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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-08-11 MinutesCALL TO ORDER Village President Rick Krier called the meeting to order at 7:30 p. m. and led the assemblage in the Pledge of Allegiance. Village Clerk Carol Fritzshall called the rolC Present were: Trustees Georgianne Brunner, Shel Marcus, Rita. Minx, Dan Staackmann, and John Thill. Mayor Krier stated that he had received a call from Trustee Kogstad explaining that he had a family health matter to attend to and therefore would not be able to be at tonight's meeting. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Regarding the Minutes of the July 28, 2008 Regular Meeting, Mayor Krier asked if anyone had any changes or corrections to the Minutes. Seeing none, Trustee Minx moved, seconded by Trustee Thill, to approve the July 28, 2008 Regular Meeting Minutes as submit- ted. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. Trustee Staackmann asked if there was going to be a vote on the Minutes of the Special Meeting where the Dempster Street mprovemen# Project had been discussed. Mayor Krier said that was a good point and that he'd look into it. IV. PUBLIC HEARINGS NONE V. SPECIAL REPORTS a. Plan Commissioner Andrew Shimanski presented this case, which first came before the Commission in May. As stated, the applicant, Black and Veatch, agent for Verizon, is requesting a Special Use Permit for a commercial wireless installation on the ComEd tower at 9400 Austin Avenue. Bonnie Jacobson, Village Planner, indicated that the Fire Department was concerned that there might be interference with the Capron Fire Alarm System. There were concerns expressed by the Commissioners about whether or not the Northwest Water Commission (NWWC) had approved this (their water main is in the right-of-way there) and that the Applicant was planning to use 800 mhz frequency, which is lower than the other carriers. Minutes of August 11, 21108 Boartl Meeting' V. SPECIAL REPORTS An interested resident also spoke out about the fact that there is no turnaround for the carriers' trucks there, and the existing carrier's trucks drive on the grass, causing ruts. Because the Applicant's representative was unable to respond immediately to these concerns, and because the original legal notice had been posted with the wrong address, the Plan Commission continued the case to its June 16`" meeting. At the time of the June 16th meeting, the proper legalities as far as the legal notice and the posted sign had been corrected; however, the Applicant was still unable to provide the requested information, so the case was continued to the Plan Commission's July 21st meeting. At the July meeting, the Applicant presented a letter from the executive director of the NWWC indicating approval of the project. The Applicant also provided a new site plan expanding the lease area to allaw for a truck turnaround. The RF Engineer for the project stated that the 800 mhz frequency will not interfere with other communications systems. Captain BiII Porter of the Fire Department had contacted the Caltron representative, who said that no interference would be caused from commercial wireless antenna systems, thus alleviating Captain Porter's concerns. The Plan Commission unanimously voted to recommend approval of this request, with two Commissioners absent. b. Commissioner Shimanski presented this case as well. He said that Bank of America had bought out LaSalle Bank and is closing some branches and consolidating-customers into other locations. The facility at 8745 Waukegan is one of the branches that will be receiving customers from other locations, hence the need to expand the drive-through. The applicant intends to reduce the width of an existing landscaped area to the south and relocate a transformer in order to accommodate the expanded drive-through. The Plan Commission, with two members absent, unanimously recommended approval of this request; subjectto several conditions; including having a stop sigmand painted stop bar atthe drive-through exit. VI. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS (Agenda Items Only) Eric Poders. Mr. Poders had a question as to the status of the Bethany Terrace case. Mayor Krier asked him to bring it up again at the later Residents' Comments section of the meeting as that topic is not on tonight's agenda. VII. Mayor Krier announced that Family Fest would take place again this year at the Village Hall. It will again be an all-day, family-oriented event held on September 20, 2008. He said there was a lot of interest and many people were asking to have it again. There will be a pancake breakfast in the morning, inflatable toys and a climbing wall, a New Resident Reception, recognition of people who've lived in Morton. Grove for 65 years or more, many other family activities, and a beer tent in the evening. He encouraged everyone to attend. Minutes of August 11;2008 Bpard Meeting VIII. CLERK'S REPORT Clerk Fritzshall had no formal report, but noted that she is partnering with the Morton Grove Public Library to encourage voter registration. People interested in registering to vote can come to the Library and do so on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. during the month of September. Village Hall is also open on Thursday evenings from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. and people can come to register there as well. Anyone who will be age 18 by November 4`" (Election Day) can register even if they are not currently age 18. 