Time for Transparency at the Mill Creek SSA
May 3, 2009
The news lately has been full of stories about the need for transparency at all levels of Illinois government and how the current lack of transparency is a major contributing factor to the various corruption scandals in Illinois. Some progress is being made, at least at the lower levels of government. The Geneva School Board now showing transparency by posting their check register on line. DuPage County going all the way to full transparency by posting all county spending information online. It seems that with all the bad press Illinois government is getting lately, the good guys are correctly pressing hard for full transparency. Today’s Chicago Tribune announced a major effort to help citizens obtain public records from stonewalling governmental entities.
I won’t go into all the reasons transparency and citizen oversight are good ideas, but I will suggest that you check out 10 Key Facts About Transparency, Why Transparency Matters and Why Transparency Works on the Open Illinois.org website. This site is interesting in that it highlights transparent governmental bodies, and they also flag those that are not, going after them with Freedom of Information Act Requests and then posting the results.
I’ve gotten several emails from readers questioning why I’ve not written anything about the Mill Creek SSA. I admit I’ve been reluctant to criticize the Mill Creek Special Services Area since I think that they have generally done a good job maintaining the aesthetic appearance of Mill Creek. That being said, there are several areas that need far more transparency.
But first, let’s talk about the SSA website. Given that the SSA website is essentially the only mechanism used to communicate with Mill Creek residents, the website is absolutely deficient in relation to the requirements for good governmental websites as defined by the Sunshine Review. To summarize just a few of it’s many deficiencies, it is infrequently updated, it does not include archives of prior meeting minutes or budgets, it does not publish the check register, it does not provide information on contracts or requests for proposals and it does not provide adequate contact information, including email addresses, for all staff and advisory board members. For example, it is now May 3rd. Why isn’t there at least a draft of the April 8th meeting minutes posted by now (as is done by the Geneva School Board, which I’ve already noted in prior posts as not exactly a paragon of public disclosure)?
Financial Transparency
Financial transparency is critical to insure that tax dollars are being used appropriately. Earlier this year, I had privately pointed out that the online 2008 financial summary was a mess and a corrected 2008 report was subsequently posted. Now I see that they have posted Period 4 (March) spending to various service providers, but that there is no longer a comparison of each budget line item to the annual budget, nor is there a year to date summary. If anything, the SSA is regressing in their financial reporting vs. what they had posted in prior years.
I also note that in the 2008 End of Fiscal Year Report, the SSA was 9% (over $62,000) over it’s total budget, with the biggest budget miss in the 52120 Repairs and Maint – Grounds budget at 46% over budget or over by $102,000 on a $225,000 budget. I guess that tropical landscaping last summer was more expensive than I thought.
Here’s the SSA’s explanation of full year financials from the December Meeting Minutes:
“Jennie Gatske distributed the financial reports. Since this was the last report of the
County fiscal year, it outlined the entire year’s total expenditures. The total showed a
total spending of 106% of the annual budget, but Ms. Gatske explained that was mostly
because of the additional snow plowing services needed last winter, as well and rising
costs of electrical services and one-time costs associated with the new office space.
Member Preston asked what the current levy amount is and Ms. Gatske responded it is
approximately .30-.32 per $100/EAV. When the construction is complete in Mill Creek,
Staff is willing to examine the levy again and determine if any further reductions would
be warranted.”
Those comments do not tie to the 9% over budget shown on the End of Year Fiscal Report. So which is correct? I think it’s time to have a full audit of the Mill Creek SSA.
I thought governmental bodies were to meet, not exceed, their budgets. The only way to go over budget is if the SSA has a big bank account from prior over-assessments. Of course there is no mention of either SSA income from our tax dollars or the beginning of the year account balances posted on the site. How much money does the SSA have anyway?
Let’s start with transparency about how much money the SSA takes in via taxation and how much it spends with who annually. If, as I suspect, they have a lot more money stashed and coming in than is necessary, lets get a tax cut or better yet an SSA tax rebate. (Yes, I know the assesment has declined over the years). As I’ve already pointed out, why aren’t there complete financials (including year to date spending vs. current 2009 budgets by line item) and meeting minutes archived on the site so that people can see and review them if they desire?
