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 The questions go on: "Are you the guy I talk to
about my neighbor's grass?" "Are you the guy I talk to about my
neighbor's trash?" "Are you the guy I talk to about a permit?"
Lebegue says that obviously he's still getting to know the people
of Lincoln and they are still getting to know him, but he welcomes
those calls and wants to urge everyone to keep them coming in.
A bit of Lebegue's history
He was raised on his family's farm about 20 miles north of
Pontiac. Being on the farm, there was always something that needed
to be fixed, built or rebuilt. He said his interest in construction
and buildings in general was a natural flow for him, based on his
childhood.
When he entered college he knew that his future was in buildings,
but he didn't really consider zoning and ordinance until he was in
grad school. It was then that he began to realize the important
relationship between sound buildings, well-laid-out communities, and
zoning and ordinances.
In his career, Lebegue has worked in zoning in the villages of
Riverside, Hinsdale and Lincolnwood.
He said that when the job in Lincoln came up, he and wife Reneé
had several things they felt they had to consider when it came to
relocation.
They have two school-age sons. Spencer, 15, is a freshman in high
school and heavily involved in sports and school activities. Tyler,
8, along with Spencer is involved in soccer, and their season is
going on now. The Lebegues felt that removing both boys from their
schools, teams and their friends would not be good for them.
In addition, Reneé has a career as a reading specialist in the
Riverside School District, where she has been employed only a year.
For her to give that up could also have been detrimental to the
family.
The first 60 days
Lebegue said that in his first 60 days he has had the opportunity
to look around Lincoln, and he does have some ideas for the future
and some immediate needs that need to be addressed. When it comes to
problem properties, Lincoln has a few more of those than other
places where he has worked.
Lebegue blames at least a portion of the poorly kept properties
on the economy. He explained that right now there are so many homes
for sale in Lincoln, and some of those are foreclosures that have
been abandoned. As such, these properties are not being taken care
of properly. Even though some of these properties are listed with
realtors, there are cases where there is very little the realtor can
do with a property because the lending institutions who own the home
will not invest in maintenance.
Another component of the problem is trash. Lebegue theorized that
there are people who have not paid for or have canceled their
garbage pickup. The result is that they pile trash along the backs
of garages or buildings, and they call for trash pickup only on
occasion, if at all.
And finally, a third thing going on is that people who have trash
to get rid of are throwing it on the lawns of the abandoned homes.
Lebegue said that he would actively prosecute ordinance
violators, but there are a couple of problems. First, prosecution
takes time. He said that when he turns something over to city
attorney Bill Bates, the attorney gets his part done quickly, but
then the case goes on a docket and it can take up to six weeks to
get any kind of ruling.
On the bright side, Lebegue said that in Lincoln, we are
fortunate to have a judge who will prosecute ordinance violations to
the full extent of the law, including jail time.
Looking ahead
Lebegue has already put together his "to do" list for his
department.
One of the things he needs to do as soon as possible is figure
out how to bring more revenues into his department.
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This year, the zoning office was not exempt from the budget cuts
that had to be made due to a poor economy. But Lebegue is taking
that in stride. He said that he believes the council is counting on
him to bring more revenues into his department, and he doesn't
intend to disappoint them.
He has already done quite a bit of work on the fines that the
city imposes on ordinance violators. Lebegue said that currently the
fines imposed by the city have no bite.
He believes that because the fines are of little consequence,
they are not helping to deter violators. If fines are increased to a
point where that they take a bite out of a violator's wallet, that
violator may think twice before letting his property go to ruin.
According to Lebegue, permit fees for the city of Lincoln are not
in line with those in other area communities. Lebegue says that
generally, building and construction fees are pretty uniform from
town to town in a given region; developers know that and expect it.
What Lebegue is working on is restructuring the fees on larger
projects.
He said that homeowners who want to erect a fence, for example,
are not going to notice a huge difference in the fee structure. Most
of the fee increases will apply to projects with a total cost
exceeding $4,000.
Lebegue also intends to apply for a Neighborhood Rehabilitation
Grant for the city. He said that the federal government has a lot of
money available, and he intends to try to get some of it for
Lincoln.
Later this summer he plans to dig into the new and currently
un-passed sign ordinance.
He said he wants to be assured that there are different standards
for the downtown area. To preserve its character, he wants to make
sure that ordinances are designed to keep signage on the square
uniform, modest and in line with the general aesthetic of the area.
A large project that he intends to undertake, probably after the
first of the year, is a rewrite of city zoning codes and ordinances.
Lebegue said that this is something he has a good deal of experience
in, and he is confident he can do a good job for the city.
One of the things that concerns Lebegue about the west side of
town in particular is that current ordinances do not insist on green
space landscaping and the use of trees.
"Modern zoning codes go into design elements and landscaping," he
said. "When I drive along Woodlawn, I want to see trees, bushes and
something that will add interest to that drive."
Lebegue said he is getting acquainted with the community and has
found everyone to be very welcoming.
"People walking by the office will stop in just to say hi to the
new guy. To me this is kind of an unusual aspect of Lincoln; I don't
usually get that kind of response," he said.
So in answer to the question, "Are you the guy?" Lebegue said
that indeed he is, and he plans on being "the guy" for the next
several years. He is looking forward to working for and with the
council and the community to effect positive change in the aesthetic
quality of the city.
He adds: "I see a community here that is very willing (to effect
change), and I think we'll have people coming out of the woodwork
saying, ‘I want to help.'" He looks forward to meeting and working
with them all.
[By
Nila Smith]
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