Village Council - Special Meeting

We're going to start the council meeting. Gentlemen. They can talk. So this, are we good? Full moon, how are we looking? We're good? All right. The special council meeting for Tuesday, July 30th, 2026 is called to order at 6.03 p.m. We're going to have a moment inside of meditation followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. VERY MUCH. MADAM CLINTON, PLEASE HAVE A ROLL CALL, PLEASE. MADAM CLERK, ROLL CALL, PLEASE.

Thank you very much, Madam Clerk. Appreciate that. Motion to approve the agenda. Moved by Councilperson Michael Ward. Second? Second. Second by Councilperson Winters. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed say nay. Hearing none. Moving on to Good and Welfare. This is a time where any resident can come up. You have three minutes. Name and address for the record. And you can speak.

Anyone else good in welfare? Okay. I'm going to go ahead and start answering. You want to speak first?

Thank you, Council President. Thank you. Appreciate it.

Okay, so when it comes to Septa Seward, anything that's on the website, I'm not sure if that's the confirmed version, because once it's confirmed, they'll put out the map for the phase. So if there's anything on the website now, it might be like an older version, or it might be something that's not confirmed, it might be a tentative. But once the confirmed comes out, they'll put that out. When I said that the confirmed was coming out next month, I meant by September, since we were talking about this on Tuesday. So I meant like a month from then, basically. So that was that. I never stopped any

I just wanted to say I'm glad you're here, Mr. Manager. We missed you on Tuesday. Hope you're all right. And I'm glad to see the CFO back there in the back. Don't hide. You can come forward. We have a great discussion today.

Thank you. All right, bring it back to the council. Do we have any other questions or comments about the resolution?

Attorney Geller should be the one to read it out loud. Councilperson Lightfoot Ward. You can go ahead and read it, Councilperson Lightfoot-Ward. Just read the dark part, the resolution part, the heading part, it's what we need to read into the record, please. Yeah, let's do the resolution G, then we'll go to the agenda item, because that's much shorter.

Yes, so read the resolution for us, turn it together, then we'll come back to the agenda item.

Okay, well, we've been discussing the millage rate, so the budget. Yeah, we're just doing this. So I want to continue the discussion. All right, Mr. Manager, would you please talk about Title IX? Title VII, I mean, or VI. Just please discuss Title VI for me, and we'll read it in a second.

I'M GOING TO LET COUNCILPERSON IRBAUM JUMP IN. THIS IS SOMETHING WE HAVE TO DO ALSO EVERY YEAR. I REMEMBER DOING THIS WITH MANAGER ALOU. COUNCILPERSON IRBAUM.

ARE WE ABLE ESSENTIALLY TO TAKE ACTION ON THIS ITEM TONIGHT AND INSTRUCT THE MANAGER TO KEEP US IN COMPLIANCE WITH THIS TITLE?

ABSOLUTELY, COUNCILPERSON IRBAUM. Any other questions or comments from the council before I go to the audience?

No, we're talking about the agenda item.

So we're gonna go to the audience real quick. Anybody in the audience have any comment about this particular item, questions or comments? Hearing, seeing none, back to the council. Do I have a motion to approve? Moved by Councilperson Lightfoot-Ward. Do I have a second? I'll second. Second by Councilperson Irvine. Madam Clerk, may I please have a roll call, please?

Thank you very much, Councilperson Lightfoot-Ward. Madam Clerk, we had a motion and a second. Madam Clerk, can I get a roll call?

Thank you. Thank you for that clarification.

I can help you out. The percentage is 5.37% more than the rollback rate.

Thank you. Could I just add something for clarification real quick? So when I first came on the council and went through my first budget hearings, the concept of the rollback rate was completely alien to me. I had not been a homeowner before I moved into this neighborhood and so I didn't know what rollback rate meant at all. I thought it was the rate that it used to be. That is not at all what it is. Rollback rate means if we want to have the same dollar value for our revenue generated from taxes from last year to this year between new assessment values to have the exact same dollar value budg

Oh, they kicking me out y'all Next for public comment for this particular item Okay, going once. Very quickly, because we really don't do this.

