The Municipal Village Party (MVP) is vehemently determined to help reduce North Riverside’s $56 million debt (and growing).
For the first time in 40 years, independent trustees initiated to bid out the garbage contract. The garbage fund back in 2011, reflecting a $12,000 deficit. After bidding out the contract, today that same respective fund is at a healthy and positive $150,000. We need to eliminate no-bid contracts. Large financial contracts such as village attorneys, village engineers, ambulance services, tree trimming services and travel accommodations have received no-bid contracts for decades.
We will provide persistent efforts to eliminate these practices. Now, this doesn’t mean we are going to get rid of any specific company that provides these services. We feel that the free enterprise market system should take its due course and allow competition in order to save the taxpayers money.
This administration has cried foul about union and non-union pensions being too costly. From the years 2000-2014 the village has neglected paying into pensions. Six of those years, the village paid $0 into either pension while village employees have made their contributions.
This administration’s answer to our budget woes is to privatize the fire department. Not only does this go against decades’ worth of Illinois labor relations laws, it is illegal and immoral.
We will stand together with and fight for our professional firefighters along with every other employee both union and non-union. All our village employees are the best and are irreplaceable.
Only through political pressure by other opposing political parties has the village been squeezed to end their stagnant efforts:
Finally fixing and repairing village streets that were never touched in over 20 years.
Succumbing to pressure of adopting lower bids for garbage/refuse services.
Realizing the Cab Rider Program wasn’t enough and initiating a Senior Bus Program.
Instituting special needs programs that desperately require more help and expansion.
Fiscal year budgets which included not funding all pensions, to privatize the fire department, continue to award no-bid contracts and compile a $56 million deficit.
The Municipal Village Party has solutions:
Administer 12-hour shifts for our police department to increase productivity and lower overtime.
Create a traffic enforcement unit to increase revenues on tickets and tows.
End all frivolous lawsuits towards privatizing our fire department.
Initiate a Silver Spanner Program (for our fire department) to save over $1.9 million in 12 years.
Adopt a SAFER grant program that will fully staff our fire department paid for by FEMA.
Create a Chamber of Commerce to help market and advertise our village in order to produce more sales tax revenues and increase traffic counts.
Offer incentive packages to current “Tier 1” employees in order bring in “Tier 2” employees that will be more cost-effective and witness greater savings.
The MVP Party slate of candidates includes H. Bob Demopoulos, president; Virginia Rodriguez, clerk; and Lawrence Manetti, Kevin Melvin and Pricilia (Jasso) Runquist, trustee.
