HomeMy WebLinkAbout08_08_05_smCITY COUNCIL August 8, 2005
PRESENT: Mayor Morton; Aldermen Wollin, Jean-Baptiste, Wynne, Bernstein, Holmes,
Moran, Tisdahl, Rainey
ABSENT: Alderman Hansen
A Quorum was present.
SENIOR STAFF: Judith Aiello, Assistant City Manager; Alan Berkowsky, Fire Chief; John
Burke, City Engineer; Julia Carroll, City Manager; Pat Casey, Management &
Budget Director; Doug Gaynor, Parks/Forestry & Recreation Director; Paula
Haynes, Human Relations Executive Director; Herb Hill, First Assistant
Corporation Counsel; Frank Kaminski, Police Chief; Neal Ney, Public
Library Director; Max Rubin, Facilities Management Director; Bill Stafford,
Finance Director; Jay Terry, Health & Human Services Director; Judith Witt,
Human Resources Director; James Wolinski, Community Development
Director.
FACILITATOR: Robert Oberwise, Executive Partners
A SPECIAL MEETING of the City Council was held Monday, August 8, 2005, starting at 6:00 p.m. at the Evanston
Ecology Center to conduct a strategic planning workshop.
Mr. Oberwise explained that the data and information that Council and staff received that evening had been compiled
over a 60-day period from focus groups, citizens’ groups, interviews and surveys. They were sharing the data and some
thinking about it to use as a foundation for the rest of the work they will do together. The purpose is to understand the
information they have, what the strategic issues are and think about the City as a whole. He hoped to stimulate their
thinking. Council would plan for the long term at the next meeting on August 29. All backup data was provided. He
explained that the intention was not to hold up this data as absolutes but as interesting facts about what is going on in the
City. More important is the strategic impact of these things and how they will affect Evanston in the long term.
Major trends in Evanston
Projections show that the population will grow but not significantly. Unemployment numbers continue to run above the
national average, although both the national average and percentage of unemployed in Evanston are projected to fall.
Household income here is significantly above the national average. Population will grow slowly and income will be
significantly above the national average. Projections show that the 0-14 age group will decline. The 55-64 age group has
the largest growth and 15-34 year olds represent 37% of the population, which is quite large compared to the national
average. The white population will decline slightly and the black population will increase slightly. Growth will occur
primarily with Hispanic and Asian populations. Income distribution shows high income growth here and the decline of
lower and middle income groups. Evanston is a Mecca for highly educated individuals. Projections show that will
continue and increase slightly. Students were included in the data. He said what was important was the relative position,
not the absolute numbers and thought the trends were accurate
U.S. City Trends
Information from CEO’s for Cities, an organization that works with cities that have universities, shows that for the first
time in modern American history, population and income growth no longer go together. Cities will grow wealthier, but
not larger. City economies will show enormously different paths to success. Educational levels will be the biggest drivers
for economic growth. High school diplomas are not enough. The proportion of a particular ethnic or racial group fuels
economic growth while their segregation generally has a negative affect. Regionally, cities and suburbs are an
interdependent part of the economy but their economies are changing. When cities come together they can get more done.
Mr. Oberwise explained that it is important for any organization to build on its strengths. National League of Cities
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information shows that public finance has changed, which dramatically affects revenues. The economy is transitioning to
an information economy. Local governance is built on a foundation of trust between officials and citizens. Public safety
is a huge issue. Money magazine listed what it thought are the best cities are to live in. Evanston was not on it but what
was important was what it thought was relevant: positive population growth and real estate appreciation; within 60 miles
of a major airport and 30 miles of a major teaching hospital; cultural arts resources; low crime rates and low
unemployment; convenience and a sense of family atmosphere. Mr. Oberwise thought Evanston has many attributes
listed but there is a public perception about Evanston, which needs to be managed appropriately and considered in
creating a long-term plan.
City Departmental issues
Department heads provided information, opportunities or trends that should be considered in strategic planning.
Police Department. Personnel transitions on the police force are one issue. A large percentage of management is new
and another group is eligible to retire. There are issues around budgeting to headcount levels and reasons why people are
not in those positions. They may need to think of different ways to resource and structure police work. Evanston is a
destination, so traffic and parking are issues. The crime rate is going down and is an important component that needs to
be managed effectively. Terrorism was not listed.
