Meet the Mayor update

We had a great time last Saturday meeting with residents, answering their questions, informing the audience of all the work that is underway and how Sauk Village is "Moving Forward" with the help of our state representatives and lobbyist in Springfield

For those that couldn't make it last Saturday.......we captured the questions and will be putting out the questions and answers before our next "Meet the Mayor"

I am already looking forward to next months "Meet the Mayor".

Mark your calendars and plan to bring your sweetheart to our next "Meet the Mayor" on Saturday, February 14, 2015.

Mayor David A Hanks

Meet the Mayor

Meet the Mayor
Date: Saturday, January 10, 2015
Time: 9 am - 11 am
Location: Village Hall

On Saturday I'll be at the village hall to hear from Sauk Village residents.

Hope to see you tomorrow!

Winter Weather Dangers

Important safety tips for the days ahead

The New Year has brought snow and arctic cold air that will impact Sauk Village the next few days. Here's the latest information on weather conditions and tips to keep you and your family safe.

Bitter temperatures – Arctic air has moved in across the state creating dangerously cold wind chills. High temperatures will only be in the single digits, with low temperatures falling as low as -15. Bitterly cold overnight wind chill readings of -20 to -35 should be widespread across the state thru Thursday.

On the road - If you are traveling make sure you have a winter emergency kit in your vehicle. Items to include in the kit are candles and matches, a flashlight, pocket knife, snacks, a cell phone adapter, a blanket and extra clothing.

Health Risks - With wind chills of -20 to -35, there is an increased risk of frostbite and hypothermia. If you must venture outdoors, make sure you wear a hat and gloves. Frostbite can happen in less than 30 minutes of exposure to those conditions. Symptoms include a loss of feeling and a white or pale appearance in fingers, toes, ear tips and tip of the nose. Limit your time outside. If you see these signs, seek medical care immediately.

Hypothermia is also a danger in these conditions. That is when your body temperature drops below 95˚F. Warning signs include uncontrollable shivering, disorientation, slurred speech and drowsiness. Again, limit your outdoor activity and seek medical care if you detect these symptoms.

Carbon Monoxide Danger - Carbon monoxide is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. More than 20,000 people visit the emergency room and nearly 500 are killed each year from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Make sure you have working CO detectors. Have your furnace, fire place or wood-burning stove inspected annually to make sure it is structurally and functionally sound and vents properly to the outside of your home.

Never run a gasoline or propane heater or a grill (gas or charcoal) inside your home or an unventilated garage. Any heating system that burns fuel will produce carbon monoxide. Never run a car in an enclosed space. If a vehicle is running, you must have a door open to the outside. Generators should be run a safe distance from the home. Never run a generator in the home or garage, or right next to windows or doors.

Breathing carbon monoxide displaces the oxygen in the blood and can cause death within minutes at high levels. Symptoms of overexposure to carbon monoxide are often mistaken for the flu and include headaches, fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath/chest pain, nausea/vomiting, and confusion. If you experience any of these symptoms, or your carbon monoxide detector sounds an alarm, head outside immediately for fresh air and call 911.


Pet care - While our pets might seem to have built-in, warm winter coats, they too are sensitive to the elements. It is recommended to bring them indoors during this bitter weather. Dogs and cats can get frost bitten ears, nose and feet if left outside during bitter cold weather. Chemicals used to melt snow and ice can also irritate pets' paws - be sure to keep anti-freeze, salt and other poisons away from pets.

Mayor David A. Hanks: Governor Quinn Announces Major Investments for 75 ...

Mayor David A. Hanks: Governor Quinn Announces Major Investments for 75 ...: Governor Quinn Announces Major Investments for 75 Park Projects Across Illinois OSLAD Grants Will Support Park and Recreation Project...

Governor Quinn Announces Major Investments for 75 Park Projects Across Illinois

Governor Quinn Announces Major Investments for 75 Park Projects Across Illinois
OSLAD Grants Will Support Park and Recreation Projects in 28 Counties

Last Saturday Trustee Poskin and I were present in Oak Park at the Governor’s announcement of $26 million in investments for 75 local projects across Illinois.

Sauk Village was selected for a $205,000 grant to renovate Arrow Park through the Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) Program.

OSLAD is a state-financed grant program that provides funding assistance to local government agencies for acquisition and/or development of land for public parks and open space.

I would like to personally thank all those that helped make this grant possible. 

http://www3.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=3&RecNum=12926

Open Communication With Village Board

On Tuesday, December 30, 2014 the village clerk forwarded the following message to the village board.

Face-to-face (1 on 1) with Trustees

Trustees,

As we approach a new year I would like to have a face-to-face with each of you (individually) to discuss roles, responsibilities along with your goals and objectives for the village and how you would like to be apart of  "Moving Sauk Village Forward"

Please contact me or the village clerk with dates and times your available to meet.

Thank you,

Mayor David A. Hanks
21801 Torrence Ave.
Sauk Village, Illinois 60411
Phone: 708 753-5124
Fax: 708 758-1634
Email: dhanks@saukvillage.org

Sauk Village Debt Recovery Committee

Over the holiday the “Sauk Village Debt Recovery Committee” was launched.

