When it comes to budgets, deficits and downtowns -- he's one nervous chicken...

It happens about this time every year.

            Proverbial candidate and concerned citizen Chicken Little takes an introspective look back and just sighs.

            “I thought for sure the sky was falling this year,” he told me.  “With the news coming out of village hall – I thought for sure the Mayans may have had it right.”

Chicken Little

            Really?  I tried to ease his fears that things over on Raupp, despite a few bumps in the road have actually quieted down.

            “Whew”, he clucked.  “I thought there would be more coalitions, uprisings, storming of the Bastille, etc.”

            Not really.

            “Well,” he clucked, “I bet with calmer seas, there are a lot of people on the ballot for the upcoming village election.

            Not really.

            “Seriously?”

            Seriously.

            As of Friday, only four people submitted petitions to run for the Village Board.

            “Wow,” Little clucked, “new faces on the Board, I knew people would get involved.”

            Guess again my fine feathered fowl.  Three current trustees, Andrew Stein, Beverly Sussman and Lester A. Ottenheimer III are running along with newcomer Jeffrey Battinus are in the race.  Period.

            “Seriously”?

            Seriously.

            “Wow,’ said Little, I thought with all I’ve been reading there would have been lines of being ringing Village Hall just waiting to file their petitions.”

            Nope.

            “Battinus surprises me,” Little said, “when I heard he was running, I thought he was working out and checking things out around the village.”  That’s what he told some local media types.

            “The other three don’t surprise me,” Little said, “although I am concerned about the cost of the election.”

            Why?

            “Does the village need special ballots to put ‘Lester A. Ottenheimer III’ on the ballot?  That’s 25 characters (spaces included).  That’s almost as long as Jesse Jackson, Jr.”

            Sensing Little had been hitting the egg nog too much (a little fowl humor there), I told Little, who is forever watching the coffers, not to equate Ottenheimer to Jackson.  Secondly, I’m sure the village has taken it into consideration, especially since it’s Ottenheimer’s first time on the ballot.  Oh, and by the way, I told Little, Jesse Jackson, Jr. is much shorter – only 18 characters – including spaces.

            “So I imagine it will be a pretty mundane election,” Little said.

            I told him it probably will be a routine election, unless the issues make it interesting.

            “Do you think?” Little asked.

            Absolutely.  There are a lot of issues out there that either cause a little sabre-rattling or are seem so complex that people just plain shrug and ignore them.

            Little asked “which ones, as we say around the coup, ruffle feathers.”

            That, I mentioned to him, depends how many feathers are being ruffled.  Some folks take a solo stance and want people to think the sky is falling.

            Some issues, however, draw a larger crowd.  Like the proposed downtown for Buffalo Grove.

            “Yeah,” Little said, “I thought those folks would be out in force.”

            Well, they are, but they aren’t.  AOL’s venture into community journalism, best known as The Patch, took a survey in October.  The survey, which simply said “Would You Like Buffalo Grove To Have A Downtown”, drew 154 responses and, to no surprise, the vote was overwhelming against having a downtown.

            Too bad.  Not because people were against it, but because it did not clearly address the issue.  The issue is the instant downtown proposed by CRM Properties.  The proposal reminds me of those old ads in comic books of getting a real live sea horse – all you add is water.

            As I have blogged before, I told Little, I am not in favor of the proposal in its current form because there are way too many questions that need answers.  For the record, I am among the 25 percent who still oppose Rt. 53 extension until some questions are answered.  That, however, is another issue.

            The on-line discussions about the initial proposal for downtown district in Buffalo Grove seemingly focus on personalities and not the issue. 

            Two comments piqued my curiosity – one was signed “Congregation Beth Judea” – which I find comical because first of all, the congregation is not in the village and secondly, I think it’s marginally inappropriate for a house of worship to take a stand on a village issue.  Rest assured, I am sure the Beth Judea Board did not get together one night, sign into Patch and voice an opinion.  It’s just another attempt for someone to hide from their opinion.