So I'm in my eighth year on the council. When I first came on, the rate was 8.3. It's always been 8.3 until last year when we lowered it to 8.2. So keeping it at 8.2 would result in an increase in our budget because we have an increase in property value. If we want to maintain the exact same identical dollar amount that our budget was last year, then we would roll the rate back to the 7.7818 that is there. The rollback rate achieves the previous dollar amount.

Anyone else for public comment? Okay. Hearing, seeing none, let's come back to the council. Any questions or comments from the council before we talk about motions?

Yeah, so taking a typical inflationary rate of 3%, that would put us at, let's see, 8.78. So 8.78 would be the, in my opinion, would be the bare minimum millage rate to accept to cover historical inflation at 3%. So in light of Amendment 3 being a potential reality I would think that if we survive it by the skin of our teeth and it does not pass, that we would be glad to have almost any budget we were left with in the face of having potentially lost the entirety of the budget. So to give our CFO the very best possible chance to present to us the most accurate budget for the following year, in

Thank you very much. Anyone else from the council?

So I guess we're approaching 7.30 here, and we had a meeting that was supposed to start at 6.30, so I will be brief as I can. Last year, we talked about lowering the millage rate, obviously, and we did by 0.1, and we were assured that we would have information to be able to know how much further we can go the next year I didn't get that information I'm not sure if anyone else did I know that we've had some projects finished parks and trails and I know there's some places of cuts I don't feel I don't feel confident in raising it I feel that the rollback rate is still too high And I'm hoping tha

Got anything else? All right, you guys. Yes, Councilperson Lightfoot-Warren.

Well, the millage rate for the last fiscal year was 8.2.

No, that's the rollback rate, Councilperson Lightfoot Ward. The millage rate is 8.3. Right now, currently, you guys know we're about 75% through our year. You know we're 75% through our fiscal year. Our spending, we've underspent this year. Our spending, and you guys will all get this. If you guys remember on Tuesday, I said that I have a whole budget breakdown going out this weekend. I said that on Tuesday. I don't know if you guys remember me saying that. So you'll get the entire breakdown. And so we're under, we've underspent so far throughout the year. We've underspent so much that right n

I will make a motion to accept the millage rate as the rollback rate this year.

So it's not done, it's not done and written in stone until the second budget hearing, which is September 22nd. And so what I would say is, what i would say is that we pass this through because we can always drop it we can drop it to the rollback weight we can drop it to 8.1 we can drop it to whatever we want to drop it to after today but we need to look at because i know for example i know there are um are things that will be coming you know into the budget this year that we currently don't have right We have the historic preservation board. We have the tree board. I know you guys were looking

But there is a motion on the table, is that right?

There is a motion to roll it back to the rollback rate.

That's the motion from Councilperson Winches.

That's the motion from Councilperson Winches. Is there a second?

It hasn't been seconded yet. Councilperson Winters made a motion. Councilperson Winters repeated.

I made a motion to adopt the proposed millage rate using the rollback rate.

So the rollback rate will be the new millage rate, is his motion. And what's that rate, Councilperson?

anybody got a problem yet no we're good thank you Thank You council person like foot where we appreciate the clarification so that's the motion you guys to roll it back from 8.2 where it currently is back to 7.7 and that's the motion and do we have a second

Yes, it would go from 8.2 to 7.7. Okay. 7.78, but 7.7. 7.7818. We have a motion. Do we have a second? So moved. So we have a motion. We have a second. Madam Clerk, may I please have a roll call, please? Yeah. She said so moved.

Madam Clerk, I understand what you're saying.

So what she's saying is from 8.2 to 7.7, what would that be? Let me just say from 8.3 to 8.2, when we did that, that was a $41,000 drop. So that's from one, that's the point one. Point one, the 8.3 to 8.2, which is gonna be in your thing today. I'm looking exactly on the notes from the thing you guys are getting this weekend. The 8.3 to the 8.2 was minus $41,000 from the budget, from a point. So that's where it kinda equals up.

