Village Announcments

The Village Board will discuss the proposed budget for fiscal year 2013-2013 which begins May 1, 2012 at a workshop meeting of the Committee of the Whole on Tuesday, March 6 at 6:00 PM in the Council Chamber of the Village Hall, 361 Happ Road.  The budget covers capital projects, equipment replacement and proposed departmental budgets.  Residents are invited to attend.  A public hearing on the Budget is scheduled for Tuesday, March 20, 2012 at 7:00 PM.

Following the Village Board's strategic planning meeting on January 10 to discuss storm water issues and funding ideas, Village President Fred Gougler announced that a presentation of the storm water issues and funding plans would be presented to residents for their discussion and comments/questions in spring 2012.  This is  due to on-going work on a number of major projects including work with IDOT on plans for Willow Road, ComEd meetings on updates planned on electrical equipment in Northfield, as well as the upcoming Budget workshop on March 6.  Residents interested in reviewing the storm water presentation materials from the January 10 meeting can print them out by "clicking here."

To get the latest Village news and special alerts, sign up at www.northfieldil.org to receive the Village newsletter and special e-blasts sent directly to you via email.  Don't miss President Fred Gougler's briefings on Village information, reminders on important dates, rates and informaton for spring and more! To read the Village Newsletter on line or print out a copy, click on the box "Newsletters" on the right side of the first page of this website.

At the January 17 Committee of the Whole meeting, the Village Board discussed the merits and some of their concerns for a combined dispatch center being studied with the communities of Kenilworth and Winnetka in an effort to consolidate operations to improve emergency dispatch services and provide long-term capital expense savings for the communities.  The Board members asked questions to get additional information.  Results from that meeting indicated a number of concerns which caused the Board to shelve the plan for the time being.  Those issues/concerns will be shared with the other two communities.  "Click here" to read the entire report developed by consultant Elert and Associates.

Since the conclusion of the Community Advisory Group meetings in 2011, Village staff, its engineers and representatives of the school and park districts have been meeting monthly with IDOT to work on design elements for IDOT's proposed four lane Willow Road that will provide safety features and aesthetics such as improved signalization and crosswalks, a planted median and more.  Once all the proposed details have been determined, the final plans will be presented to the community at an Open House hosted by IDOT in Spring 2012.  Watch for more details.

This is a big Presidential election year and there is a long list of candidates seeking a place on the November 6 General Election ballot.  You can narrow that list of candidates by voting in the Primary Election to be held Tuesday, March 20.  As a first step, make sure you are registered to vote by February 21.  All those who turned 18, became a U.S. citizen, changed their name or moved will want to be sure they are registered to vote.  You can register by obtaining an application by mail or in person at the Village Hall.  First time voters who register by mail must vote in person either absentee in person or at their polling place.  Important election dates to keep in mind for the General Primary Election include:

--Feb. 9-Mar. 15 are the first and last days for registered voters to make application by mail or in person for an official absentee ballot.

--Feb. 27-Mar. 15 are the first and last days of Early Voting.  Check voting locations at www.cookcountyclerk.com.

--Mar. 20 is the day to vote at your precinct for candidates in the General Primary Election. 

The Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District Board of Trustees is seeking two new trustees - one from Northfield and one from Winnetka to fill vacancies on the Board.  The primary responsibilities of the Library Board are to hire and supervise the Library Director, determine the Library policies, determine the Library District's annual budget and tax levy and approve and audit the Library District's expenditures.  For more information, email questions to julij@winnetkalibrary.org or call 847-446-7220.  To download an appliction for a Library Board Trustee position go to the Library website, www.winnetkalibrary.org.  Applications are due by March 5 and interviews of the candidates will be held on March 14 at 7:00 PM.

It has been a while but snow has finally arrived!  A few reminders about parking on Village streets during snowfalls are needed if streets are going to get plowed without hitting cars in the process and perhaps towed.  Village Code requires that whenever there is a snowfall of 3 inches or more, motor vehicles parked on any Village street or in any municipal parking lot must be promptly removed to permit snow removal.  In addition, motor vehicles are prohibited from parking on any Village street or in any Village lot between the hours of 2:00 AM and 6:00 AM at any time.  If you have a special situation involving parking your car on the street during those hours, contact the Police Department to discuss, 847-446-2131.  

As part of ComEd's on-going investment in its electric system and in partnership with the Village of Northfield, the utility company is completing work on a number of projects aimed at enhancing reliability for Northfield customers by reducing the frequency and duration of outages.  On the east side of town behind Lagoon near East Frontage Road, ComEd completed the first phase of replacing underground cable in December 2011.  This work is designed to help improve system performance in the area.  The second phase is expected to be done by the end of May 2012.  On the west side of town, ComEd will install overhead Hendrix spacer cable which is a fairly new device that helps protect lines from damage caused by falling tree limbs.  In areas where tested, the cable system has dramatically reduced the number of customer service interruptions by reinforcing overhead electrical wires.  The Hendrix cable system will be installed in the north-south utility easement between Wagner Road and Graemere Street running from Bosworth Lane to about 1,200 feet south.  This project is expected to be completed by the end of March 2012.

Additionally, ComEd will be installing a number of smart fuse devices throughout their system.  This new technology allows the system to automatically reset which improves performance and reduces the length and quantity of outages.  This work is expected to be completed by the end of March 2012.  Finally, throughout the community, ComEd will be trimming trees near electric lines to reduce outages and enhance reliability.  Streets where ComEd will be trimming trees include:  Wagner Road, Graemere, Dorina Drive, Happ Road, Latrobe, Lockwood, Martin Lane, Meadowbrook Drive, Mt. Pleasant, Pine, Southgate, Summerfield Road, Sunset Ridge Road, Willow Road, Woodland Lane, Linden, and Valleyview.  Residents and businesses will be notified via a letter or phone call prior to any ComEd work that requires a scheduled electric outage.  Also, residents will receive a "door hanger" notifying them of enhanced tree trimming work in their area.  For more information, visit www.ComEd.com.