Our speaker, Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering gave the Club an update on the state of the City. There is no denying that the pandemic has created a hardship on so many and a financial crisis as well. Every level of the city was impacted. Expenses were forced to be reduced by approximately $10 million due to shortfalls in revenue from all sources. Mayor Rotering, the HP City Council and City staff, with public safety first and foremost in mind, knew some strategic planning was needed. There were hard choices to make in this difficult time. She credits City Manager Ghida Neukirch, her dedicated staff, primarily first responders for the tireless work they have done to managing and continuing to meet the needs of the community. Supervisors throughout the organization took furlough to help reduce expenses, and 10% of the City’s employment based was reduced through attrition and staff reductions, plus numerous operations and capital projects were cancelled or postponed. The City also took several steps to initiate programs, to aid local businesses by initiating programs, grants and rolling back permit requirements allowing those businesses to adjust to doing business. Despite the obstacles and shortages, the City is continuing to help the community. Having service clubs like Rotary and stepping up has also been a help. With these decisions made, the Mayor and the Council approved balanced operating budget in Fiscal Year 2021. Planning to the future with the knowledge of the shortages, the City is continuing to build for a better and brighter Highland Park. If you haven't yet, you should sign up for the City's newsletter. Every Tuesday is the COVID-19 specific newsletter, but other city related items are relayed through the newsletter on the other days of the week. To sign up, click here. To stay up to date with the City's response to the virus, click here. To register for the vaccine when it is available, check out the Lake County Health Department's website. Many thanks to Ghida for help with this article! -mb |