As soon as North Barrington Village President Eleanor Sweet McDonnell took her oath of office, conducted her first meeting and adjourned it, she was ready to get to work reducing the town’s budget deficit.
“I’m going to look into the budget,” Sweet McDonnell said. “I want to find ways to reduce what we are spending.”
Sweet McDonnell, two trustees who were reelected to the Village Board and a newcomer took their oaths of office April 24.
She takes the reins from now-former Village President Albert R. Pino, who served two terms before losing his reelection bid April 2.
Pino presided over his final Village Board meeting last Wednesday, just before Lake County Circuit Court Judge Diane E. Winter administered the oath of office to Sweet McDonnell, newly elected Trustee Greg Rogus and reelected trustees Lawrence Weiner and Janice Sauer.
Once Sweet McDonnell was officially the president, she thanked the community and set out some of her priorities.
Making the budget her first priority, Sweet McDonnell said as a non-home rule community North Barrington is limited in ways it can increase revenue. Under state law, the village can raise property taxes no more than 5 percent or the amount of the annual Consumer Price Index increase, whichever is lower.
While Sweet McDonnell said balancing the budget is a long term goal, for now she wants to find ways to cut spending and reduce the deficit. The village has more than $3 million in reserves but has been dipping into them to cover expenses for the last several years.
“We really have to look at spending,” Sweet McDonnell said. “There’s little we can do with revenue. I’m going to (appoint) a citizens group to look at it.”
Sweet McDonnell said the group will include other trustees, members of the village staff and people from the community with expertise in finance and accounting.
Along with her commitment to reducing the budget deficit, Sweet McDonnell has additional priorities. She made it clear she considers the residents the customers of the government who, she said, will always be treated with dignity and respect. She promised transparency and more.
Chicago Tribune Sports
“Based on the information we have at the time, we will not make a decision that negatively affects you or your families’ safety,” Sweet McDonnell said. “We will not make a decision that negatively affects home values. When making decisions we will be considering the impact on the entire community first.”
Sweet McDonnell got 60 percent of the vote to Pino’s 40 percent, according to unofficial election results from the Lake County Clerk’s office. She had compliments for him after the meeting.
“He was willing to serve when no one else would,” Sweet McDonnell said about Pino.
After serving on the Plan Commission, Rogus, who previously served on the Plan Commission – where members are appointed -- is no a first-time elected official replacing Ron Cobb who did not seek another term.
“The first thing I’m going to do is get up to speed on everything that’s going on,” Rogus said after the meeting. “I’m going to ask a lot of questions of the staff.”
In a five-way race for three board seats, Sauer got 23.45 percent of the votes cast, Rogus earned 22.79 percent and Weiner collected 22.41 percent.
Shortly after starting her first meeting, Sweet McDonnell was also appointed the village’s emergency program manager. She said that makes her the responsible point person should a catastrophe or crisis like a tornado arise.