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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-09-28 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 SEPTEMBER 28, 2015 CALL TO ORDER I & Village President Dan DiMaria called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the Council il. Chambers of Village Hall and led the Board and assemblage in the Pledge of Allegiance. III. Village Clerk Connie Travis called the roll. Present were: Trustees Bill Grear, Rita Minx, John Pietron, Ed Ramos, John Thill, and Janine Witko. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Regarding the Minutes of the September 14, 2015 Regular Board Meeting, Trustee Minx moved, seconded by Trustee Witko, to accept the Minutes as presented. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. V. SPECIAL REPORTS NONE VI. PUBLIC HEARINGS NONE VII. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS (Agenda Items Only) NONE VIII. PRESIDENT'S REPORT 1. Mayor DiMaria warmly greeted the Deputy Consulate General of the Philippines, Romulo Victor M. Israel, Jr. and welcomed him to the Village. The mayor asked Trustee Ramos to join him at the podium as he proclaimed October 2015 as "Filipino American History Month" in the Village. He noted that the first Filipino settlement in Louisiana in 1763 set in motion the many contributions Filipino -American have made towards the advancement of the United States in the fields of culture, society, politics, economics, education, technology, and religion. 7.T • • '`L Minutes of September 28, 2015 Board Meetin s�`.k'r-�G'!4u ia",+:,.r riu^� 7.7.', ;� 7a?�c i;a. VIII. PRESIDENT'S REPORT (continued) a. Mayor DiMaria said the annual celebration of Filipino American History Month in October, as denoted by the U.S. Senate and Congress, provides an opportunity to celebrate the heritage and culture of Filipino Americans and their immense contributions, as well as an opportunity for all residents of Morton Grove to learn more about Filipino Americans and their historic contributions to the growth and development of this country. Mayor DiMaria gave the Deputy Consulate General a framed copy of the proclamation. b. Mr. Israel said he was pleased and honored to receive this proclamation from the Village of Morton Grove on behalf of the Consul General and all the staff at the Filipino Consulate. He said the Philippines is comprised of over 7,000 islands, with over 80 languages and 500 cultures, but the Philippines is united in the values it shares with the United States, especially education, democracy, and love of freedom. 2. Next, Mayor DiMaria proclaimed October 4-10, 2015 as "Fire Prevention Week" in the Village. Fire Prevention week focuses on efforts to ensure that all residents are responsive to public education measures and are able to take steps to increase their safety from fires. This year's Fire Prevention Week theme is "Hear the Beep When You Sleep," which serves to remind people to install smoke alarms in every sleeping room and outside each separate sleeping area, and on every level of every home, because working smoke alarms give people the time to get out safely, should a fire occur. Mayor DiMaria said that Morton Grove's response times are among the best, and encouraged everyone to install smoke detectors and to annually make certain that smoke alarms are in good working order. 3. Mayor DiMaria requested the Board's concurrence on several appointments to Village commissions: • Ramina Younan to the Community Relations Commission • Mazhar Khan to the Police and Fire Commission • Karen Berkowsky to the Traffic Safety Commission • Amit Shah to the Traffic Safety Commission Trustee Minx moved to adopt concur with these appointments, seconded by Trustee Pietron. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. 4. Mayoral Update a. Mayor DiMaria said that he had toured the House of Torment (at the site of the former Fear City) and recommended that people try the "Escape Room," which is a room where you're locked in for an hour and have to figure out how to get out. He said it's "not scary." b. Mayor DiMaria thanked all the residents who came out to the Community Outreach at National Park last week. He said there was a lot of good dialogue and good input from residents. it was also an opportunity for residents to meet and talk to specific department heads about individual issues, and to meet and get to know the elected officials as well. Mayor DiMaria thanked Village staff for being there, and the Community Relations Commission members for hosting the 'Welcome" table. 