March 26, 2015 State of the Community Address Jim Daley, Mayor

Good afternoon! I’m here today to report, as I have for the past few years, that I know the State of the Village of Homer Glen is exceptionally strong and vibrant! I’m glad to have this opportunity to share some examples from this past year and provide you with information about a few things we’re excited about in 2015. But first, I ask that you join me in thanking everyone at the Chamber of Commerce for organizing today’s event. I’d also like to thank the outstanding LTHS ROTC for today and for all the great volunteer work the ROTC does in our community. I’d also like to thank Rose Reynders and her staff here at Tazza’s for their hospitality and for another outstanding meal. I hope everyone here comes back to Tazza’s...remember to shop and dine in Homer Glen! Also, I’d like to thank Homer Glen’s own Billy Malley Salon for their sponsorship of this event.

I’d like to recognize Village Clerk Gale Skrobuton and Village Trustees Marcia DeVivo, Tedd Kagianas, Margaret Sabo, George Yukich, Mike Costa and Sharon Sweas, many of whom are here today.

Also, I’d like to thank my wife Denise and all of the spouses and families of our dedicated public servants here in Homer Glen. In addition, I’d like to thank Village Manager Cameron Davis and members of the Village staff. I want to express my appreciation to each of you for your continued hard work on behalf of the residents of Homer Glen. I’d also like to thank several officials who are special guests with us today. I want to thank each of you for your continued public service.

 Ben Benson representing my friend Steve Streit, Mayor of Lockport  Kathy Hilton representing IL Representative Margo McDermed  Ron Stapleton, Trustee for the Village of Lemont  Mike DeVivo, Homer Highway Commissioner  Mike Budde, Treasurer of the Homer Township Library Board

We greatly appreciate our intergovernmental partners including representatives from our Library District, School District 33c, our friends at Lockport Township High School, the Homer Highway Department, Will County, the Homer Township Fire Protection District, the Northwest Homer Fire Protection District, the Mokena Fire Protection District, Providence Catholic High School and last, but not least, representatives from the Will County Center for Economic Development. Thank you all!

So…Why is the State of the Village of Homer Glen so strong and vibrant. Well, 2014 was an exceptional year for the Village and 2015 offers outstanding promise. Let me give you a few examples of Homer Glen’s recent and ongoing success.

Today, I’ll be speaking about  Keeping Homer Glen safe  Our transparent local government  Homer Glen’s financial excellence  Our communities’ environmental stewardship  This past years’ park and recreation successes  Intergovernmental cooperation 1  Economic development  What new stores and restaurants are on their way in 2015  and then miscellaneous bits of good news

First: Public Safety – Keeping Homer Glen Safe

Have you heard our good news about the Village being rated the safest community in the State of Illinois?

In 2014, Movoto.Com, a real estate entity, named the Village of Homer Glen the #1 safest place in Illinois in which to live, work and play. Movoto stated...

“If you’re looking for safety in all areas, it has to be Homer Glen”

Here you can see a graph showing the ever decreasing crime rate these past four years, 2011 through 2014. The decrease has allowed Homer Glen to move from a really safe community to the safest!

Congratulations’ goes out to the residents of Homer Glen for their constant vigilance and good neighborly spirit and to the staff of the Will County Sheriff’s Office who help us to keep our community safe. Lt. Mark Fisch is here today representing the Sheriff’s office...Mark please accept our thanks to you and the Sheriff’s deputies for your continued good work in Homer Glen.

Second: A Transparent Local Government!

Did you know that the Village of Homer Glen has been rated as one of the most transparent municipal governments in Illinois?

This past year, the Illinois Policy Institute once again ranked Homer Glen as one of the most transparent local governments in Illinois. In 2014, the Institute conducted another round of transparency audits for Illinois 76th through 100th largest communities, scoring municipalities as they had previously. Out of the towns ranked this time in our size category, Homer Glen had the third highest transparency score at 84.2. Only Carbondale and Huntley scored higher.

