River Forest board: Fire truck sharing should end

Tuesday, February 12th, 2013 10:00 PM

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Ian Fullerton

Contributor

River Forest officials are considering pulling out of a fire truck-sharing agreement with Oak Park as the village looks at making future purchases.

The River Forest Village Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Monday to notify Oak Park that it is looking to end an intergovernmental agreement in which presently the two villages share a fire truck.

The villages purchased the truck, a quintuple combination pumper with a 100-foot ladder, after entering into the agreement in December 1999. That apparatus is currently kept in Oak Park, mainly because that village's fire department is able to house the vehicle in a larger facility. Both villages are given equal access to the truck.

The decision to exit the agreement comes as River Forest looks to purchase a new vehicle — a similar "quint" as the multipurpose trucks are called — with a slightly smaller ladder.

In addition to supporting the resolution, Trustee Cathy Adduci said she hoped the village could learn from the outcome of this agreement.

"This is a great reason for us to have intergovernmental contracts, so that they're negotiated appropriately, so that there's a win-win," she said. "In this case, I'd have to say that it was a win for Oak Park and a 'lose' for River Forest, given that we did not house the truck."

Village Administrator Eric Palm said he had already let Oak Park officials know that the board was considering plans to terminate the agreement.

Per the original agreement, either village is allowed to exit the deal in the event that a notice is delivered 18 months in advance. The agreement is set to expire normally in 2019.

Retirement payout

The board also voted on Monday to make an early payout to the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund as a cost-saving measure for the village.

If completed, the $398,301 payment could save the village between $58,000 and $76,000 over the next seven years, according to Joan Rock, director of finance for the village.

River Forest enrolled in the IMRF's Early Retirement Incentive Program in 2009, at the time agreeing to an estimated cost of $445,838 with an annual interest rate of 7.5 percent on the unpaid balance. If paid over an initially agreed upon period of 10 years, that tab would eventually come to $641,085.

"We can absorb the [cost] this year, no problem," said Trustee James Winikates.

The measure would also improve River Forest's funded percentage for IMRF, which was 45 percent as of December 2011.

Aggregation renewed

Palm also notified the board that the village recently renewed its electricity aggregation agreement with Chicago-based Integrys Energy Services. Replacing rates from an agreement set to expire in June, the new contract puts electricity in the village at 4.99 cents per kilowatt hour, slightly up from the original rate of 4.62 cents per KwH, set in September.

"We've seen some upward movement in cost and supply, so … we opted to lock it in for another year," said Palm. The new contract expires in June 2014.

Other approved measures at Monday's meeting included a recommendation for a zoning variation at 1111 Bonnie Brae and an ordinance vacating a right-of-way to Lincoln School at 511 Park Avenue.

Reader Comments

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Speedway from Oak Park

Posted: February 21st, 2013 11:59 PM

To our neighbors in RF: I believe I can understand how you might feel. Certainly you have the right to build many of the things OP enjoys, including your own high school. But, I don't think you really can appreciate what your tax bill will be. We are taxed from here to high heaven for what we have. I sometimes believe you have the better deal.

Tom from River Forest

Posted: February 21st, 2013 9:12 PM

Mom - While OP likes to think that it owns that high school, you don't. RF disproportionately paid for and pays for it. As for the rest, we don't get any discounts at the pools or the rink and we, unlike OP, are willing to educate our own preschoolers. As for township services, we over pay for those as well. I wish that we would disentangle ourselves at the township level.

Hear hear

Posted: February 21st, 2013 7:07 PM

Thanks for saying what most of us are thinking, Mom!

Mom

Posted: February 21st, 2013 6:17 PM

Feel free. Build your own high school. Educate your own preschoolers. Don't ask for reduced rates for pools and ice rink. Find your own township services etc.

Tom from River Forest

Posted: February 21st, 2013 1:44 PM

Mom- this is just another instance where RF gets in a deal with OP and gets ripped off. We always end up paying for more than we get. Just like how RF pays for 25% of OPRF despite having only 17% of the students from RF. Or how RF pays for 20% of the youth interventionists who mostly serve OP kids and just like how OP wants RF to pay to educate its preschoolers. Thankfully the board did not double down on the fire truck mistake. Now if we could just get out of other entanglements with OP.

Mommy, they took my truck

Posted: February 21st, 2013 1:02 PM

a lot of anger over the fact you didn't get to keep the shiny fire truck in your garage.did it save homes in your town? you sound as bad as my kids arguing over the car.

RF Achievement

Posted: February 15th, 2013 9:16 AM

This from the website of Ms. Adducci "I have worked with local developers, community organizations, banks, and others to create an economic development plan" Is this part of that plan, to buy fire truck - obliterating the Strategy and Plan layed out by Frank Paris? BTW - does any one know where the Economic Plan can be found? Aware of the Comprehensive plan but not an Economic Plan also this http://www.river-forest.us/businesses/economic-development

Tom from River Forest

Posted: February 14th, 2013 3:52 PM

Also missing from the article is the fact that despite paying half of the purchase price and maintenance costs of the truck, River Forest was contractually permitted to use the truck only 5% of the time. What genius negotiated that deal for RF? I call for a moratorium on all deals with OP until somebody in RF catches on to the fact that OP only wants us to subsidize their extravagant tax consuming ways.

Ray Johnson from Oak Park, Illinois Facebook Verified

Posted: February 14th, 2013 7:43 AM

The story doesn't note that OP paid all staff costs.

RF Achievement

Posted: February 12th, 2013 10:56 PM

Another recognition that Frank Paris led "deals" were noting but smoke. Wasted time and money. Oh, btw, where did the money go - cuz it was not funding pensions?

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