Thank you to Trustee Myers for volunteering to chair this new committee. The purpose of this new committee is to work with our collections agency and to expedite recovery of debt owed to the village. The committee along with Trustee Myers will consist of individuals from administration, finance, IT, legal and the collection agency.

Mayor David A. Hanks: Happy New Year

Mayor David A. Hanks: Happy New Year: Linda and I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and we hope your year was as blessed as ours. As we reflect on the last ye...

Happy New Year

Linda and I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and we hope your year was as blessed as ours.

As we reflect on the last year, let's take a look at Sauk Village. We have come a long way and we continue to make improvements

We have come from an all time low in financial status by making cuts and reducing debt. This has been accomplished because we have tightened our belts as our residents have had to during difficult economic times. 

The village is currently 67% through its budget year and the General Fund expenditures are at 65% of its budget which is 2% lower than anticipated for this point into the budget. Our revenues are higher than anticipated while we have only received 40% of the projected property taxes. Financial records are being recorded accurately; grants being used for their intended purpose, spending through state programs that offer municipal discounts have been implemented and utilized by all departments.

This administration has followed up with the audits to make them current so that our financial future can look brighter and we can move toward improved bond ratings. As of December 2014, Sauk Village audits are complete and submitted to the state. Sauk Village is no longer behind on completing or submitting our financial audits.

Our village business meetings, both regular and committee, have become more professionally conducted at reasonable lengths of time due to better planning and attempting to stay on topic to improve our village.

Visual improvements include the removal of the wooden signs along the entrance to our village on State property through cooperation of the businesses in our village. They were removed through appeals to those businesses and the administration working together.

Beautification committee worked with several local businesses to promote a beautiful and appealing image at several locations in our village by creating the Adopt-A-Spot program, encouraged residents who have made great strides in improving the image of their homes by continuing the Hootsie award program and acknowledging those that take pride in where they live and work.

Housing Commission and Beautification both worked together most of this past year in an effort to improve our image. The Housing Commission spent a great amount of time and effort promoting and implementing the grass mowing and debris removal at many residential homes. Both committees also with the help of the Township summer kids program accomplished much work done at our municipal buildings this summer. Beautification made improvements to some of the signage in our village.

Our local Scout Christopher Witt did a fantastic job improving our park by staining the picnic benches, gazebo and a local resident James Williams created a new sign for the park next to the community center and did a beautiful job.

This last year the Parks and Recreation committee has worked tirelessly to provide programs for children and other events and has a plan for improvements to other park areas within our village which include upgraded ball fields, new soccer field, walking paths for our local residents use and more.

The administration has made improvements in communication by initiating the email alerts for those residents who provide their email addresses. The Public Relations committee is currently working to create a new visually improved and user friendly web site and hopefully will be completed early in 2015 and can be located at www.saukvillage.org

The administration continues to encourage residents to bring their questions to the village hall so they can be answered or worked on by the appropriate departments. All sub committees continue to encourage residents to join in with ideas and solutions to improve relationships within our community.

This last year we negotiated the contract to improve our water and the loan to make those improvements and later worked with the Governor’s office to help put our village in a better financial position. As of today well #3 is up and running thus alleviating any water shortage in the event of a substantial fire emergency. Air strippers were installed to insure safe water and improvements to filtration has improved many water issues. Work continues to improve the water infrastructure and decrease water loss so that we may someday be at an acceptable level for application for Lake Michigan water.

Still much work needs to be done in some areas where a second water line needs to be installed to insure water availability and to improve looping so that some lines do not become stagnant. The administration continues to work with residents to bring their bills for services up to date and to bring current any outstanding penalties for non compliance with ordinances.

In the last two years streets have been repaired as funds became available, street lights and fire hydrants repaired or replaced and recently Sauk Village received a grant to make further improvements to street lighting throughout the entire village. The administration has worked diligently to address the areas that were neglected over the years.

Below are the streets repaired in 2013 and 2014 and the streets to be repaired in 2015.

 Our Police Department is working tirelessly to improve safety concerns within our village and added officer Falco to assist them in their efforts. The department will continue their work as well as taking advantage of events in which they can get to know the law abiding citizens as well as they know the criminals camping in town.

The administration, police and neighborhood watch has worked to insure that inappropriate behavior will not be accepted in Sauk Village and will be reported to the police department when it occurs. We encourage safe and respectful behavior in our community.

The administration encourages the cooperation of all taxing bodies within our village to work together to promote communication and cooperation within our community. Our McConathy Library has been a generous source of donations to the children of Sauk Village and worked often with the administration to insure efforts for the children including the community garden for all to enjoy and take part in.

The School board has worked to improve communication to promote programs for the children of Sauk Village by sharing information on their projects as well as sharing village projects with the families of Sauk Village. All three taxing bodies realize that everyone in Sauk Village does not have a computer and that communication reaching every family will require working together and sharing information.

Yes there is still much work to be done but the current atmosphere of cooperating and an open door policy to share will improve understanding for all. Can everything you desire be provided by our village? No, we are not financially able to provide all that people wish but the door is open and the administration is willing to listen and share ideas and solutions with all those who take the extra effort to step through the door and communicate.

Most importantly to insure forward motion is to put words into action and volunteer. In 2015 Sauk Village needs your help as we work together “Moving Sauk Village Forward”.

Mayor David A. Hanks