Peoria Standard

Village of Swansea Village Committees met Nov. 4.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:.

Attendees: Board President Michael Leopold, Deputy Clerk Stefanie Proffitt, Treasurer John Walter, Village Administrator Ben Schloesser, Trustee Marilyn Neumeyer, Trustee Jeff Parker, Trustee Matt Lanter, Trustee Brian Thouvenot, Trustee Richard "Rocky" McDonald, Trustee Cary Lewis, Police Department Chief Matt Blomberg, Fire Department Chief Doug Little, and Building and Zoning Director Greg Anderson

Absent: Village Clerk Tyler Thompson and Director of Public Works Rick Tucker

PERSONNEL COMMITTEE: Held 6:22 to 7:21 Chair: Trustee Parker; Vice-Chair: Trustee Parker

Members: Trustees Lanter, Lewis V, McDonald, Thouvenot

1. Executive Session: "The appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the public body or legal counsel for the public body, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee of the public body or against legal counsel for the public body to determine its validity." 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1).

Board President Leopold said they discussed appointment of the new Fire Chief and he is appointing Doug Little as the new Fire Chief.

Motion to Enter: Made by Trustee Parker, seconded by Trustee Lanter

Trustee Votes: All ayes

Motion to Exit: Made by Trustee Neumeyer, seconded by Trustee Parker Trustee Votes: All ayes

2. Jim Arndt Organizational Analysis Presentation

The Village Administrator said Jim Arndt is respected among officials and he did an organizational analysis. It compares positions in the Village to nearby areas. Mr. Arndt said he was a City Manager for many years and now he does analyses. He wants to add value to the communities he serves. He said this was a spin off which allowed him to use much of the same data. He did qualitative interviews with the Department Heads and analyzed structures and operations. He has come up with ways to help. He said Swansea's population is under the median but it has the second highest growth rate. The service area is the second smallest and cost of living is low. The household income is second highest in the region and the crime index is the median. There is wealth and growth in the area. He said Swansea has the lowest amount of team members and second lowest amount of general fund revenue received. It is the second lowest sewer fund revenue in the study. The Village has the second lowest amount of public works team members in the area. He said these suggestions can add value to the Village. He said the team is being pulled and pulled because the same workers are having to provide more services after all the growth. He suggested increasing capacity to prevent employee turnover which will provide more services. He said people have the freedom to move and residents choose to live in Swansea so good services will keep them here. He provided some suggestions and said they can choose whether to implement them. He suggested increasing administrative staff and said they don't have any payroll redundancy so if there was an accident no one else could do payroll. He suggested providing more SRO coverage. He suggested investing in a position for economic development to be proactive. He suggested having a Public Works assistant to help with development and work with developers. He suggested several financial recommendations which were, additional revenue sources, outsourcing park mowing, reassign oversight of administrative staff to HR and the Financial Manager instead of the Village Administrator, FOIA software, and mobile phone issuance. The Village Administrator said they have already enacted the FOIA software and mobile phone issuance. Mr. Arndt said there are many opportunities out there for qualified employees so retention is important. He said they need to be treated well and be paid a competitive wage. He said code enforcement clarity is needed. Trustee McDonald asked how much each city pays for each department. Mr. Arndt said no that was not part of the study but it is a good point. Trustee McDonald said Swansea doesn't have the sales tax of other municipalities. Mr. Arndt said other municipalities haven't asked for that. The Village Administrator said in Fenton 60% of the budget is parks so it is hard to compare. Mr. Arndt said it depends on the needs because some places have different needs. Trustee Thouvenot said Swansea has a revenue problem and they need money to spend money. He also said the police department is around 60% of the budget and asked how many administrative positions there are in the department. Chief Blomberg said there are 23 sworn officers. Mr. Arndt said increasing revenue was one of his points. The Village Administrator said economic development can't get them out of the revenue hole alone because Glen Carbon has higher property taxes. Trustee Thouvenot said they have to look at that and residents always get slapped with tax increases. The Village Administrator said that is not Swansea's fault but Swansea gets blamed. Trustee Lewis said this shows what the constituents are paying for and Swansea is not hitting the mark. The Village Administrator said efficiency is high. Mr. Arndt said they are doing a lot with a little which came out of the 2008 recession. Trustee Thouvenot asked about staffing in the past. The Village Administrator said there has been very little change. Mr. Arndt said the amount of services being provided has increased but the amount of staff has not. Board President Leopold he views that as good and they have great employees. He congratulated the staff. Trustee Thouvenot asked if he talks to people outside of Village staff. Mr. Arndt says he does not. Trustee Parker asked how Edwardsville and Glen Carbon handled their growth. Mr. Arndt said Glen Carbon is adding staff and adjusting compensation. He said O'Fallon as well. Board President Leopold asked if they can call him with questions. Mr. Arndt said yes. Board President Leopold said they need to discuss it and thanked him.

