For those of you following the Lake County hearings on the rezoning of the Dimucci property on Route 12 at Old McHenry Road, I wanted to inform you that last night at the Lake County Zoning Board of Appeals meeting the commission voted unanimously in favor of the rezoning change from Residential to General Commercial.

 

In addition to the 19 pages of conditions presented at the meeting, there were three additional conditions placed on the development by motion on the floor last night by the ZBA.

 

Landscaping

1. A landscaping berm that does not interfere with the vision triangle and meets the requirements of the transportation agencies shall be placed at the ultimate right of way line at Old McHenry Road. Said berm shall have a minimum height of 10 feet and shall be planted with a minimum of 2 plant units for every 100 feet. (A plant unit consists of overstory trees, evergreens, and lower shrubs and bushes)
2. The existing berm currently located along the south property line shall be extended to the ultimate western right of way line of Route 12. Said berm shall be planted with a minimum of 3 plant units for every 100 feet.

Height

1. No building shall exceed the height of 40 feet with a 15 foot allowance for architectural features.

These newly recommended conditions will be in conjunction with the tentative compromise reached by the Villages of Hawthorn Woods, North Barrington, and Lake County. This compromise includes the reduction in retail space to 450,000 square feet, with 200,000 square feet of local services and restaurants.

 

As I have personally stated to many of you, this process is not yet over. The ZBA's recommendation will now proceed to the Lake County's Planning Building and Zoning Committee on Tuesday, September 25, 2012 in their County Building at 18 North County Street, Waukegan, at 8:30 am. All residents are invited to continue their participation on this matter and voice additional concerns throughout this process before Lake County either in person or by email to your County Board representatives. The Village will continue its presence at all meetings in Waukegan and continue to work within the framework of an IGA (Intergovernmental Government Agreement) between the County, North Barrington and Hawthorn Woods. This IGA continues to be in draft form to include many of the comments and conditions voiced by the participants at these hearings. The Village will impose our insistence on a smaller scale development and perimeter buffering for all of our residents.

 

Finally, if the County Board does approve the recommendations of the ZBA to rezone, the property will remain in Estate residential zoning until or unless a developer comes forward with a final site plan. That plan will need to go through the full public process before any grading or development can occur. The applicants are seeking 5 years allowance to market the property for a developer who would build a project within the planning standards and conditions outlined throughout this process.

 

I remain sincere in my commitment to serve all residents, and I thank you for your support and trust as we continue to work on behalf of the entire Village to negate or lessen some of the impacts of the Lake County proposal.

Warmest Regards,

 

Joseph Mancino

Mayor, Village of Hawthorn Woods

Dear Resident,

I personally wanted to reach out to you to describe the Village's position on the announced conceptual agreement between the Village of Hawthorn Woods, the Village of North Barrington and Lake County.

 

In February of this year, and without prior discussion, we all learned of the property owner's application for the rezoning of the property. The surrounding villages had not been notified in advance of this application and had not been asked for any input before the process of the application began. This exclusion from the regional planning process, along with the concern of the proposed size and scope, left the Village in a position to strongly oppose the development application before Lake County. While this property does not lie within the municipal boundaries of the Village of Hawthorn Woods, the Village hired professional expert witnesses to testify before the Lake County Planning Commissions to reject the consideration of the proposed development because of its large-scale regional impact.

 

Your Village's elected officials, professional staff and committee members worked all summer attending numerous public meetings regarding the application. Our experts spoke about major concerns raised through public outcry and pressure by our residents and surrounding neighbors. Of all the concerns raised, a common thread seemed apparent: residents were concerned about the size and scope, height of structures, allowed use, and the impact to local services and residents. With the support of our Village Board, I have consistently advocated for a regional solution that included the stakeholders in a resolution.

