Although we realize that our job is not done and that we have a lot of work ahead of us, we are proud of the things we have accomplished which include the following:
Economic Development!
Since 2013, we have established a major TIF District, we have created an Economic Development Zone with neighboring communities, and we are prepared to adopt a TIF District by Sauk Trail and Cottage Grove. We have acquired approximately 45 acres of land at little cost to the Village.
As a result of our efforts, Shell Gas Station on Kings Road and Steger Road redeveloped their property. The investment they made was approximately $2.5 million. The BP Gas Station on Union Avenue and Steger Road was also redeveloped. The investment the owner made at this site is approximately $4.2 million. These two investment are $6.7 million. Now the owner of Citgo on Steger and Chicago Road is redeveloping its property at a cost of approximately $2,700,000. That is a total of $9,400,000.
We have had other businesses come into town and redevelop their properties as well. El Monte's Tacos, Gyros Express II, Brown Onion Pub, Sweet Vine, Sam N' Irenes and Austin Community Tavern have all renovated their spaces and have opened or, in the case of Austin Community Tavern, will be opening soon. Scrementi's Restuarant, a premier Italian restaurant in the South Suburbs, committed to Steger by building an outdoor heated patio area. This is a total of over $10 million invested in Steger under the current administration. This has been the largest investment in Steger since Kmart. And it does not stop there!
United for Action is currently in negotiations with a Mexican grocery store and deli and a new commercial development on the corner of Sauk Trail and Cottage Grove. In addition, now that the Kmart building qualifies for certain tax incentives after being empty for two years (which is required to qualify for these county incentives), we have been seeing increased interest with that location. But let's all keep in mind that a private company, Seritage Properties, owns that building, not the Village. Thankfully, Ken, Joe, Ernie, Lenny and Ryan have a relationship with the personnel at Seritage and Seritage has agreed to help them achieve their vision for that location. We are seeking re-election so that we can use this relationship with Seritage to get the right fit for Steger.
Steger competes with so many other towns to get business to locate here. Whether it is another municipality in Illinois or one in Indiana, Steger has to prove why it makes sense to be in our community. We have proven that we can attract and retain business in Steger. We also have proven that we can support our businesses through the worst of times, especially the forced shut downs during the pandemic. We are not done with Covid-19, we are not done with the risk of future pandemics, whether new viruses or mutations, and we are not done with the competition to get business. Ken, Joe, Ryan, Ernie and Lenny know how to compete and lead us through tough times.
Over $10 million in investments is proven progress.
Fiscal Responsibility!
When Ken Peterson became Village President, he was informed that Steger was running close to a $1,000,000 deficit. He saw that on April 3, 2013, Steger had $161,897. in the corporate account. Through the hard work of Ken Peterson, Joe Zagone, Ryan Buxton, Ernie Lopez and Lenny Skrezyna, they wiped out this deficit and have been running a surplus. On December 31, 2019, the corporate account had $513,175. In the corporate account that is approximately a 315% increase. So, we have achieved all of our accomplishments while keeping the Village in a surplus. That is proven progress.
Better Communication!
Four years ago, we said we would communicate better with you. In addition to improving our website, we have used the Code Red service. This allows us to send messages directly to you to inform you of important events, like a water main break in your area or, as we have done recently, warnings about upcoming storms and weather conditions. Many of you have already signed up for the service, but for those who have not signed up yet, please do so by going to the Village’s website (http://www.villageofsteger.com). You will find this service to be very useful. Once again, we have proven progress.
Reduced Crime and Increased Safety!
Crime has been an issue in our area and that has been a primary focus for all of us. We adopted a Crime Free Housing Program. We have approved the hiring of additional police and we have new candidates going through the hiring process. We have made major arrests. We have reviewed and adopted policies that are needed for today's policing. Although we will continue to take additional action, we have moved forward with proven progress.
We partnered with the Will County Children's Advocacy Center (https://willcountycac.org) to provide the space necessary to deliver critical services to abused children to give them hope, healing and justice. This allows those children who live in Eastern Will County to have these services closer to their home. We are proud of this partnership and are grateful to have the opportunity to assist the Children's Advocacy Center with such important services. Click this link to see their press release: (Children’s Advocacy Center to Offer Trauma-Focused Counseling in Eastern Will County – Will County Children's Advocacy Center – Hope, Healing & Justice for Abused Children (willcountycac.org)
Accountability!
Accountability is a term many use, but we mean it with proven progress. We have adopted job descriptions for our Department Heads and have updated many of our employment policies. We established employee reviews for the first time in Steger. The actions we have taken to date make clear the expectations we have for Village employees. That means that there is increased accountability which results in better service to our residents. This is proven progress.
Redeveloped Downtown!
We know that a pedestrian friendly downtown area is critical to our progress. We have already brought new businesses to our downtown district. We will be improving the sidewalks and lighting in this area as well. We have established economic incentives to attract even more businesses. We have finalized the quiet zone. This is proven progress.
Housing Programs!
Through our housing programs we have acquired 13 parcels throughout the community. Some of these parcels were not developed, but some had dilapidated houses that could not be repaired. By partnering with the Cook County Sheriff's office, we were able to get these homes located in Cook County demolished. It cost the Village a few thousand dollars per home for asbestos removal and dumpsters, but overall it has made our community safer and will help us with reinvestment in our community.
Prior to Covid-19, we held three first time home buyers program and introduced those attending to parties that could help with credit issues or with applying for loans. We also held a program to educate our residents on how to formally appeal their appraised values.
We also had two residents approach us to obtain two of the homes we acquired. Both of these needed a lot of work to bring them up to code. These residents were leasing at the time and wanted home ownership. We were able to come to an agreement where each such resident would purchase a home for the value of the rehabilitation costs. If they performed the rehabilitation, the mortgage was reduced by the cost of such rehab. These residents had to agree to live in such homes for at least five (5) years. They had to agree to maintain their yards and to finish the rehab according to code. From the Village's perspective, we were successful getting these homes back on the tax rolls which benefits everyone in the Village. We were able to achieve home ownership in these houses. We improved the neighborhoods which should increase the value to the surrounding homes. We significantly increased the value of the homes being rehabbed.
This is proven progress.
Improved Fire Department!
Our Firefighters all have certifications and are well trained. They spend countless hours making sure they provide the best service. As a result of this hard work, Steger has improved its ISO rating. What does this mean to you? It affects the rates on the insurance for your house. A better rating means more money in your pocket. This is proven progress.