Does This Mayor Really Follow Through?

Mayor Gaulrapp established the ad-hoc committee of the "Property Maintenance Code Task Force" in the fall of 2007. The appointed members (diligently took on the task or discussing and researching Property maintenance issues that have been plaguing the city for decades). The committee submitted seven(7) recommendations to the Mayor.

1. Establish a “Look-See” committee of three members for exterior inspections. These inspections focus on exterior issues that follow a section 8 inspection
a. 1 member appointed at large by the Mayor
b. 1 member appointed from the Realtor Association
c. 1 member appointed from the Freeport Area Landlord Association

2. Direct Grant Writer, Leslie Mastrionni, to seek grants to cover:
a. Landlord Training (voluntary)
b. Tenant Training (voluntary)
c. CPTED (“Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design”) Training (voluntary)

3. Outsource exterior and interior inspections of all properties. There by saving the city large amounts of tax payer dollars and the need for an additional inspector on the city’s payroll.

4. Implement Voluntary “Certification” of Rental Units using outsourced inspectors. Inspectors will use Section 8 inspection criteria (HUD form 52580). Managers of certified units must prove completion of a recognized Landlord Training Program (i.e. Crime Free-Drug Free Housing in Aurora or Schaumburg, IL, or Madison WI)

5. Recommend the City of Freeport use foreclosure procedures on serious housing violations and condemnations to speed the judicial process.

6. Increase funding to the budget for demolitions
Investigate and request community commitment to funding demolitions using Kenosha, Wisconsin as a model.

7. “Earmark” 1 % of the transfer tax fund to support Community Development outsourced inspectors.

To date, what has this administration accomplished?

None of the seven (7) recommendations were approved or enacted, though at the time, the Mayor seemed very pleased with our efforts and results.

Along with these recommendations, we discussed a recurrent problem of long grass and trash at rental properties. Committee members informed the mayor that under Illinois law, landlords must give a 10day notice to the tenant to mow the lawn or dispose of the garbage.

Furthermore, we discussed the use of Home Rule power. Under Home Rule the city can shorten the legally require notice period to three (3) days. The end result cleaner properties quicker! This simple measure was never adopted.

Mayor Gaulrapp is good as setting up ad hoc committees. He is even better at telling you what you want to hear and thanking you for your valuable time on his committee but has no follow through.

Mayor Gaulrapp has no experience in managing a city other than on the job training. Freeport needs and deserves a professional city manager at the helm. This is the right time for Freeport to have a city manager form of government. I urge you to vote YES on November 4th.

J. Whiting

Is Freeport Ready for Prime Time?

Planning;
Accountability;
Accomplishment.

These are key in any successful enterprise whether a business, health network, school district, community college, park district, or municipality.

These characteristics already exist in our employers here in Freeport: our private employers, the FHN, District 145, Highland Community College and our Park District.

But what of our city government?

In his recent town hall presentation, our Mayor “touts” (Journal-Standard headline) that his salary was paid for by some of these premier employers—not by taxes but by other extractions.

Dear Citizens, some of these employers pay taxes, but all employ Freeport residents who pay taxes. All employers and residents give generously to civic organizations who serve those less fortunate in our community. Why must our key employers pay more to this Administration when they are already paying and doing so much?

In his presentation, the Mayor was equally proud to say that his Administration told developers, wishing to do projects in Freeport, how much money they could make. Fellow Citizens, these are private enterprises that might create business opportunities for local taxpaying Freeport companies that employ taxpayers to our community.

Is this Mayor really convinced that development firms will continue to invest in our city if his government places limits on their profits? Can he thus proclaim that Freeport is friendly towards business?

During his presentation to the Senior Citizens Center this past Thursday afternoon, the Mayor also took an offhanded shot at the County Board Chairman—a volunteer who is paid merely a tenth of the Mayor’s own salary.

Citizens, it is evident that this Administration has an adversarial relationship with our County. Say what we might about the Chairman and other volunteers on the County Board: Does this attitude bode well for economic development for our region?

We believe that our City Administration proposes to continue to “do their own thing” apart from any financial oversight or positive collaboration with the business community and the County Leadership.

Dear Citizens, if we continue to bleed our employers, drive away potential business investors and ignore opportunities to collaborate with Stephenson County, what will be the result?

Perhaps this is why 51% of respondents to the Chamber of Commerce’s questionnaire favored moving Freeport to a Managerial Form of Municipal Government.

Now, we are at the crux of this issue, and it is time to transform our city government and bring it into Prime Time with other professionally run enterprises in our community and 83% of the top performing municipalities in the United States.

It is time for a change. It is time to vote YES to adopt a Managerial Form of Municipal Government in Freeport.

“Where there is no vision, the people will perish.” Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

FAQ - Freeport Asks Questions about a City Manager

How much will it cost?

Here are three answers.

1. 1.2% of the total $8.8 million budget for Freeport’s combined salaries and wages.
2. About ¼ of the combined salaries in the offices of the mayor, finance, and legal departments.
3. Approximately 59% of the combined salaries of the mayor and finance director.

Our question is this: Can we spend $100,000 to hire a professional to help Freeport compete with other cities who already have professional manager?

Who is really in charge—our mayor and council or the city manager?

The city manager reports to our elected mayor and council. The power to hire and fire the city manager rests with our city council.