Fire Department. During the past 10 years fire and life safety service calls have increased by 20% and is projected to
continue. Fire fighting technologies are changing with the kind of structural fire fighting that is required with high-rise
buildings. 60% of the calls are for emergency medical services and 40% are for fire. Technology will continue to
improve how the jobs are done. The Fire Department is experiencing some of the same issues as police with turnover of
staff. They don’t know the impact of Homeland Security but he saw more responsibility being placed with local
communities. A lot of the intelligence work will be done locally.
Law Department. Critical issues are that efforts are being made to manage the suits and claims in a different way,
which will require some training and coordination among departments and he saw as an opportunity for the City. There
are relationships with nonprofit organizations where the City has an opportunity to create a different approach to yield
different results for both. Zoning and hearing processes are mentioned in several places. Part of the strategic process is
that both be looked at in a balanced way.
Parks/Forestry & Recreation. Critical issues are around facilities that need work in parks. The Robert Crown Center
needs major work or replacement and it would be good to offer more of certain programs. Based on population trends,
Hispanic and Asian people could drive the cultural arts programs offered. Many of the programs are attached to the
facilities question. A lot has been done to renovate parks but additional work and more maintenance is needed. The
national trend is for more outdoor recreational space and some unique facilities. Scholarships are important for
underprivileged youth. Alderman Wollin noted that cultural arts are very different than Parks/Forestry & Recreation.
Public Works. The critical issue is funding for public streets followed closely by parking, which came from both staff
and citizens. They need to continue to maintain viaducts and create partnerships to leverage with viaduct owners. Re-
negotiating the City’s water contracts is a potential revenue source. Alderman Tisdahl asked about more aggressive
recycling efforts. City Manager Carroll explained when solid waste is picked up there is a landfill cost, so when recycling
is diverted, there is a savings. It is cost avoidance as much as a revenue opportunity. SWANCC will be brought in to do
some studies. Alderman Moran related that SWANCC studies show that using larger recycling containers results in more
recycling. Ms. Carroll noted that focusing on education, which was cut back several years ago, also helps. Alderman
Rainey pointed out entire neighborhoods do no recycling and that the recycling ordinance states that recycling is the law.
Alderman Holmes asked if anything about lighting was included? Mr. Oberwise said in the citizen input session
streetlights blocked by trees or not functioning came up. There was no discussion about increasing light levels.
Human Relations. Three issues are important to consider as part of strategic planning. One is affordable housing.
Second is youth at-risk (underprivileged youth) whose numbers are increasing and that their concerns be addressed. The
third issue is diversity and the value of programs that deal with that constructively.
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Health & Human Services. What would be valuable to the community that does not exist is a vision around health and
human services. It would be helpful to define health and human services and the role government plays. What role should
Evanston play? Another significant factor is the aging population. Health & Human Services Director Jay Terry reported
that demand for services is clearly outstripping resources for aging persons. In response to Mayor Morton, Mr. Terry
explained that a number of idiosyncratic individuals live here. Someone may have 25 cats or a backyard filled with
unfinished art projects that attract rats or individuals who are neglectful of self. These are complex problems that take a
lot of time and people turn to the City to do something about them. They have worked with many departments to deal
with these problems. Mr. Oberwise noted that there are organizations in and outside of Evanston that are concerned with
these issues and he saw an opportunity for partnerships and coalitions with the City. The packet included a Boston
Consulting Group Community Assessment sponsored by the United Way. Mr. Terry said this data was obtained when
Evanston had a freestanding United Way, which is likely to go away soon because of a merger with the United Way of
the North Shore. This will have implications for future funding priorities and distributions.
Community Development. Current development trends are primarily mixed use, mid-rise to high-rise with ground floor
retail and condominiums above. Should this trend continue? Should there be mandatory design guidelines or architectural
review? Should citywide redevelopment continue, or is there a risk of losing the “character” of Evanston? What should
be the City’s approach to affordable housing? What is the best approach to redevelop sections of the west side, yet not
disturb the housing affordability and character of the neighborhoods? What is the best approach to improving Howard
Street? How can the community best preserve landmark and historic districts? The Zoning Ordinance needs to be
amended to reflect issues confronting Evanston now. The development process needs to be reviewed and, where they
can, focus on streamlining it. How can the middle class be retained in Evanston? What is the best approach for keeping
commercial vacancy rates low while providing the goods and services that residents need? How much of Evanston’s
downtown retail should be devoted to serving the needs of Northwestern students? Once Sherman Plaza is completed,
should there be continued redevelopment in the downtown? What parts of the downtown should not be touched.