The Village continues to build upon our website’s transparency initiative. You can link to the Village’s transparency page from the front page of the Village’s website at www.homerglenil.org. Look for the word “Transparency”. The transparency site is being shown on the screen.

2015 will be an exciting year for the Village as we complete all of the work we’ve been doing in 2014 to completely re-build and re-energize the Village’s website. In just a few more months, the Village will have an even more dynamic website allowing us to upload more information to continue our important transparency initiative. I am and will continue to be committed to transparency. Transparency is a way of life in the Village of Homer Glen organization!

2 Third: Let’s Talk About The Village’s Financial Excellence!

It’s a fact that the Village of Homer Glen has, for the 13th year in a row, received notice that we are again the recipient of a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting.

The Certificate of Achievement Award is the highest form of recognition a municipality can receive in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting. This 13th award is an exceptionally important sign of the Village’s commitment to financial integrity.

In the current economic climate, with the Federal and State Governments struggling financially and eliminating programs and services, the Village of Homer Glen is not increasing your taxes or decreasing your services.

Homer Glen remains one of only a few Illinois communities that does not levy a municipal property tax for general operations. In addition, unlike surrounding Will and Cook County municipalities, the Village has no electric utility tax, no telecommunications tax and no gas tax. How then, when many of our neighboring communities are using all of these taxes but are still having a difficult time financially…How is Homer Glen holding the line on municipal taxation and still able to pay our bills and invest in our future?

The short answer to that question, one that I’ve given again and again, is that the Village of Homer Glen is a very frugal organization. In addition, Homer Glen pays most of its general fund operating bills with receipts from our 1% sales tax.

This current fiscal year, the Village’s proposed general operating budget was balanced at $7.96 million. $3 million of those general operating fund revenues are made up of receipts from the 1% sales tax. This is one of the main reasons why it’s so important to both shop and dine in Homer Glen.

As I have in the past, on your tables today I’ve placed a list of the top 10 reasons why you should continue to shop and dine in Homer Glen. I continue to be a huge proponent of businesses in Homer Glen and I want to thank each of you who either owns, operates or frequents businesses in our town.

Also, this past year Standard & Poor’s recognized the Village’s financial excellence! Standard & Poor’s, the financial rating agency, increased the Village’s Bond Rating from double A to double A plus. S & P has a step rating scale that goes from triple-D to triple A. The Village’s new double A plus rating is next to the top and means that the Village has a very strong capacity to meet all of our financial commitments.

Just to repeat, the Village’s current fiscal year (2014-15) had a balanced general fund. The Village’s upcoming fiscal year (2015-16) will also have a balanced general fund operating budget with no new taxes, outstanding services and significant, budgeted intersection, public park, public building and storm water improvements. This is a strong and vibrant community but we’re also watching our money. Conservative fiscal policies remain the bedrock of everything we do at the Village.

3 Fourth: I’m Going to Talk for a Moment about Homer Glen’s Environmental Stewardship

I believe that a strong and vibrant community serves it’s residents best when it works to be a leader and a steward in areas related to the environment.

From environmental programming like the Village’s Earth Day Arbor Day event, the Homer Harvest Days event, our annual Lands Day tree planting, the Village’s recycling events, Stargazing programs, awards programs to best development practices, the Village of Homer Glen is recognized in the Chicagoland area for our environmental stewardship.

You can participate in an excellent example of our stewardship efforts next month when the Village sponsors our latest Paper Shredding and Recycling Event on Saturday, April 18th. The event will run from 9a.m. to 1p.m. in the Hadley School parking lot on Bell Road. Flyers about the event are available in the vestibule as you leave the lunch today. This is a free event and I encourage you to take advantage of it.

In May, the Village’s 8th annual Earth Day Arbor Day event will take place at Konow’s farm, on Cedar Road, Saturday, May 16th from 11a.m. to 4p.m. This free event is filled with entertainment and demonstrations that showcase the importance of nature and animals. For more information on this upcoming event and a schedule of activities, please visit www.earthdayarborday.info

I want to thank Trustees Sabo and Sweas and their Environment Committee that works so hard on many of these issues.