            The other comment that raised an eyebrow was “The few do not rule the many - let the voters decide how our taxes are to be spent.”

            Right.  The reason there are “the few” is because “the many” are silent.  Just attend a village board meeting.  If there’s not an honoree or some seemingly useless sideshow, folks don’t show up, which is too bad.

            It’s also too bad that the poll simply asks if “Buffalo Grove needs a downtown.”

            News flash -- it does.  Maybe the village does not need one that features high-priced brick pavers and multi-story residential buildings in seemingly remote areas (most downtown redevelopments or redevelopments are centered around transportation, not open space that looks nice), but it needs a stronger commercial and retail presence.

            “Why is that?” Little asked.

            I told him because the village needs to be proactive in generating revenues.  “Since when?” Little asked.

            Since November when the village unveiled its 2013 budget.

            “But it’s fine,” Little said.

            Really, did you read it? 

            “Well no, because it’s so boring.  And besides, who wants to attend a budget meeting?”

            Budgets are typically boring, and budget meetings are about as stimulating as the Idaho Potato Bowl.  But if you look at the budget, you would find the 2013 budget is balanced, but the big D lies ahead.

            “Big D?  You mean Lovie Smith is coming to work for the village?”

            Not the Big D as in defense, and I’m not sure Smith would fit in – if he did, the village would probably fade in the last quarter every year.

            “So what’s the D?” Little asked.

            Deficit.

            “DEFICIT!  OMG, the end is near!  I knew the Mayans were right!” Little said.  “We’re going broke!  Who wrote the budget, Gov. Quinn?”  I told the silly mother clucker to calm down.

            First of all, it’s a projected budget.  That means you start planning ways to balance revenues against expenses.

            “Ha! I bet this was hidden, I’m calling the CIA,” Little said.

Why?  “Well, the FBI has allegedly been contacted so I need to move ahead to a higher authority?”  Right -- you and Hebrew National.

            Actually, the deficit was discussed at the Nov. 26 Village Board meeting and again, prior to adoption, at the Dec. 6 meeting.  It is also available on the village’s web site.

            “Yeah, but knowing those guys, they probably tried to, as we say around the coup, cluck us over by using big words and small print,” Little said.

            Budgets, as a rule, are not fun reading.  However, the budget includes a transmittal letter by Village Manager Dane Bragg.  A transmittal letter is basically an executive summary.  It’s called a transmittal letter because it sounds official and it “transmits” information about the budget.  It does not transmit the flu.

            In his statement, Bragg notes that the use of the “first planned capital reserve fund transfer since 2008 is no small feat.”  So does this mean?  That despite the economic downturn and slow recovery, the village has been able to handle its budgeting on available revenues, until this year.  This does not mean the village is going broke – not by a long shop.

            The process, Bragg noted, is always done on projections, generally five years out.  “We have made fund reserve contributions – last five years—as everyone has,” he said.  The difference, however, started in 2008 when, Bragg noted that the economy “tanked.”  When the economy slides, he says “sales tax, income tax, property tax does not fluctuate as much.”  Bottom line, revenues slip.

            So how much?  According to Bragg’s transmittal letter, the projected operating budget deficit for 2014 is $1.4 million.  Taking into consideration the full capital reserve funding (these funds cover capital expenses, not operating expenses) the projected deficit is $2 million.

            It’s not, however, an immediate crisis.  Bragg notes Buffalo Grove “has always had strong fiscal management, and it will continue to do that.  We know we have deficit coming – and have a year to plan for it – so we can look at options.”

            Among the options is commercial development and attracting new business to Buffalo Grove.  Bragg said the redevelopment of Cambridge Commons at Dundee and Buffalo Grove roads could help as is the long-anticipated development of Plaza Berenesa at the Milwaukee Avenue and Deerfield Parkway.  And while that project has been on the table almost as long as the Cubs’ World Series drought, Bragg said the village has been “engaged with developer” and that some new plans could be presented to the village during 2013.