Permit data showed significant growth in residential areas, less institutional growth and some commercial growth. The
Comprehensive General Plan and the HUD Consolidated Plan were included.
Facilities Management and Emergency Management. A long-term plan for renovation and maintenance of all City
facilities is needed. The Civic Center is one component of that and should be addressed. Mayor Morton objected to the
Civic Center described as “having reached the end of its useful life.” In Emergency Management, there is a need to
address the Emergency Center and an appropriate way to manage costs.
Cable Administration. Cable companies have found ways to reduce revenues returning to the City. Proposed legislation
would seriously impact the ability of cities to charge for and control the use of their right-of-ways. Voice Over Internet
Protocol (VOIP) will reduce City revenues from the telephone tax and 911 surcharges. Opportunities are to combine and
negotiate cable franchises for several communities and to consolidate public access space to reduce costs. The Evanston
Community Media Center is one of the finest public access operations in the Chicago area.
Alderman Rainey asked if there was any discussion about how local cable is being used. She has found a lot of garbage
on cable and that important meetings are not televised. Mr. Oberwise noted in the citizens groups, more communication
was deemed important. He suggested they consider how Cable TV is utilized and how to do that more effectively. Cable
information came from Max Rubin. Alderman Jean-Baptiste asked about radio and should it not be considered as a tool
that could help facilitate better communication? Mr. Oberwise said that citizens seek information and some have
misperceptions about what is going on and form opinions about that. They need to figure out methodologies to
communicate effectively with each other and citizens. Alderman Moran recalled some years ago some people got
together to wire Evanston, but that was quashed by corporations. Now he sees potential legislation in Washington D.C.
and Springfield to develop healthier environments for municipality’s use of the Internet; asked if they would think about
that. Alderman Moran thought about reducing the barriers imposed by telecommunications companies that don’t want to
see municipalities wired.
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Library. The library’s strategic plan was included. The important issue is what does the library mean in the future
outside of four walls? Will the library look more like Barnes & Noble in the future?
Human Resources. There are increases in employee turnover. Health care costs are not going down and how can that be
managed. Succession planning is needed as evidenced in the police and fire departments. As they think about various
programs and strategies, they need to ask the human resource implication questions – what is needed in resources, skills
and training? Mayor Morton asked if there is research on the impact of technology on the number of employees. Would
fewer or more employees be needed with the new technologies? Mr. Oberwise said they need to look at technology and
its uses in this process for labor saving or better communication tools. A critical issue is communications, which must be
more comprehensive, extensive, timely and clear across the City. Employee demographic trends were included.
Alderman Jean-Baptiste asked what trends they were looking at. Age, years of service, race, gender and pension
eligibility, which is projected out. There is a significant group eligible for pensions, which means hiring younger workers
and culture changes in how employees are managed. Existing data on race and gender was provided. Ms. Carroll noted
with more turnover, there are increased development and training costs. Another factor is how employees like to work
because different generations work differently.
Chicago area property tax rates. Property tax rates per $100 EAV for municipalities in Cook, Lake and DuPage
counties were passed out that showed where Evanston sits in relation to other communities. Finance Director Bill
Stafford said the rates did not include school districts, but an effort was made to find comparable communities. He
explained people who live in Skokie in the District 65 and 202 area pay taxes comparable to Evanston, while the rest of
Skokie is significantly lower. Alderman Rainey asked that another rate chart be prepared comparing Evanston to
Glenview, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg, North Shore communities, Hinsdale and Naperville. Alderman Moran asked
how this would be used; noted that developers look at tax rates. Alderman Rainey noted that critics say that Evanston’s
tax rate is the highest.
A 10-minute break was taken at 7:40 p.m.