The Village had other Environmental Stewardship successes this past year and I’d like to quickly highlight three more.

The Village received a Tree City USA Growth Award presented by the Arbor Day Foundation. This award is given to Tree City USA communities that exercise a higher level of tree care in their municipalities.

Also, as promised last year, the Village created a Public Parkway Tree Replacement Program. Not only did we create this program, but we funded it with a $500,000 transfer to ensure that residents who lose a tree in their public parkway will have that tree replaced, free of charge. 74 new trees were planted in the fall of 2014 and we have at least 55 more new trees being planted this spring. The program will continue on as long as it is needed.

This past October, the Village sponsored a wildly successful Household Hazardous Waste and Electronic Recycling Event. A total of 879 participants passed through the event dropping off a significant amount of household hazardous waste and 47,262 pounds of electronics. The Village Board and I are very proud of our Village staff and our Emergency Management volunteer team for their outstanding work at this successful environmental stewardship event.

4 Fifth: I’d Like To Highlight Today Is The Village’s Park and Recreation Successes

Did you know that the Village finished and dedicated a beautiful new 15 acre community park in 2014?

The new Erin Hills Park was dedicated this past July. This is the largest and one of the most colorful Village parks with beautiful vistas to enjoy and fun playground equipment for the kids. I want to thank Trustee Marcia DeVivo and her Parks and Recreation Committee, along with Village Staff, Engineers and everyone who worked so hard to build this beautiful new park, located in the Erin Hills subdivision. This park was built with Village funds and with a significant grant from the State of Illinois.

This year, the Village had planned to begin building the new Goodings Grove Park in the Goodings Grove subdivision in the area behind the Home Depot store. A schematic of the planned park is on the screen. This new 3.5 acre park was also being built with the help of a grant we obtained from the State of Illinois. Unfortunately, the Governor has put a moratorium on several hundred park developments around the State of Illinois that had previously received grant approval.

We remain hopeful that the moratorium will be lifted and we will be able to move forward with this park that will include outstanding playground equipment, a half-court basketball court, a small picnic shelter and a memorial/honor tree grove, with 35 trees, to allow residents or organizations in the community to plant a tree as a memorial or to honor someone they wish to recognize.

In terms of the Village’s trail system, by now, many of you may have had the opportunity to enjoy the Village’s popular Heroes Trail, as shown on the screen. I’m happy to report that the south extension of this trail, shown here in blue, will be built in 2015 with the help of a federal grant obtained by the Village . This trail, which extends from the existing trail south to 159th Street, is being constructed in 2015 to better coordinate with the re-construction of 159th Street, where the Village has committed to paying for an extension of the Heroes Trail system to be built on the north side of 159th, from Will Cook Road to Cedar Road.

Also, the Village has applied for a new grant to continue the important Heroes Trail expansion. The grant application calls for a trail, shown on the screen in yellow, to be built connecting the northern part of the Village’s existing Heroes Trail system to the Goodings Grove School.

The Village also instituted a memorial bench program on the Heroes Trail this past year. Four of our six benches have been donated by community members. My wife Denise and I were happy to donate one of the benches that was installed on the trail over by the Village Hall.

Village residents Bob and Kathleen Mustari donated one of the benches and have dedicated it to family members who served in the armed forces.

In this photo, you can see that they surprised Bob’s mother, Rose Marie, shown holding the memorial plaque that is placed on each donated bench.

The Village organization is committed to seeing our Village Heroes trail grow and expand because we know the community appreciates and supports this important recreational amenity. Our next focus will be growing the trail westward, out to our future Village Hall property.

5 In terms of our New Village Hall and Park Land, as you know, the Village Board has purchased the old golf course property on 151st Street. We intend to turn this building into our Village Hall with community meeting space.