 

Over the last two months, the villages closest to the Route 12 parcel, Hawthorn Woods and North Barrington, sat down to meet in regional planning efforts to address the application for development before the Lake County Government. We stripped away the threats of lawsuits against one another and had direct, professional dialogue regarding our opposition to the lack of municipal involvement. As a result of those initial discussions, the Villages were invited to meet with the planning staff at Lake County and discuss the vision of the Villages as it was depicted in the 2002 IGA that was adopted a decade ago.

After several frank discussions at the planning table, and a word-by-word struggle with the document, it is my belief that the Village of Hawthorn Woods, along with its officials and professional consultants, have designed a conceptual plan for the unincorporated parcel that meets the high-end and low-impact character of our community.

 

The conceptual agreement we reached with North Barrington and Lake County includes the following provisions:

• The size of any proposed development has been reduced from 800,000 square feet of general commercial to 450,000 square feet of retail with an allowance of an additional 200,000 to be used for restaurants, entertainment, local commercial service, and other neighborhood-oriented uses or general office use.

• Structures within 300 feet of Old McHenry Road will be limited to 35 feet in height, with an additional 15 feet allowed for architectural features.

• A myriad of uses will be prohibited, including gas stations. The prohibited uses were incorporated from our 2002 agreement.

• Lighting will be limited to 0.75 foot candle along Route 12, and 0.25 foot candle along Old McHenry Road, with all lighting meeting Dark Sky criteria.

• Additional screening/buffering with berms and landscaping along frontage abutting Old McHenry Road, and all perimeter properties including unincorporated Lake County residential areas.

• Separate structures, rather than an indoor mall, with individual external entrances will be designed. Other amenities promoting open-air circulation of pedestrians and community plazas will be featured.

• Concurrent review and approval responsibility by the Storm Water Management Commission will be implemented for secondary runoff oversight.

• Performance bond guarantees for landscaping and berming equaling 130% of cost will be mandated.

• Tax Revenue sharing equaling 60% to Lake County and 40% to the Villages of Hawthorn Woods and North Barrington will help each Village manage the impact of development.
  
  

These are just some of the conditions that will be imposed on the property should the application be recommended by the Lake County ZBA to the Lake County Board for consideration. Other specific details will be presented at the upcoming Lake County ZBA hearings, where the public will be able to provide input in the continuing rezoning process.

 

The proposed compromises have not come easily. And while no one walked away with everything they desired, we arrived at these with the support of our Board and through the consultation and advice from our hired legal experts, professional consultants and staff. Please understand that past agreements have not resolved this issue. Instead, they have brought tens of thousands of dollars in collective litigation, acrimony amongst the villages, the county, the property owner and various developers that have spilled over into other interests, village-wide. On the most recent path, we can only expect more of the same results. Unless there is an agreement between all affected governments, we should expect years of litigation and millions of tax dollars spent in the process from all the respective agencies.

 

I personally have considered the financial risks of years of litigation on a parcel that is not in our Village versus negotiation and arbitration to such a proposed three-party Intergovernmental Agreement. The risks involved to the Village in some of those alternatives are serious and go well beyond impacts to this one parcel of land. After consultation with our legal counsel and professional experts, I believe this to be the best opportunity for us to actually have a seat at the table on the development of a property that lies beyond our municipal control, and the best opportunity for us to influence the outcome of that development that is not in our town.

 

All residents are invited to continue their participation in this matter and voice additional concerns throughout this process before the Lake County Zoning Board of Appeals. The Village's experts will be present next week for the cross examination of the County's presentation and the Village will present its requests for the reduction of size, height, scope, and massing on the site and the increase in open space and impact fee distribution to include both of the Villages nearby this parcel. While your voices will continue to be heard, the Village will also continue its presence and insistence on a smaller scale development on the perimeter of our town. We have come a long way in two months toward regional inclusion, and we could not have been at the planning table without all of you and your collective voices.

 

We asked the county to stop the process and include our voices of concern regarding the development. You helped us achieve that delay, got us to the table, and allowed us to negotiate your concerns into an enforceable document that must be implemented by all surrounding government jurisdictions.

