Village Blog January 2011

STRATEGIC PLAN 2011

January 26, 2011

The start of a new year is a great time to reflect on the past and, more importantly, look at a vision for the future. The President and Village Board have decided to update the Village’s Strategic Plan, which was originally developed in 1994 with major revisions in 1998, 2001, and again in 2004.

Many major goals in the original plan were accomplished through the efforts of many people. These centered around issues of building our community and included construction of Vernon Hills High School, Vernon Hills Post Office, Commuter Station, Arbortheater, Vernon Hills Athletic Complex, Aspen Drive Library, Victory Centre, which is affordable senior housing; and new Village Hall. These physical improvements, along with the quality subdivisions in which we live, form the foundation of our community.

This revised Strategic Plan will be more complex and nuanced in the sense of identifiable physical improvements that will be part of the program. Some of these issues will be associated with what we want Vernon Hills to be as a mature community. In this effort, we will be discussing issues of transportation; retail growth; what services will be provided and how the services will be delivered; and, finally, community facilities. The start of this planning process is scheduled for Saturday, January 29, 9:00AM at the Village Hall. You are welcome to attend this session and we appreciate any input into this planning process.

If you have questions, comments, or need further information, please contact Michael S. Allison, Village Manager, at 847-918-3540 or mikea@vhills.org.

SOCIAL SERVICE GRANTS FOR FY 2011/2012

January 21, 2010

The Village of Vernon Hills has had a long tradition of granting funds to non-profit organizations that assist our community members in many different activities throughout the year. The following are the Social Service Grants that were provided with the respective agencies in 2010/2011. In addition to the ones noted, Omni Youth Services of Buffalo Grove has a contract with the Village to provide both direct and indirect youth and family counseling services to the Vernon Hills community.

Name of Agency Amount of Social Service Grant

A Safe Place $3,000

CAP(Community Alliance Project) $2,500

Youth & Family Counseling $4,000

PADS, Crisis Services $3,000

Girl Scouts – Illinois Crossroads Council $ 500

Lake County Family YMCA $6,000

Spay and Stay $1,000

If your non-profit organization is interested in funding for this year, please send contact information to: Michael S. Allison, Village of Vernon Hills, 290 Evergreen Drive, Vernon Hills, IL 60061 or email at lynnd@vhills.org.

Again as with the past several years, funds are limited; however, the Village understands the vital importance of the services these agencies provide for the Vernon Hills community.

To the citizens who live, work, and visit the community of Vernon Hills:

January 11, 2011

On behalf of the men and women of the Vernon Hills Police Department, I would like to wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year!

At the beginning of each New Year, members of the police department conduct a review of the previous year’s activity to determine any trends, and to assess the overall effectiveness of police operations. Included in this assessment is a review of patrol operations, crime prevention activities, the success of our investigations, arrest summaries, and surveys assessing confidence in the community. And we always try to improve our ability to communicate information to you, the residents.

The economic conditions in our area have affected all of us; some families and businesses in our community have been hit especially hard. One would expect during this recession that crime would increase significantly. I’m happy to report that this has not been the case here in Vernon Hills. Overall, crime in Vernon Hills was lower in 2010 than it was in 2009. Serious crimes (robberies, batteries, burglaries, thefts, etc.) remained virtually unchanged from 2009, and less serious crimes (assaults, criminal damage, vandalism, disorderly conduct, etc.) were reduced by 10%.

But, on closer examination, there were some interesting trends noted. Robberies, burglaries, burglaries from vehicles and motor vehicle thefts were significantly lower in 2010 when compared to 2009. In some cases the reductions in specific crime categories was lower from 20-75%, depending on the crime. So how did the number of serious crimes remain unchanged from 2009 if nearly every category of crime was reduced? Virtually every category of serious crime was significantly reduced in 2010 with the exception of thefts. Thefts were up almost 16% from 2009; an increase of 74 thefts! This increase alone wiped out any of the gains made in all the other categories! And, even though burglaries to motor vehicles were reduced by nearly 30%, one burglary is too many.

