A Better Winnetka

The Village Council will discuss the Fell Re-Development project tonight, Tuesday, February 10th, at 7:30 pm at Village Hall.  The agenda for tonight's meeting is available on the Village's calendar.  This is a VERY IMPORTANT meeting to attend and make your views known.

WINNETKA CAUCUS CANDIDATES SLATED
AT THE JANUARY 15th, 2009
TOWN HALL MEETING

The following people were slated as the Winnetka Caucus
candidates for the Village of Winnetka:

President
Jessica Tucker

Trustees
King Poor
Linda Pedian
Jenni Spinney

Parks Board

Brad McLane
Gerri Kahnweiler
John Di Cola
Ed Harney

School Board

Dana Fattore-Crumley
Beth Moritz-Filip
Susan Crowe-Whitcomb

Library Board

 John Jansson

Anne Knight

Tony Mars

Bob Sanfilippo

Kathie Hamilton-Northfield candidate

Miriam Kashianas-Northfield candidate

 Come to the Annual Town Meeting

Thursday, January 15th, 2009

At the Skokie School Auditorium

7:30 p.m.

For over 94 years, Winnetka has utilized the caucus system to systematically screen, identify, interview and slate candidates for open Village positions.

In 1915 the Village of Winnetka officially adopted the Caucus form of non-partisan self-government where everyone who has a vote has a voice. Today, our Caucus is one of the country's most successful. The aim of this Caucus is to bring together a representative body of citizens, fairly harmonious with respect to policies in order that a ticket of fit candidates, standing for those policies, may be presented to the voters. [quotes are from the Winnetka Caucus website]

This year, numerous positions will be determined: Village President, 3 Village Trustees, 4 Park Board positions, 4 Library Board positions, and 3 School Board positions.

What is the Caucus Council?

The work of the Caucus is carried out by the 72 member Caucus Council. Four residents from each of Winnetka's 17 voting precints, and up to four at-large members from Northfield and Glencoe serve on the Council for up to three years each. Any resident of the Village of Winnetka, or of the Winnetka Park or Library districts can serve. [...]

The Caucus Council is the community's liaison to the four Boards that comprise Winnetka's government - Village Council, Park, Schools and Library Boards. During the first part of the year, the committees explore issues of concern to both the community and the boards, then seek the community's input on the Annual Survey. During the second part of the year, the committees recruit, interview and slate candidates for any open positions on the four boards. The caucus sponsors the two Town Meetings, publishes, collects and tabulates the Annual Survey (and now the e-survey), hosts ...[the] website, http://www.winnetkacaucus.org/home, and slates candidates and writes the platforms by which the Village boards are guided. [...] [quote from the Winnetka Caucus website]

In the past year, the Caucus Council, represented by members from all districts in the town and from diverse viewpoints, carefully screened and interviewed candidates for all positions and recommended the top candidates for each slate. During all phases of its selection process, the Caucus Council tried very hard, very carefully and respectably to be fair and impartial. The Council looked for candidates that have a broad view of the Village of Winnetka and who are without an agenda or single issue focus.

The Caucus Council will present its candidates to the entire Caucus (the residents of the Village) at the Annual Town Meeting on January 15th. The residents attending the meeting will vote to finalize the selection of candidates who will run as the official Caucus candidates during the spring election. Normally this process is uneventful and is just a ratification of the Caucus Council's recommendations. This year, however, the Village and Park Board slates selected by the Caucus Council are being contested by other Village residents (see Winnetka Talk article and another Winnetka Talk article). In order to help decide which candidates ultimately become the Caucus candidates, residents must attend the Annual Town meeting and vote. This year, your vote will definitely impact the future of our Village for years to come!!!

Primarily two topics were covered at the December 16th Village Council meeting. The first was the question of opting out of the Historic Preservation Tax Assessment Freeze.  Kathy Almond of the Winnetka Homeowner’s Association presented the Trustees with documentation that showed the cost to taxpayers over a 10-year period, an average of $422 per home. She did not believe the taxpayers should subsidize residents who choose to take advantage of the tax freeze by applying for landmark status for their homes.

Nan Greenough, Louise Holland and Joni Johnson all spoke in favor of the tax freeze for the following reasons:

1) It was put into place 15 years ago after 4 years of study by a unanimous vote by the Village Council. Since then approximately 12 houses of historic significance in the Village have been saved.

2) When residents are surveyed as to the top reasons they move to Winnetka, they say first, the schools and second, the character and charm of the Village. Saving historic homes helps preserve character and charm, thus enhancing property values.

3) It has been successfully in place for over 10 years with no negative effects and is a relatively little cost per home when divided between 4200 residences.

Village Trustee Sandy Berger said that in her analysis of Kathy Almond’s numbers, the residents would only save between $5-7 per year if this tax was repealed because the Village only collects 18% of a homeowner’s tax bill.  She said that if they wanted more significant savings they should bring it before the school board.

Trustees Chris Rintz and Ken Behles commented that they need to hear more public opinion on the matter and would like to recommend holding some public hearings. 

Tax levies can only be repealed in January of each year.

The second main issue at the Council meeting was the re-development of the Fell property at Lincoln and Elm. New Trier Partners presented their project to the Council and reviewed its status thus far. Frank Petrek represented a formal protest by neighbors who lived within 250 feet of the project and were concerned that the project did not meet the 20/20 Comprehensive Plan guidelines or the Planned Development Ordinance. Village President Ed Woodbury said he would like to see New Trier Partners go back to the drawing board and look at creative ways to address the concerns of the Plan Commission and neighbors that the height and density of the project still needs to be reduced in order to meet the requirements of the Planned Development Ordinance. Representatives from New Trier Partners said they feel they have made significant improvements and modifications to the plans since they were first introduced but were willing to work with the Council to get the consensus they need to get approval for the project. They encouraged the Trustees to contact them with any ideas/questions they have prior to the next meeting so that they can address them during the January 13th meeting, which will be held at the Village Hall solely to study the New Trier Partners proposal.

On January 19, the Council will hold a special study session and on January 27th there will be another special meeting held at 7:30 pm at Village Hall.  As always, be sure to check the Village’s calendar for further information and possible schedule changes.

At its November 20th meeting and after extended discussion, the Design Review Board voted 4-0 recommending that New Trier Partners' Proposed Development Plan is in conformity with the Design Guidelines, subject to three conditions. Because New Trier Partners neglected to bring the three dimensional model requested at a prior DRB meeting by the fifth member who was present, that member abstained from voting. He felt that, without seeing the model, he could not in good conscience vote on the matter.

According to the Planned Development Ordinance, the "Design Review Board shall provide comment and recommendations to the Village Council as to whether the building design, landscape plan and other proposed exterior aspects of the planned development are in conformity with the Design Guidelines." Exceptions regarding height and intensity of use are not considered by the Design Review Board and their vote does not address this issue.  Exceptions as to height and intensity of use are the sole responsibility of the Plan Commission which rejected New Trier Partners' proposal.

The three conditions for the favorable DRB vote were:

1) better study of the south balconies

2) an accurate depiction on the Elm Street side of the glass gables

3) additional details required for the external materials including a re-presentation of the packet further delineating the decorative features, awnings, streetscape, lighting, landscape, signage and brick finish.

The DRB expects to review this additional information at its next meeting.

December 16th is the tentative date that the Village Council is scheduled to review New Trier Partners' proposal as well as the recommendations by the three advisory boards that have deliberated on this matter, the Plan Commission, the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Design Review Board. Check the calendar on the Village's website for more information as it becomes available.