The Appellate Court has issued its long awaited ruling on Community High School District 99’s appeal related to the eminent domain action on the 45-acre property in Woodridge Town Centre.  The Appellate Court has now affirmed the Trial Court rulings on all of the matters appealed by District 99.  A copy of the opinion is posted on the Village website here. 
 
The Trial Court ruled in 2007 that the Village of Woodridge had the authority to acquire the land through the eminent domain process.  A jury established the value of the property to be $14,200,000 at the 2008 condemnation trial.  At that time possession and control of the property was transferred to Woodridge. 

District 99 is entitled to the proceeds from the trial court’s judgment on the verdict which includes the $14,200,000 award and approximately $550,000 in accumulated interest.

The Village and Woodridge Park District, as full partners in purchasing the property, will preserve the property for public use.  With the hopeful conclusion of this case the Village and the School District will have the opportunity to move forward in a positive fashion to accomplish their respective organizational missions. 

The Village of Woodridge recently began its annual survey process in order to gather citizen input on Village services and programs.  This year, the Community Needs Survey again offers participants the opportunity to participate online.  Each year, the Village randomly selects 1200 residents to complete the survey.  The Village then uses the compiled results to assist with planning programs and setting future service levels.  If you receive notification to participate, the Village encourages the completion of the survey in order to make your voice heard as part of the annual strategic planning process.  Surveys are due back to Village Hall by the extended deadline of August 13, 2010.

The Village of Woodridge recently completed a survey on the annual Fourth of July firework show.  The objective of the survey was to gather input from observers of the show so that their input may be considered in the upcoming FY2011/2012 Village of Woodridge budget.  A total of 118 individuals participated in the survey, with over 74% of the respondents indicating that they would like the Village to continue to offer the firework show again in 2011.

Over 78% of the respondents indicated that the quality of the show justified its cost, with approximately 75% indicating that the firework show was a good use of funding that is reserved for special events.  Further, 68% of the respondents ranked the quality of the fireworks as either good or excellent. 

The survey also provided respondents with the opportunity to comment about the show.  A remarkably low number of respondents, 1.3%, indicated that they were disappointed with the show while 71.5% of respondents responded favorably to the show continuing.    Many residents provided insightful suggestions as to how the show could be improved.
 

The Woodridge Rotary Club’s 1st Recycling Extravaganza, held on May 22nd, was deemed a huge success. Working with various organizations in Woodridge and Dupage County, the event collected 55 bicycles, 90 SLA batteries, 55 fire extinguishers, 132 cell phones, 143 ink jet cartridges, 76 American flags, 10 copier toners, 201 pairs of eye glasses, 90 pairs of athletic shoes, 7 pounds of buttons, 1.5 pounds of keys, 850 pounds of scrap metal, 5500 pounds of shredded paper, and an astounding 24,546 pounds of electronics.  Finally, 4 cribs, 2 strollers, 1 dining room table, 10 chairs and 1 changing table were collected by Sharing Connections. The Woodridge Park District sold 70 rain barrels.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture and the Village of Woodridge and Woodridge Park District have previously complete gypsy moth spraying in various areas of the community to try and slow the spread of the gypsy moth.  The Illinois Department of Agriculture has advised that this year's higher than normal amounts of precipitation has resulted in elevated levels of a naturally occurring bacteria which is poisonous to the gypsy moth, thus killing them off. Nonetheless, residents should be on the lookout for gypsy moth caterpillars which have distinctive markings consisting of five pairs of blue dots followed by six pairs of red dots down the length of its back.  If an active gypsy moth infestation is suspected, or if dead gypsy moth caterpillars are found, residents should contact the Public Works Department at (630) 719-4753 or the Illinois Department of Agriculture's Gypsy Moth Hotline at 866-296-6684.

An online budget survey seeking input from DuPage citizens on the upcoming FY2011 County budget is now available by going to the County website at visiting www.dupageco.org.  Just click on the "CITIZEN SURVEY" link located on the left side of the homepage. Individuals can rank what issues are most important to them, and what issues they believe the county should be making a top priority during the upcoming budget process. The FY2011 proposed budget will be presented to the Board in September.

Challenges posed by the economy have resulted in some shifting in the summertime lineup of special events. With some creative planning and allocation of available resources, the Village of Woodridge and the Woodridge Park District will be combining Cultural Fest and the Woodridge Jubilee in order to preserve these summertime traditions. Cultural Fest will continue as part of the Jubilee on Saturday, June 19th.

