City Council Planning Sessions

May 12, 2025 I. Call to Order The regular Wheaton City Council Meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Suess. The following were: Physically Present: Mayor Suess Councilwoman Bray-Parker Councilwoman Brice Councilman Brown Councilwoman Robbins Councilman Weller Absent: Councilman Clousing City Staff Present: Michael G. Dzugan, City Manager Robert Lehnhardt, Director of Finance James Kozik, Director of Planning & Economic Development Erik Berg, Management Analyst Halie Cardinal, Public Relations Coordinator II. Approval of Planning Session Minutes - April 14, 2025 The Council approved the April 14, 2025 Planning Session minutes. III. Special Service Area 8 Renewal City Manager Dzugan reviewed the current Special Service Area 8 (SSA 8). Established in 2019, the district expired in 2024 with the last tax proceeds to be received in 2025. The City needs to initiate the process of establishing a replacement SSA by July 2025 to meet the public hearing and objection periods set forth in state statute. This process involves adopting an ordinance proposing the SSA, establishing a public hearing date, conducting the public hearing, and, if no objection petition is filed in the sixty days after the public hearing, adopting the SSA tax levy. City Manager Dzugan requested that the City Council consider the components involved with a replacement SSA – its term, purpose statement, boundary map, expenses, first year levy, and maximum tax rate – to provide direction to staff in crafting an ordinance. A portion of the SSA’s revenue is remitted to the Downtown Wheaton Association (DWA), which is seeking an increase in its budget for staff, rent, and marketing costs. Allison Orr, Executive Director of the DWA, provided an overview of the organization’s efforts in promoting economic development and marketing in the downtown area. She then presented a draft budget requesting additional funds to implement regional marketing campaigns that would use advertising strategies to promote the City’s downtown. Council discussed the DWA’s proposed advertising strategies and whether data could be used to evaluate their efficacy. In response to a Council question, Executive Director Orr stated these strategies are meant to promote downtown Wheaton as a whole, in line with the implementation  agreement. Furthermore, she responded to a Council question that the DWA would be amenable to a collaboration with the City on downtown marketing. For the term of SSA 9, staff recommended keeping the 7-year term. Staff recommended revising the purpose statement to include services like public artwork and streetscape maintenance. These services can be classified as “extraordinary” – meaning not provided elsewhere in the City – and are currently not covered by the existing purpose statement. Regarding the boundary, staff recommended that SSA 9’s boundary expand to include City-owned properties, particularly the two parking garages. No private residences or tax-exempt parcels would be included in the proposed boundary revision. Council agreed to a seven-year term for the replacement SSA. Regarding the purpose statement, Council recommended that staff clearly delineate the purviews of both the City and the DWA and incorporate parking garage maintenance and streetscape into SSA 9 to allow General Fund monies currently used for these services to be spent elsewhere. Council agreed to a maximum tax rate of 0.45 for the SSA; the first-year levy to be included in the ordinance will depend on the needs of both the City and the DWA. In response to a Council question, City Manager Dzugan emphasized that components of the SSA, such as the term, boundary map, and tax rate, could be revised in the future, but doing so would require going through the same process again after the SSA has been formally adopted. He cautioned that SSAs can be denied with a vote of over 51% of the registered voters and over 51% of the property owners within the district’s boundaries. Council suggested a budget allocation of $325,000 for the DWA and $150,000 for the City. Annually, the City would revisit the DWA’s and City’s allocation, potentially increasing its budget depending on the appreciation of downtown property values. City Manager Dzugan informed the Council that the DWA would evaluate the Council’s proposal and would provide feedback at a future date. Furthermore, he added that the City will incorporate the Council’s comments and provide more specific information at an upcoming meeting. IV. Public Comment Erica Nelson, 1712 Kay Road, expressed support for incorporating the parking garages into SSA 9. She also informed the Council that she would concluding her term as chair of the Community Relations Commission and will begin her term as president of the Rotary Club of Glen Ellyn. She commended the commission’s efforts in strengthening the bonds of the community and thanked City Manager Dzugan, Mayor Suess and the City Council for their support. V. City Council/City Staff Comments Councilwoman Bray-Parker encouraged residents to visit the Wheaton Public Library’s Home History Research event. VI. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Erik Berg