We are currently working with an architect that the Village Board hired to transform the main building on the site. Next, we will begin the community based process of planning the new Park Land and improving stormwater drainage on the old golf course property.

Sixth: I’m Excited to Highlight Homer Glen’s Intergovernmental Cooperation

The Village of Homer Glen is absolutely committed to working with our intergovernmental partners in order to achieve success for our residents.

Everyone here knows my often cited and long-standing position on water and sewer rates and service delivery here in Homer Glen. I continue to believe that our rates are way too high and a significant majority of the Village agrees with me on this point. The money we pay to American Lake Water and Illinois American Water is outrageous.

As you know, the Village of Homer Glen has partnered with the Village of Bolingbrook, the Village of Woodridge, the Village of Romeoville and the Village of Lemont to form an intergovernmental agency called the Northern Will County Water Agency. I currently serve as Chairperson of this important intergovernmental agency.

Homer Glen, together with our other municipal partners, is moving forward with purpose. Our first intention is to secure the ability to provide water service to our residents at a reasonable cost. Together, we have filed a lawsuit in our effort to secure the Illinois American/American Lake Water, water transmission line that delivers lake water to our communities. This lawsuit it currently working its way through the court system.

I know that this acquisition can be completed! The Village Board and I are supportive of this important intergovernmental effort. In my opinion, this purchase may take some time but it will be completed!

Additionally, the Village also secured a new agreement with Will County, one of our intergovernmental partners, for the provision of animal control services. Service costs did not increase for animal call- outs and emergency responses. We are happy to partner with the County on this important service.

We also work with our local State elected officials on many issues of concern. This past year we were happy to host, at Village Hall, several traveling office hours for our State Representative, Jim Durkin.

Also, the Village continues to hold special meetings and recycling events at District 33c properties. I want to thank Kara, Kathleen and John, all of whom are here today, for their outstanding partnership and generosity in opening their facilities for our use.

The Village continues to be strong partners with the Township Highway Department and I also want to thank Commissioner Mike DeVivo and his staff for all that they do for the residents of Homer Glen.

6 We continue to have a strong relationship with all three of the Fire Protection Districts that serve Homer Glen residents and I can’t say enough good things about the outstanding life saving work that the three Districts do.

The Village is also proud to partner and support quasi-governmental entities and non-profits in the good work that they do for the people of Homer Glen and the south suburban area. We assist and work with the Will County Center for Community Concerns, the Will County Senior Services Center, the Chamber of Commerce, the Metropolitan Mayor’s Caucus, the Will County Governmental League, the Illinois Municipal League, the I & M Canal Corridor Association, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, the Chicago Southland Convention and Visitors Bureau, the International Dark Sky Association and the Arbor Day Foundation. We are happy to partner with each of these groups on an annual basis!

Seventh: Economic Development Has Been and Remains A Priority In The Village of Homer Glen and We Worked Hard To Make Sure It Was a Great Year for Economic Development In Homer Glen

Over the past few years, there has been a tremendous investment placed in the Village of Homer Glen by our local businesses. Over $21 million dollars of construction and remodeling work has been, or is being, completed by both new and existing businesses in Homer Glen.

As Mayor, I continue to appreciate this confidence and I say thank you to every local businesses that is investing in the strong and vibrant future of our community.

Let’s take a moment to celebrate and recognize some of the wonderful new, relocated or expanded business openings that occurred in Homer Glen this past year! 2014 was an exceptional year for economic development in Homer Glen and we’re working every day to continue our successes into 2015.

Meijer Homer Glen’s new Meijer store had their Grand Opening in July. This is one of the largest Meijer stores in the southwest suburbs. In addition, the new Meijer gas station and convenience store, fronting the larger Meijer store on Bell Road, has added to the ease of shopping in Homer Glen and has helped to create a more competitive pricing reality for gas in our community. This wonderful new Meijer store is proving to be a significant sales tax generator for Homer Glen and a wonderful community partner.