Come celebrate different cultures through the music of the Shannon Rovers at 1:00 p.m., Od Tapo Imi Steel Drum Band at 3:00 p.m., and the Midway Ramblers Cajun Band and Dancers at 5:00 p.m. These excellent musical acts will provide the entertainment and cultural experience that you've come to expect from the Cultural Fest combined with the fun, food, and drink of the Woodridge Jubilee! The Jubilee takes place on the corner of Woodridge and Center Drives from Wednesday, June 16th to Sunday, June 20th. The Cultural Fest will take place on Saturday, June 19th. Come on out and enjoy these two can't miss events!

In an effort to improve the routing of phone calls and minimize phone wait times, the Village of Woodridge has installed an automated phone attendant.  The attendant will offer callers a series of options to select in order to ensure that their call is routed to the proper Village department.  This will reduce the amount of time it takes to get to the appropriate staff person, and will also reduce unnecessary call transfers.  The system will enable Village staff to more efficiently provide the public with support and information.   The Village of Woodridge’s phone general number is (630) 852-7000. 

A recent survey undertaken on the amount of commercial retail space available in Woodridge revealed a 6.36% vacancy rate – a rate well below the current 11.8% shopping center vacancy rate for the Chicago area and a decrease from the Village’s rate in December 2009.  The survey was conducted by the Village of Woodridge’s Community Development Department surveying retail shopping center buildings located in the Village of Woodridge. 
 
The survey revealed that Woodridge has retained existing businesses and has even experienced continued growth despite the current economic conditions.

Nicor Gas will be replacing gas service lines in Woodridge for customers that have copper service pipes that connect the main service line to their gas meter.  Gas customers in need of this work will be contacted by Nicor Gas directly.  During the installation, the gas service to the home or business will be turned off for a short time.  After the service is turned back on, Nicor will need to come inside to relight natural gas appliances.  For those not present when the gas is turned back on, Nicor will leave a card with calling instructions to schedule a Nicor Gas representative to come out to relight natural gas equipment and conduct a free safety inspection.  To reduce disruption, gas service will only be turned off when service lines are being connected and the work will be conducted as quickly as possible.  Any damage to landscape and/or pavement will be repaired to the original condition after the entire project is completed.  Click here for a copy of the Nicor letter to customers.

The Mayor and Board of Trustees have passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010/2011 Budget for the Village of Woodridge.  The roughly $41 million budget maintains the Mayor and Board of Trustees’ goals of decreasing the Village’s portion of the property tax rate for the 24th consecutive year while at the same time significantly reduces expenses.  The approved budget takes effect May 1st and represents a decrease of approximately $6 million, or 13%, from the FY2009/2010 budget.

“Despite the challenges posed by our economy,” said Mayor Murphy, “Woodridge continues to prioritize providing our residents with quality services and programs while being fiscally responsible with tax payer dollars.”  The budget is part of a 5 year strategic management plan that includes cost reductions of $12 million for the fiscal years 2010-2014.

For the fifth year in a row, the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) has awarded the Village of Woodridge a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR).  The report consists of information related to the village’s financial position, and is generated in response to local ordinances and state statutes.

The CAFR is judged by an impartial review panel to meet the high standards of the program including demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate individuals to read the report. 

The Illinois Tollway Authority has planned resurfacing work on sections of I-355 starting in April. This includes work in Woodridge between I-55 and 71st Street and additional work further north. Anticipated to begin on April 5, the work will include patching, resurfacing, replacing guardrails and signage, along with some work on the 75th Street ramps. There will be some minor bridge repairs on 75th Street and 71st Street that may require lane closures. Substantial completion is expected by October 15, 2010. Click here for detailed information on the project or visit the Tollway website at www.illinoistollway.com to submit questions, comments or complaints about the Tollway construction work. 

On Monday, March 15th, the Village of Woodridge was honored by receiving first place in the City Cultural Diversity Awards program held by the National League of Cities. The award recognized the many people that came together in creating the Woodridge Diversity Quilt, which was proudly displayed throughout the community during the course of 2009.  Winning cities were selected from a pool of applicants and were grouped according to population.  Woodridge won first place for the 25,001- 100,000 population range.

Governor Quinn will make his budget address on Wednesday.  His budget director announced yesterday that he plans to reduce the municipal share of the income tax by 30%.  If the Governor makes this reduction a reality, the impact to Woodridge is $830,000.  This is nearly as much as the Village spends over the course of two years in snowplowing and salting.

This money is not a handout from the State, it is the municipal share of the income tax.

Woodridge has made tough choices in order to be fiscally responsible and not push the financial burden onto residents.  The Village has cut $1,800,000 out of the budget in order to balance revenues and expenditures.  We’ve reduced the workforce by almost 15% through attrition and layoffs.  We’ve eliminated pay increases.  We’ve postponed large capital projects.  We’ve reduced day-to-day expenses by 10%.  We’ve acted responsibly in responding to the financial crisis.