Teed Off: Lisle Taxpayers Subsidize $4 Million for Golf

Lisle Watchdog analyzed the Lisle Park District's River Bend Golf Fund performance from 1996 to 2014.

We find that over the past 19 years, expenses exceeded revenues 17 out of the past 19 years. The years that operated in the black, income was only about 25% of the annual bond payment.

Non - golfer taxpayers have subsidized a whopping $3,779,367 in operating losses at River Bend since 1996. 

Lisle Taxpayers could have saved $3.8 Million in cumulative annual losses if the golf course and clubhouse/restaurant were closed, the land allowed to be a prairie/floodplain/natural stormwater management area.  The new preliminary flood maps will re-categorize the 9-hole River Bend Golf Course property from a "Floodplain" to a "Floodway."

Not to be overlooked, taxpayers spent about $2.65 Million in capital expenses to build the 9,600 sf clubhouse/restaurant in 2003, tearing down the home of one of the early Lisle settlers.

Originally called "The View," the facility was renovated and renamed Wheatstack when operations failed to provide sufficient annual income to pay the annual bond payment. The District issued alternative revenue bonds in 2002. Unable to make payments from the operations revenue, the District used funds from the debt service fund in some years - a fund that obtains revenue from property taxes.

Lisle Watchdog was unable to find any plan to repay the debt service fund the money used to pay the River Bend bonds.

In 2010, the District refunded the 2002 River Bend bonds issuing $1.88M in Refunding Park Bond, Alternative Revenue Source in Nov 2010.  At the end of 2014, the remaining principal debt total was $1.255M. The 2014 annual bond payment was subsidized with a transfer from the Recreation Fund because River Bend income was still not enough to make the annual bond payment.

River Bend Bond Payments Remaining: 

  2015  $ 206,100

  2016  $ 206,300

  2017  $ 206,350

  2018  $ 210,400 

  2019  $ 208,200

  2020  $ 210,800 

  2021  $ 208,000

The Lisle Park District continues to operate the restaurant themselves rather than lease it out or contract out the operations. Restaurant part-employees who work 20 hours or more per week can participate in the IMRF pension plan. Where else can a waiter/waitress get a pension?

This past year, the Lisle Park District installed a large concrete pad (impervious surface) for a large outdoor event tent hoping to attract seasonal weddings and similar catered events. The new concrete pad/tent are located on property that is now designated "floodplain" on the new preliminary flood maps.  Wedding in the floodplain, anyone? We didn't think so.

Because the District lumps the golf and restaurant operations together in their annual financial reports, it is not readily apparent if the improvements in net income the past 2 years are due to increases in user fees for golf, the restaurant or both.

** Worth noting - Don Cook has been President of the Lisle Park District Board since 2001. 

Here's a look at the River Bend Golf Fund performance since 1996:

(click to enlarge) 

Annual River Bend Fund Losses since 1996:

(click to enlarge)

Year	Net Income
1996	-$349,128
1997	-$123,648
1998	-$180,163
1999	-$169,757
2000	-$192,681
2001	-$203,118
2002(B)	-$64,806
2003 (*)	-$228,789
2004	-$277,018
2005	-$429,026
2006	-$447,047
2007	-$257,436
2008	-$253,033
2009	-$112,138
2010(BB)	-$295,548
2011(**)	-$286,517
2012	-$10,304
2013	$46,878
2014	$53,912

(B) Alternative Revenue Bonds Issued
(*) The View Restaurant opens.
(BB) Refunding Alt Revenue Bonds
(**) Wheatstack opens.


Would allowing the golf course property to be a natural stormwater management area be a better public benefit to flood-prone Lisle? 

Ref: 
2005 Lisle Park District CAFR
2014 Lisle Park Distrirt CAFR 

What are we going to do about this?

DuPage County Questions Conflict of Interest in Lisle

July 2013, the DuPage County Board appointed Tom Althoff (formerly associated with the Lisle Chamber of Commerce) to the Lisle-Woodridge Fire District (LWFD) Board of Trustees. LWFD is the largest fire district in DuPage County with an appointed, rather than elected, board. The LWFD appointed position pays a total of $4950 per the LWFD compensation disclosure. 

Althoff's appointment to the LWFD Board was one of several by the County after a scathing report by Crowe Horwath issued in May 2012.  The entire LWFD Board has been replaced since 2012. 

