effectively as possible to provide businesses with a more turn-key approach, yet still facilitating responsible growth within our community.
In the last year the Village Board successful approved The Mallard Point Rolling Oaks Area Drainage Project and construction began in an effort to start to alleviate water issues residents were experiencing. The Board additionally approved various infrastructure projects, such as constructing right turn lanes on the north, south and east legs of the intersection at Cross St. and Route 47. The plans are to include storm sewer, utility adjustments, traffic signal modification, guardrail, and curb with gutters. I will continue to work to set the ground work for other projects by securing additional grants for our community infrastructure and trying to further simplify the government processes so that projects can move forward in a timely manner and be beneficial to all residents.
Besides my extensive business experience, I am a strong community leader with years of involvement in many organizations. My husband is a Fireman and also a Veteran and we have an active membership in the Sugar Grove American Legion. I am a member of the Kaneland WINS, a group that provides leadership and support for women in business, serving as President for the last two years. I am an advocate for Senior Citizens, being involved for several years with Kane County Senior Resources and a past Board Member. I additionally drive for the Meals-On-Wheels program, bring holiday gifts through Senior Service Associates and in years past have developed the Illinois Senior Spelling Bee with Representative Hatcher“s office. I am further invested in the community by volunteering at school, sport and scout activities, as well as an active committee member of the Sugar Grove Corn Boil. With my years of experience in business development and my high level of community involvement, I am the perfect candidate to assist in the future development of our village and lead us into a great tomorrow. For more information on why I should be your candidate, please visit my website at www.GayleDeja-Schultz.com.
Having moved to Sugar Grove nine years ago, I love the feeling of family and community here, and I want to see our village prosper. Having worked in administrative and customer service positions throughout my career, I have experience in helping people find solutions to their issues. I am always opened to hearing what people have to say and am able to see things from the other side. I attend the village board meeting, so I have an understanding of issues the village is facing.
Open and accessible government to the residents. I would like to see the board meetings either televised or a video stream on the web. I would also like to see a link put on the Village’s web site where residents can post questions for the board. This could be away that residents that cannot attend meetings in person can still interact with the board.
Growth in commercial and industrial areas needs to continue. This will help broaden our tax base and help to create job opportunities.
Infrastructure needs to be addressed. Poor roads, sidewalks and flooding issues need to be addressed. In this economic downturn, we need to be creative and aggressive in seeking funding and grants for these projects.
Yes, I think taxpayers need a break, but it is more important that we diversify our tax base by bringing in more commercial development.
I disagree with the board decision of not putting the meetings on television or the internet. By doing this, residents feel the board is not being opened to them. Yes meetings are opened to the public, but at 6:00 pm, most residents are just getting home from work and getting to spend time with their families. If the meetings were available to view from home, I believe more residents would feel involved and informed.
I am happy the Village was able to bring McDonalds to town. Most communities have one. Our town is seeing some good growth, I think we just need to find other opportunities to continue our growth and rid our town of the reputation of being “difficult to work with”.
I may not have the political background or experience some of the other candidates do, but as a member of our community, I am opened and receptive to hearing from our residents. I believe I can bring a fresh approach to the board and the issues our village is facing.
The combination of my education, work experience and service – both overseas in the military and in our local community as a volunteer – make me an outstanding candidate to serve as Village Trustee. Currently I enjoy being a teacher in the Kaneland school system. I have also learned the values of discipline and service after ten years in the Army. For the four years between those jobs I combined my time working as an account manager for a major manufacturer, completing my college degree and mentoring at risk elementary school students. I am passionate about serving.
1) Accountability - I believe the village can become more financially accountable to the taxpayers of Sugar Grove by focusing on user friendly financial reporting. The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year ended April 2012 is over 150 pages long, much of which is very difficult for a non-accountant to understand. I would advocate for the development of a much simpler document. The Government Finance Officers Association recommends a “popular financial report” as part of their best practice policies. A popular financial report would provide the same basic information in a way that would be much more useful to the general public.
2) Continue the focus on a more business friendly environment in Sugar Grove. In recent years big businesses like Chase Bank, Jewel Foods, McDonald’s, and Walgreens have established successful new locations here. I am encouraged that medium sized companies like Aldi, American Heartland Bank and West Suburban Bank have set up shop here. Those operations generate property taxes, sales taxes and local jobs.