 

I remain sincere in my commitment to serve all residents, and I thank you for your continued support and trust. I look forward to voicing our concerns and remedies publicly during this process as the hearings resume on September 6th, where the Village will present its requests to Lake County. However, I wanted you to hear them from me first. Every resident will continue to be heard at the public hearing before the Lake County ZBA, and all are welcome to add additional concerns to the Village's testimony.

 

Warmest regards,

 

Joseph Mancino

Mayor, Village of Hawthorn Woods

Last night, July 11, at the Lake County Regional Plan Commission meeting, the commission voted in our favor and recommended a denial of the proposed zoning change on the property at Route 12 and Old McHenry Road, commonly known as the Dimucci property, to the Lake County Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA).

 

During the meeting the commissioners called on several experts in the audience including representatives from the Village of Hawthorn Woods. The commissioners asked questions based on the massive input by residents and Village representatives. After deliberation by the commission, a motion was made to approve the application as presented and recommend it to the Lake County ZBA. The final vote of the commission was 5 nays and 2 yeas, with one commissioner abstaining. The recommendation against the rezoning request will now proceed to the next hearing board next week.

 

I would like to thank everyone that was involved in the process of presenting our views on this issue to the commission - the Village's voice, your voice, was heard loud and clear. I would like to thank our Village staff members who have dedicated countless hours of research, and that of North Barrington for working together with Hawthorn Woods. I would like to thank our own Village Board, for their support, trust, and involvement during this initial process. We also express our gratitude for so many Mayors and Village Presidents from our surrounding towns who came out to testify on our behalf and testified before the Lake County Regional Plan Commission to respect our local planning process, municipal authority, and intergovernmental agreements that govern this site.

 

I would also like to thank each and every resident who invested time in order to become informed and involved in the process. Your voice was the clearest of all to this commission.

 

As was made clear by the RPC Chairman last night, this vote does not stop the process of the application. The chairman stated, "If voted down, that does not mean we stopped the process. It is going all the way to the County Board."

 

The application will now be heard by the Lake County Zoning Board of Appeals on July 18, 2012 at 5 p.m. at Concorde Banquets, 20922 N. Rand Road in Kildeer. You can learn more about this upcoming meeting here. This meeting will be critical in the process, and I encourage every resident to attend the meeting and offer any comments you may have on the proposal and process.

 

The Village's position on this issue remains the same. The Village is not anti-development, but will continue to press for a clear voice and presence in any development issue in and around our community, especially one that would bring such impact to our Village. What is known about this proposal is that the potential size and scope of the project do not fit with the vision and character of our community. What is not known about this proposal remains most troubling to the majority of residents residing in the municipalities surrounding this land on Route 12 and Old McHenry Road. This proposal asks for a Planned Unit Development and Special Use Permit without a plan, without a declared use.

 

The Village of Hawthorn Woods will continue to oppose this proposal as presented, challenging this process legislatively, procedurally and legally, while strongly advocating for a true regional solution involving all stakeholders in the process. Your Village staff, elected officials and professional consultants are prepared for the next step in the process. We will be well represented at next weeks meeting of the Lake County Zoning Board of Appeals. Your presence and involvement will again clarify our voice.

 

I thank you again for your support, trust, and for the privilege to serve as your Mayor.

 

Warmest regards,

Dear Residents,

What a great time to live and to serve in the Village of Hawthorn Woods. The longer I serve in office, the greater my appreciation for our community.

 

Our recent annual 4th of July celebration was just one example of community spirit made possible by hours of volunteer work, staff planning and support from our partners. Funding for our event began with our annual Village Golf Outing fundraiser held in May of this year. Proceeds from this fundraiser went directly to cover our community event, with terrific support from friends and vendors of the Village. The 4th of July event itself had some 40 volunteers who gave up their personal family time to help make the event possible. You may have encountered these folks, who are better known as CERT - Community Emergency Response Team. Along with our staff, our police officers and public works employees, please join me in thanking these individuals for their efforts and community spirit.

