Highland Park mayor explains mayoral powers, budget and plan to sell vacant lots to raise revenue
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Summary
Mayor Mara McDonald used a live Ask HP session to explain the mayor’s duties, clarify that the treasurer and courts operate separately from the mayor’s office, and outline a plan to sell vacant city lots (about 40% of parcels) to bring in revenue and reduce a $360,000 annual maintenance cost.
Mayor Mara McDonald said the mayor’s chief responsibility is running the city’s day-to-day administration and enforcing local laws, while the treasurer, clerk and courts remain separate functions. “The finance director gathers all the information for the budget. It is prepared and presented by the mayor,” McDonald said, describing how the mayor presents the budget to City Council for approval.
McDonald said Highland Park’s main revenue sources are property taxes, a local income tax and grants. She gave an annual budget range of about $11,000,000 to $12,000,000. She also told viewers that, based on city records she cited, Highland Park still owns roughly 40% of lots within the city and that vacant parcels cost the city about $360,000 a year in stormwater and related expenses.
On selling city-owned parcels, McDonald described the review process: the community and prospective buyers must be vetted by Community and Economic Development (CED), buyers must show no outstanding water bills or taxes, and CED forwards vetted sales to City Council for final approval. “I don’t sell property,” McDonald said. “We bring forth and suggest or recommend that these properties are sold. The city council…approve or disapprove.”
McDonald estimated about 1,440 parcels are ready for disposition and suggested sales could generate roughly $500 per lot in tax revenue — an estimate she said could approach $1,000,000 total after properties change hands and return to the tax rolls. She emphasized those figures as estimates tied to pending council action.
The mayor closed the segment by urging residents to attend a master-plan public input session at the Highland Park Justice Center that evening and to sign up for city email or text alerts for updates on budget and property sales.
