HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-01-26 MinutesMINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE PRESIDENT
AND THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE VILLAGE OF MORTON GROVE'.
COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS, HELD AT THE
RICHARD T. FLICKINGER MUNICIPAL CENTER
JANUARY 26, 2015
CALL TO ORDER
I & Village President Dan DiMaria called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and wished everyone a
II. Happy New Year. He then led the assemblage in the Pledge of Allegiance.
III. Village Clerk Ed Ramos called the roll. Present were: Trustees Bill Grear, Shel Marcus,
John Pietron, John Thill, Maria Toth, and Janine Witko.
IV. EXECUTIVE SESSION
NONE
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Regarding the Minutes of the January 12, 2015 Regular Board Meeting. Trustee Toth moved
to accept the Minutes as presented, seconded by Trustee Witko. Motion passed
unanimously via voice vote.
VI. SPECIAL REPORTS
Presentation of the Government Finance Officers Association Award for the Certificate of
Achievement in Financial Reporting to the Finance Department.
VII.
Mayor DiMaria called Finance Director Remy Navarrete to the podium and said he was
pleased to announce that the Village has once again received the Government Finance
Officers Association's (GFOA) Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial
Reporting. It is the highest form of recognition in governmental account and financial
reporting, and its attainrnent represents a significant accomplishment by a government
and its management.
Mayor DiMaria and the Board congratulated Ms. Navarrete and the staff of the Finance
Department on their achievement.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
NONE
.. -_Minutes ..of.�ranu,� 26.2015Boar9_Meeti_.'
VIII.
IX
RESIDENTS' COMMENTS (Agenda Items Only)
Karen Laner congratulated the Board on the Strategic Plan and encouraged them to include
the addition of "bicycle -friendly" anywhere in the Plan where it says "pedestrian -friendly."
PRESIDENT'S REPORT
1. Mayor DiMaria said that tonight is a big night for Morton Grove because tonight, the Board
will be adopting the Village's first-ever Strategic Plan. He said he found it amazing that a
$60 million dollar enterprise has never had a Strategic Plan before. He felt it was important for
all entities, even smaller mom `n pop stores, to have a plan. It helps prioritize the actions you
need to take to achieve your goals. Mayor DiMaria said that goal setting is very important.
He said he was glad that the Village's Strategic Plan included community input, input from
local businesses, and input from an outside perspective. He said the Village can now have
consistency in its initiatives and plans, and attract businesses that we feel should be here. And
yet, the Plan will be flexible enough to include changes, such as Karen Laner's suggestion to
add "bicycle -friendly" to it.
a. Mayor DiMaria thanked the Steering Committee, Village staff, Houseal Lavigne, and most
importantly, all the residents and businesses who gave of their time to provide input and
feedback to the Village. Now the framework is in place; the next step is implementation.
Mayor DiMaria said the Strategic Plan gives the Board the structure to move Morton Grove to
where it needs to be.
b. Mayor DiMaria then introduced John Houseal of Houseal Lavigne, the Strategic Plan consult-
ing firm used by the Village.
c. Mr. Houseal said he agreed with Mayor DiMaria that have a strategic plan is a necessity
in every organization, in order to be sure that all decisions are coordinated. It provides a
framework for day-to-day operations to be coordinated and unified to an objective. The end
result is a reflection of both the people involved and the process.
2/
Mayor DiMaria then presented and asked for a motion to approve Resolution 15-08,
Adopting. the Village of Morton Grove Strategic Pian Dated January 2015, Trustee Thill
so moved, seconded by Trustee Grear.
Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Tr. Grear aye Tr. Marcus ye Tr. Pretron aye
Tr. Thili aVe Tr. Toth aye Tr. Witko aye
Mayoral Update
Mayor DiMaria noted that, last Saturday morning, he and Trustees Marcus, Thill, and VVitko,
attended the Northwest Municipal Conference's Legislative Breakfast. Governor Rauner was
there and seemed very sincere in his stated desire to work together with municipalities.
State Senator Jan Schakowsky was also in attendance, as were many other legislators.
Mayor DiMaria said he felt the new governor was a breath of fresh air and expressed
confidence that things in Springfield will be different now.
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Minutes of Janina 26 2015 Board Nleatin
IX.
PRESIDENT'S REPORT (continued)
3. Mayor DiMaria again congratulated Finance Director Navarrete and her staff on receiving
the GFOA Certificate of Excellence in Government Accounting. He cafled it a significant
accomplishment.