 

Our community activities will continue throughout the summer and early fall. Our Friday night Concerts in the Park series includes a Farmers Market and a new, growing collectible car show at Community Park. Check our website for details about these and all of our Village summer events.

 

Continuing our transformation of Village operations, I am excited to report on recently hired team members on our staff:

 

Erika Frable, Director of Public Works - Erika is a civil engineer and an excellent administrator. Her talents are obvious and paying off in the short term, with bigger payoffs in the long term operation of our village. Erika is the only engineer on our full-time staff. Her degree and experience bring added value to many of our departments and operations. Erika fills a vacancy created by the voluntary departure of the previous director of Public Works.

 

Matt Bartlett, Superintendent of Public Works & Parks - Matt joins us with 22 years of experience in Public Works and operations from the Village of Vernon Hills. A great communicator with critical skills in the industry, Matt will supervise and innovate our field teams in the Public Works Department including roads, village asset management and park maintenance. His employment helps rebuild our Public Works Department following workforce reductions made in 2008.

 

Karen Baker, Executive Administrative Assistant - Karen has been part of our team for several months now, and joined us with years of administrative experience from the Village of Round Lake. You may recall the budget cut-backs of 2008 that unfortunately claimed many job positions in the Village. Karen fills one of those positions, and in her capacity has become an integral part of our team and operations. Department heads now have additional support for the multiple roles and tasks they perform in the Village. Karen fills a vacancy created by the voluntary departure of the former executive administrative assistant.

 

Seasonal part-time help has been hired for the summer to assist in road, property and park maintenance. This strategy helps reduce overtime and increase our staffing level with part-time labor during the summer months when it is most needed to provide essential core services to the community.

 

We continue to build our team in the Village following your Board's original vision of excellence and the transformation of our operations to reflect a modern small business. I am thrilled at the progress in this respect, I look forward to the future benefits, and I am eager to continue down this path.

 

As Mayor I work on many issues with varying timelines. As an update to some important issues:

• This month, our Finance Committee completed its research and has recommended to the Village Board to place a municipal electric aggregation referendum question on the Nov. 6, 2012 ballot. This item will go before the Board for a vote at its July 16 meeting at 7 p.m. The Village decided to take a different approach to this issue, and has been monitoring early results from municipalities that have already chosen to consider electrical aggregation. In short, the Village would negotiate for electrical power from a third party supplier at reduced costs per wattage used. This cost savings would be passed on to the residential customers. The program would be an "opt out" program, where each resident would have the opportunity to simply opt out of the program. An educational and informational effort will be conducted prior to asking for resident input at the ballot box.

• At July's Board meeting, the Board also will be considering a change to our open burning ordinance. The current ordinance allows for controlled open burning of leaves and twigs during certain times of the year. Staff has conducted research on this issue and presented findings. Our Environmental Committee has been discussing this issue for some time, and the Board will consider a change in this ordinance at our next Board meeting, scheduled for July 16 at 7 p.m. This ordinance is being considered in the spirit of a clean air action, and in response to resident concerns.

• You may have recently noticed some grading activity on property in our Village along Midlothian Road. The contractor on this project is grading the property, preparing it for an eventual development opportunity. As part of an agreement with the village, the contractor will provide maintenance on Kruger Road. With the installation of sewer service to the Midlothian Corridor now complete, projects such as this bring development one step closer to shovel ready status.

• You may have heard news recently regarding a new grocery store coming to the area - Mariano's Fresh Market. The chain will be opening a new grocery store at the northwest corner of Quentin Road and Route 22 in Lake Zurich. What you may not have heard is that the Village of Hawthorn Woods will be receiving 20 percent of the sales tax revenue generated from this exciting new venue. After resolving interpretations of several intergovernmental agreements with neighboring villages regarding this property, Hawthorn Woods entered into a multi-jurisdictional sales tax revenue sharing agreement with Kildeer and Lake Zurich. It is a landmark agreement, the first of its kind for Hawthorn Woods, locking in hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue in perpetuity for our Village.

