City May Seek Changes For Security Firm
A consultant assisting Marquette Park Special Service Area 14 commissioners with the renewal application they must complete this month warned at an April 24 meeting that even if everything is done right, city officials may not re-approve the district in its present form.
Kimberly Bares, of PLACE Consulting, pointed out that the Marquette Park SSA, in existence since 1997, is unusual in that it is the only special service area of 37 in the city that serves a residential area. All the others are in commercial districts.
So the city statute has a “sundown” clause that requires that the district be formally renewed every few years.
Bares said the city wants to see the business district promoted more, with banners and facade improvement programs, like the other districts do.
But her suggestion that the residential component may be taken out of the Marquette Park SSA in favor of the business district did not go over well with many people at the meeting at Lithuanian Human Services headquarters at 2711 W. 71st St.
“Have you been down Lithuanian Plaza Court (69th Street)? There are not many businesses there,” said longtime resident Joe Kulys.
He also asserted that changing the security coverage could jeopardize Marquette Village, an upscale subdivision of 130 homes and 100 senior apartments that is being built at 74th and Rockwell streets.
“We need more security here, not less. We need more than street banners,” added Kulys this week, pointing out that police resources are stretched thin and a recent surge in violence citywide has led Police Supt. Jody Weis to suggest arming patrol officers with M4 carbine assault rifles to match the firepower of criminals.
‘The private security does make a difference,” Kulys said.
“It’s a bad situation,” said Donna Christian, the principal of Nativity BVM School, located at 6820 S. Washtenaw Ave.
“We have a school with over 200 children, and I appreciate the work the security and the police do for us. When I hire teachers, I say we have this security,” she said.
And speaking as a private citizen with ties to the community, Joe Polikaitis, president of Lithuanian Human Services, noted that the district is funded through residents’ property taxes, and the city and county just allocate it.
Bares invited local residents to voice their opinions on the issue at two public meetings city officials are planning to attend next week, at 6 p.m. Monday and Thursday, May 5 and 8, at the Lithuanian Human Services meeting room beside Seklycia restaurant at 2711 W. 71st St.
The Marquette Park SSA was created by the Chicago City Council after a community referendum was passed approving the establishment of a residential security program to supplement Chicago Lawn (8th) District police protection in the neighborhood stretching from 74th to 67th streets, between Kedzie and Bell avenues.
Lithuanian Human Services, an anchor in the community, has administered the program as “sole service provider” since it began. And a few months ago, Lynwood-based Illinois Homeland Security Services Inc., was awarded the contract to provide private security service for a third year.
As was discussed at the April 24 meeting, the SSA is cash-strapped this year.
Accountant Vytas Paskus said while the district has an operating budget of $400,000, only about $147,000 has been collected so far, and the next installment isn’t due until September.
“That is not even half of what we need to keep going,” said Paskus.
Aside from about $37,000 in administrative cost, much of the budget goes for security,
The home foreclosure crisis may be contributing to the drop in funding, but Bares said her duties include mapping the district, determining the equalized assessed valuation of the entire area, and figuring out if all properties are included on the tax rolls, or if the tax rate needs to be adjusted.
Already, she found, her agency, the city and Cook County officials have different numbers for the amount of tax money the district should be generating.
“We’re not recommending any changes to the boundaries. You have very natural boundaries,” said Bares, noting, for instance, that it would not make sense to include nearby Marquette Park because the park is tax-exempt.
“The city is doing financial auditing to see how all the SSAs are working,” said Michelle Nolan, the city Department of Planning and Development representative at the meeting.
She said liability has always been one concern the city has had over the years.
Bares advised that letters of support from local aldermen would likely be necessary to persuade city officials to keep the status quo.
“We’re really hoping for the support of the aldermen. If we get those letters of support, we should be all right,” said Estelle Seals, the chairman of the commission.
Chiquita Starks, an aide to Ald. Lona Lane (18th), and Veronica Goodman, representing Ald. Toni Foulkes (15th), were at the meeting, and both said they would report back to their respective aldermen. They said they were unsure how the aldermen felt about the issue.
A couple of blocks of the district are also within the 17th Ward boundaries.
Contacted this week, Lane said she would like to get together with Foulkes, Ald. Latasha Thomas (17th), and the commission leaders to discuss the issue before forming an opinion.
“If we could all get at the same table, and on the same page, then maybe we can get those letters of support.”
“The main thing is, I want those people to be safe. They are paying extra for this security,”
She said she expects to attend one of the meetings next week, probably on Thursday because she has office hours on Monday.
Pete Scales, a spokesman for the Department of Planning, said, “We’re sort of re-evaluating our position on that. No decisions have been made. We still need to meet with the police, and the residents of course. Input from the aldermen is also part of the process,” said Scales.
In his report at the meeting, Narvell Darling, head of Illinois Homeland Security, said that among other things, his security officers made 19 arrests in March.
He noted an increase in burglaries and larcenies, and continuing problems with abandoned homes and unsupervised youths causing trouble after school.
The budget crunch meant the board could not immediately authorize longer security hours as summer approaches, and Polikaitis said plans to erect a monitored security camera had to be put on hold as well.
“There is not enough money in the budget to consider it at this time,” he said.