In December 2014, Althoff represented the LWFD on the Lisle TIF Joint Review Board.

TIF Joint review boards consist of one representative from each of the taxing bodies impacted by a TIF.  Lisle Woodridge Fire Station #1 is located in the new Downtown Lisle TIF District. The Village of Lisle would like to see that site redeveloped and the fire station demolished to make room for retail, restaurants and entertainment businesses. 

Back to the Crowe Horwath report.... 

LWFD has no money to demolish and build a new fire station to accommodate the desires of Mayor Broda. The LWFD has an underfunded pension plan, has seen their credit rating lowered and has yet to implement the Crowe Horwath recommendation to develop a long-range financial plan. 

Althoff voted in favor of the Downtown TIF in January 2015. The Downtown Lisle TIF includes LWFD #1. The TIF declares LWFD Station #1 "blighted" as defined in State Statutes governing TIF Districts.  

In May 2015, Althoff was appointed to the Lisle Economic Development Commission. 

According the Village Code, the purpose of the EDC is: 

"There is hereby established a commission which shall be known as the village of Lisle economic development commission for the purpose of encouraging industrial development, commercial business, retail and other supporting services which will provide job opportunities, broaden the tax base, and improve the quality of living in the village. The economic development commission (commission) shall develop a plan for proper economic development of the village and shall coordinate its activities with appropriate local and regional organizations. Said commission shall make its findings and recommendations to the president and board of trustees in the manner prescribed herein."  - Village Code 2-12-1

All of this finally caught the attention of Lisle's District 2 DuPage County Board representative Liz Chaplin, who questioned Althoff's conflict of interest and asked Mayor Broda and County Board Chairman Cronin: 

What are we going to do about this?   

           - July 7, 2015, District 2 County Board Member Liz Chaplin.

Email to Mayor Broda and County Board Chairman Cronin from Dist 2 County Board Member Liz Chaplin, July 7, 2015. (Click to enlarge).

Tom Althoff - appointed to LWFD & Lisle Economic Development Commission 

Elizabeth Chaplin, elected DuPage County Board, District 2 (includes Lisle) 


Mayor Broda did not respond to County Board Member Chaplin as of July 17, 2015 per FOIA response from the Village of Lisle. Sources tell Lisle Watchdog that County legal is investigating the conflict of interest concern.

Read more: http://keepingagreeneyeonlisle.blogspot.com/2014/10/alarm-sounds-lisle-woodridge-fire.html

Property Tax Burden Shifts to Residential Owners in Lisle

The property tax burden in the Village of Lisle has shifted significantly since 2001 when Joe Broda was first elected Mayor.

Back in 2001, residential property owners carried 51% of the total property tax burden and commercial and industrial property owners carried 49% of the tax burden. 

In 2013, residential property owners carried 62% of the total property tax burden in the Village while commercial and industrial property owners only carried 38% of the tax burden. 

This overall 22% shift in the property tax burden to residential property owners is due to both a reduction in the total assessed valuation for commercial and industrial property and an increase in the total assessed valuation of residential property in the Village.

Sadly, under Mayor Broda (now in his 4th term of office), the Village of Lisle has been focused development of new residential. The commercial and industrial tax base has eroded leaving the residents to pick up the slack and pay more and more tax. 

• 2001 Commercial + Industrial EAV  = $ 373.5 Million
• 2013 Commercial + Industrial EAV  = $ 350.0 Million  (6% reduction)

• 2001 Residential EAV = $ 392.7 Million 
• 2013 Residential EAV = $ 566.0 Million (44% increase)

(click image to enlarge)

Lisle's 1st TIF District Continues to Decline in Value

In December 2010, the Village of Lisle Board of Trustees approved the single-parcel 2600 Warrenville TIF District and a Redevelopment Plan for Navistar's renovation of the 88-acre multi-building 1.2 million square feet office campus formerly owned by Alcatel Lucent.

The property purchase price in 2010 was $33 Million.

The most recent assessed value has not come close to the $188.5 Million that Mayor Broda presented at his State of the Village address in 2013.

The TIF Redevelopment Plan identified a $130 Million investment.
        $110 Million in private investment
          $20 Million in publicly funded investment from the TIF.