Motion to Adjourn: Made by Trustee Parker, seconded by Trustee Neumeyer

Trustee Votes: All ayes

FINANCE COMMITTEE: Held 6:00 to 6:22

Chair: Trustee Lanter; Vice-Chair: Trustee Thouvenot

1. Audit Presentation - Chris Sobrino

Members: Trustees Lewis V, McDonald, Neumeyer, Parker

Mr. Sobrino thanked the Finance Manager for her assistance. He said it is 70 pages so he gave a high level summary. He said on page 14 there was what the Village owned and owed. The general fund was consistent between years and expenses were healthy. The TIF and capital project funds were consistent. The ARPA fund was now considered a major fund and it's decrease is not surprising because the money needs to be spent. He said revenue was consistent and tax revenue increased quite a bit. In 2024 there were a lot of capital expenditures which is completely in line. He said sewer funds are harder to evaluate because everything is expensive to fix, but it was very consistent and the debt decreased. He said the Village took good advantage of rates. On page 20 there was a statement of cash flows. He said the sewer fund had a good year. He said the pension funds are harder to audit because they are based on estimates. Both the pension funds have sent their money to the state agencies and the investment returns were very good. Board President Leopold asked how much it was funded. Mr. Sobrino said the audit doesn't agree how the state calculates it so he has two answers. He said the fire one is 86% and the police fund is 69%. He said they are both above average and the state wants them to be 90% by 2040. There are some communities around 20% and the state might kick the can down the road. Trustee McDonald thanked them for getting it out and wanted to take the calculations into account in the future. Mr. Sobrino said he would be glad to answer any of their questions. The Village Administrator thanked the Treasurer for his work in investments.

2. Discussion- 2024 Tax Levy (Preliminary)

Trustee Lanter said he, the Finance Manager, and the Village Administrator sat down about it. The corporate fund tax is unchanged. The IMRF fund tax is going up slightly based on their report. The fire protection tax is raised. The firefighter pension fund tax is raised. He said there needs to be extra money for it to grow in the future. The police pension tax is a small increase. The municipal audit is a small increase. He said the genera; insurance liability and public parks have an increase. It is a $124,000 increase in total but it is just a start and needs more discussion he said. Trustee Thouvenot said next meeting he will have more input. Trustee McDonald said they fund the pension fund through rate increases. He said he is more worried about the pension fund when people start retiring and he wanted to fund it through the general fund. Trustee Thouvenot said it would be a lot of money. Trustee McDonald said the cash flow will change. The Village Administrator said being conservative with it is wise but property taxes are kept very low and a lot of departments are hurting for manpower. He said the money comes out of the general fund eventually. Trustee McDonald said if they need to have a larger increase and have a public hearing then they need to. He wanted to be responsible with the public's money and said the 5% should not be the determining factor.

3. Res. No. _____ A Resolution Accepting The Proposal Of The Illinois Municipal League Risk Management Association, 500 East Capital Drive, PO Box 5180, Springfield, Illinois, 62705 For Workers Comp, Auto Liability & Comprehensive General Liability, Portable Equipment, Auto Physical Damage, And Property Insurance Coverage For The Village Of Swansea, Illinois, Effective January 1, 2025

The Village Administrator said it is a continuation of the program.

Motion to Forward: Made by Trustee Lanter, seconded by Trustee Parker

Trustee Votes: All ayes

Motion to Adjourn: Made by Trustee Lanter, seconded by Trustee Lewis Trustee Votes: All ayes

JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Meeting Not Held

Chair: Trustee Lewis V.; Vice-Chair: Trustee McDonald

Members: Trustees Lanter, Neumeyer, Parker, Thouvenot Meeting Not Held

COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Held 7:21 to 7:26 Chair: Trustee Thouvenot; Vice-Chair: Trustee Lanter

Members: Trustees Lewis V, McDonald, Neumeyer, Parker

1. For Discussion: Findings of Fact, 923 N Belt West

Trustee Thouvenot said they have already started work. The Building and Zoning Director said they submitted a Business District application for assistance and that Board approved a 15% reimbursement grant. The Village Administrator said there is around $1.7 million in that fund. Trustee Thouvenot said the previous Building and Zoning report said someone wanted to purchase a property and renovate it but the bank was considering to deny it because of lack of compliance with codes. Board President Leopold asked the Building and Zoning Director to talk to the bank. The Building and Zoning Director said he called the owner of the company and explained and also spoke to the resident so they approved the loan.

2. For Discussion: Barcom Application for Overlay

3. Res. No. _____ A Resolution Authorizing The President Of The Board Of Trustees To Execute An Agreement Authorizing A Reimbursement Grant Not To Exceed 50% Or $94,200.00, Whichever Is Less From The Illinois Rte. 159/Boul Avenue Business District Fund To Barcom For Site Improvements On The Property Located At 923 North Belt West Motion to Forward: Made by Trustee Thouvenot, seconded by Trustee McDonald

Trustee Votes: All ayes

Motion to Adjourn: Made by Trustee Thouvenot, seconded by Trustee McDonald Trustee Votes: All ayes

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE: Meeting Not Held

Chair: Trustee Parker; Vice-Chair: Trustee Lewis V.

Members: Trustees Lanter, McDonald, Neumeyer, Thouvenot

Meeting Not Held

PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE: Meeting Not Held

Chair: Trustee McDonald; Vice-Chair: Trustee Parker

Members: Trustees Lanter, Lewis V. Neumeyer, Thouvenot

Meeting Not Held

CULTURAL COMMITTEE: Meeting Not Held

Chair: Trustee Lewis V.; Vice-Chair: Trustee McDonald

Members: Trustees Lanter, Neumeyer, Parker, Thouvenot Meeting Not Held

SWANSEA REPORT COMMITTEE: Meeting Not Held

Chair: Trustee Neumeyer; Vice-Chair: Trustee Lanter

Meeting Not Held

Members: Trustees Lewis V, McDonald, Parker, Thouvenot

Meeting Not Held

https://www.swanseail.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_11042024-76