Kane County Governance
The Mill Creek SSA is managed by Kane County employees, with Drew Frasz, the District 26 Kane County Board member overseeing the SSA. Mr. Frasz ran on a platform that included and I quote “I believe a review of all SSA fees and other add-ons Mill Creek residents receive on their tax bills is in order.” Given that Mr. Frasz last December updated us on his work to date, which did not include any mention of a review of SSA fees, I look forward to the results of his review. I also encourage him to assume an active oversight role and work to enforce fiscal responsibility of the SSA.
I am also concerned that SSA tax dollars may be spent to maintain areas that are not the SSA’s responsibility. I’ve made inquiries in the past about who owns certain pieces of land and I have not gotten good answers and they’ve told me that there is no “master map” of who’s responsible for what. If still true, this is simply bad management. There should be a map available online that clearly delineates responsibility. Given the dollars we spend for grounds maintenance, how does the SSA direct the workers as to what areas to maintain? And how do we know that the SSA isn’t providing snow removal and landscaping services to the privately owned Village Center, the golf courses or the churches?
Advisory Board Representation
As I understand this, periodically as advisory board members drop out, they are replaced by a process that includes a notice on the SSA web site, followed by the submission of a resume, an interview with the Kane County Board Chairman and if deemed worthy, an appointment to the Advisory Board. Wow, why would the Kane County Board Chairman waste the time to meet with and approve an advisory appointment like this? I would think a current paid-in-full property tax bill for a Mill Creek address and an expression of interest would be qualification enough. But I digress. Realizing that this is just an advisory board and that these are good people serving in a volunteer capacity, I will still raise the following concerns:
1. Who are our advisory board members? Beyond their names and neighborhoods, there is no detail about them or their backgrounds provided on the web site. We know they had to submit a resume to get their posts, so let’s post their resumes on the SSA site. Let’s see what qualifications they bring to this. And how about an email address so that the people they serve can at least send them an email with any concerns?
2. Two members serve on not only the SSA but the MCWRD. Does this create a conflict of interest? I could envision a scenario where the SSA and the MCWRD have a conflict where joint members could not fairly serve both.
3. Since this advisory board apparently has a significant say in how tax dollars are spent, these roles should be made elected positions. At least then they’d be accountable to Mill Creek residents.
And while I’m at it, I’ve gotten several inquiries on why the SSA has an office in the Village Center, especially since it is not used on a daily basis. I called the SSA months ago asking about this and they indicated the idea came from an advisory board member and they insisted that they had gotten a “great” deal for the space and that it was available for booking by neighborhood groups. Given that they had managed the SSA for over 10 years without this space, I had my doubts but was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. The 2008 report shows that the rent was $4594.70. Of course this ignores the cost of furnishing the office and the monthly utilities. This lease should now be allowed to expire since there is no compelling need for this office. Even the SSA holds its bi-monthly meetings elsewhere, so a satellite office for Kane County staffers is not an appropriate use for SSA tax dollars. Perhaps they can meet with the developer in the new condo sales trailer / eyesore now sitting in Village Center.
I encourage Drew Frasz, the SSA staff and the SSA Advisory members to seriously consider the points I’ve made. We have a great community here. We should be taking the lead insuring that everything is done in an above board and transparent fashion.
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13 Responses to “Time for Transparency at the Mill Creek SSA”
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excellent article
The SSA is a million-dollar operation run like a bunco group or book club, at best.
More often is is like a lemonade stand or garage sale.
I appreciate the focus on transparency. That is really all we are looking for. If there is nothing to hide, then requests for transparency should be welcomed rather than looked at as a burden or an attack. I have spoke with Gatske, and her tone has always implied that she doesn’t want to bother with details or put any “extra” work in. And how dare I question what the SSA does. She wants to collect her check and her medical coverage and be on her way.
