FROM THE DIRECTOR'S DESK

The first six months since I became Executive Director have been extremely busy for both League staff and member officials. With the accelerated session of the General Assembly which began on January 10,1995, and ended on May 26,1995, most League efforts were aimed at legislative concerns. Nevertheless, these first six months have been fruitful and productive and have seen the League active on several fronts.

1995 Legislative Spring Session
There's no other way to say it, other than saying it. The League and its membership have had, in the first six months of 1995, a "great" session!

League staff, supported by the hard work of many local officials serving on League committees, being in Springfield or contacting legislators by phone and mail have brought us through a legislative session with an impressive array of successes. Additionally, credit must be given to the many legislators who, in a busy and hectic session, took the time to listen, care and support municipal government. I know I express your, as well as League staffs, gratitude to them for a job well done.

First, the Local Government Distributive Fund (local share of the income tax) scheduled increase from 1/llth to 1/lOth to take place on July 1, 1995, will take place! Rumored efforts to continue the local share at 1/llth, or to even cut back to l/12th, never materialized. So ... come July 1,1995, Illinois municipalities will benefit from an approximate $5.20 per capita increase in income tax revenue.

Statutory authority for employment of part-time police, the IML Non-Home Rule Package and unfunded mandates legislation were major proposals by the League, developed through League committees, that passed the General Assembly.

If you haven't seen the League's LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN 95-17, your municipal clerk or mayor should be able to provide you with a copy (or call the League office). LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN 95-17 provides an extensive listing of bills that passed and, as importantly, bills that didn't pass that would have negatively affected municipalities. All in all, we can all look with pride at the Spring session.

LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN 95-18 will contain requests for local officials to contact Governor Edgar regarding his action on bills that passed the General Assembly. Please lend your support, by letters to the Governor on the bills identified in LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN 95-18, or all we've accomplished may be for naught.

Alcohol and Drug Testing Program
The establishment, in January of 1995, of the Alcohol and Drug Testing program for municipal safety sensitive employees provided covered municipalities a one-stop on-site testing service. Municipalities with 50 or more safety sensitive employees, were covered under the federal law as of January 1, 1995. As of January 1, 1996, all municipal employers will be covered and will be required to perform alcohol and drug testing of safety sensitive employees.

Those municipal employers who chose to participate in the League program will find all bases covered in meeting the federal requirements. The expectation is the program will grow exponentially come January 1, 1996, because of the lack of medical testing facilities in smaller municipalities. As a side note, fines of up to $25,000 a day can be imposed for failing to meet the alcohol and drug testing requirements.

New Staff Added
With an increasing work load, additional staff have been needed and have been added. Brian Schwartz, who had worked part-time for the last two years during breaks from his law school education, became a full fledged attorney and IML staff member. Brian presently is a Legislative Associate and shares his time on both legislative and legal matters. Gary Koch is the League's new Education and Communications Coordinator and is assuming responsibilities for this magazine along with an expansion of League efforts in additional training, educational and informational seminars. Elizabeth Downing, Legislative Associate, came to the League during the middle of the legislative session after finishing an internship with the Illinois Department of Transportation in completing her Masters degree in Public Administration.

Training and Educational Opportunities
Since January, two seminars and two conferences have been held. A Municipal Attorneys Seminar held in Springfield on February 24,1995, was attended by over 90 attorneys, mainly from downstate Illinois. A regional Community Policing Seminar, oriented to northern Illinois, was held on May 12, 1995, in Rochelle, Illinois.

June 1995 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 5

Additionally, with this being a municipal election year, two Newly Elected Officials Conferences were held, one in Rosemont and one in Springfield with over 200 newly elected officials attending at each location.

New Investment Offering
The League is very excited about a new investment program which it is currently making available. The Illinois Municipal League Local Government Investment Trust (IML-LGIT) is a short-term professionally managed money market fund with a goal of maximization of investment income by adding to earnings on a municipality's investments. This is a new program offering by the League which we feel adds to the range of services provided to our members.

