‘Last Call’ at City Council meeting provides closure to Traffic Court
UPDATE, Sept. 20, 2016 / Under “New Business” at the end of the Sept. 20 City Council meeting, Mayor Steve Chirico issued a “last call” with closure regarding working with Safety Town as a proposed location for DuPage County Traffic Court to serve Naperville residents. According to a call from DuPage County officials on Tuesday, “none of the facilities that we had showed to them fit their needs,” Chirico said.
With Traffic Court off the table, the Mayor and City will continue to look at ways to better utilize and sustain the maintenance needs of the 20-year-old facility by working with the Safety Town Commission.
Letter to the Editor – Safety Town
As a world-class community, Naperville strives to balance our past, present and future. We are home to several longstanding programs that are part of the fabric of our community and that make our city such a desirable place to live. Yet, as the economy continues to change, we recognize all too well that the financial decisions we make today impact the city we will hand to our children – our future leaders – tomorrow.
The A. George and Patricia Pradel Safety Town of Naperville is one of those cherished institutions in our community. For 40 years, it has educated over 60,000 kids in Naperville by teaching them valuable life safety skills. I have great respect for Safety Town – my children all graduated from its popular summer program, my wife was part of the Naperville Junior Woman’s Club and my business has donated to Safety Town. Preserving and protecting these types of programs is part of Naperville’s legacy.
However, I also have great respect for our taxpayers and implementing sound financial plans for public spaces. As a City, we have an obligation to look for efficiencies and make sure your tax dollars are being spent wisely. This is simply good financial management of your dollars. In 2015, when the City was developing its financial strategy for the long term, the City Council directed staff to evaluate all City assets, including buildings, to determine the best future use of these amenities.
The City of Naperville first became involved with Safety Town when it invested $600,000 in 1995 to build Safety Town on Aurora Avenue. At that time, a 20-year lease was drawn up with the Naperville Safety Town Commission allowing them free and full use of the property throughout the lease. Not knowing what the world would look like in 2015, the lease timeline was set so that in two decades all parties could evaluate the best use of the property moving forward.
The Safety Town building is now more than two decades old and the lease has expired. Based on the age of the building and what we know generally about buildings of that age, now is the right time to discuss the use of the property so we can be proactive about future maintenance issues that may arise. During our evaluation of City buildings, we found that the Safety Town building had limited usage outside of the summer months.
At the same time, DuPage County approached Naperville about leasing a building for Traffic Court within our City. We discussed several possible locations that could host Traffic Court, including some vacant private properties as well as the Safety Town building.
There are several benefits our community gains by welcoming the Traffic Court to Naperville. Moving the facility to Naperville provides a more convenient location for our residents, which in turn has a positive environmental impact through reduced traffic and vehicle pollution and economic impact through reduced fuel costs and increased visits to our City. Our City staff costs are reduced in both wear and tear on City vehicles and time spent having staff travel to Wheaton.
We also receive revenue from DuPage County for use of the building, which is critical as the building continues to age. Our goal is to find a way to continue having Safety Town use this building and property at no cost. Entering into a partnership with DuPage County makes that a possibility.
Naperville strives – and wants to – balance the unique programs that enhance our quality of life with necessary fiscal responsibility to our taxpayers. I and City staff look forward to sitting down with the Safety Town representatives to talk through our concerns and look for options and opportunities to move forward. Our goal is to find the path that ends in a win-win, financially sound solution where Safety Town continues to educate Naperville’s children for generations to come.
This balance is delicate, but I believe it can be achieved through a shared sense of responsibility, level-headed dialogue and a mutual commitment to what is right for the long term. We all want what is best for our children and families, and this includes leaving them a legacy of financial stability.
Sincerely,
Steve Chirico,
Mayor, City of Naperville
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