2019 Community Survey

The Village’s Strategic Plan outlined the Village Board’s intention to evaluate the Village’s current governance structure, including its regulatory, financial and economic development authority. To that end, for the last several months, the Village has undertaken a comprehensive examination of the Village’s authority as a special charter, non-home rule municipality.

As a point of background, State law designates the Village of Glencoe as a non-home rule community. This limits the Village Board’s authority to adopt local laws to protect the public health, safety, morals and welfare of the Glencoe community, as well as to license, tax and incur debt. To become a home rule community would require the recommendation of the Village Board and the approval of Glencoe voters via referendum.

Included in the 2019 Community Survey is a question set in which you will be asked to agree or disagree with the Village Board having more authority in areas where authority is currently limited by being non-home rule. Those areas include:

• Passing and implementing new local legislation based on community needs for issues not addressed by State law (e.g. a vicious dog ordinance or ban on coal-tar sealants)
• Determining the level of property tax levies
• Implementing taxes that would apply to visitors and non-residents (e.g. amusement tax)
• Collecting fees and fines for local code violations by establishing local court proceedings
• Encouraging and facilitating commercial development

• September 19 Committee of the Whole Packet
• July 18 Committee of the Whole Packet
• July 18 Committee of the Whole Minutes
• May 18 Committee of the Whole Packet
• May 18 Committee of the Whole Minutes

As detailed in the Strategic Plan, the Village Board has called for an evaluation of opportunities to support future economic growth in Glencoe, with specific direction to create a task force to evaluate the potential reuse or development of the publicly-owned properties in the south end of downtown (e.g. the Public Works Garage, Temple Court and the area south of Hazel Avenue and east of Vernon Avenue).

At different points throughout Glencoe’s history, the Village Board has called for such an analysis. Most recently, the Downtown Plan identified the south end of downtown as the most unattractive area and gateway into downtown. While the Downtown Plan does not advocate for specific redevelopment of the publicly-owned properties, it does set forth guidelines should the properties be reused or redeveloped.

As specified in the Downtown Plan, and as explained in the 2004 update to the 1996 Comprehensive Plan, should the area be redeveloped, the Village’s role would be to help maximize benefits to the entire community and quality of life, not necessarily maximizing financial gain. Additionally, the Downtown Plan recommended that the area would need to exhibit the high quality, attractive character and comfortable scale exhibited in other areas of downtown. The Downtown Plan also recommended the following values (among others) be incorporated into the process:

• If the proposed redevelopment includes housing, such development meets the broad array of Glencoe resident needs, with particular interest in housing attractive to retaining residents.
• Downtown as a source of social interaction, the heart of the community and a convenient place to shop.
• Reusing property for the mix of uses most likely to contribute to long-term community stability, diversity and charming ambiance of downtown.
• Attractive and compatible architecture, siting, lighting, landscaping and screening.
• Judicious management of parking resources which contribute to meeting the needs of the downtown.
• Design and development of buildings and uses in a manner sensitive to their impact on nearby residential uses.
• Retaining the Post Office in downtown.
• Ground the evaluation in a market analysis that takes funding and market demand into consideration.

• Starter/empty-nester housing
• Small hotel
• Restaurants
• Retail
• Parking

The Village’s Water Treatment Plant, which is over 90 years old, produces over 575 million gallons of water each year (or about 185 gallons per resident per day). The facility feeds a network of over 58 miles of water mains, supporting over 3,000 water meters and 505 fire hydrants throughout the community.

Keeping the Water Treatment Plant and this vast system operational takes a major investment of both time and dollars. Studies conducted over the past several years have pointed to the need for investment in all aspects of our water production and distribution system in the coming few decades and beyond.

To identify the best path forward for the system overall, the Village worked with outside consultants to conduct the Water Distribution System Plan in 2016 and the Water Supply Planning Report in 2015. The Village is already using the Water Distribution System Plan to prioritize projects as part of our 10-Year Community Improvement Program.
To determine the best path forward for the Water Treatment Plant specifically, in April the Village partnered with the Village of Winnetka to hire a consultant to supplement the Water Supply Planning Report. The supplemental analysis, due back to the Village in spring 2020, will help determine the feasibility of potential partnership opportunities in the future.

As we await the results of that feasibility analysis, the Village Board has requested community feedback on priorities for a number of considerations relating to the Water Treatment Plant. In the 2019 Community Survey, you will be asked to rank the importance of the following considerations:

• Producing our own water
• Exploring potential options to purchase water from another community instead of producing water
• Combining facilities with another community
• Making energy efficient, green upgrades to the facility 

In the fall of 2015, the Village asked for feedback about satisfaction with Village services and future priorities in our 2015 Community Satisfaction Survey. 608 households –19 percent of all in the Village – completed the survey, providing the Village with invaluable input. View complete results and other information related to the 2015 Community Survey here:

• 2015 Community Satisfaction Survey Report