Because I believe that small businesses are equally important as an economic driver, I am equally optimistic to see food stores like Subway, Jimmy John’s, Rosatti’s and King Wok doing well too. Businesses providing a variety of health and beauty services are filling in the new developments along Route 47 providing convenience for our local residents and the opportunity for them to become local consumers.
3) Investigate potential cost savings through the re-issuance of general obligation bonds. Recently the Kane County Forest Preserve District was able to save taxpayers millions of dollars in interest by re-issuing certain bond issues through an innovative bidding program. Kane County is in the process of evaluating similar options that could save between two and three million dollars, depending upon market conditions. Not all of the Village’s bond issues would be viable options for such a program, but it is quite possible that some would qualify and potentially save tens of thousands of dollars in interest payments annually. I would advocate that a qualified financial advisor would be identified for investigating such a program.
The simple, politically correct answer for any candidate is yes, I would support a freeze of the levy imposed by our taxing district. The simple answer though is somewhat misleading. I would absolutely appreciate relief from rising property taxes. My wife and I have seen the property taxes rise on our home by 11.6% over the past five years. At that same time the value of our house has decreased. The assessment on the property has decreased by 15.3%. Clearly this represents some sort of disconnect.
In the interest of full disclosure I am a candidate for a position as a Trustee for the Village of Sugar Grove, and it seems only fair to focus on the levy approved by that board. The combined levies imposed for the Sugar Grove Village and Sugar Grove Village Pension increased by only .4% last year. Altogether there are 20 taxing districts represented on the property tax bills we paid in 2012. If you live in Sugar Grove the vast majority of your property tax bill comes from districts not controlled by the village trustees.
In order for me to more fully understand the levy process, I have followed seminars put on by Mark Armstrong the Kane County Supervisor of Assessments. Like many people I was surprised to learn that each levy essentially represents the operating budget projected to be required for the operations of a particular taxing district, and the levy itself has very little direct relationship to assessed valuations or the housing market. The entire tax extension process is much more detailed, but essentially the tax rate necessarily increases when overall assessments decrease to allow the levy to be maintained.
The real long term solution to the problem goes much further than simply freezing the levy. I believe true zero based budgeting techniques can be a much more effective tool in the battle to achieve fiscal responsibility and save taxpayer dollars.
Despite the fact that sales tax revenues have increased significantly as compared to the budget, the Village elected to raise resident and non-resident water and sewer service charge by 7.5%. In part, the decision was made as a result of lower than projected usage trends. Ironically, the lower than projected usage was partially a result of virtually no residential growth since 2006. Although I support a well-considered commercial development plan, I understand that residential property provides the overwhelming majority of property tax revenues to the Village. I believe the Trustees have an obligation to be responsive to the needs of our community’s taxpayers.
To be fair, the village board has achieved several positive accomplishments. In light of the overall ongoing budget problems in Springfield, especially those decisions which have led to an unfunded pension liability of an estimated $97 billion, I am pleased to read the most current CAFR for the Village which shows that Sugar Grove has met its pension payments in a timely fashion.
Aside from the obvious problem, the State’s unfunded pension liability has already caused Illinois to become the lowest rated state in the country by Moody’s. As a result the State has to pay a higher interest rate for any general obligation bonds that must be issued. Indirectly, and to a lesser extent, the State’s financial woes also impact local government in the same way.
In addition to the experience and qualifications listed in the first question, I will bring some other very important qualities to the Village Board. Characteristics such as independence, common sense and a fresh perspective will help energize the efforts of the Trustees.
Perhaps of even greater importance are those things I won’t bring to the Village Board. I have no personal political agenda. So I am only responsible to the taxpayers. I have no preconceived ideas as to what will, or will not work. So I am willing to consider all options. I have no potential conflicts of interest. So I will gladly publicize my Statement of Economic Interests for anyone to review.
I do have a vested interest in Sugar Grove. This is the community my wife and I chose to be our home. In a few weeks we are expecting our first child, a son. Naturally we are excited to be parents, and I am committed to making Sugar Grove the best possible community for my family and for yours. I would greatly appreciate your support in the upcoming election.
