Tree-Trimming Contract Prompts Questions Over Use of Revenue Source

The on Monday approved a $30,000 tree-trimming contract for 2011-12 with Trees “R” Us, but the issue was not without controversy.

The vote was 4-2, with Trustees Jonathan Sprawka and Rich Sustich voting "no."

Money to pay for the tree trimming work will come out of the non-home rule sales tax fund, or NHRST.

Lake Zurich voters approved .

Sustich voiced concerns about whether or not the expenditure is an appropriate use of those funds.

“The NHRST fund was sold to the voters as a capital improvement, which means replacing and improving capital projects — not operations and maintenance,” Sustich said. “This is an ongoing operation and maintenance relative to trees already in place.”

Sustich added that the village chose not to include operations and maintenance as an eligible cost prior to putting the referendum on the ballot close to a year ago.

“The real question is how to define public infrastructure,” Village Administrator Bob Vitas said in an interview before the board vote Monday.

“We told everyone that money would be used for capital projects; when you look at the actual budget, the amount of money being spent is far more than the amount of NHRST funds being put in the (capital projects) fund,” Vitas said. “We are using the sales tax fund to complete a portion of projects.”

Sustich said just $298,000 of the $1.7 million of expected revenues from the non-home rule sales tax is going into the Capitol Projects Fund.

“The rest is going to be spent on general operations, which we moved from the general fund to the non-home rule sales tax fund,” Sustich said.

Due to budget constraints, the village has not funded tree trimming over the last two years.

Normally, trimming is handled throughout the village on a five-year cycle, said village arborist Shawn Walkington.

The main areas in the village where the work will be done include the Chestnut Corners, Hunters Creek and Countryside East subdivisions.

The Village Board will meet as a committee of the whole at 7 p.m. Oct. 24 at for a study session to discuss appropriate uses of non-home rule sales tax funds.

The public is welcome to attend.