MY WAY
When I became Mayor, I had a plan for addressing Waukegan’s needed capital improvements. The permanent solution is to carve out $25 million annually from the operating budget and dedicate it to capital improvements. In 20 years, the City would complete a half billion dollars in improvements. I knew this would not be easy, but I made more rapid progress than I thought possible. In just four years as Mayor, I was able to make over $90 million in capital improvements:
Paid for in cash
No new loans (bonds), resulting in paying down $37 million of existing loans
No tax increases (AnnTaylorForWaukegan.com/taxes)
Some of the money was obtained by improving efficiencies. We stopped the more expensive practice of leasing cars and instead purchased them. I found 10 leased cars sitting idle in the parking garage. We terminated the leases, saving the city $500,000.
I reduced our debt by $37 million (AnnTaylorForWaukegan.com/debt), reducing interest payments and saving money for capital improvements. I also improved our credit rating, reducing our borrowing costs.
We aggressively sought out grants. The Lake County Council of Mayors’ $1.2 million grant for Engineering was never applied for during Sam Cunningham’s term as Mayor. I hired a grant writer to pursue grants aggressively. We increased grants to our City from $6 million annually under Cunningham to $16 million this year. Congressman Brad Schnieder has been instrumental in getting funding for the water plant, and State Senator Adrianne Johnson and State Representative Rita Mayfield have also provided much-needed grants.
The Treasurer reported $9 million in investment income. This is primarily due to the increased unassigned reserves (AnnTaylorForWaukegan.com/finances), which provide us with money that can be invested.
Following the pandemic, the City’s fee collection was at a historic low. The City did not mail renewal notices to business owners. I have been diligent about collecting fees owed to the City.
Adding all these together has resulted in $90 in capital improvements paid for in cash.
THE CUNNINGHAM WAY
Sam Cunningham also saw the need to invest in Waukegan. But his approach was to borrow large sums of money (AnnTaylorForWaukegan.com/debt). Paying for $80 million in capital improvements with loans ended up costing the taxpayers $120 million due to the added interest. Paying cash instead would allow us to make another $40 million in capital improvements. It also lowered Moody’s credit rating to a negative outlook, increasing the cost of loans and making it more challenging to get additional loans. This was a short-term plan, making long-term solutions more difficult.
Even now, when he has been shown a better way, he hasn’t changed his ways. At the Waukegan Cares Town Hall, Cunningham reaffirmed his approach: “This is what we call bonding. It is like a mortgage; we pay for it over 30 years.” Your property taxes pay for Sam’s Cunningham’s bonds.
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE
Completed Projects
14 miles of streets repaved (arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/2bdb797109c34650abcb65f4dc93040a)
Sidewalk repairs
New Animal Control Center
New Dispatch Center – relocated to the airport with all new modern equipment
Lead Pipe Replacement - the city will cover the costs of replacing lead pipe service lines rather than passing the charges onto the residents.
Culvert repairs
Bridge repairs
Water main and sanitary sewer repairs
Water plant, including pumping station
Broadband internet enhancement
Improved beach accessibility
Improvement of Waukegan Metra Station and PACE facility at Fountain Square
HVAC-Clean Air improvements for the City’s public buildings.
There is still much to be done. But by making steady progress each year, we will see consistent improvement in our City.
One of the worst roads in the city is IL-120. I have worked with our state legislators to get this on the list of roads to be done by the state.
Washington Street also badly needs repairs. We have begun engineering studies. There are many underground utilities that must be dealt with. It is a four-year process. When I took office, we did not have any engineers on staff. Now, we have a whole department making these types of projects possible.
For further information, go to AnnTaylorForWaukegan.com/Capital.