• The recent rezoning application on the Route 12 and Old McHenry Road property before the Lake County Regional Plan Commission is still pending a vote from the commission. Our Village continues efforts in opposition of the rezoning as currently presented in Lake County. The Village is not anti-development, and I will continue to strongly advocate for a solution that best serves the interests of all stakeholders in the process. I believe such a solution would be better achieved prior to any further action by Lake County on this application. We continue to actively monitor and take part in the process to date.

 

If you should have any questions or comments, please feel free to drop me a note directly. I thank you for your continued support, and for the privilege to serve as your Mayor.

 

Warmest personal regards,

 

Joseph Mancino

Mayor, Village of Hawthorn Woods

Dear Residents,

This Thursday, June 7, the Lake County Regional Plan Commission (RPC) will hold its first of three public meetings to consider and review the application by the Dimucci family to rezone property generally located at Rt. 12 and Old McHenry Road. The meeting will be held from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Concorde Banquets, 20922 N. Rand Road in Kildeer.

The application is a request for rezoning the property from the current residential Estate Zoning to General Commercial zoning with a planned unit development that would allow up to 800,000 square feet of development on 53 acres of the property. The RPC will evaluate this application for consistency with Lake County’s Comprehensive Plan.

According to a notice from the Lake County planning department, the June 7 meeting will include a presentation from “the developer” – which I assume to actually be the property owner because there is no development contemplated at this time – and the Lake County Planning Building and Development Department. These presentations will be followed by public comment.

The notice indicated two additional public meetings of the RPC scheduled for June 20 and June 25 at the same location and time as the first public meeting this Thursday. The notice also stated the June 20 meeting will focus primarily on public comment, while at the June 25 meeting the RPC will discuss and deliberate the application.

The Village of Hawthorn Woods will be well represented at all of these meetings by elected officials, staff and professional consultants. Our representatives will offer comments and testimony relating to Lake County’s process and the actual application being considered. I anticipate the Village of North Barrington will also be well prepared to offer comments and testimony to the RPC. If time is short, we will be prepared to deliver our comments at the next RPC meeting.

Just as with the last RPC meeting, I encourage all residents to attend the scheduled meeting in order to be informed and offer comments to the RPC.

As outlined at our February Village Board meeting, we will continue to oppose this application as presented. We will continue to challenge the process and this application statutorily, legislatively and legally in order to protect our rights, our municipal authority and the voices of our residents.

Thank you for your continued trust and support.

Regards,

Joseph Mancino
Mayor, Village of Hawthorn Woods

Dear Residents,

On Monday, February 6, the Lake County Regional Planning Commission held its public meeting to consider a Zoning Change, and a Conditional Use Permit for a Planned Unit Development on the property commonly known at the Dimucci property.

 

The meeting was to be held in a community room at the Ela Area Public Library. After some words from Lake County staff, the Dimucci family began to present their application and proposal. It was obvious to most in attendance that the room would not be able to hold all of the people who came to take part in the meeting. As the presentation continued, police and fire personnel had to keep a crowd of approximately 50 people from entering the room, keeping them in the hallway.

 

As a point of order, the Village of Hawthorn Woods objected to the continuation of the meeting until a larger venue could be provided, and a more convenient time be set for the meeting so that the public would have the best opportunity to attend. The Village of North Barrington also made a point of order, echoing our concerns. Furthermore, there was an objection as to the time of day this meeting was being held. After some resistance from the Commission chair, the entire commission voted to continue the meeting to a future date and location. We will update our website and inform you via e-mail as information becomes available.

 

Our strategy remains as before, to object to the process, the lack of a plan, and the disregard for local municipal authority and participation. The Village was well represented at the meeting with Village Board, staff members, and our professional consultants being present, and we will be well prepared to attend all future meetings.