The 2014 Fair Market Value, per the County Assessor is $115 Million; $15 Million less than the reported total investment. (Ref: 2012 TIF Report filed with the IL Comptroller)


History of the declining taxable value:

The project area has only seen a $2 Million increase in EAV as a result of a $20 Million TIF Redevelopment Agreement. (EAV is 1/3 of the fair market value)

The TIF has failed to spur development in the surrounding area and surrounding property values have fallen significantly since the completion of the redevelopment - most notably the decline in assessed value of the nearby hotels and office buildings.
(click image to enlarge)

Ref: PIN 08-04-100-022

                                                           Ref: PIN 08-04-101-015 

Ref: PIN 08-04-101-012

DuPage County Property Lookup:  https://www.dupageco.org/PropertyInfo/PropertyLookUp.aspx

Lisle: Employee Total Compensation Not Disclosed.

Not Complying with State Law

Under Illinois Law, governmental bodies are required to post online the "Total Compensation" of employees with a "total compensation package" exceeding $75,000/year. In addition, the law requires that for total compensation packages equal to or in excess of $150,000, the employer must post the total compensation package for those employees within 6 days before that employee’s total compensation package is approved by the employer. The law was designed to detect "pension spiking."

The Village of Lisle posts a "compensation report," but fails to post "total" compensation as per State Law. The Village fails to report: vehicle allowance, additional deferred compensation, and health insurance.

Let's take a look at the FY 2014-2015 "Total Compensation" vs. the "compensation" reported and posted for Village Manager Jerry Sprecher.

Here is what the Village of Lisle Reports as his 2014-2015 Compensation: Budgeted Salary $157,502.
(click to enlarge) 

Here is the actual 2014-2015 "Total Compensation Package" that should be reported:

$ 157,502       Salary
       3,150       2% Deferred Compensation Paid by Employer, per contract.
       2,908       Car for business and personal use. (1)                    
     18,666       Employer Paid Health Insurance
          162       Employer Paid Vision Insurance
       1,083       Employer Paid Dental Insurance
     21,570       Employer Paid IMRF Contributions (2)
$ 205,041       Total Compensation Package.


In addition, Sprecher gets nearly 9 weeks of paid time off - ANNUALLY!!!
Unused time is accrued and paid out.... eventually.
Pension-padders like to accrue this time for end of career pension spikes.

208 hours     Vacation
104 hours     Sick Leave
  40 hours     Incidental Illness
  64 hours     8 paid holidays
416 hours     52 days Paid Time Off (paid out if not used)


Link to an example of properly reported "Total Compensation":  LINK 

Lisle Village Manager Jerry Sprecher at the 2014 Lisle Chamber Dinner-Dance Gala

Tickets paid for by Lisle Taxpayers. (facebook, fair use) 

Supporting Documents 

1. Vehicle Use. 

Report shows an average of 80 miles per week for business use. 
Exactly 50% for personal use/50% for business use. 
Exactly 50%. Really? 

No logs were provided in FOIA response. 

2. IMRF Contributions. Employer contributions. The Village of Lisle contributes $21,570 per year to Sprecher's pension. Note that the 2014-15 wages do not match the State mandated disclosure that was posted online (see above). There is a discrepancy of nearly $6,000. 

Lisle Zoning Committee Fizzles Out

The Lisle Subdivision and Zoning Code Task Force was established in 2011 and held meetings for about 2 years and then  - *POOF*  - they were gone.

The Task Force appears to have disappeared before completing their assigned task of reviewing and making recommendations for revisions to the Village's Zoning and Subdivision Codes. There have been no meetings for the past 2 years. The Task Force did not even approve the minutes of their last meeting.

Records of the Committee were provided by the Village on Apirl 14, 2015 in response to a FOIA submitted on April 2.  About 500 pages of records were provided one day before a scheduled Public Hearing on a complete re-write of Title 5 Ch 14 Planned Unit Development section of the Village Zoning Code.  A notice for the code change public hearing was placed in the classified section of the Daily Herald 15 days in advance during Spring Break week. The public was caught off-guard.

These "Task Force" records were previously available on the Village website and were removed in Nov 2014.

• 2011 Records
• 2012 Records
• 2013 Records 

The Subdivision and Zoning Task Force was scheduled to hold a "Community Workshop" to inform the public before bringing any changes to the Planning & Zoning Commission.

It never happened.

