The EDC will be meeting at the very early hour of 7:00 A.M. on Thursday 12/20, if I am not mistaken, at the Civic Center.

I am not certain if the public is invited to contribute at these meetings as I have never been to one. Ted would be able to answer this. I have never been to one because they are typically held at 7 A.M. on weekdays. From what I am told, this is an extremely convenient time for most retailers to attend. I do not know if any retailers attend. From what I have read of meeting minutes, not much goes on at the meetings. That obviously doesn't mean that things are not going on at other times with regard to conducting business.

I find the fact that I will be unable to attend very disappointing as this particular meeting will have discussions regarding compensation increases and incentive bonuses for employees. Some might call the latter "combat pay".

I am unable to attend, but I would be very interested in hearing from anyone who might be going. Feel free to contact me via e-mail.

quote:

I am not certain if the public is invited...

Always open to the public --

quote:

...this particular meeting will have discussions regarding compensation...

-- except staff review/compensation discussion, which is held in executive ("private") session.

do they get free meeting space at the civic center or do they pay a small stipend to the village? if free, can other small businesses utilize this space at no charge?

Not "businesses." Non-profits.

Any reason for the oddball meeting times?

I always figured it was mostly to annoy me when I was a member.

Predictable Update:

Spoke at length with a former EDC board member this morning. A board member who, like many before, has a sour taste in the mouth regarding their service. Seems the vote... [snip]

Clam --

The executive (closed) session discussions of any organization are not intended for public consumption. --TE

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Ted E.,

Oh, Clam. You just did that to bring out Tedward Scissorhands.

Interesting comparison (at least to me). What do you think the Barry Bonds situation would be without the leak of the grand jury testimony?

That's our Clam, always stirring the pot.

Crap. My reply got nuked. And I'm the least controversial person around here.

Question. Is the EDC (including board members and employees) or is the EDC not an entity controlled by and/or funded by both the village of Glen Ellyn and tax revenues from you and I? I only ask this because if the board members are selected and appointed by our elected officials (i.e. village president or manager?), are they not open to the same scrutiny as elected officials? I mean, Phil Norton is not an elected official, nor Bill Holmer. . . nor that nice Bob Minix, the gentleman who is the village's professional engineer and had to try to explain to me why the village had no money to resurface my street even after the budget had been approved by the board. . . yet we point out their flaws (and compliment them when appropriate, BTW) on a daily basis. I am not trying to be a thorn in your side (no more than usual, anyway), but why, if they are set up as I believe they are, are we not able to critique their work like anyone else? I asked The Ethicist at The New York Times, but he wouldn't give me a straight answer. FWIW, I think this will eventually work itself out.

Feel free to nuke this one, too. I'm really not as passionate about this subject as it may seem. Suffice it to say I feel there is a lot of incompetence in local government, and this one in particular, and I would not get away with it at my job. If I didn't point this stuff out, I would explode.

Happy New Year, Ted.

quote:

Question. Is the EDC (including board members and employees) or is the EDC not an entity controlled by and/or funded by both the village of Glen Ellyn and tax revenues from you and I? I...

With apologies to all for my being a broken record on this... I know I've 'splained it many time before... but, by popular demand, here it is again:

The EDC is an independent not-for-profit organization. The Village government contributes only a small portion of EDC revenue (from the same budget category it taps to contribute to the Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus, the Historical Society, the Senior Center, and other independent non-profits it chooses to support).

The vast majority of EDC income comes from an SSA (Special Service Area) tax on commercial properties in the Central Business District, along Roosevelt Road, and at Five Corners -- many of them with out-of-town or even out-of-state owners).

Half of the EDC's volunteer board is appointed by the Village and half by the Chamber of Commerce. Board members vote their own consciences and are not beholden to the organizations that appointed them. They are certainly not employees of the Village.

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...why, if they are set up as I believe they are...

They are not. But I do understand that -- in Glen Ellyn especially (which seems to have more civic, service and social non-profits per square foot than any other community) -- it's hard to follow exactly what the capabilities and responsibilities are for any given organization and its people.

Contrary to common belief (for example) the EDC does not own or otherwise control the use of Glen Ellyn land or businesses. It is not a commercial realtor. It can not force property owners, businesses or even shoppers to do anything. It does not control zoning, parking, signage or other governmental responsibilities. (The EDC does make occasional recommendations to the Village regarding such items, which Trustees may or may not choose to consider.)

The EDC is in large part a marketing and advertising service focused on business recruitment and shopper attraction. (Because the dollars available each year are limited, the balance between those allocated to each category is periodically readjusted, depending upon economic conditions and needs.)

