The Glen Ellyn Park District Board held its annual Retreat on Saturday, August 29. The main issue for discussion was the plan for future capital expenditures. Staff explained that we will be working with a very limited budget for capitals in the next three years.
The Board only discussed expenditures listed in the 2010 column in the Proposed Future Expenditures document in the packet. The Board prioritized possible capital expenditures and staff indicated which expenditures were their highest priorities. Staff will compile this list and bring it back to the Board as part of our budget planning process, which will occur during the October and November board meetings. The Board will be faced with some very difficult decisions during these meetings as we determine how to deal with limited funding.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Agenda for September 1 meeting
The next Glen Ellyn Park District meeting is Tuesday, September 1. It is a workshop meeting and will be held in the board room at the Spring Avenue Recreation Center at 7 p.m.
The agenda for the meeting is online here. UPDATE: The board packet is online here.
There will be a presentation at this meeting about the 2009 community survey that was mailed out to homes this spring.
If you have any comments or suggestions about these items, please attend the meeting and participate. The public is always welcome at board meetings and your input is appreciated.
The agenda for the meeting is online here. UPDATE: The board packet is online here.
There will be a presentation at this meeting about the 2009 community survey that was mailed out to homes this spring.
If you have any comments or suggestions about these items, please attend the meeting and participate. The public is always welcome at board meetings and your input is appreciated.
A Step Towards Data-Driven Decision Making
One of my primary concerns on the park district board is having appropriate information to drive our decision making process. Towards this goal, I am looking for staff to track monthly usage of our facilities, including the hours that each facility could be open, the hours that each facility was open, and the number of users of each facility.
Compiling this data for each programmable space (such as rooms and fields) would help the board to make informed decisions when evaluating capital improvements and maintenance. For example, if one of several comparable athletic fields has much less use due to poor turf conditions, it would benefit the most from renovations. Without usage data we don't know where our limited funds are best spent.
In the August 18th meeting the board decided against compiling usage at the facility level and instead voted to compile usage data averaged at the program level. More data is always better, but we will need to go further to have the information we need for budget decisions.
Compiling this data for each programmable space (such as rooms and fields) would help the board to make informed decisions when evaluating capital improvements and maintenance. For example, if one of several comparable athletic fields has much less use due to poor turf conditions, it would benefit the most from renovations. Without usage data we don't know where our limited funds are best spent.
In the August 18th meeting the board decided against compiling usage at the facility level and instead voted to compile usage data averaged at the program level. More data is always better, but we will need to go further to have the information we need for budget decisions.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Board Retreat, Saturday August 29
The Glen Ellyn Park District Board is meeting Saturday, August 29 at the Lisle Hilton to discuss capital projects for 2010. We will also see a preview of the results from the community-wide survey that was conducted this spring.
The agenda for the Board Retreat is online here. UPDATE: The packet is online here.
The Retreat is an open meeting and the public is welcome. Please see my previous post for a map and directions to the meeting site. The meeting begins at 8 am.
The agenda for the Board Retreat is online here. UPDATE: The packet is online here.
The Retreat is an open meeting and the public is welcome. Please see my previous post for a map and directions to the meeting site. The meeting begins at 8 am.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Board Approves Ackerman Sports Complex Budget
The Glen Ellyn Park District Board voted 5-2 to approve the ASC budget at the August 18 meeting. I voted no on the ASC budget because of my concerns about the $20,000 White Sox rental fees for the batting cage area. The questions and concerns that I raised at the August 4 meeting were not addressed by staff or legal counsel at our August 18 meeting. If we allow a for-profit company to rent space in a park district facility, I think we need to charge rent that will cover our operating expenses and capital investment.
At our last meeting Director Atwell said the Board could approve just the fees at the August 18 meeting, which would allow staff to meet a marketing deadlines for the ASC brochure. He indicated that the Board could continue to discuss budget items and there was no deadline for approving the budget. Since my questions on the White Sox rental fees were unanswered, I felt that the Board should remove the White Sox rental fee from the budget or continue discussion at the next meeting.