All department chiefs and city administration staff report to the city manager.

What is the mayor’s role in this?

The mayor is the “first among equals.” This means that the mayor presides over the council meetings. But in a larger sense, the mayor is the leader and “chief spokesperson” for our entire community.

The mayor looks to the council for drawing the plans for the future of Freeport and authoring sound legislation. The mayor and council together look to the city manager for improvements in financial and service performance.

How long will it take for a city manager to save tax dollars?

Within the first two years on the job, with the support of our mayor and council, a professional city manager should be able to save taxpayer dollars in these key areas:

1. Outside consulting fees.
2. Legal fees associated with collective bargaining.
3. Service delivery efficiencies.
4. Administrative staff efficiencies.

What can city manager do to help Freeport grow and prosper?

1. Assist the mayor and council in long-range planning to improve service facilities and our city’s infrastructure.
2. Work with department chiefs and administration staff to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of services to our citizens.
3. Back the mayor and economic development professionals to help retain and attract employers.

If voters vote yes on November 4th, does this mean they think the current mayor is not doing a good job.

Truly, only the voters know what they think. We only hope that they would give their permission that present and future mayors and councilpersons receive the benefits of professional assistance from an educated experienced city manager.

If school districts throughout the United States can benefit from the professional assistance of an educated experienced Superintendent, so can our city governments.

In fact, 83% of the highest performing municipalities have the assistance of a qualified city manager.

Our hope is that Freeport may look beyond today and beyond itself to prepare for future challenges.

“Just the Facts!”

Join Us for A Panel Discussion on the Managerial Form of Government

Tuesday, October 21, 2008, 6:30 p.m.

Stephenson County Farm Bureau, 210 W. Spring Street, Freeport.

The Freeport Citizens for Professional Government announces an opportunity to learn about the pros and cons of adopting a Managerial Form of Municipal Government. This panel discussion features city managers who will answer questions, discuss the facts and fiction about the managerial form of government, and offer their insights into the day-to-day operations of a professionally run city hall.

Our guest speakers include: Al Griffiths, the City Manager of East Dubuque; Mark Moran, the City Administrator of Galena; and Freeport native Bob Franz, who recently retired from Deerfield, Illinois after more than thirty years as a City Manager.

The discussion will be moderated by Alan Wenzel from Highland Community College.

The format will feature a series of questions geared towards learning the facts about city managers, their relationships with mayors, councils and staff, as well as a discussion centering on “a day in the life” of the professional manager.

There will be time for the audience to ask questions directly of the panelists. A special feature of the evening will be “Myth Busters” – a light-hearted, yet informative means of separating fact from fiction about the Managerial Form of government and how it effects the citizens, businesses and guests of Freeport.

Just say, "YES, I'll be there!"

Key Facts about the Managerial Form of Municipal Government

• Today, 63% of U.S. cities with populations the size of Freeport operate under a Managerial Form of Municipal Government.

• While more U.S. cities the size of Freeport have adopted a Managerial Form of Municipal Government, the number of Mayor Council cities have decreased in direct proportion.

• A Managerial Form of Municipal Government transfers the power of administering the daily operations of our city government to a qualified, educated, experienced professional City Manager.

• We will still have an elected Mayor and City Council, and their new role will be focused on policy and planning, as the administrative responsibilities shift to the shoulders of the professional City Manager.

• Under the new Managerial Form of Municipal Government, we could see a direct savings of $30,000.
  
  $170,000 (Current Mayor’s Salary @ $80,000 plus Finance Director’s Salary @ $90,000) minus $140,000 ($125,000 for City Manager plus $15,000 for part-time Mayor) equals $30,000 of direct savings. Currently we have an elected City Treasurer and another financial person in city government. The role of Finance Director has been as a chief advisor to the Mayor on matters of Finance and Administration, and this role could easily be assumed by the Professional City Manager.

Criteria for Evaluating the Effectiveness of City Government

We thank Dick Drogosz for this one. Dick was instrumental in the formation of Vision 2020. Since his retirement from Honeywell, Dick has given his time and energy to the future of Freeport. Our city shall long remember his accomplishments.

Here are Dick's criteria with responses showing the benefits of a Managerial Form of Municipal Government.

a. Frees up Mayor and Council to focus on future planning vs. managing day-to-day activities.

All daily administration of the city government is the responsibility of the City Manager. The Mayor and City Council are responsible for policy & legislation, future planning, and directing the City Manager’s performance.

b. Provides the capability for an accountable, cost-effective and efficient government.

The professional experienced City Manager runs the government like a business. The Manager is accountable to the Mayor and City Council for accomplishing established goals and objectives for city operations.

c. Helps Freeport become more responsive and easy to do business with.

A professional experienced city manager knows where the resources are and is better equipped to respond to opportunities from a business perspective without respect to his/her public image.

d. Allows time for Mayor to play a stronger role in Economic Development towards retaining existing and attracting new business.

Because the Mayor is free from the daily administration of city government, he/she has more time available to sit down with present and future employers. The Mayor and City Manager then act as a team to help current and future businesses grow and prosper.

e. Provides for continuity of leadership over time.

Every four to eight years, Freeport moves through a learning curve while each new Mayor and Councilperson tries to figure out how to operate the government. A qualified experienced professional City Manager is business focused rather than politically driven and bridges gaps from election to election.