Some specific issues:
From the 2008 budget report: I have no idea how they could spend this amount on landscaping
52120 Repair & Maint ‐ Grounds Summer Green Landscape $323,672.80
That’s alot of money, and about 40% of the SSA expenditures. Some of the areas have to be areas owned by the park districts. Why is the SSA maintaining them? Or are the park districts as well? Is there doubel-dipping here?
Even with all that money spent, the “field” behind my house near FES looks like crap, and for the last 3 years the SSA has been saying they are waiting for Shodeen to clean it up before they will take possession of it. How about making them clean it up? There has to be some “turn over” contract. Why isn’t it being followed?
Also, there is no clarity re: which streets are covered under which covenant.
I understand some of the row houses near the village center pay a separate fee for snow and general maintenance. Again, double-dipping and double-billing?
And why should the homeowners pay for the upkeep around businesses at the village center anyway? Isn’t that part of normal business costs? Is the SSA liable if someone slips on ice going into the market? Are there any avenues to have the SSA “contract” re-written? We don’t have to show a membership card to use the businesses, and they gladly take money from outsiders, so why are we contributing to their profit? It is not unreasonable for the businesses who operate in or own the village center to pay for the upkeep. It is unreasonable for homeowners to subsidize their profits.
Finally, why are we paying salaries and healthcare to the people who work for the SSA anyway? Even if only one person? In this economy, that seems over the top. And how much does the Kane co rep (whoever he is) get for his “advising”. I sat in on one meeting and he recommended some colors for the flowers for the landscaping. How much did that expert advice cost the SSA?
Again, excellent article and focus. I am not opposed to the idea of an SSA and I’ll gladly pay my share, but this old-school, back-room, under-the-table, phone-it-in, wink-wink oligarch system has to stop. This isn’t Chicago, this is Geneva. Let’s elevate.
wtf, I also live near FES and have been told the same story by the SSA. I have contacted Shodeen regarding this “field” and in spite of their promise to get back to you in 24 hours, I have heard nothing. This area have some serious grading and drainage issues and Shodeen is in no hurry to take care of it. The people who live near this property need to start calling and voice their concerns. There will be no improvement unless they feel some pressure. Talk to your neighbors, I’ll do the same and maybe we can bother them enough to do something about it.
I got this note from Drew Frasz at 7:45 am yesterday.
Dave, I will meet with staff and answer your questions. However there is a mechanism other than the web site to communicate with the county and the SSA board, that would be attending the regular public meetings held by the SSA. I attended the last meeting and there were only two Mill Creek residents in the audience. Also there are openings on the board from time to time for anyone wanting to effect change or serve their community. Drew Frasz
At 2:10, I got this note from a Neighborhood G resident.
I am so glad to see this email. A group of us were just discussing this the other day. I have brought up several times, to several different organizations, the fact that not all Mill Creek residents are charged a SSA line item on their yearly property tax bills. Not one person I spoke with seemed to know the answer to my question and of course referred me on to someone else. Someone mentioned that there were legal “issues” with the “W” neighborhood and they are not charged the yearly SSA fee.
So this sounds right up your alley! I would love to know why I am paying roughly $375 to the SSA and my next door neighbor pays nothing???
Any insight would be greatly appreciated!
And at 4:04, I got this note from Jennie Gatske, the Mill Creek SSA Staff Coordinator.
Dave,
I read your article below and on the website, and it appears you have several questions and concerns. As I’ve advised you before, you can always call or email me with any question and I will answer your question or direct you to the person/party who can answer if I cannot. You, and every resident of Mill Creek, are always welcome and encouraged to attend our meetings to get a better feel for how the SSA functions and to voice your questions or concerns to all present. I know that County Board Member Frasz attended the last meeting and had the opportunity to be acquainted with our Advisory Body members, as well.