Budget. Management & Budget Director Pat Casey explained that two major factors affect City finances. In a normal
year, expenditures are expected to grow by 5% given the nature of a business where personnel costs comprise 80% of the
budget. Revenues in a good year average a 3% growth rate and in bad years 1%. The gap between expenditures and
revenues has to be closed every year either by finding new revenue sources or reducing expenditures or both. The other
financial factor is capital needs. The streets, Robert Crown Center and buildings were mentioned earlier, but all
infrastructures need to be looked at. Capital needs are great and at one time were estimated at $300 million. The City has
spent $3-6 million annually on capital needs and, as they consider the strategic plan, they will have to decide the level the
City can afford to keep up the City’s infrastructure.
Finance. Mr. Stafford said one of Evanston’s financial strengths is the City’s Aaa bond rating, which helps keep costs
down for taxpayers. The City is a large, $175 million operation. It has to stay on top of management techniques from
outsourcing, insourcing, and privatizing, to joint ventures and is in a constant state of analysis on how to deliver services.
He recalled starting out in accounting with green sheets and now the City has a $3 million dollar financial system, which
is a great change. He is sees more responsibilities put on the City to do more with the same amount of people. He did not
see technology as reducing personnel, but used to gain more productivity from personnel.
Employee Data. Mr. Oberwise reported that the management team had analyzed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and threats to the City, which was included. Results from the employee survey also were included in the packet.
However, responses to two narrative questions were not included and would be forwarded later. Roughly 800 surveys
were distributed to employees with a response rate of just under 80%. The surveys were confidential. Mr. Oberwise
suggested the surveys could be used for purposes other than strategic planning and are “change tools.” Employees’ top
priorities for the City are: update infrastructure, economic development, increase public safety and upgrading municipal
facilities. Employees’ ranked priorities to increase economic development are: engage Northwestern University
effectively; create alternative sources of revenue; develop more retail and commercial diversity and develop affordable
housing. There was discussion of the meaning of various answers to the survey questions among aldermen, Mr. Oberwise
and Ms. Knebl. Ms. Carroll noted this was the first time that the City had done this kind of survey of employees.
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Citizen Input Sessions. Two sessions were held, one by invitation and the other open to the general public. All data
created by these two groups was included in the packet. Key messages from the July 14 citizens’ session are: Evanston
should lead the way on how municipalities are run in the future. There is a significant intellectual and knowledge base,
plus technology to be capitalized on, to create a big vision. Continue the character of Evanston was another component.
Roads were the number one infrastructure issue, followed by parking and traffic flow, including vehicular and pedestrian
traffic. Find new and creative ways to manage and use Evanston’s natural resources and create regional coalitions.
Evanston needs a better partnership with Northwestern University and other large not-for-profits here. This came up in
both citizen sessions. Continue development of a vibrant downtown and maintain a mix of retail of national chains and
independent merchants. More arts and entertainment were desired. Maintain family-focused neighborhoods. Green came
up in both citizen sessions. Make each neighborhood a destination in itself. Affordable housing needs to be addressed and
neighborhood community centers were discussed. Continue development of efficient and responsive government.
Encourage elected officials to focus on governance versus management, the whole City as well as their ward. Zoning and
the process needs revisiting; stricter architectural use, green space, walking paths, setbacks, density and height were
considerations. An industrial park is needed and neighborhood commercial districts. More coordination among various
City elements i.e., departments, Chamber, satellite business districts and not-for-profits. Creating some of these coalitions
could solve some of the City’s revenue problems. Enhance the tax base and citizens want more communication on issues.
Key issues from the July 26 citizens’ meeting are: maintain the character and diversity of Evanston. An overall plan is
needed with neighborhood specific plans and updated zoning. Pay attention to the environment. Green is important and
use recycling as an opportunity. City Council needs to view its role as direction and policy setters for the entire City of
Evanston. Streamline boards and commissions and the process for that to occur. Evanston should lead the development of
an integrated transportation plan with pedestrian and vehicular traffic flow included. To effectively solve City and
regional community problems, better partnerships need to be created with governmental bodies in Evanston and
surrounding communities as well as not-for-profit organizations, including Northwestern University. A more aggressive
communication strategy is needed to keep citizens informed. Continue economic development and expand it into
neighborhoods and include more entertainment options. Continue to look for ways to preserve the character of
neighborhoods. Evanston needs a human services vision and plan. More youth programs are needed, particularly for pre-
teen, teens and those not attending college. Help with streets and parking is needed. There was a lot of conversation
about creating a sustainable energy policy and plan. Debbie Hillman suggested that the City adopt a green energy
building code. Final points were to use the intelligence and diversity of Evanston and to manage taxes.