Local residents see little of the shopper attraction advertising and PR work because most of it targets out-of-town prospects. Residents see little of the business recruitment work because it targets business and commercial real estate pros.

(Although believed accurate, the above info comes from my memories as a eight-year EDC board member -- which came to an end over a year ago.) --TE

quote:

Originally posted by Ted E.:

1. You say:

quote:

The EDC is an independent not-for-profit organization.

2. Then you say:

quote:

The Village government contributes only a small portion of EDC revenue.

3. Then you further say:

quote:

The vast majority of EDC income comes from an SSA (Special Service Area) tax on commercial properties in the Central Business District, along Roosevelt Road, and at Five Corners -- many of them with out-of-town or even out-of-state owners).

4. Then you further say:

quote:

Half of the EDC's volunteer board is appointed by the Village and half by the Chamber of Commerce.

How is this group "independent"?

Given its dependence, why is it above critique on this board? PADS, another non-for-profit, gets pounded on here without any censorship? And don't get me started on the school board, village board, planning commission, civic betterment party, etc.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: GE Fan,

I hate when I agree with GEFan. To equate EDC with Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus based on funding is disingenuous. Moment of silence for the Illini. At least they covered the UCLA spread from 1984.

quote:

Originally posted by ronkas:
I hate when I agree with GEFan.

You love me. You just need to accept it.

The EDC is legally independent because it has its own state charter. It is functionally independent because, well, that;s the way it works.

Every year it stands in line hat in hand with the Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus, the Historical Society, the Senior Center, and other non-profits as each requests a contribution.

Criticism of any non-profit's policies and procedures -- even those of the EDC -- have always been welcome here. Personal attacks on individuals within them are not, and never have been. --TE

From the Village Board Minutes on November 13, 2007:

SSA property taxes provide partial funding for the operations of the Glen Ellyn Economic Development Corporation. SSA property taxes are projected to be $156,300 for 2007 (collected in 2008), representing an increase $11,864 or 8.2 percent from the current year due to increases in assessed property values.

Here are the details listed:

A. An Ordinance for the Levy and Assessment of Taxes for the 2007 Tax Levy Year in the Amount of $49,900 for the Village of Glen Ellyn Special Service Area Number Six;
B. An Ordinance for the Levy and Assessment of Taxes for the 2007 Tax Levy Year in the Amount of $99,400 for the Village of Glen Ellyn Special Service Area Number Seven;
C. An Ordinance for the Levy and Assessment of Taxes for the 2007 Tax Levy Year in the Amount of $2,800 for the Village of Glen Ellyn Special Service Area Number Eight;
D. An Ordinance for the Levy and Assessment of Taxes for the 2007 Tax Levy Year in the Amount of $900 for the Village of Glen Ellyn Special Service Area Number Nine;
E. An Ordinance for the Levy and Assessment of Taxes for the 2007 Tax Levy Year in the Amount of $2,600 for the Village of Glen Ellyn Special Service Area Number Ten; and
F. An Ordinance for the Levy and Assessment of Taxes for the 2007 Tax Levy Year in the Amount of $700 for the Village of Glen Ellyn Special Service Area Number Eleven.

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Does anyone have a map of these areas?

It is interesting to compare to Naperville, which gives the specific reasons for the SSA's in effect: Landscaping, parking decks and promotion of downtown Naperville. See below for details.



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The Special Service Area (SSA) is a taxing mechanism that can be used by municipalities to fund a wide range of special or additional services and/or physical improvements in a defined geographical area within a municipality. This type of district allows local governments to establish areas without incurring debt or levying tax on the entire community. The Illinois Constitutional Convention in 1970 granted municipalities this authority. Since 1976, the City of Naperville has had 21 SSA’s. There are currently only three SSA’s in affect: SSA 19, 21, and 22.

SSA 19 helps pay for landscaping in the central business district and is set to expire in 2007. SSA 20 provides maintenance for the central business district, the two parking decks, and provides for the promotion and marketing of downtown Naperville. SSA 20 receives 2/3 of it’s funding from the city and 1/3 from property taxes. This tax is currently providing the funding for the DNA and maintenance of downtown. It is set to expire the summer of 2005.

SSA 21 was created to establish a financing mechanism for repayment of a proportionate share of the cost to design and construct the Van Buren Street parking deck. This SSA is currently in affect until 2022.

SSA 22 is a renewal of SSA 20. It extends SSA 20 to continue to fund the DNA and maintenance of downtown. SSA 22 is set to expire in 2010.

re: SSA map...

It's the same as the zoning map. Zoned for business = SSA. Zoned residential = no SSA,

The different SSA categories apply to different kinds of business Use. The Nicor office complex on Findley (for example) is taxed differently than the retail strip malls on Roosevelt.