The new third level of the Third Street Commuter Parking Deck is anticipated to open by May 31, which will bring the facility's total capacity to 540 spaces.

The first two levels of the deck reopened in February after substantial construction was finished on schedule. Construction crews are waiting for warmer weather to complete some temperature sensitive work such as painting, caulking between the panels, cleaning the panels, landscaping/restoration, the trench drain across Second Street, stall striping and parking space numbering.  

During the coming weeks, crews will be installing stairway handrails, doors, light fixtures and finishing any other punch list items. 

The parking deck is expected to remain open during the remainder of spring construction. You can stay on top of the latest progress by visiting the construction project webpage. 

The $4.5 million third tier expansion will provide an additional 180 parking spaces and is being funded entirely by grants through Metra. The deck was expanded in order to accommodate parking that will be lost as part of Union Pacific's future plans to add a third rail line, which will remove some existing surface parking spaces.

Geneva residents can leave their artistic mark on our community this spring by participating in the "Art on Fire" hydrant design program.

The City of Geneva, in collaboration with the Cultural Arts Commission, is seeking artists to "adopt" and paint fire hydrants. More than 50 hydrants have been painted the past two years as part of "Art on Fire," and the program has been well received by residents and visitors who have taken notice of the artwork in the downtown and surrounding areas.

With more than 1,800 fire hydrants throughout Geneva, plenty of "blank canvas" remains for artists to submit new entries this spring. "Art on Fire" was established by Mayor Kevin Burns in 2013 as a way to showcase Geneva's artistic talent and bring art into the community.

The program is free and open to the public, but participants need to submit an application to the City by Friday, May 1. The application can be found on the City's website or picked up at Geneva City Hall, 22 S. First St. 

"Art on Fire" does not mandate a specific theme, but the program encourages artists to incorporate the character of the hydrant's surrounding environment into their design. City staff reviews and approves all application designs to make sure they do not compromise the visibility of the hydrants for firefighters in an emergency. Artists will be allowed to paint their hydrants during the month of May.

The City's Public Arts Advisory Committee and Cultural Arts Commission will again judge the hydrants and award prizes to the top three design winners in June.

After recommending approval in March, the Geneva City Council is prepared to formally adopt the 2015-16 fiscal year budget Monday, April 6.

The public is welcome and encouraged to attend the public hearing and meeting April 6 to offer comments or ask questions regarding the proposed budget. The City's fiscal year begins on May 1, and the budget must be adopted no later than April 30, according to state law. 

The City's "budget" is actually a combination of 36 budgets, all having different purposes and different legal restrictions. Although the City has historically been conservative in its expenditures, additional reductions have been made in every department in recent years to offset normal and abnormal increases in operating expenses, including insurance, fuel and other commodities, as well as unfunded state mandates. For comparison, the City has again taken a fiscally responsible approach with the General Fund less than last year's budget and more than $1 million less than the 2008-09 budget.

The City plans to continue investing in its water/wastewater and electric distribution systems along with working on several projects, including an outdoor event pavilion, streetscape for East State Street and new City welcome signs. Funds to pay for these projects include donations, grants and restricted funds that can only be used for infrastructure and development.

The City continues to monitor the situation regarding the Governor's proposed state budget cuts (Income Tax funds collected by the State from Geneva residents and then distributed back to the community for public services), which could affect funding of public safety, street maintenance and snow plowing. 

Elected officials and staff are committed to a balanced and fiscally sound budget plan that will provide high quality public services while managing the challenges that each new year brings to Geneva. 

As in the past, City staff will provide monthly financial updates to the City Council and the public at City Council meetings.  A copy of the proposed 2015-16 budget is available at City Hall, the Geneva Public Library, and on the City's website. Please contact City Administrator Mary McKittrick with questions. 

The City of Geneva's Mental Health Board supports efforts in our community that encourage positive mental health through funding advocacy and education. 

During the month of May, the Board will have a mental health display at the Geneva Public Library featuring books, materials and resources individuals may find informative. Awareness campaigns will use green ribbons to acknowledge and inspire people to start a conversation about ways to maximize mental health. The Library also will have additional resource materials available during May.

The City of Geneva is nearing completion of a draft update to the downtown zoning regulations, which were originally created in 1995.

The Geneva Downtown/Station-Area Master Plan, adopted in 2012, recommends multiple locations for new moderate and high-density residential and residential/commercial mixed-use redevelopment. Many of the recommendations in the plan were not part of the City's vision for the downtown two decades ago.

The current zoning regulations conflict with the downtown plan and act as barriers to redevelopment. Updating the zoning regulations to accommodate planned downtown redevelopment demonstrates the City is serious about implementing the downtown plan.

The conflicts/problems between the adopted downtown plan and current zoning regulations are substantial. For example, the type of residential development envisioned in the downtown plan includes compact, two- to four-story buildings located close to public sidewalks and streets, which cannot be achieved under the City's existing residential zoning districts.

In some instances, planned residential development exceeds the allowable building height, lot coverage, and setback requirements of current zoning. While the current regulations contain planned unit development (PUD) provisions that offer the potential for regulatory flexibility, the uncertainty and risk developers face going through an open-ended PUD review process discourages them from pursuing projects.

The focus of the downtown zoning update is on creating plan-based regulations that are easier to understand and use. Consensus needs to be built on how best to balance the predictability desired by developers on zoning regulations and review processes, versus the regulatory control needed by the City to achieve high quality development.

The City plans to schedule several public meetings over the summer and dialog with stakeholders to gather their ideas and build their support.   

The City of Geneva's 2013-14 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) received the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting.

The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada has awarded Geneva with the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. The award "represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management," according to the association. The City's report was released last fall and was reviewed by the association this year.

The CAFR represents a broader report from the past annual financial documents that used to be prepared. The report contains the City's financial statements and records from the past decade, property tax and debt data, and general statistical information about Geneva. The report can be found on the City's website.

Geneva's comprehensive financial report has been judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the association's program, including demonstrating a constructive spirit of full disclosure to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users to read the report.

The Government Finance Officers Association is a non-profit organization serving about 17,500 government finance professionals. The association also presented the City with a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award in December.