FEBRUARY 2015
FROM WHERE WE’VE BEEN TO WHERE WE’RE GOING A MESSAGE FROM YOUR VILLAGE PRESIDENT | As this Newsletter reaches your mailbox, we are already a full month into 2015. While we have a very full agenda for this year, I want to provide a brief recap of what we accomplished in 2014 and acknowledge the contributions of many residents who made it a very successful year. We are emerging from the recession and I am pleased to report that the Village is in very good financial condition. The Village still managed to accomplish much even in the difficult economic climate. Our successes are due to developing a long-term Strategic Plan, defining our core objectives, adhering to that Plan, and hiring extremely qualified Staff to implement the necessary steps to achieve our goals. Much has been accomplished and much more is just ahead. One core component in our Strategic Plan involved implementing sound financial practices. In 2015 the Village was issued our 3rd Bond Rate increase in the past five years. The Bond Rating is similar to a credit rating. Moody’s Investors Service attributed the upgrade to our professional Management Team, maintaining Reserves through conservative budgeting, reducing expenditures, controlling costs and restructuring of outstanding long-term debt with 65% of the principal to be retired over the next ten years. We have come a long way and the Village’s strong financial condition has allowed us to avoid tax increases over CPI, as you may recall, the Village is only 12% of your tax bill. Another core principal in our Strategic Plan involved stabilizing our neighborhoods and home values. As a result of a great deal of hard work with the Village reaching out to those facing foreclosure, Village home prices not only stabilized but significantly increased. Bensenville posted one of the highest percentage increases of single family home prices in 2014 pursuant to a recent study published by CoreLogic Case-Shiller. Bensenville is a great place to live and raise a family and others are beginning to recognize this fact. Creating business growth is not an easy task. Businesses have been reluctant to expand over the last several years. Regardless of the recession, it was important to the Village Board and staff to position the Village to benefit as the recovery starts. One such impediment was the railroad crossing at York and Irving Park. The bridge project is underway and we have already seen an improvement in the number of businesses coming to town. The Green Street Tap House and Grill has been approved for 120 West Green Street in our Downtown District and construction will begin in February. Final lease negotiations are underway for a fresh market grocery store at the old Dominick’s location. We anticipate the store opening later this year. Foremost among the major issues that we face is the continued pursuit of noise reduction solutions for our community. I attended the National League of Cities Conference to build relationships with others and committed to participation in the National Organization to Insure a Sound Controlled Environment (N.O.I.S.E.). Here in Bensenville, we created a new O’Hare Impact Committee which meets monthly with residents and we have added resources to our website (www.bensenville.il.us). Our approach and ideas are being adopted by other impacted communities.
VILLAGE PRESIDENT Frank Soto BOARD OF TRUSTEES Morris Bartlett Susan Janowiak Robert Jarecki Martin O’Connell, III JoEllen Ridder Henry Wesseler CLERK Ilsa Rivera-Trujillo VILLAGE MANAGER Michael Cassady
We’ve made substantial progress on our new Police & Emergency Management Headquarters and the restoration of our Waste Water Treatment facility. Both remain on schedule for completion in 2015. These projects provide substantial benefit to the community. We have utilized a variety of funding sources including grants and unique bond opportunities to manage our costs. Both projects should come in on schedule and under budget. Finally, no recap of our year would be complete without recognition of the many great social and community events that took place in Bensenville. Whether it was our Community Youth Services Coalition holding their first health fair and walk for young families, or our Senior Fair & Expo, there was something special for every resident to enjoy this past year. The new Farmer’s Market complimented our summer concert series and fall brought a variety of family events throughout town. We can be proud of the many physical improvements that have taken place in our schools, our roads, our downtown, and in our service sector, but it all matters little if not for the quality of life that is generated by the many residents who make Bensenville such a great place to live and work. Here’s to a very successful 2015!
FRANK SOTO | VILLAGE PRESIDENT