            It’s clear that a main goal of the village is to increase revenue, and a good way to do that is to increase revenue from sales tax.  An increase in sales tax revenue will not happen overnight.  It is a process that is likely to take several years.  The village staff and board appear to be getting more aggressive in identifying ways to enhance retail and commercial development in the village.

            The proposal by CRM Properties, as grandiose and seemingly ostentatious as it appears, is just one idea. In other municipalities, some ideas have worked well – like the redevelopment of downtown Deerfield or Highland Park.  Others have gone down in flames – like Chicago’s ill-fated State Street Mall (dubbed State Street Maul by longtime columnist Chuck Wenk, who must be approaching 100 by now).

            But even the best plans can go array.  Arlington Heights, which, like the aforementioned municipalities, has redeveloped its central business district over the past two decades, has found that it is not all seashells and balloons.  The drop off of the economy and slow recovery has resulted in an increase in vacancies and shuttered businesses. 

            In Buffalo Grove, there’s little doubt the village czars will need to evaluate each proposal gingerly and gain as much input as possible.  However, a referendum on a “downtown” for Buffalo Grove is too general.  As noted, a referendum on the proposed CRM development may be in order.   Shooting down a downtown cart blanche would not be in the best interest of the village in the long term.  Redevelopment, Tax Increment Financing and incentives all need to be looked at as a way to generate retail and commercial revenue to strengthen the sales tax base.

In addition to potential revenue generation, the village staff and board need to take the pulse of the communities – yes, plural.  Residents, obviously, are part of the mix, but so too is the business community.  The establishment of a central business district could play havoc on established businesses along Dundee Road and other parts of the village.  A mentality of “if we built it, they will come” may have worked for a farmer in Dyersville, Iowa – but that mentality is unrealistic when it comes to generating revenue.

            Little pondered.  “The long-term strategy is needed, but there needs to be a way to help in the short term,” he said.

            “I know,” he said, we can save money on printing such things as ballots.”

            Really? How?

            “Well,” he said, “Look at the space Lester A. Ottenheimer III takes up on the ballot.  That may require bigger paper, and that costs more.”

            So what’s your solution?

            “Just list him as LAO3.”

            I reminded him that Kentucky Fried Chicken is hiring.

            “Not funny,” he said.

            Neither are panic-based rejections or decisions.

Where do we go from here?

It is ironic.

Ever since the sound of gun shots crashed through what is supposed to be a haven for young kids – their school – the weather has been overcast and dreary.

Just like the mood of the nation.

There’s not much to say that has not been already said.  The images of young – very young – students being surrounded by police officers as they were led out of schools will forever resonate in the minds of many, if not most, Americans.

But as Newtown buries its young and brave the question that remains is simple.

What’s next?

How many more mass shootings in schools, in malls or movie theaters will we watch on the news, shake our heads and say something must be done., yet only to have the scene repeat itself.

The recent shootings in Aurora and Portland, and now in Newtown have one thing in common.  They took place in suburban areas.  As did the carnage in Columbine, Chardon, DeKalb, Jonesboro.

We take per granted that our refuges in the suburbs shield us from such dastardly acts.  Gun crimes happen in “those neighborhoods” of our cities by “those people”.  It’s as though we believed Sinclair Lewis when he wrote “It Can’t Happen Here”.  Granted, Lewis wrote his book in 1935 and used a satirical look at what would happen in the United States if someone grabbed power as Hitler started to do in the early 1930s.

We have for decades, maybe centuries, been naïve to the fact that things can happen here.  We apparently believe that things like Aurora, Columbine and no Newtown happen someplace else.  As one parent said, “You don’t expect your daughter to be murdered…It happens on TV.  It happens elsewhere.”

Elsewhere.  The reality is we all live in “Elsewhere” and, as we watch the horror unfold last Friday, Elsewhere can be anywhere.  We think unthinkable gun violence is limited to urban areas, but the list of mass shootings, let alone school shootings, have taken place in rural or suburban areas.

Not Elsewhere.

So, once again, where do we go from here?  We mourn, we cry, we get angry and we watch the scenario unfold again and again.