 

I want to personally thank all of those who attended the meeting. The large attendance at this meeting sent a clear message to the applicant and the county. On behalf of the Village of Hawthorn Woods Board of Trustees, I encourage your continued involvement.

 

Information on this issue will be updated on the Village of Hawthorn Woods' website. Please pass this email on to your friends and neighbors. Encourage them to register their email with the Village through our website for future updates.

 

On behalf of our Board of Trustees, I thank you for your continued support.

 

Regards,

 

Mayor Joseph Mancino

Village of Hawthorn Woods

Dear Residents,

I wanted to reach out and thank all of the residents and guests who attended our Village Board meeting on Thursday evening to express their thoughts regarding the upcoming Lake County Regional Planning Commission meeting. We have received many calls, emails, and correspondence in support of the Village of Hawthorn Wood’s action.

The Lake County Regional Planning Commission (LCRPC) will be holding a public meeting on Monday, February 6, at 3 p.m. at the Ela Area Public Library. The owners of the parcel, generally located at Old McHenry Road and Rt. 12 (also known as the Dimucci Property), have made application to Lake County for a zoning change and a Conditional Use Permit for a Planned Unit Development. This application will be considered at Monday’s meeting of the LCRPC. The agenda for this meeting can be found here.

The subject of this meeting, and the action taken by the Village of Hawthorn Woods at our special call board meeting have a long history in our region. During the period of 1998-1999 Taubman Properties proposed a regional shopping center on this property. The Village of North Barrington as well as the Village of Hawthorn Woods considered this proposal. Both villages made attempts to annex this property, eventually leading to costly litigation. Meanwhile, residents of Hawthorn Woods, North Barrington, and surrounding unincorporated areas began a grass roots effort in opposition to the shopping center proposal.

Eventually, the Village of Hawthorn Woods and North Barrington settled their legal dispute. In April of 1999 the two villages agreed to an Intergovernmental Boundary Agreement outlining a harmonious plan for land use and revenue sharing. This agreement outlines a mixed use of commercial, light office, and residential use aligning with existing residents in Hawthorn Woods and the surrounding area. In the early 2000s, the Village of Hawthorn Woods secured and purchased sewer capacity from Lake Zurich and water rights to specifically serve this property in accordance with our Boundary agreement, and in anticipation of eventual annexation of the property into the Village of Hawthorn Woods.

On Thursday, January 26, 2012, the Village received a notice from Lake County regarding this zoning change/PUD application. The village received the same bulk mail notice that was sent to the residents in the area. I was stunned by the notice, and by how it was communicated by the county. The short notice given prior to the meeting of the LCRPC equally surprised our staff. Since that time, the village has been working long hours to prepare a strategy of opposition to the process and the application as submitted.

On Thursday, February 2, the Village of Hawthorn Woods held a special call meeting of the Board of Trustees. Discussions among the Board and comments from the public led to the unanimous approval of a resolution in opposition to the proposal. You can view the resolution here.

During our board meeting, the village outlined our efforts during the short time since we have been noticed of the proposals to Lake County:

• Held a meeting of the Mayors of Hawthorn Woods, North Barrington, Hawthorn Woods staff, and legal counsel of both Villages. Discussed strategies and cost sharing.
• Met with and retained special legal counsel to assist us in our official and statutory objections.
• Met with and retained a professional expert in the field of civic planning to assist us and object on our behalf.
• Met with our Village engineers to assist us in objecting to the infrastructure plan contemplated in the proposal, and to assist us in presenting our stake in water and sewer to the property.
• Lobbying efforts begun by the Village Board to our County Board members, neighboring community elected officials, and other regional elected officials in a legislative effort objecting to the proposal.

During our board meeting we had an overwhelming support from the public in attendance. We also had public support expressed by:

• A Legal Representative of the Village of North Barrington. North Barrington is in lockstep with our efforts. Their board will be considering the same resolution in objection passed by Hawthorn Woods.
• Village President Kathleen Leitner of Tower Lakes gave us her public support.
• The Chairperson of the Barrington Area Council of Governments (BACOG) gave us their support.
• The entire Village of Hawthorn Woods Board of Trustees expressed their support.
• The Chairperson, and several members of the Village of Hawthorn Woods Planning, Building, and Zoning committee expressed their public support.