Simply Salsa needed to find space for her expanding business and was able to take advantage of space with an existing food use build out on 159th Street. Simply Salsa produces fresh salsas from scratch using the freshest ingredients and no preservatives. We are very pleased to see Simply Salsa both grow and stay in Homer Glen.

Style Me Couture is housed in a 2,100 square foot space on 159th Street. Style Me Couture offers bridal and evening wear, with rentals available, along with the owners talent for customizing and accessorizing outfits for that special occasion.

Homer’s Café, under new ownership since last June, continues to be a great place for breakfast and lunch. The new owner brings his nearly 40 years of restaurant experience to Homer’s Café, offering 7 tasty breakfast and lunch with fresh quality ingredients. The lunch menu has been expanded to include deli style sandwiches, like pastrami and oven-roasted beef. Delivery service has also been added for convenience. Homer’s Café is a good example of Homer Glen’s strong business community and ability to retain and grow existing businesses.

Artessa Bakery opened in 2014, next to State Farm Insurance on Bell Road. The owner is a pastry chef who earned her credential from the Le Cordon Bleu school in St. Louis and gained experience at the St. Louis Ritz Carlson and her own custom cake shop. We appreciate this great, full-service independent bakery in Homer Glen.

Trend Nails & Spa has opened next to Homer Glen’s own La Crepe Bistro Restaurant in the Homer Crossings plaza. Along with Castle Law and the Bistro, the north building at Homer Crossings is fully occupied. We welcome Trend Nails and Spa!

Advance Auto Parts took over the former Blockbuster space and opened at Homer Town Square in September. Company officials told the Village, during our recruitment efforts that they chose to locate a store in Homer Glen because it is convenient to where their customers live and shop. The new store offers a wide range of parts, recognized national brands and knowledgeable associates. Several complimentary services are also available, such as free installation of a new battery.

The new Peoples Home Equity Mortgage is located in the Homer Town Square shopping center. Owner Peter Schilling’s Peoples Home Mortgage offers extensive mortgage experience to maximize the client’s ability to become a homeowner. We welcome this new business!

Castle Law Group opened its offices on Bell Road in 2014 in the Homer Crossings plaza. The team of attorneys at Castle Law Group have diverse educations and legal backgrounds, bringing together a full service legal practice to meet their clients’ needs.

A new dog spa, K-9 Couture opened in a 1,200 SF space at Bell Tower Plaza in October. Business owner Gabriella offers a full range of pet grooming services including full-service grooming, creative grooming and nails. K-9 also sells a variety of holistic dog foods and treats made in the USA.

The Village of Homer Glen welcomes the Richards Building Supply Company to the business community. Richards Building Supply is a family-owned company founded in 1978 in Chicago by Richard and Christine. I’d like to thank both of these fine people for moving their corporate headquarters to Homer Glen and for being such great community partners. Richards operates as a wholesale distributor of building material and currently serves 11 states with almost 50 locations. Their new 22,000 square foot two-story office building is a great addition to our 159th street corridor. Homer Glen is fortunate to have this new corporate partner in the community.

Vittori Foot & Ankle Specialists - Dr. Vittori expanded his podiatry practice from a second floor office to a new street front professional office condo in the Bell Tower Office Park. The relocation of Vittori Foot & Ankle Specialists fills one of the two professional office buildings that comprise the Bell Tower Office Park and is another example of the vitality of Homer Glen’s business community.

CrossFit Homer Glen signed a lease for their 2,078 square foot space and opened in early 2014. CrossFit training is a fast-paced strength and conditioning program that challenges several different muscles in the body at the same time. The owners provide personal training and group training sessions and are, themselves, CrossFit competitors.

8 Sleepy's Mattress Professionals opened in the long vacant, never occupied 3,100 square foot end cap space next to Homer Glen’s UPS Store on Bell Road. Sleepy's is a privately owned, four- generation mattress retail company with over 1,000 stores. The retailer has rapidly expanded into the Chicago market and we’re happy to have attracted them to Homer Glen.