Also as part of the discussion of the ASC budget, I recommended including the $10.5 million construction costs in the annual budget as part of debt service reduction. When the Board constructed Holes & Knolls mini-golf the capital costs were included in the annual operating budget each year. After a brief discussion, the Board decided not to included capital costs in the ASC budget.
At our last meeting Director Atwell said the Board could approve just the fees at the August 18 meeting, which would allow staff to meet a marketing deadlines for the ASC brochure. He indicated that the Board could continue to discuss budget items and there was no deadline for approving the budget. Since my questions on the White Sox rental fees were unanswered, I felt that the Board should remove the White Sox rental fee from the budget or continue discussion at the next meeting.
Also as part of the discussion of the ASC budget, I recommended including the $10.5 million construction costs in the annual budget as part of debt service reduction. When the Board constructed Holes & Knolls mini-golf the capital costs were included in the annual operating budget each year. After a brief discussion, the Board decided not to included capital costs in the ASC budget.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Offsite Meeting for Capital Decision Making
The Glen Ellyn Park District Board Retreat will be held in the Executive Boardroom at the Hilton Lisle/Naperville, 3003 Corporate West Drive, Lisle, IL (map) at 8 in the morning on Saturday, August 29.
Traditionally, the Board makes all of the capital project decisions for the upcoming year at this retreat. If you would like to see how the Board makes these decisions, please attend the meeting. Board retreats are open meetings, though the Board may be in closed session for part of the day. I do not have a copy of the agenda yet but will link to it when it becomes available.
Earlier in the summer Commissioner Kinzler suggested that the Board Retreat be held in Glen Ellyn. This could make it easier for residents to participate in the meeting and benefit our local businesses. Ideally, we could hold the retreat in on of the Glen Ellyn Park District facilities and save taxpayers money. I am hopeful that we can do this in the future.
Traditionally, the Board makes all of the capital project decisions for the upcoming year at this retreat. If you would like to see how the Board makes these decisions, please attend the meeting. Board retreats are open meetings, though the Board may be in closed session for part of the day. I do not have a copy of the agenda yet but will link to it when it becomes available.
Earlier in the summer Commissioner Kinzler suggested that the Board Retreat be held in Glen Ellyn. This could make it easier for residents to participate in the meeting and benefit our local businesses. Ideally, we could hold the retreat in on of the Glen Ellyn Park District facilities and save taxpayers money. I am hopeful that we can do this in the future.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Board Votes 4-3 Against Online Video of Meetings
The Glen Ellyn Park District Board voted 4-3 last night against posting video of board meetings online. Commissioners Dallman, Aubrey, Hess and Minogue all voted against the proposal. I voted for the proposal, along with Commissioners Nephew and Kinzler.
The proposal was for video recording of every board meeting with the video posted online within 48 hours of each meeting. The Glen Ellyn Park District was to spend no more than $1000 on the equipment, with one proposal showing an estimated cost under $500.
Increasing board transparency was an important part of our campaign, and Commissioners Nephew, Kinzler and myself brought up the idea of online video, asked staff to prepare recommendations and made the motions last night in order to make GEPD Board meetings more accessible to the public.
In voting no, Commissioners Dallman, Aubrey, Hess and Minogue stated that they didn't think anyone would watch the video and that it was not needed at this time.
All Glen Ellyn Park District Board meetings are open to the public. Under Illinois state law, anyone can videotape public meetings.
The proposal was for video recording of every board meeting with the video posted online within 48 hours of each meeting. The Glen Ellyn Park District was to spend no more than $1000 on the equipment, with one proposal showing an estimated cost under $500.
Increasing board transparency was an important part of our campaign, and Commissioners Nephew, Kinzler and myself brought up the idea of online video, asked staff to prepare recommendations and made the motions last night in order to make GEPD Board meetings more accessible to the public.