2 Minutes of September 28, 2015 Board Meeting VIII. 4. Mayoral Update (continued) PRESIDENT'S REPORT (continued) c. Lastly, Mayor DiMaria noted that Bert from Bert's Pizza is not doing well and asked everyone to keep him in their thoughts and prayers. He said the Village wishes Bert the best! IX. Clerk Travis had no report. CLERK'S REPORT X. STAFF REPORTS A. Village Administrator: Village Administrator Czerwinski had no report. B. Corporation Counsel: Corporation Counsel Liston had no report. XI. TRUSTEES' REPORTS A. Trustee Grear: 1. a. Trustee Grear presented Ordinance 15-20, Updating Title 1, Chapter 4 of the Municipal Code Entitled "Monetary Penalties and Fines" and Title 6, Chapter 4, Section 6 Entitled "Cruelty to Animals" and Section 10 Entitled "Stray Animals" to Adjust Fines and Fees Relating to Violations of the Village's Animal Control Ordinances. This is the second reading of this Ordinance. Trustee Grear explained that the Police Department recently reviewed the fines and public safety fees associated with violations of the Village's animal control act, and surveyed fines and fees charged by neighboring communities. Based on the review, the Police Chief is recommending that certain fines charged by the Village be adjusted or reduced, in order to be fair and consistent with other towns, and to give the local adjudication hearing officer greater flexibility when determining appropriate fines. Specifically, the Chief is recommending that all offenses relating to cruelty to animals be assessed a fine between $250 and $250,000, and all other violations of the Village's Animal Control Act be assessed a fine between $75 and $750, which is the standard fine for local ordinance violations. b. Trustee Grear said the Chief is also recommending that the public safety fee charged for abandoned animals remain at $500, but that he be given the authority to waive the fee in appropriate circumstances, such as occasions when a person must give up an animal due to a financial hardship. 3 Vidky?is 2° = ' "' rys Minutes of September 28, 2015 Board MeetinT XI. A. Trustee Grear: (continued) TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) c. Currently, the public safety fee charged for stray animals is $150; the Chief is recommending that this only be assessed if the animal has been taken to a private boarding facility by the police department. The fee would fairly compensate the Village for its time and expense to process and transport the animal. It would not be assessed if the animal was only kept for a brief time at the police department. The Chief is also recommending that the current require- ment that a resident pay all outstanding fines and fees before being able to recover their pet be eliminated. Trustee Grear said this ordinance will amend the relevant sections of the municipal code to incorporate these recommendations. d. Trustee Grear moved to adopt Ordinance 15-20, seconded by Trustee Witko. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Grear ave Tr. Minx ay2 Tr. Pietron Tr. Ramos Ly1 Tr. ThiII aye Tr. Witko aL Trustee Grear thanked Chief Simo and Corporation Counsel Liston for doing their due diligence to keep Morton Grove's ordinances current. B. Trustee Minx: a. b. Trustee Minx presented for a first reading Ordinance 15-22, Approving a Minor Amendment to a Special Use Permit for a Senior Citizen Housing Development Project (Ord. 10-20) to Increase Parking Spaces and Change the Driveway From Two -Way to One -Way Travel at 6400 Lincoln Avenue. She explained that this is a minor amendment modifying Ordinance 10-20, which approved a Special Use for a Senior Citizen Housing Development (Homestead) at 6400 Lincoln Avenue to increase the number of parking spaces from 81 to 89 by modifying the main driveway. The plan is to reduce the driveway width from 24 feet to 18.58 feet and change the driveway access from two-way to one-way travel. The onsite sidewalk width will also be reduced from 6 feet to 3 feet in order to add the site's eight new parallel parking spaces. Homestead's parent company, Essex Corporation, has also entered into an agreement with the Morton House Condominiums at 6401 Lincoln Avenue to lease 10 additional parking spaces on their site. Trustee Minx said that the Unified Development Code allows for minor amendments to be approved by the Village Board once the proposed modification(s) have been reviewed and approved by the Building Commissioner or his/her designee, the Plan Commission Chairperson, the Village Administrator, and Corporation Counsel. In this instance, because of the proposed reduction in driveway width and the change in on-site traffic circulation, the site plan modifica- tions were also reviewed and approved by the Fire Department and the Village Engineer. The proposed modifications comply with the Off -Street Parking and Loading Provisions of the Municipal Code, and the reconfigured driveway and parking layout still accommodate fire trucks and other emergency vehicles. Trustee Minx said that, as this is a first reading, no action will be taken this evening. 