There were even more new businesses that decided to invest or re-invest in Homer Glen’s strong and vibrant community this past year.

Jewel-Osco’s parent corporation purchased the Homer Glen Dominick’s last fall as one of the first four Chicagoland Dominick’s store purchases to be announced by Jewel. The Homer Glen store underwent a small renovation early in 2014 and then re-opened under the Jewel-Osco brand.

We are extremely pleased that Jewel-Osco took advantage of this turn-key opportunity in Homer Glen.

Right next to Village Hall is the beautiful Jean Marie Salon & Spa in the Founders Crossing center. Jean Marie Salon’s clients travel from all over including New Lenox, Orland Park, Plainfield and Oak Lawn because of its Aveda concept salon reputation and philosophy which is centered on health and wellness.

Wendy’s underwent a significant remodeling project and celebrated with a grand re-opening in October. The new restaurant design at Wendy’s in Homer Glen is part of a multi-year re-branding strategy for Wendy’s corporation. The special features of the upgraded restaurant are designed to reinvigorate the Wendy’s brand, excite customers and drive more sales. All good news for Homer Glen!

The U.S.Vision store is a new 2014 business that opened inside the new Homer Glen Meijer store. U.S. Vision offers full-service retail vision care with an on-premise, independent doctor of optometry and a wide selection of designer brands and private label prescription eyewear, contact lenses, sunglasses, ready-made readers and accessories. We are glad to have US Vision as a part of our business community.

Dotty’s Café, at 14041 Bell Road, has operated for 22 years in the western United States and offers video gaming terminals in a comfortable café environment for its customers. Table service is offered for items ordered from the cafe’s menu. Dotty’s Café is age-restricted to 21 years and over.

Backyard Games USA produces and sells high quality handmade corn hole bags and boards for backyard game fun. The bags and boards can be customized with your favorite sport team brands. Thank you to this local business for picking Homer Glen for your new store.

We celebrate the re-location and opening of A Total Look Salon in the Founders Crossing center. Salon owner Leona Wagner relocated to North Founders Crossing with the turn-key opportunity to take over a fully built out and equipped salon space.

Artistic Dentistry’s needs for larger space was met in the plaza at Founders Crossing North next to Pelican Harry’s. Dr. Joel’s growing dental practice has taken on an additional 1,000 SF with the expansion. Artistic Dentistry’s expansion is another great sign that business activity in Homer Glen continues to improve!

9 US Bank We were glad to add this new bank to Homer Glen’s other fine financial institutions. US Bank opened a branch in the Meijer store. We appreciate the banks investment in Homer Glen.

Will County Circle K’s convenience store opened in the former 7 Eleven space at 143rd Street and Will -Cook Road in December. The new convenience store is the first such franchise location for Circle K in Illinois that is not associated with a gas station. The new Circle K store has a great crossroads location and provides a welcome service for the neighborhood.

La Crepe Bistro added over 1,400 SF by expanding into the adjacent vacant space. The decision of the bistro owners to expand their restaurant after being in operation for just one year is really great news for Homer Glen. The total restaurant size is now over 3,000 SF. The added capacity allows La Crepe Bistro to accommodate special party groups while still continuing to serve its normal restaurant patrons. Congratulations La Crepe!

Rubi Agave Latin Kitchen opened in 2014 on 159th Street just east of Bell Road. Owner and Chef Ruben features a fusion of Mexican, Caribbean, Puerto Rican and South American cuisine. A spacious dining room, bar and outdoor patio that features live entertainment makes Rubi Agave a popular family restaurant.

McDonald’s renovations, which included replacing the single drive thru lane with the construction of a double drive thru, interior remodeling, a new exterior façade, ADA-compliant parking lot improvements and landscaping, turned out great! This exciting renovation has resulted in a significant improvement in both the look of the restaurant and in the amount of sales and sales tax generated. We appreciate owner Bob Freeman’s and Manager Ben Freeman’s investment in Homer Glen.

