September 2010 Round Up

Mayor Geraci's OP-Ed Article on Inflated salaries, bonuses & Pensions in public sector at taxpayer's expense. - Mayor Geraci hits the nail on the head here!

Since the beginning of 2010, the Prescription Pill Drug Disposal (P2D2) program has successfully provided medication disposal services at two Highland Park locations (police station and North Shore Health Center). Recently, 386 pounds of discarded medication were destroyed. To date this year, the City has collected and properly disposed of 586 pounds of prescription medication as a result of this program. Lake Forest and Lake Bluff have recently instituted similar programs within their communities and the Police Department has been contacted by several other agencies that have expressed interest in the program as well.

Our current biweekly payroll system that is based on a 364 salaried year has cost our city an extra 700 thousand dollars over our posted payroll passed in our annual budgets. We have asked staff to look at a semi-monthly payroll system to recover this money going forward. Staff will be getting back to us on the cost of software and legal challenges to get this done. I brought this up last January and am hoping implementation soon.

Passed a set of City Council protocols that lays out how we are suppose to deal with staff and the public. I have always opposed this resolution since it is elementary (I already took the boy scout oath) and also attempts to hogties Councilman from using all options available to represent our citizens, whom are the only ones we are accountable too.

Approval of new trail along County Line Road from the Botanic Garden East through Braeside.

Passed our Sustainability Master Plan and will now turn to looking to hire a sustainability advocate to create efficiencies and sustainable government..... SAVE MONEY

Ravinia underpass at West gate was approved and will be ready for the 2011 season.