Is this time different?  Perhaps it is because we are mesmerized by the images of the 20 children and six educators who died last Friday.  As I look around my neighborhood I think of the kids who live on my block.   Kids who are in elementary school.  Kids who regale in the wonderful innocence that is childhood.  I look at them and I wonder how someone could do that.

So now the call will be to tighten up security at schools.  Many municipalities have been doing that on a regular basis, long before the slaughter in Newtown.  Buffalo Grove Police Chief Steve Balinski says the village there is additional presence at the schools in the village.  Balinski notes that it is a cooperative effort through the village’s School Resource Coordinator.  He points out that the village’s police and fire departments and schools “have a very comprehensive plan in place in terms of lock down and evacuation procedures. This plan is fluid and is re-evaluated periodically.”

Balinski adds that “given the recent tragic event in Newtown, we will be working with our school authorities to determine if our current plans provide the security levels that protect our children, teachers and administrators.” He adds that there are two key elements to the plan: Having a comprehensive plan in place to address these high-risk/ low frequency events, and management of the plan (lock down drills, evacuation procedures, review of policies, etc).

Odds are most (hopefully) communities and schools mirror Buffalo Grove’s efforts.

As we know, mass shootings are not limited to schools.  Just look at what’s happened in Portland and, of course, Aurora.

So once again, where do we go from here?

Once again the calls for banning guns have resonated off the airwaves, dominated online and print reports.  But yet, no action.   There needs to be some control in not only gun ownership, but in the sale and delivery of firearms, especially assault weapons.

Statistics reveal that more than 10,500 people a year are fatal victims of gun violence.  Statistics reveal that drunken drivers kill more than 16,000 people a year.  Obviously, shooting innocent men, women and children in cold blood is far more heinous than some bastard who thinks driving a 2,500 pound weapon impaired is OK.

Many states, especially Illinois have been vigilant in enacting and enforcing laws in an effort to ebb the tide of deaths related to impaired motorists.  Some states (Ohio for example) have state controlled liquor stores.

Yet the average person can purchase a firearm at any number of retail stores.  Sure, they need a firearm owner’s identification card (FOID) and there’s a waiting period from the time of purchase to the time of delivery.  However, as one firearm owner told me, that’s just to keep someone who is angry on the spur of the moment from running out, purchasing a gun quickly returning to the workplace, home – or school – and using his or her newly purchased firearm to vent his or her anger.  The waiting period does, not however, curtail a psychopath from continuing his or her plan to massacre innocent people.

As for getting a FOID – just go online, fill out the form – and be honest – send in $10 and a picture and you’re all set. Oh, there’s a separate page for applicants under 21.  I’ll sleep better tonight knowing it’s an exhaustive procedure.

Even though I am long past 21, it’s not unusual for me to be asked to show an ID when I purchase alcohol.  As flattering as it may be, it’s unsettling that I face more scrutiny in a liquor store than I would if I wanted a FOID.

Where do we go from here?  When it comes to cracking down on abuse of firearms, maybe we need to look as close as the nearest liquor store.

It won’t solve the problem – but it seems to be a logical start.

November kept the police busy -- if not amused

November was busy month for Buffalo Grove’s men and women in blue.  Looks like residents need to watch those TV service repairmen and check the cords on their hair dryers.  To paraphrase Dragnet – the stories you are about to read are true.  The names have been changed to protect the innocent – and sane.

FOR THIS HE CALLED THE POLICE?

Resident stated that he has not lived in his condo, located in Prospect Heights, for the past ten years. When he moved out of the condo, he had the gas turned off. He is planning to move back in and when he requested the gas be turned back on, he was denied due to unpaid gas bills. A neighbor has been maintaining the property and the resident was advised to speak with him for an explanation. 

THE JOYS OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON..

Resident reported that someone unknown slashed the inflatable Christmas decorations that are on the front lawn. 

SO, JUST WHAT WAS SHE THINKING?