Our staff also prepared an informational hand out sheet regarding the proposal, and how to contact elected officials and county officials to express their objections. That list is available here. I anticipate our list of supporters to grow during this process.

Village of Hawthorn Woods to not only objects to the application as submitted, but to the process by which it is being considered by the various County commissions and the County board. The applicant is specifically asking for :

• A rezoning of the property from Estate to General Commercial (GC)
• A conditional use permit for a Planned Unit Development.
• An automatic extension to 5 years (usual 2 years) to the Planned Unit Development.

We are not objecting to a “mall.”  An actual plan is NOT being submitted for the property. This application, if eventually approved by the County, would provide for blind zoning on the property for the current owner, or any other owner that may purchase it in the future.

The application, if approved, would allow for up to 800,000 square feet of retail space, building heights of up to 65 feet, and millions of square feet of parking surface. In contrast, the Boundary Agreement signed in 1999 between Hawthorn Woods and North Barrington and then amended in 2002 calls for half of the retail space as a maximum, and building heights no more than 30 feet, and a mixed residential component. While the applicant supplies a “pattern book” showing possible architectural styles and uses, there are no requirements mandated by these suggested materials and styles. In general practice, a PUD status is awarded only in conjunction with a supplied plan of development. This is only part of our objection to the process.

Although a boundary agreement exists between Hawthorn Woods and North Barrington covering this property and despite our ownership of infrastructure service rights, this application and how it was submitted gives no consideration to the local municipal authorities.

On Monday, the Village of Hawthorn Woods will be well represented in objecting to the proposal at the LCRPC meeting. Your help is critical in this process. The Village fully supports grass roots efforts by our residents and those others affected in the area that desire to oppose the plan and the process. Anyone can attend the LCRPC board meeting this Monday, February 6, and address this County commission with any of your concerns. The meeting time is 3 p.m., but it will continue until 7 p.m. to allow for public comment.

The Village of Hawthorn Woods Board of Trustees will support the voice of its residents. We are committed to communicating our actions and information to the public as this issue develops. Please pass this message on to your neighbors and friends and encourage them to register on our website for timely updates.

I thank you in advance for your continued support and the trust you have placed in our Board.

Regards,

Mayor Joseph Mancino

In early January, I traveled with staff to an Illinois Commerce Commission meeting to formally object on behalf of the residents to the proposed Aqua Illinois water and sewer rate increases. Then, at the Village Board's January 17 meeting, the Trustees unanimously passed a resolution opposing these excessive and capricious rate increases.

Additionally, I encourage all Aqua Illinois customers in Hawthorn Woods to contact the ICC to object to these rate increases before that regulatory body takes action at the end of February.

Please know that your Village Board and staff are working on your behalf to try to effect change. Also, see below for the text of my letter to the ICC that I read into the record at a public hearing earlier this year.

Sincerely,
Mayor Joseph Mancino


Illinois Commerce Commission
527 E. Capitol Avenue
Springfield, IL 62701

Chairman Doug Scott, Commissioners Lula M. Ford, Erin M. O’Connell-Diaz, Sherman J. Elliot, and John T. Colgan.

Re:  11-0436 Aqua Illinois, Inc., Proposed general increase in water and sewer rates.

Dear Commissioners,

I am Joseph Mancino, the Mayor of the Village of Hawthorn Woods, located in southeastern Lake County, Illinois. Today, I would like to comment on Aqua Illinois’ rate increase request before the ICC and its impact on a large portion of our residents and businesses. I am representing our Village Board and the Hawthorn Woods residents that would be impacted by this overly burdensome rate increase request.