X.
Clerk Ramos had no report.
CLERK'S REPORT
XI STAFF REPORTS
A. Village Administrator:
Village Administrator Ryan Horne had no report.
B. Corporation Counsel:
Corporation Counsel Liston had no report.
XII. TRUSTEES' REPORTS
A. Trustee Grear:
Trustee Greer presented Resolution 15-03, Authorizing the Execution of an Addendum to
the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) Agreement
He explained that this addendum to the existing agreement is being executed at the request
of Illinois MABAS to ensure compliance with the Federal Errergency Management Agency
(FEMA) Recovery Policy. The addendum will assist in assuring that all MARAS Illinois assets
are eligible for reimbursement under the federal Declaration of Disaster requirements of the
federal Stafford Act.
Trustee Grear moved to approve Resolution 15-03, seconded by Trustee Pletron.
Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Tr. Grear alio Tr. Marcus avg. TrPieirnn aye
Tr.ThiU aye Tr. Toth aye Tr.VVi`ko aye
B. Trustee Marcus:
Trustee Marcus had no report.
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XII
TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued)
C. Trustee Pietron:
a.
b
.26.:2015 Bard.Miee tin
Trustee Pietron presented Resolution 15-07, Authorizing a Contractual Agreement With
CDW-G To Provide For the Renewal of a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement for Microsoft
Software Licensing for Operating and Productivity Software For All Village Desktop
Computers.
He explained that this resolution will help the Village maintain sufficient licensing of operating
and productivity software according the software's terms and conditions. The Microsoft
Enterprise Agreement will allowthe village to maintain licensing compliance, as well as
maintain software updates, upgrades, and technical support. The Village is required to
maintain licensing for the software it uses in daily operations. The operating systems, individual
applications, and connectivity to serves all maintain their own licensing scheme. The Enterprise
Agreement renewal indudes an annual maintenance support cost for updates and upgrades,
as well as license costs. The 2015 licensing and software maintenance expense is $39,691.60.
Trustee Pietron moved to approve Resolution 15-07. Trustee Grear seconded the motion.
Trustee Marcus asked if the Village was "locked in" with Microsoft, or if we could shop around
for other software or operating systems. The Village's IT Director, Boyle Wong, responded,
and said the Village can certainly evaluate alternative operating systems and software, but
Microsoft provides tools that are compatible with certain specialized software (i.e., utility billing)
that the Village currently uses. Trustee Marcus noted that once the Village is locked -in to
an agreement, it's hard to change things. He was glad to hear the Village can and does
evaluate its options. He hoped that the Village could find something else that would work
with the specialized tools, while saving some money.
c Trustee Pietron commented that he meets regularly with Mr. Wong and assured
Trustee Marcus that Mr. Wong does his research and due diligence.
Mayor DiMaria called for the vote on Resolution 15-07.
Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Tr. Grear aye Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Pietron aye
Tr. Thili Tr. Toth aye Tr. Wilke aye
D. Trustee Thill:
Trustee Thin pre s nted Ress rutscrr 1 a-0 „ .Autho
Holland and Knight LLP to Act as Special Counsel for TIF -Related Matters.
rtractuai Agreement rMth
a. He explained that the Village has created several TIF Districts, including the Waukegan -
Dempster TIF District, which was created in 2012. Due to the complex nature of the state's TIF
statutes and the need to evaluate proposals and negotiate or draft redevelopment agreements
for properties in the Village's TIF districts, Village staff believes the retention of special counsel
will be beneficial to the Village.
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Minutes of Janus °'25, 2015 Board Meetln =`
XII
TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued)
D. Trustee Thill: (continued)
b. Holland and Knight LLP has provided excellent quality legal services to the Village in the past,
and is extremely knowledgeable about the legal issues and conditions relating to the Village's
TIF Districts. Their fees will be based on the amount of work performed. Legal services for
TIF -related work in 2015 will be determined based on the proposals received by the Village,
and is expected to exceed $20,000.
