Thank you Sauk VIllage Housing Commission

Housing Commission Report - December 8, 2015

The demolition program is moving to remove the blight of vacant properties throughout the village. To date 7 properties have been removed and number 8 is presently in the process and next week #9 will be completed. We are in the legal process scheduling the next 10 properties.

The drawdown for expenditures is and will be February 6, 2016 and the review and payment take between 60-90 days for reimbursement. The drawdown will cover the following expenditures; Asbestos Inspections, Asbestos Abatements, and Dumpsters of which to date housing spent $2,785.00 on Asbestos Inspections and Abatement, village $3,825.00 on Abatement.

The cost of the dumpsters has not been totaled to date (working on that). Due to the large amount of debris inside the structures and illegal dumping in the back yards the number of dumpsters has increased significantly from standard number required of 3-5 to anywhere from 6-12 bringing the cost of dumpsters for the first 9 properties to around $20,00.00 to $24,000.00.

The total cost excluding lawyer fees comes to $2,500.00 to $3,000.00 per property which if the village had to pay for the total demolition would be $25,000.00 to $30,000.00 per property. As stated these are expenditures that will be reimbursed with submission for expenditures quarterly.

As the sheriff’s department wants only 10 properties per phase and it is projected that we would demo around 50 properties within 2016 this is a cost that the Mayor and Board need to consider due to the requirement that we have to pay in advance and then be reimbursed.

There are other issues that need to be considered as to expenditures on these properties. First off the state removed future funding for our grass cutting program and all of these vacant properties will be require to be maintained throughout the summer months. PW does not have the manpower and we can work with the sheriff’s SWAP program on a limited bases.

The issue of vacant properties has been a long standing problem going back as many as 20 years without any action being taken when there was money available so do to the lack of past administration’s looking to the future it has become the blight that it is today. It comes down to what we do now to prevent further blight and move the village forward.

Keep in mind that the housing commission is made up of volunteers and we can only help by doing our part in keeping expenditures to a minimum by doing task the village hasn’t the money or manpower to do.

 In closing I request that the mayor and board in what direction and actions they wish us to proceed as we are only an advisory group the discussion is yours as to how we proceed.

Team Work - Fighting Blight and Reducing Crime

The Sauk Village Police Department remains committed to continue working with the Sauk Village Housing Commission. In the past several months we have identified 3 homes that fell under the Crime Free Housing Ordinance. We are actively working with the property owners on a resolution to these matters.

We are also continuing to work with the commission and the Cook County Sheriff's Office in demolishing homes that were deemed uninhabitable. So far to date we have watched 6 of the initial 9 homes demolished and still have more to go.

In this team effort the Housing Commission, ComEd and Nicor continue to work together to make these homes safe for demolition by discontinuing utility service to those homes prior to their being demolished. This team effort helps expedite the process by the Cook County Sheriff's Office ridding the village of this blight.

We are also being proactive by setting up an anonymous hotline/tip line for citizens to call and report crime in the Sauk Village area. As soon as it is established the phone number will be provided on the official village website as well as an update in the Southland Voice.

Our goal is to reduce crime in Sauk Village and provide a safer and more secure environment for our citizens and their guests.

Police Chief Robert Kowalski

SAUK VILLAGE ENFORCES CRIME FREE HOUSING ORDINANCE

by Police Chief Kowalski 

The Sauk Village Housing Commission has a mission to PROMOTE Sauk Village.  The Housing Commission works on providing quality and affordable homes for those in need.  

Sauk Village promotes owner occupied home ownership in the Village. Citizens are encouraged to purchase homes that are selling below market value, empty, abandoned, or being sold for back taxes to rehab and sell to homeowners. 

They also assist residents in their efforts to achieve home ownership, and work with the community to strengthen our neighborhoods. Those who are interested to reside in the Village will find a friendly atmosphere were code enforcement/ordinance review will work with individuals to improve the appearance of existing properties. The Housing Commission will guide low and moderate income families with potential financial resources such as grants and low interest loans to improve property values. 

