EVANSTON
Citizens asked to help shape budget
Evanston plans to turn to its residents for help putting together a 2010 city budget.
The City Council this week approved a motion that will allow the mayor to form a task force of Evanston residents and city employees. The group will then be charged with putting forth a proposal for the 2010 budget.
Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl said it would be a great opportunity for residents to get involved in city government. Some aldermen had questions about the role of the City Council, the number of people on the task force, time constraints, and the complexity of the task.
Specifics will be worked out and presented at the next meeting. In the meantime, the mayor will begin taking nominations from each ward for residents who would like to serve on the task force.
— Anna Tarkov
MUNDELEIN
Electronic signs can proliferate
Mundelein trustees approved an ordinance this week allowing electronic message signs for certain commercial, public and institutional properties.
Only three such signs have been allowed in the village through variances at Mundelein High School, Carmel Catholic High School, and the Park District property.
Under the new ordinance, an estimated 89 sites will be eligible for the signs, though potential sites must meet numerous requirements, including being at least 2.5 acres and having 250 feet of frontage on one street. Trustee Ed Sullivan said it will make the village more “business-friendly.”
— Kathryn Dill
WAUKEGAN
48 city workers will be laid off
Waukegan told 48 city employees this week that they will be fired effective Oct. 31 in an attempt to cut into a massive budget deficit, officials said.
The layoffs, effective Oct. 31, included 38 part-time and 10 full-time employees, including seven full-time patrol officers in the Police Department.
More layoffs could follow because the city has learned its budget deficit is more than $6 million, not $1.3 million as discussed earlier this year after some sharp budget cutting and a wave of early retirements, Mayor Robert Sabonjian said.
Layoff notices were given to several part-time employees in the Police Department, workers in the Building and Public Works Departments, and in the collector, clerk and treasurer offices.
— Ralph Zahorik
WHEELING
Used-car lot will go in amid the glitz
North Milwaukee Avenue in Wheeling, known for upscale restaurants and Westin North Shore hotel, will soon be the site for a used car lot.
“Is this really what we want along Milwaukee Avenue?” asked Trustee Ray Lang of the plan to operate Millbrook Auto at 516 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Lang, who served on the village’s Plan Commission, said the village has worked to keep the area clear of car dealers. But developer Gary Levitas said his plans for the property have been stymied by the economy.
“This is the only thing we could see to do with the property,” Levitas told trustees Tuesday night. He emphasized that the use is temporary — not more than five years — and that the operation will sell only higher-end used cars. Levitas agreed to a Plan Commission condition that set the minimum selling price for cars on the lot at $10,000.
“This temporary business is as good a way as any to let Mr. Levitas pay his property taxes,” said Trustee Ken Brady, one of five trustees who voted for the zoning variations and special-use permit required for the project.
— Graydon Megan