In General
League membership now stands at 1,053 municipalities out of a total of 1,285. The municipalities in the League represent approximately 97% of the total municipal population of the State of Illinois.

Membership in the League is voluntary, and as with many voluntary organizations, the League is often dependent upon the extraordinary efforts and time of municipal officials. However, League participation does not necessarily mean having to come to Springfield or serve on League committees. It does mean a certain amount of proselytizing — proselytizing for local government!

It means setting aside time in Board or Council meetings to highlight legislation contained in the League's LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN, so that all officials and any citizens (or local news media) attending can be aware of the impact that legislation may have on your community. It means taking the time to write or call your legislator in support or opposition of legislation and notifying the League of your action. It means participation in League programs, seminars, conferences, providing articles for the monthly REVIEW magazine . . . the list goes on.

As I look at these first six months, participation in the League has been outstanding and the results are obvious. We, the League staff, and you, the local officials who are the League, are poised to assume an even greater role in the daily lives of our citizens. Local government is the closest form of government to, the people. It's truly where the action is! •

The Village of Lake in the Hills hosted an open house in April for a new 17,000 square foot public works building. This new $1.1 million facility houses all of the divisions of the Public Works Department. "The building will consolidate all of the departments and add in-depth maintenance facilities for all of our public works equipment," explained Village President Christina Thornrose.

In a brief ceremony. President Thornrose, Village Trustee Scott Berg, and Village Public Works Director Ralph Ridley detailed the various areas of the Public Works building.

"This 17,000 square foot building houses streets, stormwater management, parks and potable water, along with parts and inventory in a heated interior," said Berg. "The office maintenance parking structure is Phase I of a projected 34,000 square foot final size," he said.

"The 10-acre tract will also include storage for salt, sand and maintenance materials, a one million gallon elevated storage tank, water treatment facility, and a recently completed 1,400 gallon per minute deep groundwater well," concluded Berg.

The open house offered the more than 100 persons in attendance the opportunity to tour the building and grounds and discuss the operations of the building with public works personnel who were stationed throughout the facility. •

(NU) - People all across America are concerned about safety in their communities — but what constitutes a "healthy," safe community?

Councilwoman-at-Large Carolyn Long Banks of Atlanta, president of the National League of Cities, says "respect and responsibility" are two key ingredients.

The following is a list of 10 elements compiled by the NLC that make up a healthy, secure community. How many does yours contain?

1. Strong and loving families with high expectations for their children's personal and community behavior.

2. Education that prepares students to perceive their responsibility toward the community and individuals within it.

3. Streets, parks, public facilities and shopping areas that are safe, clean, well-lighted and provide adequate parking,

4. A variety of activities for local citizens and visitors that are exciting, intelligent, wholesome alternatives to boredom, vandalism and violence.

5. Neighborhoods that take friendly pride in themselves. Plus a public works philosophy that engenders neighborhood pride with excellent attention to cleanliness, maintenance, design and safety.

6. Emergency services and disaster relief plans that are coordinated and work quickly when a crisis occurs.

7. Workplaces that are healthful and promote safety.

8. A steady supply of decent and rewarding jobs, with opportunities for increased personal skills, fulfillment or wages.

9. People who agree among themselves to obey and uphold the laws, combined with laws that are fair and criminal justice that is both prompt and fair.

10. A community strategy with positive public safety goals to make people stakeholders and give them something to work for, rather than against.

The new NLC "Rethinking Public Safety" report provides dozens of helpful ideas about how the leaders and citizens of America's communities can rethink public safety to improve the quality of city life.

The 30-page report is available for purchase by calling 301-725-4299.

Strategies for Safer Communities
• Understand that public safety is an individual, family and social responsibility, not just city hall's job.

• Emphasize that both enforcement and prevention are necessary and each can incorporate elements of the other.

• Realize that behaviors are learned, and the United States has more violent crime than other industrialized nations.

• Establish policies and publicity that promote strong families and friendly, stable communities.

The National League of Cities via News USA

Page 6 / Illinois Municipal Review / June 1995