The following great advantages are enjoyed by both residents and businesses when they make Homer Glen their home. Advantages like...  No municipal property taxes and great schools!  Prime Will County Location!  Great commercial corridors with high traffic to bring customers to our businesses. Corridors that are about to benefit from 200 million dollars in Federal, State and County improvements!

There are great advantages to be located in the strong and vibrant Homer Glen community!

More Economic Development News – New Stores, Office Buildings and Restaurant Renovations are on their way in 2015!

 Blueberry Hill will be expanding and adding tables into an additional 1,300 square feet of space as they work to accommodate their growing customer base.

 The Village Board has approved plans for a new three building retail/office development, on approximately 4 acres of land on 159th Street, called the Glen Oaks Center. The overall development will be accomplished in phases, with all three phases totaling over 25,000 square feet. This project is set to begin in 2015.

10  The New Eco Dental will open next to Blueberry Hill. A new T-Mobile store has already opened next to Tazza’s. Farmers Insurance is opening on 159th Street and Verizon is opening a new store next to the Dairy Queen on Bell Road.

 Nancy’s Pizza will be moving from Orland Park to Homer Glen’s shopping center at Will Cook Road and 143rd. Their remodel is almost complete. The Sub Hub Deli has just opened in the old subway space on Bell Road and, of course, Big R is on the verge of opening in the old K- Mart store.

 Big R – The Village has worked diligently to attract our new Big R store to Homer Glen. Big R will be a destination retailer, attracting customers from the entire SW suburban area. Big R projects $8 million in sales for its 1st year of operation in Homer Glen, and growth in sales to $13 million by its 10th year of operation. The 10-year total 1% Village Sales Tax projection for a Big R store in Homer Glen is $1.12 million. Sales tax revenue allows the Village of Homer Glen to operate without a municipal property tax. The Village did sign a sales tax incentive agreement with Big R and the incentive structure is revenue-advantageous for the Village. Over a 10-year agreement, the Village is projected to retain 71% ($798,000) of the total 1% Sales Tax generated by Big R. After the concluding (10th) year of the incentive agreement with Big R, 100% of the revenues generated from the Village’s 1% Sales Tax will benefit the Village’s General Fund.

 The Village has been working hard on a proposed, new commercial building development that is being proposed for the available and open parcel in the Homer Town Square shopping center. It is a combined development of Chipotle Mexican Grill and Starbucks. The proposed Starbucks would have a drive through. The landlord is working diligently on getting the leases for both prospective tenants completed and hopes to have this accomplished relatively soon.

Ninth: My last category today is a group of miscellaneous bits of good news about the State of Homer Glen being strong and vibrant!

 Victorian Village - I want to once again celebrate, today the opening of the beautiful new buildings at Victorian Village this past year. Providing senior housing opportunities to the residents of Homer Glen is vital. This project turned out beautifully and I want to again thank the Victorian Village organization for this significant investment in the Homer Glen community.

 Trinity Services opened one of their first group homes in Homer Glen for the developmentally disabled. I was a supporter of this outstanding project as I want Homer Glen to be a welcoming community. The fabric of Homer Glen is a better place today because Trinity Services, and the parents who helped to purchase the group home, have invested in our community.

 151st and Parker Intersection Improvement – This intergovernmental infrastructure improvement project, being completed by the Village and the Highway Department, will be finished in 2015. The Village and the Highway Department obtained over $1 million dollars in federal CMAQ grant money to completely improve this intersection. This project relocated utility poles, improved drainage, built new turn lanes and has installed much needed traffic lights. This will be a major infrastructure improvement at this important intersection and both the Village and

11 the Highway Department are happy to be able to make this improvement a reality for our residents.

 IDOTS Improvements to 159th Street - IDOT is investing over $100 million dollars to improve 159th Street from Gougar Road in Homer Glen to Orland Park. This project has already begun but serious construction work will become more visible in late spring. I know the new roadway will assist the Village in creating an even better commercial corridor that will provide jobs, shopping opportunities and financial resources to ensure that the Village of Homer Glen remains free of a municipal property tax.