Resident stated that her ex boyfriend is in possession of compromising photographs of her and the ex’s new girlfriend has knowledge of them and is telling mutual friends about them. The resident is concerned that the pictures may be posted on social networks. The officer advised the resident that nothing of a criminal nature is involved and that her concerns may be better addressed by an attorney.

MAYBE A REMOTE IS NEEDED…

Resident reported that a repairman came to the house to fix various issues she is having with her television service. Following the repair of one issue, the resident gave the repairman a hug during which the repairman touched the resident’s buttocks. When the entire repair was completed the resident again gave the repairman a hug and the repairman again touched the resident’s buttocks. The resident felt this to be inappropriate behavior and will follow up with the company. 

OH, IT WASN’T AT A VILLAGE BOARD MEETING…

Official reported that a member became angry with the staff, and he departed the premises with a pair of dumbbells. The member then returned the equipment prior to officers arrival. The member wanted his membership canceled and given a full refund, which the staff would not do. The member told the officer that he will not return to that facility. 

AT LEAST IT WASN’T THE BUTLER…

Resident reported hearing noise coming from the second floor and believes someone is in the house. Officers checked the house and found no one inside. A ceiling fan had been left on and that may be the cause of the noise. The resident then went with officers and found everything to be in order.

OH, THIS MAKES SENSE…

Resident reported his neighbor’s dog was barking. Officer called the neighbor who stated that he was dog sitting and would be home shortly. (Question -- So who would be home soon?  The owner, the dog sitter or the dog?

OH AUNTIE EM, THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME…

Resident reported that her aunt was in an adjoining room and was making a lot of noise. The resident asked the aunt and other members of the family to be quiet but they would not. All was quiet when officers departed. 

THERE'S A SIMPLE SOLUTION HERE…

Resident stated that she always leaves her driver’s license in the cup holder. When she returned from the store, she found the license was gone. There were no signs of forced entry into the car. The officer advised the resident to keep her license on her person not in a cup holder.

BET THE NEXT MEETING IS A GOOD ONE..

Resident stated that she is the president of her condo association, and that a neighbor is the treasurer. The resident has been receiving email from the neighbor that the resident feels are harassing in nature, citing curse words and threats. Officer reviewed the email and found no curse words or threats; they pertained directly to business handled by the board. There was a rude tone to the emails, but no crime was committed. 

MAYBE SHE’S JUST JEALOUS…

Resident reported that while walking her dog, she was able to view into an apartment and see inappropriate sexual activity. Officers have responded to this type of complaint from the resident before, and have not found any evidence of illegal or inappropriate activity by the neighbor. The resident was advised to use discretion when making a report about observations and to avoid contact with the neighbor. 

SO MUCH FOR MAKING THE LIST OF BEST PLACES TO WORK..

Complainant flagged an officer down and stated that he was working in the area landscaping, when he got into an argument with his boss, who fired him. The argument then turned physical. Officer spoke with the boss who verified the account but stated that the complainant swung at him first and he defended himself. No complaints to be signed. The complainant requested his week’s wages which the boss’ wife brought to the police station. 

WELL, AT LEAST IT WASN’T ELMO...

Resident reported having two stray dogs in her back yard. Officer retrieved the two Beagles and brought them to the station. The owner called and asked if we had two Beagles named Bert and Ernie, and she was advised to come and pick them up. 

NEED TO REVISE THE EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK…

Employee stated that $100.00 was taken out of her wallet, which was in her purse, hanging on a coat rack in the employee room. The employee stated that a number of new hires were training in the store. The employee stated that management discouraged her to make a police report because they were conducting an internal investigation. Another employee had her iPhone stolen on the same day. 

DARN PLUGS, THEY INTERFERE WITH LOUD CELL PHONE CONVERSATIONS…

Complainant stated that while she was in the locker room another subject was speaking loudly on her cell phone. When the complainant pointed to the sign which prohibits cell phone use in the locker room, the other subject threw a hair dryer at the complainant. The hair dryer did not reach its intended mark because it was still plugged in. The complainant was upset because the center’s management only gave the subject a warning.