Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-10-27 Board 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 OCTOBER 27, 2008 CALL TO ORDER I. Village President Rick Krier called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. and led the assemblage in the Pledge of Allegiance. II. Village Clerk Carol Fritzshall called the roll. Present were: Trustees Georgianne Brunner, Roy Kogstad, Shel Marcus, Rita Minx, Dan Staackmann, and John ThiII. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Regarding the Minutes of the October 13, 2008 Regular Meeting, Mayor Krier asked if anyone had any changes or corrections to the Minutes. Seeing none, Trustee Minx moved, seconded by Trustee Marcus, to approve the October 13 2008 Regular Meeting Minutes as submitted. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. IV. PUBLIC HEARINGS NONE V. SPECIAL REPORTS Employee Recognition Awards The Board, along with Mayor Krier and Administrator Wade, recognized and congratulated Alvin Abuja for his 15 years of service in the Police Department and presented him with a plaque to commemorate this milestone. VI. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS (Agenda Items Only) NONE Minutes of October 27, 2008 Board Meeting VII. PRESIDENT'S REPORT Proclamation Mayor Krier proclaimed November 7, 2008 as "Arbor Day" in the Village and encouraged all citizens to plant trees and to support efforts to protect our trees and woodlands and to support the Village's urban forestry program. He said that Morton Grove has been recognized as a "Tree City USA" by the National Arbor Day Foundation, noting that trees in the Village increase property values, enhance the economic vitality of business areas, and beautify the community. VIII. CLERK'S REPORT Clerk Fritzshall noted that over 2,000 people have voted early in Morton Grove so far. Early voting ends on October 30th IX. STAFF REPORTS A. Village Administrator Mr. Wade announced that a follow-up budget workshop would be held on October 30 at 7:00 p.m. in the Trustees' Conference Room. The workshop is open to the public. B. Corporation Counsel: Ms. Liston had no report. X. TRUSTEES' REPORTS A. Trustee Brunner: Trustee Brunner had no formal report, but announced that the Seniortran will be available on Election Day, November 4th, to take Morton Grove seniors to their polling places. Residents must know where they vote and need to call the Senior Hotline, 847-470-5223, to make a reservation. B. Trustee Kogstad: Trustee Kogstad had no report. 2 Minutes of October 27, 2008 Board Meeting X. TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) C. Trustee Marcus: Trustee Marcus had no formal report, but commented that he had attended the Chamber's "State of the Village" meeting, which drew a Targe crowd, including several candidates for local congressional races. He said that Mayor Krier did a great job of explaining the Village's plans for the future as well as the expenses involved in unfunded State mandates. Mayor Krier added that the presentation was available on the Village's website, and would al- so be featured on cable. D. Trustee Minx: 1. Trustee Minx presented Ordinance 08-40, Granting a Special Use Amendment in the Village of Morton Grove to Allow a Second Story Addition and Reconstruction for the Property Commonly Known as 8425 Waukegan Road, Morton Grove, Illinois. This is the second reading of this ordinance. Trustee Minx moved, seconded by Trustee Brunner, to adopt Ordinance 08-40. As background, Trustee Minx explained that this ordinance was pursuant to Plan Commission Case PC08-06, heard at the October 13th Board Meeting. It would grant a special use amendment for the construction of a second story addition and the reconstruction of the southwest wing of the current building. The new construction will be within the existing footprint of the building. The occupancy will be lower since most rooms will now be single - occupancy. As part of the reconstruction, the building will be fully sprinklered and a new state-of-the-art air handling system will be installed. Seeing as there were no questions, comments, or other discussion, Mayor Krier called for the vote on Ordinance 08-40. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Brunner aye Tr. Kogstad ave Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Minx aye Tr. Staackmann ave Tr. ThiII ave 2. Trustee Minx then presented Resolution 08-59, Adopting the Village of Morton Grove's Identity Theft Prevention Program. She said that, pursuant to the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act of 2003 (FACT), creditors are required to implement policies and procedures to detect, prevent, and mitigate the impact of identity theft. Because the Village provides water and sewer services to custom- ers before the customer pays for these services, it is deemed a creditor and must therefore comply with the FACT law. Morton Grove's identity theft program requires Village personnel to monitor information and documentation provided by customers and third party service pro- viders in connection with opening new accounts in order to determine whether any red flags exist. If any red flags are detected, Village staff will be required to take appropriate responses to prevent or mitigate identity theft. Trustee Minx moved, seconded by Trustee Brunner, to approve Resolution 08-59. