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2009-04-13 - Finance Committee - Minutes Board or Commission: ❑ Finance Committee Document Type: 0 A e g nda 0 Minutes Meeting ate: 04/13/2009 Type of Meeting: ❑ Regular Meeting The meeting was convened at 6:35pm in the EOC conference room. Present were President Hartstein, Trustees Jeff Braiman, DeAnn Glover, Jeff Berman, Bruce Kahn, Steve Trilling, Lisa Stone, Beverly Sussman, Village Clerk Jan Sirabian, and Treasurer Joseph Tenerelli. Staff present were- Village Manager William Brimm, Deputy Village Manager Ghida Neukirch, Finance Director Scott Anderson, Police Chief Steve Balinski, Village Engineer Dick Kuenkler, Sergeant Mike Szos, Village Attorney William Raysa and Assistant Finance Director Katie Skibbe. Guests included Don Hardt and Dave Butler from Infrastructure Maintenance Systems. A presentation from Infrastructure Maintenance Systems (IMS)was provided by guests Don Hardt and Dave Butler, who had been hired to update the network of streets within Buffalo Grove and gauge their condition. It has been a Village policy to do work on each street every fifteen years. This was 100% funded by Motor Fuel Tax and 20% of all Home Rule Sales Tax receipts. IMS evaluation looks at present condition of streets, takes into account what is happening under the pavement, and gives an estimation of where the pavements will be in several years with a certain amount of money. Unfortunately, the Midwest is the worst area in the nation for streets due to high levels of traffic and the frequent freeze-thaw cycles (over 400 a year). A question was raised as to whether a matrix had been developed comparing the cost of laying asphalt with the dropping prices of labor considering there may be a benefit to putting additional monies towards the streets now and taking advantage of a possible cost savings. In response, IMS stated although the costs of labor may be down and the cost of materials have fluctuated widely, they don't estimate the cost of materials going down much in the future. Another question was asked concerning the technology being used in our street program and whether it would be beneficial to look at other areas of the world for ideas on how to improve our street program. In response, IMS said that the Village is currently using state of the art technology in the street program. Until recently, the Village has been able to keep the 15-year standard, but due to increased costs and decreasing revenue, the Village may need to look at other options in the future. Police Chief Steve Balinksi and Sergeant Mike Szos made a presentation about Red Light Camera Enforcement. The goal of the Red Light Camera program is to reduce crashes. Year after year there have been over 200 crashes at the top 10 intersections in Buffalo Grove, 20% of which have been personal injury crashes. Conventional methods of prevention aren't meeting goals as well as hoped. Ideally, the red light cameras modify driver behavior and encourage them to slow at intersections. A question was asked as to whether the cameras are able to look far enough to see people using the median to get to the left-hand turn lane since that is a very dangerous practice and Chief Balinski said that they did not, but the Police Department takes a very aggressive approach with lane violators. Another question was raised concerning sprays and license plate covers being used to fool the red light cameras and Chief Balinski said that these methods are ineffective. The Red Light Cameras provide coverage 24 hours a day/7 days a week, they are enforceable, use less man power, and take officers out of harm's way. There were concerns that it may increase rear-end crashes, it might not be financially feasible at certain locations, using a flash system may be distracting to drivers, and whether a cost neutrality clause in the contract was legal. Mr. Raysa clarified that we cannot change the timing of the yellow light so concerns about cities reducing the timing of the yellow light to catch additional drivers are unsubstantiated. Currently, Cook County is not issuing any permits so all cameras being considered at this time are in Lake County. There is a cost associated with this program for LED compliance, but ideally we will have no costs out of our pocket. Citations from the Red Light Cameras are civil, not criminal so they do not count against the driver's traffic record. Driver's who receive a citation will be able to view pictures of the violation along with a video of the violation. The choice is then to pay $100 for the ticket or go to an administrative hearing. After the hearing, if the driver is still unhappy they can then ask to be heard at the Circuit Court. The first month of the program would be an education campaign which would be continued throughout the program. Going forward, the Police Department will collect agreements from the three vendors being considered and finish collecting safety data for 2008. The Board agreed that this is a worthwhile program, but caution must be exercised to ensure we select the correct vendor and to ensure there are no negative financial consequences. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00pm.