First time homebuyers are encouraged to purchase homes within Sauk Village and we will provide information about support agencies (FHA, HUD, VA, etc.) which are avenues to assist with your purchase.  Most importantly the Housing Commission, Code Enforcement Officers and the Police Department work together in providing a safe environment for all who live and visit the village. 

In providing a safe village Sauk Village had enacted an Ordinance which became effective on January 8, 2013, incorporating Illinois Municipal Code 65 ILCS 5/11-60-2 which authorizes corporate authorities to define, prevent and abate nuisances. In other words the statute provides the Sauk Village Police Department the tools to work with the Housing Commission to enforce and address potential nuisance property owners.

The Housing Commission and Code Enforcement Officers have been working cooperatively with the Police Department in a team effort because when drug criminals and other destructive residents operate out of rental property, neighborhoods suffer and landlords pay a high price.  Enforcement of the ordinance will be considered if a resident in a property does not have a legal right to be on the property or becomes a nuisance.

The purpose of the Sauk Village Crime Free Housing Housing Ordinance is to assist landlords in developing effective partnerships in a neighborhood environment, and fostering a safe, healthy place to live. 

The program focuses on three key elements; eliminate crime at rental properties, reduce calls for police service and to foster a clean, healthier, more stable living environment in Sauk Village.

First step in cleaning and the sound of progress

Fighting “BLIGHT”

In a previous post, I pointed out the disastrous effects that “Blight” has on our community. Thanks to the efforts of the Sauk Village Housing Commission, Sauk Village Police Department, Sauk Village Fire Department, Sauk Village Code, Cook County Board and the Cook County Sheriff’s office blighted areas in Sauk Village will start to disappear. 

Crews from Cook County SWAP were in Sauk Village this week cleaning blighted areas and the Cook County Sheriff's Office started removing blighted homes this morning in Sauk Village (see pictures below).

These are all steps towards reducing crime in these areas and the work you see being done is possible due to the efforts of a joint collaboration of village Departments, Commissions and Cook County agencies working together.

There are so many to thank and I'm sure to miss someone if I were to start naming individuals by name. So, to everyone that had a part of making this happen......A special Thank You! from a grateful Mayor and community.

The Elephant in the Room – BLIGHT

by Mayor David Hanks

What cancer is to a body, “blight” is to a community: No surprise that blight has spread and is having a disastrous effect on all parts of Sauk Village.  Its core cause “housing flight” started years ago: 

Today we see its havoc; housing vacancies, property de-valuation, loss of revenue, increases in crime, pull-back of business, and discord among community leaders. And yet we fight this disease in disarray, hoping its symptoms will somehow go into remission.

Fighting the future of Sauk Village independently will not breathe life back into it. We must attack BLIGHT as a community.

Our Administrator J.W. Fairman has laid out a blueprint to attack blight, a plan that includes all of us. Results will not happen overnight and will certainly depend on the amount of support Sauk Village is willing to show him. He has already rallied the support of key staff. He is in the process of producing a master Vacancy list, and correlating it to criminal activity in the Village. 

This will enable Police Chief Kowalski to identify the areas of greatest concern. Reduction in crime is the first step in the property valuation and increased revenues. Our Housing Commission, also a “blueprint” partner, is moving forward with the demolition of blighted homes. The Village Board’s Public Works Committee has authored a key piece of legislation placing the accountability for delinquent water bills on the owners of property.   

Mr. Fairman wants you to be our eyes and ears. When someone tampers with water meters or turns on water that the Village has turned off for non-payment – report it. These people are not your friends, free water to them cost you more. When you see or hear something in your neighborhood that you know isn’t right – report it. 

"People who commit crime value themselves over everyone else."

As the months go on I will report (good or bad) the results of our (yours and mine) efforts to turn Sauk Village around.

“Community” is the cure for BLIGHT.