So if you're talking about 8.2 to 7.7. 818 Mills.

WHICH MEANS WE'LL HAVE THE SAME BUDGET AS LAST YEAR.

Yeah, so you're talking about anywhere from, anywhere from $164,000 to $205,000 would be the deduction from the budget.

My motion was just basically keep the budget the same as last year financially.

but are you asking for the role or are you asking for a direct deduction of the military

Go ahead. Just a point of order. There was no second. Dr. Leifert Ward was... I was referencing the as is. My point of order is that there was no second.

All right, for clarification, if there was confusion that there was a second, Councilor Slattery, are you withdrawing your second? Okay, make your motion again so we can see if we get a second. Make your motion one more time with the number, please.

My. motion is to adopt the rollback rate, which is 7.7818 mills, rather than the 8.2 mills, which is an 8% increase from last year's revenue.

Thank you very much, Councilperson Winters. Do we have a second for Councilperson Winters, dropping it to the 7.7818?

Yes, we understood. We understood, Councilperson Lightfoot Ward. Thank you very much for the clarification. So second time we got, do we have a second going twice? Do we have a second going three times, you guys? Okay. Do I have a new motion of any sort?

I move to go forward with as is with a mind to lower it in the budget hearings. I motion to go forward as is.

We have until September 22nd to lower it down to whatever you want to lower it to. We have a motion. Do I have a second for the motion? Do I have a second? Do I have a second for the motion going once? Do I have a second for the motion going twice?

We have a motion on the table for 8.2. That's where it is currently. Councilperson Erbaum wanted to remain as is.

Yes, so it just depends on the way you see it, Council President Blackfoot Ward. Like I said, it was my suggestion that we can lower it up until September 22nd, the second budget hearing. So it was my suggestion that we keep it as is for now, and then as we go through the budget workshop in the first hearing, we can see what our priorities are, what we want, and then we can lower it as we go through that process. So that was my suggestion, to keep it as is. I have no problem with your suggestion. From what Councilperson Erbom suggested,

So there was a lot of communication after I made my motions. I want to make something really quickly. The council does not have a good track record when it comes to lowering the millage rate over the last 10 years. And though I would like to believe we will do it in September, I'm just a little hesitant.

yeah understood thank you very much council person which is we have a motion on the table um do we have a second for the um 8.2 uh leaving the military as is for now we have a motion we have do we have a second going once do we have a second going twice Do we have a second going three times?

Can we get some kind of discussion up here? I'm open to seconding something that's a little bit lower, but I really would like to see something change.

So here's the risk, as clearly outlined by the CFO and the mayor, of moving forward tonight with reducing it to 7.8. We cannot get above that headed into budget season. So if we get into budget season, and the CFO's telling us what the cost of the police department collective bargaining agreement is, and it goes beyond what we can cover off of the rollback rate, then we will be locked into a deficit for next year.

While I want a lower rate, Dr. Leifert Ward wants a lower rate, Councilperson Winters wants a lower rate, I imagine the mayor is not entirely opposed to a lower rate, we would be absolutely handcuffed to the exact dollar amount that we operated with last year. And when Councilperson Winters proposed that each Councilperson gets $67,000 a year, The argument for that was the unbelievable inflation. And now the same. I'm very frustrated. So advancing forward as is allows us to lower it. I was clear in my statement that 8.1 I'm good with moving forward. I don't mind going lower than that possibly,

So is there a motion come in? Anybody who made a motion, you can make a motion again.

I'll move to move this item forward with a millage rate of 8.1.

We have a motion on the table. We have a second for 8.1. Madam Clerk, when you get a chance, please have a roll call, please.

With the intention of motioning in September to lower it again, I'm gonna vote yes right now.

Thank you very much. It passes 8.1. Congratulations, Councilperson Erbom. All right, you guys, do I have a motion to adjourn? Moved by Councilperson Lightfoot Ward, second by Councilperson Erbom. The special council meeting for Thursday, July 30th is adjourned at 7.49 p.m.