 The Village Board has made their decisions about intersection lighting, grass and tree filled medians and a Heroes Trail path that will run down the north side of the road. I’m happy to report that together, we caused IDOT to make many changes to their original median access plan, resulting in several improvements for some 159th street businesses. There is no doubt that the construction process will be challenging but the Village will continue to be advocates for existing businesses throughout the entire project.

 Speaking of assisting businesses, the Village is continuing to offer our 0% Economic Development Non-Conforming Sign Replacement Loan Program and the 0% Business Façade Improvement Loan Program. Both of these Village 0% business loan programs are easy to apply for and use and I am a strong advocate for keeping them in place for the benefit of Homer Glen businesses. In addition, this past year the Village worked to decrease signage permit costs and variance fees that often impact local businesses. All of these actions and programs are a part of our ongoing efforts to continue Homer Glens’ successful focus on economic development.

 143rd and Lemont Road Intersection Improvement –This completely new intersection improvement also started in 2014 and will be completed in 2015. This has been another important intergovernmental project between the Village, Township Highway Department and the County that will greatly benefit our residents.

 Completion of new Economic Development Water and Sanitary Sewer Lines to the Village’s Western Most Boundary, Gougar Road – I believe that new water and sanitary sewer line extensions are vital to the currently incorporated and unincorporated areas of Homer Glen, including all of the commercial properties on 159th Street. This also includes solidifying annexation agreements with property owners in this area. Even Houseal Lavigne Associates, the planning firm the Village is working with on 159th Street, has indicated the importance of getting water and sewer service to the western portion of the Village in order to ensure future economic development. I plan to continue working with the Village Board to make these new economic development water and sanitary sewer lines a reality in the near future.

 Continue Supporting Residential Development –Beechen and Dill Homes has purchased the long dormant Cedar Brooke Subdivision at 151st and Cedar and they are transforming this space into a beautiful subdivision.

 As you may or may not know, the Village actually stepped in this year and made necessary public improvements in several unfinished subdivisions including Cypress Pointe, Glenview Walk and Erin Hills 4D to address resident concerns and help promote continued residential development in these important Homer Glen neighborhoods.

12  Village Stormwater Improvements – The Village recently completed the Oak Valley Subdivision Storm Water Improvement Project which was the largest stormwater improvement project in the Village’s history. Our Oak Valley improvement project, as great as it was, is not enough.

 The Village identified and completed five (5) important stormwater improvement projects in 2014. One additional project, in Derby Meadows, was started in 2014 and will be completed in 2015. Then again, not resting on our achievements, two (2) more projects, one in Hadley Woods Estates and another in Spring Creek Trail are already scheduled for 2015. The proposed FY 2015-16 Village budget again commits another $1 million dollars to continuing this important initiative to fix Homer Glen’s longstanding stormwater detention problems.

 The Village is committed to fix storm water problems in Homer Glen and our actions now prove this point. The Village is fixing these long-standing problems and as Mayor, I’m 100% committed to keep these stormwater improvements going until all of our problem areas are fixed.

 State Champions - And last but definitely not last, since my last State of the Village Homer Glen has been blessed to enjoy several of our youth sports teams as they worked their way to state championships. Our continued congratulations to the Providence Football Team, the LTHS Girls Bowling Team and to our Homer Mustang Cheerleaders Squad. We’ve got great kids and young adults in this community which is one of the many reasons why it’s so important that we continue our good work to keep Homer Glen strong.

IN CONCLUSION I want to thank you for your attention today. Village staff and I will stick around today, after the event, in case you have any questions that we can answer.

Now, after hearing my talk, you know some of the many reasons why I know that the State of the Village of Homer Glen is exceptionally strong and vibrant. We have a bright future here in Homer Glen and I’m happy to work with each of you here today to make sure that the promise of that bright future is fully realized.

Thank you again!

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