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Brunner ave Tr. Kogstad ave Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Minx aye Tr. Staackmann aye Tr. Thill aye 3 Minutes of October 27, 2008 Board Meetin • X. D. Trustee Minx: (continued) 3. Trustee Minx then brought forward Resolution 08-60, Adopting an Economic Development Strategic Plan for the Village of Morton Grove. TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) Trustee Minx explained that this resolution will adopt a strategic plan and vision and will establish guidelines, priorities, and directions for economic development. The Village's advisory Economic Development Commission put this plan together and formally presented it to the Village in April of 2008. The plan has been available for final public comment, but to date, no additional public comments have been received. The Strategic Plan is intended to establish a vision for the Village's future planning and development endeavors. It is not intended to preempt or supersede any existing codes or regulations. Trustee Minx moved to approved Resolution 08-60, seconded by Trustee Staackmann. Trustee Marcus complimented the Economic Development Commission on their efforts but said he was concerned about the fact that there has been no additional public input. He felt it was imperative that business and community leaders review the plan and that they realize that action has to be taken. Trustee Marcus said that the Plan would work only through participation and urged the local business community to work with the Board and/or the Economic Development Commission to generate ideas. Trustee Staackmann thanked the Commission too, but noted several ideas mentioned in the Plan's strategies and asked if the Village would be obligated to do all these things. He said he was concerned about things that would require funding, for example, the suggested "business expo". Mayor Krier said that this is a non-binding document; it's an outline, a strategic plan. Corporation Counsel Liston agreed that the resolution is not binding the Village to anything except its own resolve to accomplish certain goals and give weight to various strategies. It's a direction for the Village to move in. Any ideas listed in the plan that would require funding would necessitate a budget appropriation. Voting to approve the resolution would mean a vote to concur with the goals outlined in the plan. Trustee Staackmann wondered if giving out a list of business license holders is legal. Ms. Liston said that it is legal information, not private or protected information. It is information that is obtainable under the Freedom of Information Act. Trustee Staackmann said he had read through the plan several times and several of the things listed in the plan are already being done, either by the Chamber of Commerce or the Village. He said his concern was more around committing to things that the Village may not be able to do. Trustee Minx said that this is a "footprint" for the Economic Development Commission to follow to encourage businesses to come to town; it provides a framework within which to work. She noted that a lot of brainstorming had been involved in putting the plan together. Trustee Marcus said he understood Trustee Staackmann's concerns about getting "locked in" to things the Village couldn't do or deliver, but felt the focus should be on the words "would like"; that the plan was tantamount to saying these are concepts and ideas that the Village "would like" to see happen. He again emphasized that participation from the business community was critical. 4 Minutes of October 27, 2008 Board Meeting X. D. Trustee Minx: (continued) TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) Trustee Thill said that, as he had read through the plan, he had noted several of the strategies and/or ideas that he felt were a "home run". He cited Strategy 1 b, Strategy 4 (seek outside funding), Strategy 5 (promote businesses that attract people), Strategy 8 (vigorously enforce property maintenance) and Strategy 9c (create legislation to prohibit restrictive covenants that prevent or hinder the re -use of commercial property). He agreed that there are many things in the plan that the Village and Chamber are already doing. Trustee Thill thanked the Economic Development Commission for putting the plan together. There being no further discussion, Mayor Krier called for the vote on Resolution 08-60. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Brunner gy2 Tr. Kogstad gag Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Minx afire Tr. Staackmann Lig, Tr. Thill aye E. Trustee Staackmann: Trustee Staackmann had no formal report, but announced that it's leaf pick-up time again. He asked that residents put their leaves at the curb where they can be swept up, and compli- mented the Public Works Department on doing a great job of getting the leaves cleaned up. F. Trustee Thill Trustee Thill had no formal report, but thanked EMA Director John Hill for his informational talk about the History of Civil Defense in Morton Grove, presented at the library last week. Xl. OTHER BUSINESS Trustee Brunner said that, after the repeal of the gun ban ordinance, she had received many phone calls and emails thanking her for her support of the gun ban. At the time of the vote, she had indicated that she would be interested in pursuing other legislation, such as gun registration. Trustee Brunner said that she has researched the matter and discussed it with Corporation Counsel Liston, but that she doesn't feel there's a lot of support for gun registration on the Board or in the Village. She said that, rather than waste Village staff time on developing an ordinance that wouldn't be supported, she had decided to let the matter go for now. She said that maybe someday, the idea could be pursued. Trustee Brunner asked that any residents interested in supporting gun registration contact her and her colleagues on the Board to let them know that there is community support for such an initiative. XII. WARRANTS Trustee Minx presented the Warrant Register for October 27, 2008, in the amount of $513,448.40. She moved to approve the Warrants, seconded by Trustee Thill. 