1X. STAFF REPORTS A. Village Administrator Mr. Wade reported that the Austin Avenue resurfacing project will begin on August 18 and will be completed, according to estimates by the contractor, J.A. Johnson Paving, by approximately October 10`". The work involves street resurfacing, intermittent curb and gutter work, and some sidewalk work as well. B. Corporation Counsel: Ms. Liston had no report. X. A. Trustee Brunner: TRUSTEES'REPORTS 1. Trustee Brunner had no formal report, but noted that, according to the Department of Family and Senior Services, 122 people attended the "members only" senior Pest last weekend. Everydhe had a-great time; and Trustee Bruhher commended Jackie Walker-O'Keefe and everyone in that department for doing a wonderful job. 2. Trustee Brunner also reported that the Board of Environmental Health was reminding every- one to remain cautious about West Nile Virus. They are urging residents to take precautions, such as, if you're going to be outside, make sure you use insect repellant; try to remain inside at dusk; and empty any standing water around the outside of your house to prevent mosqui- toes from breeding. B. Trustee Kogstad: Trustee Kogstad was absent-no report. Minutes ofiAUgust 11, 20D8 Boatd Meeting., TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) C. Trustee Marcus: Trustee Marcus had no report. D. Trustee Minx: Trustee Minx presented for a first reading Ordinance 08-30, Granting a Special Use Permit in the Village for Property Located at 9400 Austin for a Commercial Wireless Antenna Installation. This is pursuant to Plan Commission Case PC 08-03 heard earlier this evening. This ordinance would grant the Special Use Permit as recommended by the Plan Commission. There were no questions or comments from the Board. 2. Trustee Minx next presented for a first reading Ordinance 08-31, Granting an Amendment to the Special Use Permit for the Property Located at 8745 Waukegan Road to Expand the Existing Drive-Through Facility. This is pursuant to Pian Commission Case PC 08-05 heard earlier this evening. Trustee Minx noted that the Village had received a letter from Bank of America requesting that the second reading of this ordinance be waived, since it's getting later in the construction season and they'd like to get this work done before the asphalt plants stop work, which is usually in November. She moved, seconded by Trustee Thill, to waive the second reading of this ordinance. Motion passed: 4 ayes, 1 nay, 1 absent. Tr. Brunner a1re_ Tr. Kogstad absent Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Minx aYe Tr. Staackmann n3 Tc ThiII aye Trustee Minx then moved to adopt Ordinance 08-31, seconded by Trustee Thill. Upon the vote, the motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent. Tr. Brunner aye Tr. Kogstad absent Tr. Marcus Tr. Minx ~ Tr. Staackmann ~ Tr. Thill aye E. Trustee Staackmann: Trustee Staackmann had no formal report, but thanked Building Commissioner Ed Hildebrandt, and the members of the Building Department and Public Works Department for their ongoing clean-up work at several residences that are up for foreclosure. He said the Village is doing whatever it can to help keep neighborhoods looking presentable. Minutes of August 11; 2008 Board.Meetirfg'~~ X. TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) Trustee Thill Trustee Thill presented Ordinance 08-28, Revisions to Title 12, Chapter 14 Entitled "Flood Damage Prevention". This is the second reading of this ordinance. He explained this ordinance at the July 28th Board Meeting. In essence, in order to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, the Village adopted the Flood Damage Prevention ordinance to be compliant with federal regulations. This ordinance seeks to minimize potential losses due to periodic flooding. Within the ordinance, several references are made to flood studies and maps that identify the flood boundaries and floodways within the Village. These studies and maps are periodically updated, and in order to remain compliant, the Village must adopt the most recent version of these maps and studies. This ordinance updates the most recent version of these maps and flood studies to August 19, 2008. Trustee Thill moved, seconded by Trustee Minx, 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent. Tr. Brunner a~~e Tr. Kogstad Tr. Minx ~ Tr. Staackmann to adopt Ordinance 08-28. Motion passed: absent Tr. Marcus aye afire Tr. Thill aye 2 Next, Trustee Thill presented for a first reading Ordinance 08-32, Authorizing the Sale of Surplus Personal Property Owned by the Village of Morton Grove. He explained that this ordinance will authorize the sale of motor vehicles deemed surplus property by the Village. The Public Works Department annually reviews vehicle and equipment conditions for all Village departments. After said review, if the equipment is determined to be no longer useful for a variety of reasons (including the cost of maintenance, replacementschedule; outdated, etc:); the Village isallowed to sell said-equipment. There were no comments or questions from the Board on this ordinance. Trustee Thill thanked the MEC for inviting the Village to its barbeque. He said it was a very nice affair and it was great to see everyone there. XL OTHER BUSINESS NONE XI 1. WARRANTS Trustee Minx presented the Warrant Register for August 11, 2008, in the amount of $587,163.77. She moved to approve the Warrants, seconded by Trustee Thill. Trustee Minx said she'd like more information about reimbursement checks that went out to Metra commuters. PAinutes of Au ust 11,.2008 Board Meetin-. XII. WARRANTS (continued) Finance Director Partipilo responded that there were several "glitches" when the new meters were installed. Commuters' cards weren't registering. A Police Department employee, Freya Maslov, witnessed some of these glitches. Everything is running smoothly now, but the Village is reimbursing the commuters who were affected by the problems. Trustee Thill asked about a $735 charge for skunk removal (14 reports). Trustee Thill wondered if that was for 14 skunks or 14 incident reports. Chief Tasch responded that it was 14 incident reports. The skunks were either caught or were already road kill. Trustee Thill clarified that, when the Police Department catches skunks, they are not released. Chief Tasch confirmed that caught skunks are euthanized. Mayor Krier called for the vote on the Warrants. