A
NOTE FROM THE VILLAGE PRESIDENT
I want to start
this update by thanking all of our Village Board members
and committee members for their hard work and diligence
in making fair and responsible decisions for the good
of the whole community. Starting in
my first public service role as the Village President this
spring, I have a real appreciation for the efforts that
our local elected officials put forward. Along with
the regulations that need to be followed, your local elected
officials need to assure that the Village is financially
sound in order to meet all of our debt obligations while
maintaining adequate streets, infrastructure and safety.
The Village
of Roberts has seen a lot of change in the last few months. Some of the most important changes
this year were with our employees. We are very grateful
for the many years of service that Mark Jensen provided
the Village in his role as Public Works Director. Mark
is enjoying a new milestone in his life – retirement! We
wish him the very best in that new role. John Bond,
a long time employee in public works, assumed the role
of Public Works director over the summer. His knowledge
and eagerness to learn new things will be a big asset to
the Village. The resulting vacancy in that department
was filled by Mark Friedrich and we look forward to working
him into a productive member of that team.
There is also
a new face in the Police Department. Travis
Campbell accepted a position in a field of law enforcement
that he has worked in previously and wished to return to.
Brian Edwards was hired as a new officer and is busy meeting
people in the Village and learning the ropes. Thanks to
all of the employees – new and seasoned – for
your contributions to the Village.
You have probably
noticed some important accomplishments in the Village
facilities this year, as well. An
open house was held at the wastewater treatment facility
this spring to showcase the new processes and improvements. This
project was vital to our community to be compliant with
DNR regulations in producing environmentally acceptable
effluent. It was the result of years of work on the
part of the board and former Village President, Willard
Moeri. It’s nice to see that project completed
and operational.
If you are a
tennis player, you can appreciate the resurfacing of
the tennis courts across from the Village Park. These
courts were in serious need of attention. Faced with
the option of shutting them down or fixing them, the Park
Board made a big improvement by opting to fix the courts.
Other important
park improvements include taming the green space in Rolling
Meadows and putting in a temporary play area for the
kids of that neighborhood. With the
housing market slumping, the build out of that area has
not reached the threshold to require a permanent playground,
so this was the most cost-effective, immediate solution
available. The green space gives a cleaner, more
attractive place for all Roberts’ residents to walk,
picnic, or play. The temporary play area will give
children a place to play without having to cross a major
highway.
The Village
recently approved a few annexation requests for the land
between the current Village Boundaries and I94 and also
southeast of I94 intersection. You may soon see some
construction happening across from the Business Park
as the Roberts Congregational UCC begins groundbreaking
on their new building. These are exciting signs
that our community is still alive and well in spite of
an economy that has not been favorable to growth.
I have had an
earful of complaints about the coming sewer rate and
I feel your pain! The prior sewer rate was
developed to cover the cost of the wastewater treatment
plant improvements. That rate has to be recalculated regularly
accordingly to our debt documents to make sure the Village
has the financial means to meet the debt obligation. The
calculation includes a projection for growth. That
original growth projection was based on recent trends,
which simply did not play out this year. (As we all
know, the entire country, not just Roberts, is experiencing
a change in the housing market.) As a community,
we are obligated to pay back our debt regardless of our
growth, so we will need to absorb an increase in the sewer
portion of our utility bills to meet our debt obligation.
What makes the
rate increase especially difficult is that we are coming
off a very dry summer, so water use has been high and
utility bills will reflect that usage. While
some people feel the Village should somehow absorb that
cost, the truth is each one of us (including me) can control
our utility bill by how we use water. Driving through
the Village this July and August, I saw a lot of lush,
green lawns that obviously consumed an enormous amount
of water. There were even a few cases where I saw
sprinklers running all evening and running again (or still
running) the next morning. I understand the desire
to maintain a nice yard, but consider the importance of
water conservation – not just from a financial standpoint,
but from an environmental standpoint, as well. It may actually
be unhealthy for your lawn to receive too much water. Consult
with a lawn service to find out how much watering is appropriate
for your lawn. If you have a lot of potted plants
and gardens, you might want to consider putting in a rain
barrel to use natural, untreated (and free!) water for
that purpose.
The Village
needs to have water available for consumption and fire
protection. This region is experiencing
unusually low water levels in the aquifers, so from an
environmental standpoint, it is important that we all do
our share to make sure water continues to be abundant for
health and safety reasons by using less, when possible,
for irrigation. At this point, the Village of Roberts
has been able to support the water use demands of the community. However,
many communities around us have implemented watering bans
and restrictions to preserve this resource. While
there are all kinds of ideas for reducing the cost of water
to consumers, the best way is for each of us to be as conservative
as possible in our water use during peak times.
There is always
a lot going on and a million ways to approach the issues.
I have found in the last few months that some great ideas
need to wait for the right time, and other ideas are
nearly as great as they seem on the surface! I
appreciate your input and patience as we work together
to keep this community a great place to live. If
you are interested in being part of the decision-making
of the Village, I encourage you to run for Village Board
or serve on a committee. You will better understand
the processes and figure out ways to put ideas into action.
If you need information on the election process, contact
Doreen Kruschke at Village Hall.
Margaret Mead
is credited with the saying, “Never
doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens
can change world. Indeed, it is the only thing that
ever has.” I encourage all of us to take ownership
in the success of this village by celebrating our achievements,
facing our issues diplomatically and respectfully, and
being committed to continual improvement. We won’t
all get our way, but hopefully we will all benefit from
a desire to improve and maintain our community.
Sincerely, Eric
Fisher |
