SUN CITY – Huntley Village Manager Dave Johnson spoke to the Current Events Club on May 14 to discuss Huntley’s long-term plans and address questions from the crowd.
Though much of the discussion centered around construction, a large portion was on pension funding.
Johnson showed that Huntley’s municipal retirement fund, which covers village employees except police and firefighters, funds 82 percent of its pension liabilities. This was higher than local “benchmark” communities – those similar in size and characteristics – which had an average of 73 percent funded.
Huntley’s police pension fund accounts for 45 percent of its pension liabilities, lower than the benchmark communities’ average of 60 percent funding.
Johnson stressed this was due to the fact Huntley’s police pension was just established in 2001 as state law required it after the population exceeded 5,000.
Pension for Huntley firefighters is maintained by the Huntley Fire Protection District, which operates outside the village.
Huntley Village Manager Dave Johnson speaks before Sun City’s Current Events Club on May 14. (Mason Souza/Sun Day Photo)
Huntley drew a slightly larger share (6.2 percent) of property taxes from Kane County residents than McHenry County residents (5.82 percent)in this year’s property tax bills.
The village’s share of property taxes has been on a steady decline from its high of just over 6 percent in 2009 in McHenry County. It has fluctuated in Kane but has remained under its 2009 high of just under 6.5 percent.
On a slide shown by Johnson, Huntley had the second lowest tax rate in the area at $.54 per $100 of assessed value, behind Crystal Lake’s $.30. This chart listed only six municipalities, however.
According to a 2012 rate study by the Village of Cary, Huntley’s combined water and sewer rates were the lowest in the area at a total annual charge of $475 per year.
An overview of current capital projects was given, with the I-90 interchange as the focal point. While there was little news to share on construction, Johnson detailed the project’s costs and timeline.
The $60 million project is 50 percent funded by the tollway, 25 percent by the Illinois Department of Transportation, and the remainder funded by the Village of Huntley, Kane, and McHenry Counties. The project is expected to be completed this fall.
Tied in with the interchange is the resurfacing of Freeman Road. A $300,000 project, Johnson said it “makes sense” to handle it now so the work can be done in conjunction with interchange construction.
The extension of Kreutzer Road is “another important aspect of putting our transportation network in place,” Johnson said. The plan is to connect Kreutzer Road from Princeton Drive east and then north to the Kreutzer Road portion that runs through the Lion’s Chase subdivision to Huntley Road.
The project’s cost is $6.5 million, with $1.5 million coming from the McHenry County Council of Mayors. Construction should begin next month, with a completion date of June 2014.
Another area of focus is on Downtown Huntley. Though in its early stages, Johnson discussed the Downtown Revitalization Plan, saying the village is seeking a “clear consensus on an overall design.” The design encompasses everything from streets, sidewalks, underground utilities, and signage.
Funding for the revitalized downtown is set to come from a tax increment financing district approved in January and set for the corridor along Route 47. The dividends from the TIF district typically pay out over long-term periods, but Johnson pointed to a similar funding mindset for the interchange as evidence the village is heading in the right direction.
“We know we don’t have all the money right now to do what we’d like to do down there, but what we’d like to do is make sure we have the plans completed in a way that’s manageable – a way that can be phased in over time,” he said.
One resident questioned the cost of development, asking how the village planned to preserve Huntley’s historical buildings. She inquired about the fate of the Sawyer Kelley building, which the village purchased last summer. The building dates back to the 1890s.
Johnson said the village has no definite plans for the building as of now. When asked about repurposing the structure, Johnson mentioned the high cost to do so and did not know where funds could be found.
“Here’s one thing that’s for certain, is that to continue allowing those buildings to remain in the condition that they were in is not good for our community and not good for historic preservation,” he said.
Johnson also used the presentation to set the record straight on what is and is not coming to the village in the near future.
A Metra station in Huntley is unlikely, as Johnson said Metra officials are more focused on maintaining existing stations than constructing new ones at this time.
Efforts to consolidate the village’s post office operations continue, but there is no solution yet in sight. Johnson said the U.S. Post Office’s financial troubles make the matter difficult.
Johnson said a wind generator previously explored by the village is also not going to happen.
Another resident brought up concerns that large companies moving to Huntley may attempt to influence village policy and action. Johnson said this is a valid concern but ensured it would not happen in Huntley.
“If you look at our recruiting efforts, it’s for the smaller to midsize companies that really are going to plant their roots in the community and not come in and kind of be the 300-pound gorilla in the room and kind of swing that weight around,” he said.