Our Village is in a unique situation relating to this proposal, as we have two types of Aqua Illinois customers in Hawthorn Woods. One type of customer purchases their water from Lake County through a bulk water rate agreement with Aqua Illinois, while the other purchases their water directly from Aqua. These water and sewer customers make up approximately 30 percent of the homes in Village, and 50 percent of our businesses.

With regards to our residents who buy water in wholesale rates through Lake County, I ask the Commission to consider the potential financial impacts of the proposal, as well as the recent crushing infrastructure costs that each resident had to bear just 18 months ago. The EPA mandated an upgrade to the County-owned system that resulted in a direct cost of more than $11,000 per home. This was not including any upgrades necessary to their own plumbing. Many residents suffered loss and endured financial hardship. In some cases it was a crushing loss, as some residents could not afford the payments for the new infrastructure and retain their home.

Aqua is proposing a rate increase to these already-burdened residents that would result in a 30 percent increase in their water costs. Aqua, Hawthorn Woods, and Lake County all recently agreed to a rate structure for these residents. Just two weeks after reaching this agreement, Aqua requested this excessive rate increase and broke its commitment to our residents.

Also, please consider that the infrastructure paid for by our residents was constructed just 18 months ago, making Aqua’s arguments of needed upgrades seem unfounded and unfair. The added unjustified burden of this proposed rate increase makes the simple delivery of potable water for these residents an ongoing and unprecedented financial strain.

With regards to our other type of Aqua customers, those who buy directly from Aqua, their rates will also be greatly affected. Residential wastewater bills would rise 45 percent, while water bills to these 400 households would rise a whopping 70 percent. This represents an increase of more than $764 per year for the average customer.

These customers also received a 35 percent increase in their bill from Aqua in 2008, and now are being asked bear the burden of this additional increase. If approved, these homeowners will endure a total increase of 113 percent in about 36 months. This is infrastructure that is nearly 7 years old, with no known improvements planned to the village.

In an agreement among Aqua, the Village, and a developer, Aqua again agreed to certain rates for these residents, and, again, Aqua has not come close to honoring those rates. Utility companies should not use deceptive practices to bait-and-switch rates.

I see a pattern with Aqua in these instances in our Village, and I ask the commission to also consider these points regarding Aqua’s filings:

• Aqua’s proposal for a rate increase mentions a possible Village-imposed franchise charge of 3 percent of the amount billed. This village board has not considered and is not considering such an agreement with Aqua. For Aqua to propose to have this right is disingenuous at best. IF the Village should ever consider such an agreement, Aqua would surely get benefit from such an agreement, and not an entitlement to charge our residents more money.

• The timing of Aqua’s rate increase filings came just two weeks after agreeing to a new rate agreement with the Village of Hawthorn Woods and Lake County on supply and rates for a new group of customers. In fact, Aqua notified the Village of the rate increase filing just 24 hours prior to the actual filings.

I ask the Commission to consider the rate shock that Aqua’s proposal would cause to some 624 homeowners in our Village. I ask the Commission to consider the equity and fair treatment of customers so that those costs incurred by expansion and improvement of utility services are paid by those who caused those costs and enjoy their benefits. In this case, our residents did not cause any additional infrastructure costs to justify this rate increase.

I ask the Commission to consider a significantly reduced rate increase, as well as the phasing in of ANY increases granted over a reasonable term to cushion the blow to the residents of Hawthorn Woods.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Joseph Mancino
Mayor of the Village of Hawthorn Woods

Greetings,

Welcome to the Village of Hawthorn Woods' new website. As some of you may know, I ran for this office on a platform of open government. This new website makes the Village more transparent and more accessible to residents and other stakeholders.

Residents can now report potholes and road damage using their smart phones as well as file a Freedom of Information Request using our simple form. An improved search function allows visitors to the site to find the information they are looking for with ease. This improved communication tool also allows you to contact me, Village Board members, and Village staff using special forms.

Feel free to contact me using this form with any comments or suggestions you may have to make our new website an even better asset for our community.

Sincerely,
Mayor Joseph Mancino