IT Moving Forward

The IT Manager Ordinance has passed on the first reading. While similar to the ordinance that was proposed earlier this year, there are some key differences that I would like to highlight:

1. We are no longer hiring a Director, but a Manager. The difference in title means a difference in salary. We will no longer be mandated to pay a Director upwards of $130,000, a salary that I thought was too high. As it turns out, the salary research that I requested of the administration revealed that a slightly lower salary range was more fitting (70k-110k). While this is still no drop in the bucket, I recognize that we need to pay for talent. We just don’t need to overpay. And we certainly don’t need to overpay without seeing what this person will actually deliver on.
2. An IT citizen advisory committee is being put in place to help steer the development of an IT Department. This Council appointed committee of 14 residents share a background in technology and management. They are charged with using their knowledge to help ensure that an IT Manager is delivering what we need and is not taking advantage of our limited resources. The basic goals have been laid out by the administration already include upgrading and maintenance of existing hardware and software and support of the newly implemented Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) and telecommunication system (VOIP).
3. Shared Services is being considered as a way to save costs city-wide. The Council’s IT sub-committee will continue to look into what type of agreements make the most sense. I believe there will be an opportunity to share technicians/help-desk employees between the City and other local entities (ex: Board of Ed., Public Library) in the near-future.
4. We have an idea of how much money, about $200,000 total, will be spent on an IT department. These figures were provided to the Council by the Administration. The Council will have an opportunity to revisit this issue soon as we are approaching budget season. I am sure that the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee will weigh on this issue as well.

Creating this position is a step in the right direction. I will continue to work to ensure that this is a successful endeavor. Plainfield can now move successfully into the 21^st century. I look forward to seeing City Hall run more efficiently and residents being able to take advantage of our technological advancements.

I would like to thank the outspoken residents, the rest of the Council and the administration for ensuring that my questions were answered and my concerns addressed. I believe that this will be the standard going forward.

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A Reflection on Legacies

My dad would be turning 56 tomorrow. It’s never easy to continue living without a loved one. I often think about the major life events that will be different for me and my siblings than what we imagined growing up because our dad won’t be there – graduations, weddings, births of his grandchildren.

With the recent passing of former Mayor Rick Taylor, I know that holidays, birthdays and anniversaries will be bittersweet for the Taylor family for years to come. I wish them strength during days like this. These days may never carry the joy that they used to, but they do become much easier. You have to hold on to the happy memories and talk about the good times. It’s how you will move on without forgetting.

It is a huge comfort in knowing that a person lives on through their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His legacy can be continued for generations. Dr. Yood’s Aug 9^th blog captures the essence of this – http://dpotpourri.blogspot.com/2009/08/immortality.html.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Rev. Gloria Taylor over the weekend. She is a strong woman and her family is blessed to have her as their rock during this time. We talked about the well-known celebrities and activists that Mayor Taylor brought to Plainfield and his passion for equal rights. Mayor Taylor was a public servant in the truest form.

I will undoubtedly spend the rest of this week reflecting on the legacies of these two former Mayors who contributed greatly to our City.

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The Great Tax Abatement Debate - Part II

One issue that has come up over and over again is the need for a vision of Plainfield’s downtown. If we had a vision, if we had more clearly set policies tied to that vision, there would not be so many questions when it comes to making decisions. Plainfield’s leadership team needs to set a clear vision for economic development. We also must set policies surrounding the use of development incentives (such as tax abatements). I have had this discussion with many of my colleagues on the Council as well as the Mayor and her administration. I think most people agree with this. Like most great ideas, the hardest part is making it a reality. This is something I will visit again in another blog post.

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Now back to the Monarch…

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Below are a series of questions that I have shared with my colleagues on the Council and have asked the administration to address:

1. Will a 5-year tax abatement ensure that the project will neither fail nor become rentals? This is a key concern I have. Do we need to put measures in place to guarantee that a tax abatement will lead to success? Can we evaluate the success of the project after 12 months and rescind the tax abatement if needed?
2. What will happen if the project fails? What is the effect in 5 years? 10 years? How would a failed project affect other developer’s decisions to build here in the future? What impact would that have on our goal of TOD (transit-oriented development)? Again, I’m not sure how to quantify this. Some people are convinced that if this development fails, then banks will not see our downtown as a wise investment and deny future developers the loans to build there.
3. What will happen if the building becomes a rental? What is the effect in 5 years? 10 years? Typically, although not always, rentals lower property value. The best municipalities strive for a housing stock that meets the affordability requirements of its residents so that people can own. The belief is that property ownership = pride in one’s property = well-maintained property = increased property value. Certainly we have enough rentals in the City already.
4. What taxes were being assessed & collected on the property before being sold to the developer? My understanding is that no taxes ($0) have been collected on this property in recent years.
5. If the full estimated tax amount of $400,000 is collected, what effect will that have on the total amount of taxes collected? I believe we would collect about 0.6% more taxes a year = $400,000 (full tax amount from Monarch)/ $70,000,000 (total 2008 taxes collected). Both my arithmetic and logic are open to questioning.
6. Will a well-kept, owner-occupied condominium boost property values? If yes, by how much? Obviously the answer is yes. That’s a figure that is hard to quantify, but certainly would be meaningful.
7. Why aren’t the many incentives already put in place for buyers enough? As pointed by other bloggers there are a number of incentives already in place for buyers – especially first-time buyers. My guess is that these incentives off-set national hesitance to purchase a home, but may not impact each municipality equally.
8. Is granting an abatement short-sighted? Once the market turns around, will it even be necessary? Time may be the key factor here

(Thanks to Anonymous 8/1/09 11:59pm for posing some of these questions!)

If anyone has insight into this matter or feels as though I am not considering something, please contact me. I look forward to hearing more residents speak out about their concerns on this issue.

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