Trustee Thill moved, seconded by Trustee Toth, to approve Resolution 15-04.
c. Trustee Toth asked Village Administrator Horne how much had been budgeted for Special
Counsel in the 2015 Budget, and how much over $20,000 the legal fees would be.
d. Mr. Horne said that Corporation Counsel manages the expenses for Special Counsel, so he
would defer to her to respond to Trustee Toth's questions.
e. Corporation Counsel Liston said the funds for Special Counsel come out of the TIF budget,
and there's $10,000 budgeted there. Because of the complexities of TIFs, legal filings, review
of development agreements/proposals, $85,000 has been budgeted in the Legal Department's
budget for Special Counsel. Holland and Knight is the specialized legal counsel the Village
used in 2014, but because of the lack of development agreement/proposals, their fees never
reached the level ($20,000) where a Resolution would have been needed. However, this year,
the Village foresees a couple of development proposals corning in, which could drive special
counsel fees over the $20,000 level. Ms. Liston said it's similar to the arrangement the Village
has with the Ciorba Group. The most recent development proposal the Village dealt with was
for the Homestead; special counsel fees were $30,000 for that. She said the Village will be as
cost-effective as possible, and won't even get special counsel involved until necessary.
f. Trustee Marcus said that any new "assignment" will require Board approval if it's over $20,000.
He asked if special counsel was involved when the Village set up its initial TIF Districts.
Ms. Liston said the Village has used, in the past, Ancel & Glink and Bell, Boyd & Boyd, and
moving forward, the Village chose Holland and Knight because it is a premier large full-service
law firm. They deal with issues such analyzing development proposals, EPA issues, etc. This
is not the cheapest law firm, hut this wilt provide the Village the greatest value. They have
municipal experience as well as a depth and breadth of specialized knowledge regarding
TIE' District laws and issues.
Trustee Marcus thanked Ms. Liston for her explanation. He said he felt it was impo fent for the
public to he aware of this, noting that he just wanted to bring this to the public's attention.
Mayor DiMaria called for the vote on Resolution 15-04.
Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Tr. Grear ye Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Pietron ale
Tr. Thiil aye Tr. Toth aye Tr. Witko aye
E. Trustee Toth:
Trustee Toth had no report.
5
Minutes_of Jamie "7 6 2015 Board Wle`ottn •'
XII.
F. Trustee Witko:
1. Trustee Witko presented Ordinance 15-01, Amending the Village's Unified Development
Code (Ord. 07-07) To Establish Commercial Land Use Classifications (Sec. 12-4-3) and
Definitions (Sec. 12-17-1) For "Financial Institutions" and "Financial Institutions—
Alternative" and to Eliminate "Currency Exchange," "Banks and Financial Institutions,"
and "Financial Services" From the Existing Commercial Land Use Classifications,
TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued)
This is the second reading of this Ordinance.
a. Trustee Witko explained that this is pursuant to PC 14-17, reported out in in detail at the
Board's January 12" meeting by Community and Economic Development Director
Nancy Razdevich.
Trustee Witko moved to adopt Ordinance 15-01, seconded by Trustee Pietron.
b.
Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Tr. Grear ave Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Pietron aye
Tr. Thill aye Tr. Toth aye Tr. Witko aye
Prior to Trustee Witko's next Agenda item, Mayor DiMaria said, for the benefit of the public,
that the resolution Trustee Witko is about to present is a direct result of the Village's reaching
out and working with other taxing bodies, including, in this case, other municipalities, in an
effort to do something about the rising costs of water. He said the Board heard the complaints
of the residents and took them seriously. Administrator Horne, Corporation Counsel Liston,
Finance Director Navarrete, and Public Works Director Andy DeMonte have all held
conversations with their counterparts in Niles about how to save their residents some money
on the price of water'. Mayor DiMaria said that, now, both Villages are ready to take it to the
next level. He said he hoped that, in February, there will be some more detail and some good
news to report.
2. Trustee Witko then presented Resolution 15-05, Authorizing a Contractual Agreement
With Holland and Knight LLP for Legal Services Relating to a Long -Term Water Supply
Agreement for the Villages of Morton Grove and Niles,
She explained that the Villages of Morton Grove and Niles have purchased water from the City
of Chicago for many years; however, due to recent substantial rate hikes, they believe it is in
their best interests to find an alternative water source at a more favorable rate. Thus the two
Villages have begun working together to seek and consider alternative water supplies.
Tho City of Evanston and the Villages of VViimette and Glenview have submitted detailed
proposals, which have been reviewed by Village Staff, Gewalt Hamilton. Associates, Inc., and
William Bailing of WRB, LLC Consulting and Management Services. Due to the technical and
specialized nature of a Water Supply Agreement, it is in the best interests of the Villages of
Morton Grove and Niles to retain a Special Counsel to work out the final negotiations and
draft a final water supply agreement, should the decision be made to pursue a contract with
an alternative water supply source.
