SR0138 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0138 LRB104 12490 ECR 22860 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to congratulate Kevin Wallace on the occasion of his retirement as Village President of the Village of Bartlett; and

WHEREAS, President Wallace has held his position across three straight terms since 2013, allowing the Village of Bartlett to reap the rewards of his dedicated service for the past 12 years; his distinguished leadership and thoughtful guidance have helped to successfully shape the village during more than a decade of growth and change in all its sectors, including public, residential, industrial, and commercial; and

WHEREAS, During President Wallace's tenure, the Village of Bartlett completed a new state-of-the-art police station for its Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) certified police department, joined the DuPage Water Commission to turn the valves on a much-anticipated transition to Lake Michigan water, and put the finishing touches on a multi-year, $35 million, American Public Works Association (APWA) award-winning water reclamation facility improvements project; and

WHEREAS, President Wallace, amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, thoughtfully worked with the Village Board of Trustees and staff to balance the needs and wants of a modern community while maintaining a balanced budget, level taxes, a strong bond rating, and high levels of service to keep the village safe and its infrastructure sound, and most importantly, he helped preserve and celebrate Bartlett's rich heritage and much treasured small town atmosphere; and

WHEREAS, In 2023, President Wallace saw a reawakened vigor in the Village of Bartlett's residential development sector when the village welcomed The Grasslands, a new community of traditional, single-family homes, three-story townhomes, and ranch-style, single-family homes and duplexes, to its West Bartlett Road and IL Route 59 site; and

WHEREAS, When President Wallace initially took the helm, the Village of Bartlett did not have a multi-make car dealership, a second grocery store, or a brewery; due in part to his efforts, the village has welcomed in the last couple of years the Bob Loquercio Auto Group on Lake Street, a brand-new ALDI grocery store to the renovated, revitalized, and renamed Streets of Bartlett shopping center, MORE Brewing to the downtown area, and a bevy of new restaurants, enabling Bartlett's first-ever Restaurant Week this past February; and

WHEREAS, Over the course of his leadership, President Wallace has become renowned for his mastery of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funding; during his time on the Village Board of Trustees, the village successfully completed the Brewster Creek Business Park, developed from a depleted gravel quarry to notably one of the more successful TIF districts in the State, which serves as a home for nearly 80 businesses, 7,000 employees, and a multitude of customers and vendors; he was also influential in the Bluff City/Blue Heron area being developed through TIF financing, and just last year, the Village Board approved a new Lake Street TIF district; and

WHEREAS, President Wallace's hard work will continue to benefit the residents of the Village of Bartlett for years to come, and his many contributions will leave a lasting mark upon Bartlett; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Kevin Wallace on his retirement as Village President of the Village of Bartlett, thank him for his dedication and service to his community, and wish him all the best in his future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to President Wallace as a symbol of our esteem and respect.