HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 08/19/2019 - Finance and Personnel Committee
Finance & Personnel
Meeting Minutes
August 19, 2019
Page 1
Finance & Personnel Committee Meeting
August 19, 2019
Call to Order: Alderman Mihevc called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. at the McHenry
Municipal Center, 333 S Green St, McHenry, IL.
Roll Call: Deputy Clerk Johnson called the roll. Roll call: Members present: Alderman Mihevc,
Alderwoman Miller, Alderman Schaefer. Others present: Administrator Derik Morefield,
Director of Public Works Troy Strange, Director of Human Resources Ann Campanella.
Public Comments: There were no members of the public present to make a comment.
Approval of Minutes: It was suggested by Alderman Schaefer that the unapproved minutes be
sent to members of the committee soon after each meeting instead of waiting for the next
meeting. With possible big time lapses between meetings, it would be helpful to have those
minutes to refer to sooner than the next committee meeting. Deputy Clerk Johnson will also
research the possibility of having meeting minutes approved prior to each meeting instead of
waiting for each meeting for a formal vote via the agenda process. A motion was made by
Alderman Schaefer and seconded by Alderwoman Miller to approve the minutes of the April 1,
2019, Finance and Personnel Committee meeting. Roll Call: Vote: 3-ayes: Alderman Schaefer,
Alderwoman Miller, Alderman Mihevc. 0-nays, 0-abstained. Motion carried.
Discussion on Long Term Financial Planning Including Personnel, Operational, and Capital
Needs
Administrator Morefield explained that there are many things staff has been doing regarding
efforts for cost reductions. All department heads have been looking at needs for the next three
to five years. This is difficult after three years because many items can change. Health care costs
and certain expenditures can have variable costs. There is a potential for attrition, as 50% of the
workforce is eligible for retirement in the next five years. It is hard to account for these, however,
as there is no way to tell exactly when people might retire. Many people are working longer
because they must pay for health insurance on their own if retiring before the age of 65.
Director Strange has done a lot of research in contracting services. When attrition occurs, it may
be possible to contract that job out instead of hiring a full time employee. The Leopardo project
is an example of efforts to be more efficient and affective. We are still in the process of that
study, but even if the City does not move forward with Leopardo, there will be a snapshot of
capital equipment and public facility needs, which will give the City good ideas to move forward
on their own.
Finance & Personnel
Meeting Minutes
August 19, 2019
Page 2
The City has also done work with other municipalities for joint bidding contracts. There has also
been federal funding received for large roadway projects. Public Works will look at those
federally funded projects and see if the money spent on those would be better for our other local
roads projects.
A discussion was had regarding employee pay and benefits. Personnel costs currently make up
approximately 71% of the budget, which is close to the range of other similar municipalities.
Although the City could try to save money by attrition, the issue remains that the City has had a
hard time hiring qualified employees for the higher skilled jobs. The market to hire qualified
employees is competitive and candidates have to want to come to McHenry for reasons other
than salary. The City was fortunate to hire an engineer that fits the City’s needs. The search for
a City Planner did not land any candidates, and the Police Department struggles to hire qualified
candidates.
Alderwoman Miller asked what kind of savings we might see with shifting some tasks to
contracted work. Director Strange explained that there is a wide range of savings, but some items
may be in the 20-50% range. He noted that the thermoplastic pavement markings were costing
the City $50,000, but this year they were completed through contract for $9,900. Pruning has
also shown a huge price savings. Not all work can be contracted out for cheaper rates, however,
as the bids for snow plowing the cul-de-sacs showed a much larger cost. The cross training of
employees is being done when possible, but some jobs require specific skill sets and
certifications, such as the water and waste water plant operators. Volume pricing for materials
we make regular purchases on has also been explored.
Director Strange stated that he would like to use the CMAP road program to use a systematic and
data driven approach for maintenance and scheduling operations. He would also like to get ahead
of the game so that instead of putting out fires, the City can be dedicated 100% to customer
service for issues that may come up. He would like to show the Council and the citizens that they
are serious about being more productive and cost effective.
Alderman Mihevc began discussion regarding challenges to the City from an expenditure
standpoint. He noted that the report did a good job of laying out things that could be anticipated.
A key is that no additional personnel is required. A City Planner is budgeted for, but no new
requests have come in for additional positions or employees. One future position that could be
needed is a full time FOIA officer. FOIA requests have become burdensome to both the Police
Department and the Administrative side. If the quantity of requests keeps increasing and the type
of requests keep changing, that might be a position that could become necessary at some point.
One cost that is out of the hands of the City and staff is the police pension costs. The Pension
Board has an actuary that tells the City how much they must spend each year to fulfill the pension
fund requirement. There are also union contracts for the next three years that have salaries that
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are locked in. A salary study shows that some employees are still below the 25 percentile for
their range and a figure was submitted to get those employees up to that point.
Finance & Personnel
Meeting Minutes
August 19, 2019
Page 3
Administrator Morefield began the discussion of revenue. He explained that 76% of the revenue
for the City comes from property tax, sales tax, and income tax. Property taxes have been frozen
or lowered since 2010. State income tax has stayed mostly flat for the last nine or ten years.
Sales tax has had a fluctuation over the last decade, but has averaged an increase of 2.5% over
the last ten years. The biggest boost to the City was in 2009-2010, when a local sales tax was
implemented. The Council at that time implemented a home rule sales tax to give some breathing
room each year. By budgeting conservatively, the opportunity came to build a surplus in revenues
for the general fund balance.
The general fund summary spreadsheet was reviewed to show how the budget would project for
the next three years with and without increases in revenue. One column showed that with an
additional ¼% of sales tax and 3% in telecommunications tax, there is an extra $1.3 million in
surplus money for the next year that could be used for capital improvement projects. A
discussion was had about the perception and possible negative feedback that could come with
an increase in sales tax. Alderman Mihevc stated that there is a perception vs. reality issue with
a ¼% increase in sales tax. In reality, this increase in tax would not even be noticed by people
shopping, and it would free up a substantial amount of money for projects. The perception to
some people is that a tax increase could be looked upon negatively by the public. Alderwoman
Miller’s opinion is that many people would see the work being done and appreciate that their tax
money is being spent on what is necessary. Administrator Morefield stated that if this tax were
to go through, he could guarantee that in the next fiscal year a stated amount could be increased
for capital projects. It is impossible to make that guarantee long term, however, due to unknown
issues in the future.
Alderman Mihevc stated that there are a lot of needs that won’t be met without increasing the
revenue, and sales tax is the City’s only opportunity. He also believes this would only be
supported if the entire increases went to capital projects or improvements. Alderman Schaefer
cautioned that this could come off looking bad because the last tax increase only recently went
into effect. The general consensus was that this issue will probably be brought up at the
Strategic Planning Session, and that this issue should be brought before the Council after that
meeting. Alderman Schaefer suggested that an area wide tax comparison should be done to
show what the tax rates are of neighboring communities.
Adjournment: A motion was made by Alderwoman Miller and seconded by Alderman Schaefer
to adjourn the meeting at 6:56 p.m. Roll call: Vote: 3-ayes: Alderwoman Miller, Alderman
Schaefer, Alderman Mihevc. 0-nays, 0-abstained. Motion carried.
Deputy Clerk Monte Johnson
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