Our website is a summary of information for the residents and other interested parties to use as a tool. It is not meant to be used as the ONLY means of communication. I have listed my name, address, phone number and an email address that residents can use as well – and I’ve set up face-to-face meetings before if someone needs to have additional questions answered. I am the staff coordinator and program manager for the SSA and can be reached at any or all of those methods. You seem concerned about adequate means for communication – do you have any other suggestions for communication other than those I’ve stated? We are very accessible and I communicate with residents on a daily basis, ensuring the communication lines are definitely open. All Advisory Body members are also available through the SSA – if anyone needs to get in touch with a particular member, they can do so through the email: millcreek@co.kane.il.us.
Advisory Body members are appointed for 2-year terms. We do have 9 active positions, but are also seeking to expand that to 11 possible positions. I take resumes at any time, not just when we have an opening. There have been several inquiries and I have taken their letters of interest to keep on file for when/if a position comes open. Even if a position isn’t officially available, if they are a resident who is truly interested in the SSA and Mill Creek, they are invited and encouraged to participate in the meetings and will always be recognized as a voice of Mill Creek. At no time is someone turned away. Everyone is welcome. Per Ordinance, the SSA Advisory Body is a recommending body, representing the interests of the residents of Mill Creek financially and aesthetically. The Kane County Board will always have the final decision. I can send you a copy of the original ordinance outlining the creation of the SSA and the flow of responsibilities, if you would like.
You seem very concerned about financial transparency. All of our revenue and expense amounts are open for anyone to see – I post a summary on the website to aid the readability of the general ledger pages for the County. The Kane County website also posts every transaction on its website to help with transparency from every department and division, including the Mill Creek SSA. This is the “check register” you are referring to. As the month of April just ended last Thursday, I have not received the final ledger; therefore, the financial report on the website is absolutely current. I intend on updating the financial report once I receive the final April report. There were a couple of months earlier this year that the report wasn’t updated as promptly as possible – that was due to end-of-year expenses I was trying to properly log. Those are complete now and the remainder of the financial reports will be as timely as possible.
All of the past meeting minutes and agendas are always available by request. I can give copies to anyone who requests them. I only post the current draft minutes for anyone to review on the website; and if any of the residents attended and are listed, they can comment to me or offer additional information, if necessary. I am currently working on the April 8th minutes and should have them online by the end of the week. All other reports/minutes/agendas are archived, but available. All budgets are also on file – not only with me, but also with the County Board. The budget is always located on the Kane County website for anyone to view. We also have past budgets to view – if interested, I can send you a Freedom of Information form to fill out for your request. We are very transparent with our financial reporting and intend on remaining that way.
All of our contracts and RFPs are available after County Board approval through the Kane County purchasing department. They can arrange for a copy of the approved resolution. Currently, we have approved RFPs for Snow Removal, Landscaping Maintenance and for the 2009 Parkway Tree Planting Program.
You commented on the budget amounts for last fiscal year, FY 2008 being over budget. While the final tally was over the budgeted amount for the year, I think it’s important for you to understand a few points. First, in 2007 when I was doing budget forecasting for the following year, I looked at the trend of spending over a couple of previous years and determined a certain amount for my forecast. I then looked at the amount we were receiving through the tax levy based on the number of occupied residences in Mill Creek. Finally, I looked at the reserve amount we had (investments). With those numbers, I took the amount I needed to pay the expenses and tried to level that with the amount I was to receive. Basically, I tried to keep our projected revenues equal to our projected expenses. I believe that is what we are striving for anyway. I was able to reduce the levy last year and still be able to cover our expenses with little overages. I’m hoping for a better balance this year. It is our intent to only decrease the levy in the years to come, not increase as necessary. The areas we maintain are more static now and we have a better idea of what our expenses are going to be. In the next couple of years, we may be able to reduce the levy even further.
Secondly, even though it appears that the culprit for going over budget was for the landscaping, you pointed out that the landscaping line item was 46% over budget. You quoted fromthe minutes that the road maintenance line item was one of the reasons we were set back. The reason for this was that we had contracted and budgeted up to $30,000 for snow removal/salting. The total tally after the rough winter came to almost 200% over budget for that item. The electrical costs ran up because of ComEd increasing fees, JULIE increasing fees and the additional ballasts and wiring costs we incurred over the year that we hadn’t planned for. Our landscaper stayed within his bid amount every month for the neighborhood’s maintenance. We employed his company for some additional beautification projects throughout Mill Creek (not including tropical plantings). Our initial start-up costs with the new office space created some one-time costs, as well.
