Westminster Common Council: Energy Savings, Budgets, Swimming Pool Expansion

The city Easter Egg Hunt may have been canceled due to inclement weather, but the City and Common Council have been busy working to prepare for budget hearings and spring. Here are five issues that were discussed at Monday night's Common Council meeting. 

Electric Co-op Savings

For the past several years, the City of Westminster has participated in the Chamber of Commerce energy co-op to secure better energy rates. The city's contract with the chamber is up for renewal. Richard Anderson of CQI Associates, the energy consultant to the Chamber of Commerce, presented his recommendations for the city.

Based on Anderson's recommendations, the council agreed to a two-year commitment to get energy from Washington Gas Energy Service at the rate of $0.08288 per kWh for a potential savings of $149,620 over the next year.

Anderson said that until the economy recovers, we will continue to see record-low energy rates. 

Council Member Gregory Pecoraro said, "State law doesn’t allow us to become an aggregator, which is unfortunate because we can’t pass this savings on to the citizens of Westminster. Any chance that will happen?"

Anderson responded, "The Municipal Aggregation Bill has been brought up every year. As the markets become more competitive ... the appetite of the legislature has been not to touch it. They really looked at it seriously two sessions ago, but this year none of the energy bills even got out of committee. At this point we’ll have to see what changes. Illinois is testing this through referendum ... that vote is upcoming."

Westminster Municipal Swimming Pool Facility Expanded

Thanks to a generous grant, the Westminster Municipal Swimming Pool has received some upgrades that include a playground and increased accessibility for individuals with disabilities. 

"We've added a great playground and activity center," said Director of Recreation and Parks Ron Shroers. "We have expanded the facility to provide even more opportunities for people with disabilities." 

Shroers commented that in 2006, the Mayor and Common Council made a commitment to make ADA (American with Disabilities Act) improvements to all park facilities. The upgrades are keeping in tune with that commitment, Shroers said. 

See an illustration of the new features here. 

Crosswalk Enforcement

Police Chief Jeffrey Spaulding said the police department has several initiatives going on, including "Click it or Ticket," which encourages people to fasten their seatbelts, and a crosswalk enforcement campaign to get pedestrians and drivers to heed crosswalk laws. 

According to Spauling, drivers are required to stop at a crosswalk even if a pedestrian is not directly in front of their vehicle. He said that failing to stop for a pedestrian who is anywhere within the crosswalk can result in a ticket that carries a large fine and three points. 

Public Housing Agency Plans

The council adopted the Public Housing Agency's administrative, annual and five-year plan. The minor changes to the plans included clarifying definitions and implementing processes that will help avoid fraud or misinformation. To see the plan, click here.

Cindy Valenzisi of the Department of Housing Service said there are currently about 252 active housing vouchers and the wait list is about 295 people. 

Upcoming Budget Hearings

The city will host a public hearing on the proposed FY12 budgets on May 2 at the John Street Quarters. A second public hearing will be held May 9 in City Hall on the night the city is expected to vote on the budget. 

Visit the Westminster City Government website to see more detailed budget information.