5 Minutes of October 27, 2008 Board Meeting XII. WARRANTS (continued) a. Trustee Thill asked about an item on page 7: "site remediation progress review" in the amount of $2,200 to the Illinois EPA. Bill Neuendorf said that the Village had received a $54,000 grant from the State several years ago to remediate and do some environmental studies around the train station; a recent change in policy is that now the State charges the Village for State staff time to access Village grant funds. So basically, part of the grant is being used to pay the State. Mr. Neuendorf said there would probably be another couple of invoices like this coming up. b. Trustee Thill asked about another item on page 7 payable to the Illinois EPA, a nearly $39,000 payment labeled "payment #36": Finance Director Partipilo said this is a payment on a long- term loan; she said the 2008 Budget lists when each payment comes due. The payment is for the Capulina sewer project. c. Trustee Thill also asked about an item on page 13—$880 for Halloween safety packs. He asked if that's something the Village gives away. Ms. Partipilo said the Police Department distributes these safety packs. Chief Tasch concurred. d. Trustee Thill asked about a "land meeting lunch" charge of $84. Jackie Walker -O'Keefe, Di- rector of Family and Senior Services, explained that it was supposed to be "LAN (local area network)", and that, annually, a network of agencies who provide funding through the Depart- ment of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to at -risk children and families, holds a program for new employees and all the agencies involved give a presentation. It's a two-day affair, and on the second day, Niles, MG, and Skokie share the cost of the lunch. Seeing no further questions, Mayor Krier called for the vote on the Warrants. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Brunner aye Tr. Kogstad aye Tr. Marcus aye. Tr. Minx ayg Tr. Staackmann aye Tr. ThiII aye XIII. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS a. Eric Poders. Mr. Poders asked a question he had asked at the Board Meeting of October 13, namely, regarding Plan Commission Case 08-07, will the installation of a T -Mobile antenna at the tower at Village Hall generate revenue for the Village? Mr. Poders also asked about the budget; noting he had questions he was unable to ask at the budget workshop on October 18. He wondered when the budget workshops would be shown on cable. Mr. Poders commented that it seemed that a lot of commission meetings had been cancelled lately, citing the Traffic Safety Commission, Plan Commission, and the Fire and Police Commission. He wondered "what's really going on in the Village?" Mr. Poders was glad the Economic Development Strategic Plan had been approved, but wondered about the revenue the Lehigh -Ferris TIF is generating; what the status is of the Preserves project; how many streets will be improved this year; and what budget cuts were being discussed. He said he would have liked to ask these questions at the budget workshop but was unable to. 6 Minutes of October 27, 2008 Board Meeting XII. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS (continued) Mayor Krier responded that the Village will receive $24,000 annually from T -Mobile. As far as when the budget workshops will be shown, the Village's IT department is working on it. The budget workshops are quite lengthy, so special accommodations are needed in order for them to be shown. In reply to Mr. Poders' comments about all the commission meetings being cancelled, Mayor Krier said they were cancelled due to lack of business and lack of concerned residents. He didn't feel that people were concerned if they didn't come to the meetings. Mayor Krier said the budget draft was online and that people were welcome to review it. Mr. Poders asked if the Mayor could say what the budget gap is and how much of the reserve funds will the Village have to tap in to. He said, "people want to know." Mayor Krier disagreed with that statement, saying that the Village is letting people know what's going on. He said the budget discussions are open to the public and the "state of the Village" presentation is available on the Village's website and soon will be seen on cable. Trustee Marcus pointed out that there will be another budget workshop on Thursday. He said the Board is still working on the budget, and staff is doing an outstanding job of getting the an- swers to all .the trustees' questions. He told Mr. Poders that his questions just could not be answered intelligently at this time because the Board simply does not have all the information. Trustee Marcus said that questions will be raised and answered on Thursday. Mr. Poders said he respected that, adding that he's aware that it's still early in the process. b. Harold Cohon, 9237 Nashville. Mr. Cohon said, regarding the gun issue, that registration is the first step to confiscation, and if the Village were to consider registration, that issue would "tear the Village apart". XIV. ADJOURNMENT/EXECUTIVE SESSION There being no further business, Trustee Minx moved to adjourn the regular Board Meeting, seconded by Trustee Brunner. The motion passed unanimously via voice vote. The Board Meeting adjourned at 8:10 p.m. 7 Minutes of October 27, 2008 Board Meeting PASSED this 10th day of November, 2008, Trustee Brunner Trustee Kogstad Trustee Marcus Trustee Minx Trustee Staackmann Trustee Thill .a- 6.PPR6VED by e this 10th d of November, 2008. 411P 1: A Richard Krier, Village President Board of Trustees, Morton Grove, Illinois APPROVED and FILED in my office this 11th day of November, 2008. Carol A. Fritzshall, Village Clerk Village of Morton Grove, Cook County, Illinois Minutes by: Teresa Cousar 8