Citizen’s Finance Advisory Committee July 8, 2009

This was the first meeting of this new committee, consisting of Don Adler, George Klein, Norma Lauder, Todd Rusteberg, and Randall Teteak. The first order of business was to elect Don Adler Chairman. Chairman Adler reviewed the committee’s charge and assigned tasks to each member. All members will review actual income and expenses vs. budget. Adler and Klein will review employee compensation and benefits and the requirements of state law and union contracts. Adler and Lauder will review all sources of revenues. Rusteberg and Teteak will review information technology and garage operations. The committee will also review contracted services and non-governmental operation, e.g. Sports Core. Adler plans to report to the Village Board monthly. Next agenda item was resident comment. Connie Xinos of Briarwood provided copies of all village employees’ salaries and benefits, which he had obtained thru FOIA. He advocated a 15% staff reduction. He asked if this committee was willing to make hard decisions and recommendations to the Village Board. George Klein assured Mr. Xinos that the committee would be making difficult decisions and he personally was willing to close both the library and the B&T. Resident Mario Vescovi of Fullersburg advocated a 20% reduction of village payroll. Resident Al Knuth noted he had advocated canceling employee raises. Adler asked Village Manager Niemeyer to provide salary history for police and fire as well as non-union employees. Niemeyer noted that the Village had been in negotiations with both unions for over a year. The Village may face a significant payment for back pay since the end of the last contract if the new contract includes retroactive payment since the end of the old contract. Village Trustee Aktipis arrived late and asked committee members to serve at least through the end of this year, although their appointments are for two years. They set their next meeting for July 22 at 7PM. They asked Niemeyer to explain fund accounting, review the month by month budget vs actual income and expenses, and discuss garage operations and which employees were assigned Village cars for personal use. Niemeyer asked the committee to help look at big picture budget items and consider which Village services to reduce and by how much.

The Doings covered this meeting in the article at

http://www.pioneerlocal.com/oakbrook/news/1659497,oak-brook-layoffs-070909-s1.article