A closer look at the individual crimes also revealed some startling trends. Over 90% of the burglaries to motor vehicles and 60% of the thefts could have been easily prevented. To make 2011 even better for everyone, here is what you can do to help:

Always lock your vehicle. Almost half of the Burglary to Motor Vehicles that happened in Vernon Hills in 2010 were from unlocked vehicles.
Most of the victims left valuable items in plain view. Laptops, GPS units, iPods, radar detectors, even purses left out are an invitation to thieves!
Don’t leave your property unattended! 62% of the Theft reports we took involved property that was not secured or attended (cell phones, iPods, purses, rings, wallets, etc.).

Eliminate the opportunity for a crime to occur and there will be less crime in 2011!

Another item that should be of concern to every resident is Residential Burglary (when someone breaks into your home when you are not there). Burglaries in general were reduced by nearly 20% this past year, but there is plenty you can do to keep from becoming a victim. The best way to avoid a Residential Burglary is to let the criminals know that your home is not an easy target – so remove the opportunity! Here are some tips:

First and foremost: the doors to your home have locks for a reason - use them! If an intruder comes upon a locked door, he would probably continue on until he finds an unlocked one. By the way, make sure that the entry door has a deadbolt lock on it. If you have a sliding patio door, an auxiliary lock is highly recommended.
Burglaries also include thefts from garages. Golf clubs, bicycles, beer and tools are favorite items stolen. Many of these thefts occurred when homeowners went to bed and left their garage doors standing open, allowing potential thieves to drive by and “window-shop” before making the decision to steal. Keep your garage doors closed whenever you are not in the garage or front yard.
Keep your first floor windows or other accessible windows shut and locked, or install auxiliary locks that permit partial opening.
Use appliance timers. Have at least one light on each floor go on/off automatically. Timers can also be used to turn a radio on/off. Also, install a timer to turn on the porch or garage light.
If you get a morning paper, bring it in before the last person leaves the house for the day. This is an obvious sign that no one is home.
Do not leave notes on your door (another obvious sign).
Keep the shrubbery cut back so that it will not conceal someone who is standing outside a window or door.
Keep daily routines confidential and vary them when possible.
Do not let strangers into your home to use the phone – or lead you away from the door (so their accomplice can enter your home undetected).
Develop a relationship with your neighbors and learn what is “normal” for your neighborhood. Always call the police immediately regarding any suspicious activity (even if you’re not sure). Neighbors watching out for neighbors is a great way to deter crime! The Vernon Hills Police Department also offers to help you set up a Neighborhood Watch Program.

During 2011, members of the police department are going to try to reduce crime in every category. But we need your help. We are also going to try to improve the methods in which we communicate information. We encourage you to:

Visit the police department website at www.VHPD.com
Visit the Village website at www.vernonhills.org
Frequent the Village Blog from the Village website for community news and information or,
Sign up for broadcast email (link also accessible from the Village website) and have Village news and important information e-mailed to you.

Later in 2011, the Department will be mailing everyone a post card to remind residents to sign up for broadcast e-mail. This will give the Department the ability to better communicate information to residents as needed.

Once again, from all of us here at the Vernon Hills Police Department, we want to wish you a great New Year, and a crime-free 2011! Should you ever want to contact me or a member of my staff, or speak with a police officer, contact the Vernon Hills Police Department at 847-362-4449 or visit us at 740 Lakeview Parkway, Vernon Hills.

Sincerely,

Mark Fleischhauer, Chief of Police

The Vernon Hills High School is participating in Operation Teen Safe Driving this school-year. It is a statewide initiative aimed at reducing teen driving crashes resulting in fatalities and injuries. The High School was one of the 105 high schools statewide selected to participate in the Operation Teen Safe Driving program during the 2010-2011 school-year. This statewide safety initiative, which utilizes Ford Motor Co. Fund's nationally recognized Ford Driving Skills for Life program, is designed for teens to educate their peers about driving responsibly in an effort to decrease the number of fatalities and injuries involving teenagers in Illinois. Vernon Hills High School received $2,000 in grant funding from IDOT's Division of Traffic Safety and The Allstate Foundation.

New business occupancies for December 2010:

Crossfit Carbon

50 N. Lakeview, Suite 106

Wonderlic/Ameristar

400 N. Lakeview

Probat Burns

601 Corporate Woods

Westfield Hawthorn Carts:

-Cutco Cutlery

-Chiro One Wellness

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Village Blog January 2011

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