4 zvtif ; : =,4.7 - ";.' .., ..; Minutes of September 28,`2015 Board Meeting XI. TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) C. Trustee Pietron: 1. Trustee Pietron presented Resolution 15-62, Authorizing the Sale of Surplus Personal Property Owned by the Village of Morton Grove. 2. 3. a. b. He explained that this resolution will authorize the sale of motor vehicles deemed surplus prop- erty by the Village through the Northwest Municipal Conference's auction in cooperation with Americas Auto Auction Chicago. Nine vehicles will be auctioned by the NWMC on Tuesday, October 27th, in Crestwood, Illinois, with a tenth vehicle to be sold as scrap iron. Trustee Pietron moved, seconded by Trustee Thill, to approve Resolution 15-62. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Grear aye Tr. Minx Tr. Pietron Tr. Ramos aye Tr. Thill Tr. Witko a� Next, Trustee Pietron presented Resolution 15-63, Authorization For the Purchase of 4,000 Tons of Roadway Salt. He explained that this resolution will authorize the Village's purchase of de-icing materials for the 2015-2016 winter season. The Village must purchase a minimum of 80% of its order and can go as high as 120%. The estimated contract value is $307,000, but since this is a unit price contract, the final contract amount will based on the actual quantity of salt purchase at a per -ton price of $64.02. Trustee Pietron noted that this is significantly Tess salt than the Village purchased last year. Trustee Pietron moved to approve Resolution 15-63, seconded by Trustee Witko. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Grear aye Tr. Minx aye Tr. Pietron aye Tr. Ramos Ly± Tr. Thill aye Tr. Witko Trustee Grear asked about the progress of the salt dome construction. Public Works Director Andy DeMonte said that construction is underway and should be completed by mid-November. Trustee Pietron then presented Resolution 15-64, Authorizing an Intergovernmental Agreement By and Between the Village of Morton Grove and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) For the Distribution of Rain Barrels. He said that rain barrels are a type of green infrastructure that capture rainwater from residential roofs, saving it for later use and reducing the amount of storm water entering the sewer system. The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) adopted a Rain Barrel Program for the delivery and installation of 55 -gallon rain barrels at no charge to qualifying residences in its service area, which includes Morton Grove. Trustee Pietron said that, in order to participate in this program, the Village must execute an Intergovernmental Agreement with the MWRD. This resolution will authorize the Mayor to execute the Agreement. 5 Minutes of September 28, 2015 Board Meeting XI. C. Trustee Pietron: (continued) TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) c. Trustee Pietron moved to approve Resolution 15-64, seconded by Trustee Thill. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Grear aye Tr. Minx Lys Tr. Pietron Tr. Ramos Ly1 Tr. Thill aye Tr. Witko Trustee Grear commented that the Village is just a "middleman" on this. The Village has no idea when the rain barrels would be delivered or how long it would take to get them once they're or- dered. Public Works Director DeMonte said that Public Works will place the rain barrel orders on be- half of residents. He said that he had heard that the MWRD has a new rain barrel vendor now who is running about four weeks behind. Trustee Thill said he hoped residents would take advantage of the program, noting that it would be a small way to help with storm water entering the sewer system, especially in those areas of town that are prone to flooding. He said there is more information on the MWRD's website, which is mwrd.org. Mayor DiMaria said the information will also be available on the Village's website. D. Trustee Ramos: 1. Trustee Ramos presented Ordinance 15-21, Amending Title 4, Chapter 6D Entitled "Liquor Control" and Title 4, Chapter 3, Section 5 Entitled "Fees Established" of the Municipal Code. a. This is the second reading of this Ordinance. Trustee Ramos explained that the sections of the Municipal Code dealing with liquor license titles and associated fees needs to be updated to ensure they are in compliance with state statutes and current practices. The changes include updating the definition for a Class "A" liquor license; establishing a new Class "M" liquor license