Our office space in the Village Center is used many times a month. While we do not hold hours there with staff, we do hold some of our meetings there (3 last year) and we “loan” it out to other local civic entities for their meetings (at no cost). So far, we have had someone using the space at least 4-5 days a month for meetings alone – and we are anticipating more this summer. I’m afraid you misrepresented what I had said to you when you had inquired about the space. While it was initiated by one of the Advisory Body members, the space was approved by all of the members and is utilized on a regular basis. We do meet our contractors there and have been able to move some of the SSA materials to that space and out of County offices. The administration costs for the space here at the County has subsequently been reduced, therefore not costing the residents any more than in years past.
One of your other concerns was a “master map” of responsibilities. When you asked me about this last year, you asked if there was a map that had every property in Mill Creek and who owned it. I told you that I didn’t have such a map, but I had a map of the landscaping areas we maintained. What you wrote in your article this time implies that the SSA doesn’t even know what areas we maintain. While I don’t have a map outlining every property in Mill Creek and the ownership, I do have a map outlining our maintenance. The SSA does not own any property and cannot own any property by ordinance. We do maintain certain areas that are designated “common areas”. We DO NOT maintain golf course property, private property or any property not designated as public right-of-way. We do not maintain any areas, have any interest in or even fund any areas outside the boundaries of the Mill Creek neighborhood. I have always and will always have maps available to anyone who wants to know our areas of responsibility. If you want to know who OWNS a piece of property, I can direct you to the tax assessor’s office who will direct you on how to find out that information.
I would like to meet with you to go over your concerns line by line, or anything further that you would like to discuss. I am available the end of this week – please call me to set up a time that is convenient for you. I look forward to your call.
Jennie Gatske
Program Manager
Kane County Development Department
Staff Coordinator – Mill Creek SSA
719 Batavia Avenue
Geneva, IL 60134
(630) 232-3490
OK, a few points to be made on the responses above:
1. Point taken on attending the meetings, but people are busy and have other priorities. All the more reason for having a better website. Most of the information provided above could be set up as FAQ’s.
2. My suggestion for improved communication is to post post just about everything on the SSA website.
3. So basically everything anyone could ever want is available, either by requesting it directly from Jennifer Gatske or worst case by submitting a Freedom of Information request. Former month agenda’s, past meeting minutes, past budgets, the copy of the SSA ordinance, RFP’s for Snow Removal, Landscaping and the Parkway Tree Program, maps of areas maintained by the SSA, a monthly log of who uses the Mill Creek Village Center office, copies of covenants, restrictions and ordinances: all these are things that should be routinely retained, posted and updated on the SSA website. Why answer just my questions, when you could put this information out there for everyone to see?
4. I’ll dig into the Kane County budget information to see what’s there. I had assumed the SSA website was all the financial information available.
5. Adding two additional advisory board members to the current nine is interesting but irrelevant. The US Supreme Court does just fine with nine and I don’t think the Mill Creek SSA deals with anything as weighty as they do.
6. The big question for the SSA is “Will you and the advisory board commit to real transparency and information for all, or will it be business as usual with information doled out only when specifically requested or forced with a Freedom of Information Act request?” The current approach just leads to suspicion and mistrust. Instead, strive to be a model of good government. Review and learn from the links on the original post and commit to positive changes.
So Dave….
Keeping up a website with so much information takes a lot of time and money – IT professionals are VERY costly. Do you really want the SSA to spend more of YOUR money on keeping so much information constantly updated on the website? My going rate (and I’m cheap) is about $150 an hour, at about 10 hours a week (and that’s being very conservative) for 50 weeks, that’s $75,000.
Personally I’m just fine with asking Ms. Gatske for what I need when I need it. She’s always been very helpful and so was Lynn Cunningham before her. I think if it came to a vote (by the advisory body or otherwise), no one would vote for such expenditures. And I don’t know anyone who would volunteer their time to do it for the SSA for FREE. Not me, how about you?