Nine Task Force Members were appointed by the Village Board:

• Steve Bauer
• Pat Caweizel
• Carl Fiedler
• Jim Kozoil
• Charlie Rego (PZC Chairman)
• Bret Richter
• Tony Buzikowski (Staff)
• Josh Potter (Staff)
• John Wonais (Staff Intern) 

Post in progress. More to come...

Village of Lisle Violates State Law

Village of Lisle is in violation of State of Illinois Municipal Code ...

and has been in violation for years.

The Illinois Complied Statutes (also commonly referred to as the Laws of the State of IL) has an entire section devoted to IL Municipal Code - a section of State Law that outlines the authority, responsibility and duties of local government.

Illinois Municipal Code changes in 2002 (13 years ago):

(65 ILCS 5/1-2-3.1) 

    Sec. 1-2-3.1. Building codes. Beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 92nd General Assembly, any municipality with a population of less than 1,000,000 adopting a new building code or amending an existing building code must, at least 30 days before adopting the code or amendment, provide an identification of the code, by title and edition, or the amendment to the Illinois Building Commission for identification on the Internet. 

    For the purposes of this Section, "building code" means any ordinance, resolution, law, housing or building code, or zoning ordinance that establishes construction related activities applicable to structures in the municipality. 

(Source: P.A. 92-489, eff. 7-1-02.)

Not once since 2002 has the Village of Lisle complied with this law. 

Not once in the past 13 years has the Village of Lisle complied with this State Law. 

Lisle Watchdog spoke with the Illinois Building Commission on March 30, 2015 to verify the violation and failure to report building code adoptions and amendments. The State records show no reporting since the Village of Lisle adoption of the building code "BOCA 1996." BOCA ceased to exist in 2000 and was replaced by the International Building Code (IBC). The IBC Building Code was first issued in 1997 and has be updated and re-issued in 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, and 2015. Most municipalities in Illinois have adopted the 2012 or 2009 versions of the building code. 

The Village of Lisle Code states that the current building code enforced in Lisle is IBC 2003. The Village did not provide notification to the Illinois Building Commission 30 days prior to adopting that code back in 2007 (Ordinance 2007-4161). In fact, the Village still has not notified the IL Building Commission eight years later. 

The Village of Lisle Code also states that the code has been updated to include all Ordinances passed through August 2014:  

       "This code was last updated by ordinance 2014-4543 passed August 13, 2014."

Now let's look at Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 8 of the Village of Lisle Code which states:  

4-1-8. Multiple Family Building Regulations: Each dwelling unit contained in a multiple-family residence building shall have a ceiling and floor and walls of a material with a minimum two (2) hour fire rating. All exterior walls of multiple-family residence buildings shall be of solid masonry construction except for "townhouse" and "row house" buildings as defined in this chapter. (Ord. 98-2977, 4-20-1998)

Back in April 2011, at the insistence of Opus Developers, the Village adopted Ordinance 2011-4381 to change the Village Code.  

The Village of Lisle did not provide a 30-day notice to the Illinois Building Commission. The Village of Lisle still has not notified the IL Building Commission of a 2011 building code change ordinance. The 2011 ordinance was not incorporated into Title 4, Chapter 1 of the Village of Lisle Building Code, which still states: 

4-1-8. Multiple Family Building Regulations: Each dwelling unit contained in a multiple-family residence building shall have a ceiling and floor and walls of a material with a minimum two (2) hour fire rating. All exterior walls of multiple-family residence buildings shall be of solid masonry construction except for "townhouse" and "row house" buildings as defined in this chapter. (Ord. 98-2977, 4-20-1998)

Ordinance 2011-4381 amended Title 5 of the Village Code, not Title 4:

 "Title 5 of the Village Code of the Village of Lisle is hereby amended...."

Title 5 is the Zoning Code and amendments to Title 5 require legal notice and a public hearing. 

The changes in Ordinance 2011-4381 do not appear in Title 5 of the Village Code as written the approved Ordinance. 

Changes were were made to Title 4, Chapter 5. 
There is, however, no record of Board approval of changes to Title 4, Chapter 5.  

The Village of Lisle has NEVER provided the State required 30-day notice to the IL Building Commission prior to the adoption of a Building Code, the amendment of the building code, nor adoption of an ordinance to modify the building code. 

The Village of Lisle has violated State Law since 2002.