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent. Tr. Brunner apse Tr. Kogstad absent Tr. Marcus Tr. Minx afire Tr. Staackmann a~ Tr. Thill XIII. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS Eric Poders. Mr. Poders gave kudos to Clerk Fritzshall for her deputy registrar class this past Saturday. He also asked what the status is of the Bethany Terrace project. He said that people often speak at various meetings without coming to the podium, and he wondered how that was recorded in the meeting minutes. When people speak from the audience, how do the note-takers hear them and identify them? Are they recorded in the minutes? He wanted to know, procedurally, how to address this. He also noted that the Appearance Commission Agenda was never posted until the day of the actual meeting and he was concerned that that might be a violation of the Open Meetings Act. Mr. Poders was dismayed at what happened at the Traffic Safety Commission last week. He said he didn't like coming to the podium pinpointing Village problems. He felt the Board was doing a good job. Mayor Krier assured Mr. Poders that the Open Meetings Act was not violated; that Minutes are taken at all the meetings and are available to the public; that all the speakers' comments are captured. Many fimesthese meetings aren'fwell attended, and it'suptothe individual chair- men'sdiscretion to let people speak from the audience. If someone else doesn't or can't hear someone speaking from the audience, it's up to that individual to come up and let the chair- man know that the speaker's comments weren't heard. Mr. Poders said he knows there are ordinances stating, for example, that if someone interrupts a meeting, they can be fined. He said he wasn't about to sit in the gallery and shout "1 can't hear you" and risk being fined. He said there were about 30 people in attendance at the Traffic Safety Commission meeting and, during the first case, there were 4 or 5 people talking who were never asked to come to the microphone. Later in the meeting, however, the Chairman was asking everyone to come up and use the microphone-and to provide their name and address. Even when people were reluctant to provide it, they were pressed for their exact address. Mr. Poders again alluded to the Bethany Terrace case, stating that he felt what happened to Ryan Gillingham, Village Engineer, at the Traffic Safety meeting was "uncalled for" and was a cause for alarm. Trustee Minx asked what exactly did Mr. Poders see that was a cause for alarm. He responded that the Appearance Commission meeting went quite smoothly, so he thought that the case was going to be pushed through easily. Minutes of'August 71;.2088 Board Meetin XIII. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS (continued) Trustee Minx noted that cases do not get "pushed through"; everyone has to go through the same Procedural Control process. There's a schedule posted in the Building Department. It may "appear" to be pushed through when the Appearance Commission meeting occurs before the Traffic Safety Commission (one is the first Monday of the month; one is the first Thursday of the month). Mr. Poders said he was concerned that the Niles Township Supervisor, who is a Traffic Safety Commissioner, was berating Mr. Gillingham unnecessarily. He said he was planning to FOIA the minutes of that meeting and will also listen again to the audio portion. XIV. ADJOURNEMENT TO EXECUTIVE SESSION There being no further business, Trustee Minx moved to adjourn to Executive Session to discuss personnel, labor negotiations, and real estate. The motion was seconded by Trustee Marcus. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent. Tr. Brunner ~e Tr. Kogstad absent Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Minx ~ Tr. Staackmann awe Tr. Thill The meeting adjourned to Executive Session at 8:01 p. m. Mayor Krier called the Executive Session to order at 8:10 p.m. In attendance were: Mayor Krier, Clerk Frtizshall, Trustees Brunner, Marcus, Minx, Staackmann, and Thill, as well as Village Administrator Wade, Corporation Counsel Liston, and Community and Economic Development Director Neuendorf. There being no further business, Trustee,Minx moved to adjourn the Executive Session, seconded by Trustee Thill. The motion passed unanimously via voice vote. The Executive Session adjourned at 9:28 p.m. Trustee Minx then moved to adjourn the regular Board Meeting, seconded by Trustee Marcus. The motion passed unanimously via voice vote. The Board Meeting adjourned at 9:29 p.m. Minutes of August 11, 2008 Board Meeting PASSED this 25th day of August, 2008. Trustee Brunner Trustee Kogstad Trustee Marcus k4e ?. Trustee Minx Trustee Staackmann Trustee Thill ~~ ~AP~'ROVED ~y m thi 25.th of August, 2008. '~ ~/ _ ~- r' Richard Krier, Village President Board of Trustees, Morton Grove, Illinois APPROVED and FILED in my ofFce this26th day of August, 2008. ~~`tiu- Carol A. Fritzshall, Village Cler Village of Morton Grove Cook County, Illinois Minutes by. Teresa Gousar 8