Lake County Gazette

The city of Lake Forest City Council met Sept. 19 to give an overview of the studies and actuarial reports.

Here are the meeting's minutes, as provided by the council:

The Lake Forest City Council serves as the community’s legislative and policymaking body. Membership includes two alderman from each of the city’s four wards, plus the mayor. The council meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first and third Monday of each month at City Hall, 220 E. Deerpath.

The City of Lake Forest CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP Proceedings of the Monday, September 19, 2016 City Council Workshop Meeting – Dickinson Hall, 100 E. Old Mill Road 6:30 pm

CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL: Honorable Mayor Schoenheider called the meeting to order at 6:35pm, and City Clerk Margaret Boyer called the roll of Council members.

Present: Honorable Mayor Schoenheider, Alderman Waldeck, Alderman Beidler, Alderman Pandaleon, Alderman Newman, Alderman Tack, Alderman Reisenberg, Alderman Adelman and Alderman Moreno.

Absent: Alderman Pandaleon.

Also present were: Robert Kiely, City Manager; Victor Filippini, City Attorney; Catherine Czerniak, Director of Community Development; Elizabeth Holleb, Finance Director; Susan Banks, Communications Manager; Sally Swarthout, Director of Parks & Recreation; Michael Thomas, Director of Public Works; Karl Walldorf, Chief of Police; Rob Copeland, Deputy Chief of Police; Pete Siebert, Acting Fire Chief; Mike Strong, Assistant to the City Manager, Anne Whipple, Police and Fire Pension Boards and a large number of Police and Fire Staff.

There were approximately 80 people in the audience.

CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL 6:30 pm

1. Comments By City Manager

City Manager Robert Kiely Jr., welcomed the Council, Pension Boards, Members of the Fire Vision Service Committee 2020 and City Staff to the first City Council Workshop. Mr. Kiely stated that there will be no decisions made by the Council at this meeting. Instead the meeting is meant to present information and to re-open dialogue that began as early as ten years ago. The City Manager stated that Public Safety is one of the most important services supplied to residents.

2. Presentation of 2016 Police and Fire Pension Fund Summaries and Attendant Impact on

2016 Levy

Elizabeth Holleb, Finance Director, gave an overview of the studies and actuarial reports that Police and Fire pensions will have on the levy. Ms. Holleb reported that based on actuarial valuations of the police and fire pension funds as of 4/30/16, the 2016 levy requirement, with a comparison to the prior fiscal year, is as follows:

2015 Levy Required

2016 Levy Required

Percent Increase Fire $1,137,826 $1,298,188 14.1% Police 1,737,445 1,832,059 5.4% Combined $2,875,271 $3,130,247 8.9% PTELL (Tax Cap).7%

Jason Franken of Foster & Foster was also in attendance and addressed questions relating to the actuarial reports. Also discussed were the summary of public safety pension fund analytics depicting the funded ratio and annual investment returns for the police and fire pension funds, as well as data on the respective investment allocations compared to current legal limits established in State Statutes.

COUNCIL ACTION: Informational Item for Discussion- no Council action was taken.

3. Presentation of Report and Recommendation of the Fire Service Vision 2020 Committee

Robert Kiely Jr., City Manager, reported that since 2010, the City of Lake Forest has been individually and in concert with neighboring communities discussing the future role of the Fire and EMS Services. Over the past two years, a committee comprised of two Lake Forest Aldermen, three Lake Forest residents and City staff has focused its attention on current fire operations, their attendant cost, and consideration of a long term, sustainable service. He gave a history of the Fire Department, a comparison overview of the committee’s purpose and goals, and how the City of Lake Forest compares nationally. Critical decisions were discussed as far as service expectations and response, staffing and personnel costs and equipment sharing, type and cost. A pension service fee was discussed as a short term solution with the resolution that a long term solution would be soon realized.

COUNCIL ACTION: Informational item for discussion- no Council action taken

Mayor Schoenheider stated that the Council recognizes this as a serious problem that needs fundamental changes. However, the Mayor emphasized that Public Safety is the number one concern for residents and “will not be compromised”. Mary Tomanek and Paul Pugliese from the Fire Pension Board stated that they have a mutual interest in addressing the pension funding challenges and work diligently to manage the pension fund investments in a fiscally responsible manner.

4. Adjournment

There being no further discussion. Alderman Reisenberg made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Alderman Adelman. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote at 8:26 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted, Margaret Boyer City Clerk