The packet included results of a recent survey done by the Southeast Evanston Association.
Community Partners. The Chamber of Commerce issues and opportunities are: in planning don’t think about Evanston
in isolation, but consider the broader metropolitan area. There are several kinds of businesses in Evanston, those that
cater to local or regional citizens and those whose customers are global. Don’t try to be everything to everyone--
prioritize. The Chamber is conducting a research project that will be finalized at the end of the month and that data will
be entered into the City’s plan. Chamber data from 1999 identified some positive trends in Evanston and the approaches
to consider were valuable.
School Districts. The overall high school student population has increased slightly over the last several years;
projections through 2013 show a decline. The Latino population has risen 30% between 1998 to 2004. Special education
enrollment has risen from 12.27% in 1989 to 15.04% in 2004 perhaps due to how to recognize its need and deal with it.
District 65’s enrollment numbers reflect similar trends to the high school. The schools asked for help to support their
strategic plan goal of a conflict-free environment. Annual reports from the Districts 65 and 202 were included.
Competitive Benchmarking. Executive Partners started the process knowing they wanted to benchmark three
communities. They chose an Illinois community, Arlington Heights; a community with a university, Cambridge, Mass.
and Bellevue, Wash., a community with some similarities to Evanston. Mr. Oberwise said they did not want to compare
Evanston to the usual Oak Park and Skokie communities so that they could learn some interesting things others are doing.
One reason Arlington Heights was chosen is that it has many of the same obstacles as Evanston, namely, no more room.
It also is accessible to Chicago. Arlington Heights has done a lot about teardowns and its zoning process. The downtown
redevelopment occurred because the board was willing to take some risk. They have a no-fee teen center with a variety of
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programs, services and events. Cambridge, is a university town near Boston. They found that 70% of housing in the City
of Cambridge is rental and it had to do broad thinking to overcome the affordable housing issue. By imposing a surcharge
on real estate taxes with a matching amount from the state, they can fund renovations and affordable housing
construction. Cambridge has a good relationship with the university. The population is a little over 100,000. The city
receives payments in lieu of taxes from Harvard and MIT. The city also has a revenue protection clause that prevents
universities from removing property from the tax base. Cambridge has the Cambridge Health Alliance, which provides
regionally focused health services and the city pays $6.5 million a year to the Alliance. Cambridge has had strong fiscal
management and planned for the future long-term. The third community is Bellevue, Wash. close to Seattle. They have
made a lot of progress in economic development through an alliance of partners. They do performance benchmarking and
are a national leader in analyzing the quality and quantity of their services. Their council is elected at large, with no
wards. They are in the process of renovating the former Quest headquarters for a new city hall and public safety
departments, which they have saved for since 1990 so there is no impact on the budget. They have a Neighborhood
Investment Strategy that specifically figures out how to restore heath to neighborhoods threatened by aging, growth and
change. They invest city money in these projects and have extensive citizen involvement to define neighborhood
character, needs and assets.
Alderman Jean-Baptiste saw no evidence of discussions with Northwestern University or other not-for-profit
organizations. Mr. Oberwise thought there was value in conversing with those entities who were invited to participate in
a citizen session. Alderman Jean-Baptiste confirmed he had met with the Chamber and suggested that Executive Partners
meet with the others.
Mr. Oberwise passed out an Executive Summary of critical topics for strategic planning consideration. They will need to
talk about a leadership vision, the City’s economic engine, taxes, alternate sources of revenue, neighborhood plans,
natural resources and green, partnerships, social service programs, infrastructure, facilities and government effectiveness.
Mr. Oberwise said those are the areas they will work on and the point of going through all of this was to give everybody
a foundation and background.
Mayor Morton thanked the staff for the amount of information provided, the Chamber of Commerce and all others who
contributed. It was determined Council would not do a SWOT analysis that evening. The next session would be the City
Council participating in a long-term planning session on August 29.
The meeting ended at 9:07 p.m.
Mary P. Morris,
City Clerk