I’m not an IT professional, but as a community service, I would be willing to post everything I’ve suggested should be on the SSA site here on this site for free.
I hope you’ve offered that to Ms. Gatske and/or ask that your suggestion be added to the agenda for the next meeting. Or heck, here’s a novel idea, attend the next meeting and offer it during the public comment portion.
Dave-
Thank you for publishing Mill Creek Times, as it has really emerged as the only true source of information for Mill Creek. I appreciate your ability and willingness to ask the tough questions of our elected and appointed “officials”.
The operation of the SSA, as well as the Mill Creek Water Reclamation District has perplexed me for some time. I have attended a handful of meeitngs, and I must admit that after attending these meetings, I am more confused than before attending. I agree wholeheartedly that an online disclosure of by-laws, budgets, minutes, as well as posting of RFQ’s and bid results is the ONLY method to bring the full transparency we deserve from these taxpayer funded, quasi-governmental organizations.
A few of the particularly perplexing questions I have from reading the minutes from the past minutes of the SSA:
-If the SSA quit spraying for mosquitoes due to residents request, Who requested this, and when? I do know that other residents have requested resumption of spraying, and the minutes reflected that the SSA response was “we will take this under consideration”. OK, almost a year has passed, and we are entering mosquito season, what was the decision?
-A mention of the budget noted $25,000 for the aeration of the ponds. Who’s property are these ponds? It appears to me that at least one of these ponds is completely on golf course property, and not even accessible to the homeowners. Can we see the RFQ and bid results for this contract?
-Shodeen and the Church recommended redesigning the circle in the village center. OK, Why don’t Shodeen and the Church pay for it?
-Only certain politicians and businesses are allowed to place advertising signs on “Common areas”. Who decides which advertisements can be placed where?
-If the budget for snow removal was over budget, why do I pay for it? Nobody removes my snow.
These are just a few of the questions that have been perplexing me.
Again, thank you for your bringing these issues to the forefront of the community.
I have a sneaking suspicion that some of the anonymous posters to this, as well as discussions concerning the Geneva School district may be by some of the “appointed” SSA and MCWRD officials.
A full disclosure of the bylaws, as you recommended, may reveal if there is a legal, or ethical issue of these persons posting annonymus postings to your site. I challenge these posters to come clean.
It looks like there are several resident concerns noted above. Perhaps they will be teed up in the next meeting and captured in the minutes.
MillCreekResident, I’m sure the SSA is reading this. My offer stands and all they have to do is send me an email with whatever they want posted. I am going to start posting the minutes here, where the public can comment on them.
Itsme, thanks for your support. I don’t care if any appointees are posting anonymously. So far, I haven’t seen any anonymous comments that seem to have inside knowledge of anything.
My SSA line item was over $500. someone else’s was $300 and some $0?!?!? This is not a prorated tax. I thought the SSA fee was a “unit” tax, same amount per household? What gives? There is nothing in the bylaws that indicates some neighborhoods pay and some don’t. Who lives in “W”? I would be interested to know…
I live in the “O” neighborhood and I’ve yet to see anything the SSA provides in my neighborhood besides cutting grass behind a couple peoples houses on Feece Ct. I’m paying $481 this year for the SSA, and my neighborhood gets pretty much nothing. I keep getting told that there is still construction in my area so they don’t do anything for us…. there is construction all over Mill Creek still, but I see dollars going into those areas. I don’t get it???
bb21 — Thank you for joining this debate, and be sure to tell your neighbors about it. The apathy among neighbors in Mill Creek is pathetic.
Dave has made a very simple request for some transparency in this group and the only real response he gets is “you should go to the meetings”.
A request to Ms. Gatske and Mr. Frasz: Forward the bylaws to Dave for posting prior to the next meeting. This is public information and is required for residents to ask intelligent questions at these meetings.
I have a feeling the next meeting will have a lot more people in attendance… thanks to your website and your posting. Thanks!