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Minutes ofJanua " 262016Board Meetin•'.
XII. TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued)
F. Trustee Witko: (continued)
c. Barbara Adams of Holland and Knight is highly respected for her knowledge and
understanding of complex water supply agreements, and the Corporation Counsels of both
Morton Grove and Niles have recommended that both Villages jointly retain her and her firm's
services for this project. Fees will be equally paid by the Villages of Morton Grove and Nies.
Trustee Witko moved to approve Resolution 15-05, seconded by Trustee Toth.
d. Trustee Marcus commented that the Board just received this information on Friday. He said
he was concerned and didn't feel the Board had had enough time to review and understand
this material, and now the Board has to vote on it. He said he had some questions. He said it
appears that the Agreement with Holland and Knight does not have a dollar amount total, just
an hourly rate. He felt the Board needed to figure an amount, and if it appears that the cost
is going to be over that amount, it should come back before the Board. He asked if it was
possible for Corporation Counsel to ballpark an amount.
e. Ms. Liston said that was a fair question. She said the cost will depend on the length of
the negotiations with an alternative water supplier. She noted that the Village can stop
representation at any time. She said she could not guess a dollar amount, but noted that
Barbara Adams is known for her expertise, and said she could get information about other
contracts she's done.
f. Ms. Liston said she had checked with Ms. Navarrete, arid noted that $85,000 was budgeted for
Professional Services in the Village's Enterprise Fund, which is where the money would come
from. She added that this will probably turn out to be a 30 -year agreement, which will need
intergovernmental agreements and will have construction components, It's very likely that the
cost will be over $20,000.
g. Trustee Marcus said that he appreciated knowing this, and knowing that we have $85,000
in the Budget. He said he has no argument with the concept, and thought it would be a
tremendous step forward for Morton Grove. He said he knows that residents are distressed
about water rate hikes that the Village has had to pass through. Trustee Marcus noted that
sometimes all the information the Board receives is overwhelrrrng. His question about how
much this agreement could cost was not only for his own information and comfort level, it was
for the public's. too.
Ms. Liston said this will be a `legacy" decision and it needs to be done right. She noted that
the $85,000 Professional Services line item in the Enterprise Fund also covers engineering
and other consulting services, and it probably won't be enough. She said it's very likely that
a Budget Amendment will be necessary.
Mayor DiMaria called for the vote on Resolution 15-04.
Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Tr, Grear aye Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Pietron aye
Tr. Thill aye Tr. Toth aye Tr. Witko aye
7
[if .t it 1 es n
XII. TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued)
F. Trustee Witko: (continued)
3. Next, Trustee Witko presented Resolution 15-06, Authorizing a Contractual Agreement
With WRB, LLC For Consulting Services Relating to the Negotiations of a Long -Term
Water Supply Agreement for the Vilages of Morton Grove and Niles.
a.
c.
d.
She explained that the Villages of Morton Grove and Niles have already completed extensive
research and have received serious proposals from the City of Evanston and the Villages of
Wilmette/Glenview for an alternative Water Supply Agreement. These proposals have been
reviewed by Village staff and Gewalt Hamilton Associates, Inc. William Balling of WRB, LLC
has also been consulted due to the technical and specialized nature of the Water Supply
Agreement. Both Villages agree that it is in their best interests to retain a consultant to assist in
the analysis, negotiations, and drafting of a final water supply agreement, should the decision
be made to pursue a contract with an alternative source. Mr. Balling is highly respected for his
knowledge and understanding of complex water supply agreements. The Villages of Morton
Grove and will equally share in the cost of WRB, LLC's fees.
Trustee Witko moved to approve Resolution 15-06, seconded by Trustee Toth.
Trustee Thill commented that the City of Chicago has raised its rates over 40% in the last three
years. He felt that this is intolerable, and Village must do this.
Trustee Marcus said he had the same issue as with the previous Resolution, in that the
compensation appears to be "open-ended". He said he agreed with Trustee Thill that the
Village has to do something, but had some questions on the financial end. He noted that
there is a 12% overhead added to monthly billings, and wondered if that was fair and equitable
feeling that it could certainly add up.