In voting no, Commissioners Dallman, Aubrey, Hess and Minogue stated that they didn't think anyone would watch the video and that it was not needed at this time.
All Glen Ellyn Park District Board meetings are open to the public. Under Illinois state law, anyone can videotape public meetings.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Agenda for August 18 meeting
The next Glen Ellyn Park District meeting is Tuesday, August 18. It is a regular meeting and will be held in the board room at the Spring Avenue Recreation Center at 7 p.m.
The agenda for the meeting is online here. The board packet is not yet online, but I will link to it when it is. UPDATE: The packet is online here.
The Board will discuss that facilities and fields usage study, and placing video of board meetings online. Discussion will also continue on the Ackerman Sports Complex budget, hours and fees.
If you have any comments or suggestions about these items, please attend the meeting and participate. The public is always welcome at Glen Ellyn Park District board meetings and your input is appreciated.
The agenda for the meeting is online here. The board packet is not yet online, but I will link to it when it is. UPDATE: The packet is online here.
The Board will discuss that facilities and fields usage study, and placing video of board meetings online. Discussion will also continue on the Ackerman Sports Complex budget, hours and fees.
If you have any comments or suggestions about these items, please attend the meeting and participate. The public is always welcome at Glen Ellyn Park District board meetings and your input is appreciated.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
White Sox Rental Fee Discussion for ASC
During the planning stages for ASC, the Glen Ellyn Park District Board added several features to the building that have increased construction costs (see this memo for details). One of these was an additional $678,561 to increase the width of the building by 47' to accommodate batting cages to be run by the White Sox Training Academy.
The Glen Ellyn Park District plans to rent space to the White Sox Training Academy for $20,000 a year for exclusive use of this space. The proposed budget for the ASC (on page 42) shows this anticipated revenue. The Glen Ellyn Park District will receive no other revenue from the Sox for this space. A final contract has not yet been approved.
The batting cages area is approximately 47' x 138', totaling about 6,486 sq. ft. The entire ASC is 88,248 sq.ft. Since the Sox area is such a large part of the building, I became concerned about the operating costs associated with such a large space.
Looking at the proposed budget for ASC I estimated costs for the Sox area by assuming costs are proportional to square footage. Cleaning will be handled by the Sox, but other building-wide costs (such as utilities, pest control, management, and repairs) total over $20,000 a year.
If the Glen Ellyn Park District goes through with this contract as proposed, the park district will end up subsidizing a for-profit company. We, the taxpayers, will never recover our initial capital expense of $678,561.
I would like to see a solution for this space that covers operating expenses and gives us a reasonable time frame for covering our capital investment.
Discussion on this topic will resume at the August 18 Board Meeting.
The Glen Ellyn Park District plans to rent space to the White Sox Training Academy for $20,000 a year for exclusive use of this space. The proposed budget for the ASC (on page 42) shows this anticipated revenue. The Glen Ellyn Park District will receive no other revenue from the Sox for this space. A final contract has not yet been approved.
The batting cages area is approximately 47' x 138', totaling about 6,486 sq. ft. The entire ASC is 88,248 sq.ft. Since the Sox area is such a large part of the building, I became concerned about the operating costs associated with such a large space.
Looking at the proposed budget for ASC I estimated costs for the Sox area by assuming costs are proportional to square footage. Cleaning will be handled by the Sox, but other building-wide costs (such as utilities, pest control, management, and repairs) total over $20,000 a year.
If the Glen Ellyn Park District goes through with this contract as proposed, the park district will end up subsidizing a for-profit company. We, the taxpayers, will never recover our initial capital expense of $678,561.
I would like to see a solution for this space that covers operating expenses and gives us a reasonable time frame for covering our capital investment.
Discussion on this topic will resume at the August 18 Board Meeting.