for micro -breweries and establishing a liquor license fee of $2,750 per year; establishing a new Class "N" liquor license for video gaming cafes and establishing the annual liquor license fee for Class "N" licenses at $2,750; to allow only eleven licensed premises to have gaming in the Village at any one time; to prohibit any new video gaming establishments within 500 feet of a school; to limit signage advertising video gaming to one lit and one unlit sign visible from the street; to require that video gaming establishments provide food service during its hours of operation; to increase permit fees for video gaming terminals to $250 per machine and $1,000 per licensed operate; to increase the fee for Class "B" liquor licenses; to prohibit license holders other than Class "C" licensees from locking their entrance doors during hours of operation; to allow patrons who purchase bottles of wine at restaurants to transport partially consumed bottles (in compliance with state law); to comply with new state laws permitting and regulating happy hour meal and party packages; and to update the Basset training requirements for employees of license holders in compliance with state law. 6 Minutes of Se. tember 28, 2015 Board Meeting XI. TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) D. Trustee Ramos: (continued) b. Trustee Ramos moved, seconded by Trustee Thill, to adopt Ordinance 15-21. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Grear aye Tr. Minx aye Tr. Pietron aye Tr. Ramos aye Tr. ThiII aye Tr. Witko aye E. Trustee Thill: Trustee Thill had no formal report, but thanked Wright -Way Rescue for leaving Linne Woods "cleaner than they found it" after their recent "run", in spite of a great turnout. He said it was un- believable. F. Trustee Witko: Trustee Witko had no report. XII. OTHER BUSINESS Mayor DiMaria introduced the Park District's new Executive Director, Jeffrey Wait, in the assemblage this evening. He said Mr. Wait has already been active in Chamber events and is going to be a great addition to the Village. Mr. Wait thanked the Mayor and reminded everyone that the Park District's Oktoberfest would be held this Friday and Saturday at Harrer Park. Trustee Ramos singled out some of Morton Grove's Filipino -American dignitaries in the assemblage this evening: Mr. David Calimag from the Library Board and his wife, Deacon Tony Valdez from St. Martha's, Mr. and Mrs. Maceda, Mr. and Mrs. Pintag, Mr. and Mrs. Gutierrez, and Mr. Rey Renola. He thanked them all for attending this evening in honor of Filipino - American month. XIII. WARRANTS Trustee Ramos presented the Warrant Register for September 28, 2015, in the amount of $1,284,309.28. He moved that the Warrants be approved as presented. Trustee Minx seconded the motion. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Grear aye Tr. Minx aye Tr. Pietron aye Tr. Ramos aye Tr. ThiII aye Tr. Witko aye 7 Ar '..v Minutes of September 28, 2015 Board Meetin7 XIV. XV. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS Karen Laner from Bike Morton Grove, an advocacy group promoting Morton Grove as a bicy- cle -friendly place, commented that Mayor DiMaria had challenged the group to increase their number of Facebook "likes", and she was happy to report that they now have 200! Ms. Laner said the group is planning another bike -ride on October 10, a Harvest Bike Ride, which will also include a tour of the fall colors and some architectural history. The ride will take place at noon and begins just north of the Farmers' Market, in front of the Historical Museum. She challenged the Board to see how many of them would show up to the ride! Ms. Laner said the group is also planning several winter projects. Their next meeting is on November 12 at 7:00 p.m. and all are invited. More information can be found on their Facebook page. Trustee Thill asked how the group likes the new bike racks at the Metra station. Ms. Laner said they were beautiful! ADJOURNMENT Trustee Minx moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Trustee Thill. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Grear ave Tr. Minx aye Tr. Pietron ave Tr. Ramos 2y2 Tr. Thill Ly± Tr. Witko The meeting adjourned at 7:32 p.m. 8 Minutes of September 28, 2015 Board Meetin PASSED this 12th day of October, 2015 Trustee Grear Trustee Minx _YE _ Trustee Pietron y Trustee Ramos /41% Trustee Thill A1C Trustee Witko ,AYE APPROVED by me this 12th day of October, 2015 i Daniel P. DiMaria, Village President Board of Trustees, Morton Grove, Illinois APPROVED and FILED in my office this 13th day of October, 2015. er-Altuu Connie J. Travis, Village Clerk Village of Morton Grove, Cook County, Illinois Minutes by: Teresa Cousar 9