Mr. Horne said that, when the Villages started meeting jointly last May with Mr, Balling about
his services, there were numerous conversations regarding his rate structure. Mr. Horne said
he felt very comfortable that Mr. Bailing was treating the Villages equitably. Mr. Balling is a
former Village Manager and knows very well that Morton Grove is a cost-conscious community.
Ms. Liston added that the Board will be meeting Mr. Bailing within a short time, and he will
offer a scenario at options and strategies for the Board's consideration. In addition to being a
former Village Manager, Mr. Balling served as the Chair of the Northwest Water Commission
a consortium of four municipalities that purchase water from Evanston). This necessitated
constructing a water main from Evanston to the four northwest communities. These communi-
ties literally could riot grow and develop without water. Ms. Liston said Mr. Balling's experience
s a valuable specialty. She noted that some firms add a 12% overhead and some don't, but
the ones that don't usually end up charging a higher hourly rate.
Trustee Marcus said he had no argument; he was just trying to determine what this would cost
the Village. He said he. would appreciate knowing tthe amounts when the Village gets them.
g. Trustee Thill cautioned the Board and residents to be realistic, stating that, once we enter into
an agreement, we're not going to simply turn on a spigot and we'll have water. He noted that
the Village will likely need to spend millions of dollars for the necessary infrastructure—but
once the infrastructure is in place, the Village will be able to "hold the line" on water rates. He
added that there are federal funds also available for this type of project.
s
Minutes of Janne 26.2015 Board Meetin.'.
XII, TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued)
F. Trustee Witko: (continued)
h. Trustee Marcus said he was glad that the costs will be shared with the Village of Niles.
Mayor DiMaria noted that the costs will be shared proportionately. He said he understands
where Trustee Marcus is coming from, commenting that sometimes we don't know the costs.
Village staff does a great job of giving us the costs when they're available, and he said that,
if the Village didn't have the money to do something, staff would certainly tell them that.
Mayor DiMaria said that, without taking these initial steps, we'll never be able to lay pipe.
i. Mr. Horne said that, as Ms. Liston mentioned, there is about $90,000 in the Enterprise Fund for
Professional Services. He said he appreciates the confidence the Board has in the Village
staff.
Trustee Marcus said he felt it was important to at least raise the issue.
Mayor DiMaria called for the vote on Resolution 15-04.
Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Tr. Greer aye Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Pietron aye
Tr. Thill aye Tr. Toth aye Tr, Witko aye
XIII. OTHER BUSINESS
Mayor DiMaria reiterated that this is an exciting night for Morton Grove, not only because
the Board adopted a Strategic Plan, put together by the community and the Board, but also
because of the Village's forward movement toward resolving the water rate issue. These
decisions will affect the Village into the year 2045, or 2060. They are monumental, legacy
decisions and they are the right thing to do.
XIV, WARRANTS
Trustee Toth present the Warrant Register in the amount et $ 1 „300,=�:5u.96 fo ap)prova'.
She moved to approve the Warrants as presented, seconded by Trustee Witko
Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Tr. Grear aye Tr, Marcus ave
Tr. Thill aye Tr. Toth aye
RES€DENTS' COMMENTS
Tr, Pietron aye
Tr. Witko aye
Sasha appeared before the Board to thank them for adopting Resolution 15-08 and for
including bicycle -friendliness in the Strategic Pian. She noted that Karen Laner will be
administering a Facebook group called "Bike MG" that will open tomorrow. She was glad
the Village wanted to work with this group and noted that there's a lot of interest in it. It will
be an open Facebook group and she added her hope that everyone would join it.
s
Minutes of Janua 26 2016 Board Meetin
XVI.
ADJOURNMENT
Trustee ThilI moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Trustee Marcus.
Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays.
Tr. Grear aye Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Pietron aye
Tr.Thi|| aye Tr. Toth aye Tr. Witko aye
The meeting adjourned at 7:57 p.m.
FASSED ths 90i day of February 2015.
Trustee Grear
Trustee Marcus
Trustee Pietron
TrusteoTNU
Trustee Toth
Tru,XovYYiiko
APPROVED by me this 9th day of February 2015.
Daniel P.DiMaha,Wage President
Board of Trustees, Morton Grove, Ellinois
APPROV/E-i and FLED in my office this 10,th day of February 2015.
|
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viA ac, _
EdUbertoRamos, Village Clerk
Village of Morton Grove, Cook County, Illinois
Minutes by' Teresa Cousar
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