Ackerman Budget Discussion Continues
I was glad to see several people in the audience at the meeting Tuesday night. I'd like to thank those soccer board members who spoke during public participation. It is always good to hear from the community.
The Board continued discussion of the Ackerman Sports Complex (ASC) budget, fees and hours (page 32). There are still many questions about the budget details, so the Board will approve only the fees at the August meeting. Approving the fees is necessary because of marketing deadlines.
After the July 21 meeting, I sent several questions to staff and received detailed responses. These were included in the Director's Dispatch and were not placed online, so I have linked to them here. Director Atwell provided me with a detailed history of the ASC expansion from referendum to construction. I also received answers to my specific questions about the budget.
I still had questions about the anticipated revenue from soccer leagues- this accounts for 57% of the revenues. Staff explained that these numbers are not based on rental hours, but fees charged per team for participation in leagues. Detailed numbers on this will be provided to the board for further review.
Commissioner Kinzler asked questions about SARC fitness center. Since is is currently operating at a loss, he was concerned that a large number of its 100 users will move to the new ASC fitness center. A drop in users will negatively impact the revenue there, but costs, such as staffing, will remain constant. Director Atwell said that SARC fitness center users will be surveyed to see which fitness center they intend to use once ASC is open, as requested by the Board at the last meeting. With this information, the Board can have a better understanding of usage before we need to approve funding for new fitness equipment at ASC.
Since discussion about online video and the facilities usage report were not on the agenda this meeting as previously planned, I brought these up during my Matters from Commissioners time. In both cases, staff was preparing a report for the Board, but it was delayed. After a brief discussion, the Board decided to place both of these items on the agenda for our August 18 meeting.
The Board continued discussion of the Ackerman Sports Complex (ASC) budget, fees and hours (page 32). There are still many questions about the budget details, so the Board will approve only the fees at the August meeting. Approving the fees is necessary because of marketing deadlines.
After the July 21 meeting, I sent several questions to staff and received detailed responses. These were included in the Director's Dispatch and were not placed online, so I have linked to them here. Director Atwell provided me with a detailed history of the ASC expansion from referendum to construction. I also received answers to my specific questions about the budget.
I still had questions about the anticipated revenue from soccer leagues- this accounts for 57% of the revenues. Staff explained that these numbers are not based on rental hours, but fees charged per team for participation in leagues. Detailed numbers on this will be provided to the board for further review.
Commissioner Kinzler asked questions about SARC fitness center. Since is is currently operating at a loss, he was concerned that a large number of its 100 users will move to the new ASC fitness center. A drop in users will negatively impact the revenue there, but costs, such as staffing, will remain constant. Director Atwell said that SARC fitness center users will be surveyed to see which fitness center they intend to use once ASC is open, as requested by the Board at the last meeting. With this information, the Board can have a better understanding of usage before we need to approve funding for new fitness equipment at ASC.
Since discussion about online video and the facilities usage report were not on the agenda this meeting as previously planned, I brought these up during my Matters from Commissioners time. In both cases, staff was preparing a report for the Board, but it was delayed. After a brief discussion, the Board decided to place both of these items on the agenda for our August 18 meeting.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Next Meeting- August 4
The next Glen Ellyn Park District meeting is Tuesday, August 4. It is a workshop meeting and will be held in the board room at the Spring Avenue Recreation Center at 7 p.m.
The agenda for the meeting is online here. The board packet is not yet online, but I will link to it when it is. UPDATE: The Board packet is available here.
The Glen Ellyn Park District Board will continue to discuss the Ackerman Sports Complex budget, hours and fees. If you have any comments or suggestions about these, please attend the meeting and participate. I look forward to seeing you there!
The agenda for the meeting is online here. The board packet is not yet online, but I will link to it when it is. UPDATE: The Board packet is available here.
The Glen Ellyn Park District Board will continue to discuss the Ackerman Sports Complex budget, hours and fees. If you have any comments or suggestions about these, please attend the meeting and participate. I look forward to seeing you there!
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