By Mike Danahey
mdanahey@stmedianetwork.com
June 20, 2011 8:04PM
Article Extras
Updated: June 20, 2011 10:20PM
ELGIN — Using Realtors to sell four Neighborhood Stabilization Program homes, adding six weather warning sirens, and modifying rules concerning public comment at Elgin City Council sessions are among the items on Wednesday evening’s council committee meeting agenda.
The home sales involve a process that began in 2008, and in early 2010 the city received $2.16 million from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development’s NSP effort to buy, renovate and sell properties in the distressed housing market. Any money made on such sales must be put back into the program until that money runs dry.
The city took what it termed a “worst of the worst” approach, picking blighted properties with the aid of neighborhood groups.
Six of the homes were turned over to Habitat For Humanity for rehabbing under its program. Elgin also bought and demolished the home at 209 Franklin St. The city owns homes at 315 Jewett St. and 218 Franklin St., which won’t be rehabbed until money comes in from the sale of the four fixer-uppers.
The four properties currently being renovated by the city with the NSP money are at 162 Summit St., 318 South St., 457-59 E. Chicago St. and 463 E. Chicago St.
According to documents for the council’s committee of the whole session, work at 162 Summit St. has been completed by Homework Construction Inc., and a final inspection has been conducted to approve occupancy. The remaining three homes are being renovated by JB Builders and should be done sometime this month.
In May, four local Realtors submitted proposals for selling the homes. Each was ranked based on five criteria, and the two highest-ranking agencies were identified. The plan under consideration would allow Realty World Fox Valley to show both homes on Chicago Street, each of which are estimated to be worth $215,000 in today’s market. At a 5 percent commission, Realty World could gross $10,750 on each home.
Vintage Home Realty would be the Realtor for the other two homes. The city estimates the South Street property could be listed for $202,500 and the Summit Street house for $125,000. At those prices, Vintage Home would gross $10,125 and $6,250, respectively.
Warning sirens
The council also is set to move forward an agreement for the purchase, installation and project services for six additional weather warning siren systems from Motorola Solutions for slightly more than $250,000. The funding would come from the city’s share of Grand Victoria Casino taxes.
Elgin already has 15 such sirens throughout the city.
On Monday, Elgin Chief Financial Officer Colleen Lavery said the ones under consideration would serve growth areas in the far-west and southwest areas. She noted that the long-term plan is to add nine more sirens in addition to the six within three years, which would bring the total to 30 in Elgin’s warning system.
Public input
Rules concerning making noise of another sort — at city council meetings — also are under consideration for modification Wednesday night.
Currently, members of the public who want to talk at the council’s regular meeting must sign up on a sheet outside the council room. There is a three-minute time limit per speaker and total time allotted to public comment limited to 30 minutes, with nothing allowed to be discussed on which the council might be voting on during its regular meeting agenda.
Suggested by veteran Councilman Robert Gilliam in May, and then discussed at the council retreat earlier this month, the new rules would allow people to weigh in on what is on the regular meeting agenda.
As is now, speakers still would be heard in the order of registration and still would be limited to three minutes, with the total allocated time still 30 minutes. But if enough people want to speak past that allotment, the plan is that those voices would be heard at the end of the regular meeting.
Speakers won’t permitted to assign time to another speaker. And the city clerk would monitor the time for each speaker as well as the total time block.
At recent council sessions, Mayor Dave Kaptain has moved executive sessions to after the committee of the whole and regular meetings when those meetings have run long. Lavery said that more than likely will be the informal procedure while he is mayor.