By Ed Lowe
Senior Writer
Following a Dec. 15 meeting at Ald. Vi Daley's (43rd) office, preparations are under way to appoint a nominating committee to select the five members of the Commission who will oversee the distribution of funds collected under the special tax area defined in the Lincoln Avenue Special Service Area (SSA). Attending the meeting were Ald. Daley; Gina Caruso of the City's Department of Planning and Development; and Kim Klausmeier, executive director of the Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce (LPCC). The area affected by this special taxing authority runs from Webster St. on the south to Diversey Ave. on the north along Lincoln Ave.. Both commercial and residential properties are involved.
The Commission will determine the use of the estimated $150,000 to be collected in the first year of the 10 year program. While the SSA primarily benefits commercial property along this strip, residential property owners will also be required to pay the tax. Owners north of Fullerton Ave. may have different interests than those south of the street, and thus some residents have urged Ald. Daley to approve a Commission diverse enough to represent all the interests.
Plans agreed upon at the meeting indicate that an open process for this Commission selection will be implemented. While the final approval for the Commission will be made by the Mayor, typically, the Mayor accepts the recommendations of the Alderman.
According to Caruso, "What we discussed [at the meeting] were ways we could reach out to eligible candidates for these Commission seats. Those ways include some sort of post card mailings to eligible candidates, and newspaper publicity to let people know that this opportunity is there. The qualifications for membership are still being nailed down. There are obviously the basics that are listed in the ordinance. It's a matter of policy that the members have to be property owners in the SSA district, though that's not a part of the ordinance.
"The ordinance does not specifically require that a member must be an owner or lessee of property on the street. We're going to be looking at all the applicants. There's probably going to be some sort of nominating committee formed in order to review the applications. If someone is interested in completing an application, when the mailing goes out, it will include the Alderman's phone number (773-327-9111) or my phone number (312-744-6530),“ said Caruso. “My job requires that I review the applications. My review will see that the application is completed correctly and will ultimately get them into the Mayor's office.
"Every particular SSA has their own set of qualifications that are decided by the neighbors,” said Caruso. “The meeting we held was a preliminary one to kind of take a first look at what qualifications might be appropriate for this SSA. The nominating committee will be formed by the alderman. We need people on the Committee who understand the district; who know people in the district who can make solid recommendations for the applicants. This is the first tier of 'vetting.' Of course the Mayor's office has the final say on the Commission.
"We will wind up with a slate of five seats and some alternates - presuming that we have enough qualified people submitting applications,” said Caruso. “And those will go to the Mayor's office for final approval." |
