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Home My WebLink About08-09-2022 - Strategic Plan WorkshopMINUTES OF THE VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES SPECIAL MEETING STRATEGIC PLAN WORKSHOP Tuesday August 9, 2022, 6:30 pm Morton Grove American Legion Memorial Civic Center 6140 Dempster Street — Main Hall Morton Grove, IL 60053 Pursuant to proper notice in accordance with the Open Meetings Act, the special meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm by Village President Daniel DiMaria who led the assemblage in the pledge of allegiance. Village Clerk Eileen Scanlon Harford called the roll. In attendance were: Elected Officials: Mayor Daniel DiMaria , Trustees William Grear, Saba Khan, Janine Witko, Connie Travis, and Rita Minx. Absent: John Thill Members of the 2022 Strategic Plan Advisory Committee: Steven Blonz, Chair, Jon Cole, Danielle DiMaria, Marc Fernandez, Lindsey Karp, Tariq Laliwala, Volha Liston, Paul McGivern, Mathew Polson, Theresa Polyak, Habeeb Quadri and Ashur Shiba Village Department Directors and Key Staff Members: Ralph Czerwinski, Village Administrator, Michael Simo, Police Chief, Joseph Dahm, Public Works Director, Hanna Sullivan, Finance Director, Zoe Heidorn, Community Development Administrator, James English, Building Department Manager, Ralph Ensign, Fire Chief, Thomas Friel, Assistant to Village Administrator, and Teresa Hoffman Liston, Corporation Counsel Strategic Planning Coordinators, NIU Center for Government Studies: Gregory Kuhn and Alli Hoebing 1. Icebreaker and Introduction Mayor DiMaria opened the meetings with a welcome address and introduced Gregory Kuhn from NIU Center for Government Studies. Gregory did a quick overview of what to expect at the meeting and began by asking everyone to introduce themselves and answer the following question using your initials: "What words would you use to describe Morton Grove to a stranger?". Some of the answers to the question include: Wonderful, great, splendid, fun, exciting, diverse, progressive, dynamic, excellent, lush (trees), safe, livable, accepting, close knit community, happy, victorious, quality services, familiar, engaging, amazing, respectful, promising, trendy, lively, home, tradition, amazing, passionate, strong, middle of the road, momentum and wiley/agile. 2. Vision of Tomorrow 1 Gregory continued the meeting with the next exercise. He asked attendees to answer the question "If you left Morton Grove and returned in 10-15 years, what do you think and hope you will see when you come back." Answers included: New storefronts/facades along Dempster; town center is developed along Lincoln Ave; better indoor/outdoor infrastructure for children; Golf School park re- developed; downtown area with attractions such a theater and restaurants near Metra; regionalization of Fire Dept and more mutual aid services; new Village campus for facilities; more open/green spaces; more lifestyle centers; better housing options; New Village Hall and Police Department; more bike trails; more banquet halls; community involvement remains high; MG charm remains; continued diversity, friendliness, community inclusiveness; more sustainable practices such as EV charging and use of solar power; more automated services, tech government, better availability to government. 3. Review of 2015 Strategic Plan Village Administrator Ralph Czerwinski went through the last Strategic Plan that was created for the Village in 2015. He spoke about the Villages mission, vision and core values that have been upheld throughout the years. Improvements have been made in the four key strategic categories which included character, community, governance, and economy. a. Character: Maintain and enhance the appearance and aesthetics of the Village. The village has made significant improvements in redevelopment across the Village. It has held standards to ensure the aesthetics of the Village are upkept through good modern code. The Village took steps to change its brand through creating a new logo and tagline. Incredibly Close, Amazingly Open really represents how Morton Grove is "close" in proximity to the City and highways and easy to get around and we are also "close" as a community that supports each other. We are "open" to diversity, people, and community. We have created the Environment and Natural Resources Commission to focus on the future and how we can take care of our environment. We also have the Community Relations Commission that manages many Village programs. Together these commission run various programs to bring the community together such as Adopt -a Planter, Photo Contest, Neighborhood Outreach, Outstanding Neighbor, Community Artist, Sustainability Expo, and Resident Handbook which will be updated yearly. Provide and maintain infrastructure appropriate to support expected service levels. Many improvements have been made including: - Water main projects to reduce our water rates Sewer lining - Street pavement/sidewalk repairs - Solid waste collection program Streetlight modifications Additional parking on Dempster 2 Have municipal facilities that maintain high quality Village services. We look forward to - New Village Hall and Police Station Metra Station updates b. Community: Embrace diversity to promote a unified community. Foster meaningful constituent communications. Recognize and support community-based events. Promote community pride and identity. The Village has taken steps for diversity training for all staff at all levels. The Police and Fire department are doing their best to reach out on various levels to get applications. At the end of the day the focus is to get the best and most qualified individual for a position. The Village also supports diversity throughout Village events. There is great communications between all the schools and faith -based organizations in the Village to ensure inclusiveness. The Village does it best to keep the community updated on Village happenings through e -news, postcards, website, and Facebook. Many events are hosted throughout the year to bring the community together such a Morton Grove Days, Santa Comes to Town, Sustainability Expo, MG Foundation Events, and more. Special Event permits are also a huge part in allowing the public to safely hold community events. c. Governance: Manage fiscal matters with a multi-year perspective. The Department Directors do a great job looking at their budgets from a capital and operational standpoint looking now and ahead to the needs of the Village. We have good rating in our dept management through managing the dollars practically and efficiently. We have the right people in the right spots ensuring this. Support efficient legislative input. The Mayor was the president of Illinois Municipal League for a few years where he collaborated with other municipal mayors and governmental agencies to build good working relationships. Having these strong relationships helps us get grants for example with the Oakton Street Path. We get a lot of state and county support because of the strong relationships we have. Collaborate with other government agencies. Our neighbors, libraries and school boards all come together to support the services and needs of our residents. Improve operations for effective service. We have combined emergency communication and services with 911 dispatch and mutual aid response. A question was asked about how many employees we have in the Village. Tom Friel answered we have about 175 employees working within the Village. Ralph Czerwinski emphasized how employees in the Village wear multiple hats and we work with our resources to be efficient. 3 Economy. Engage businesses with an emphasis on recruitment and retention. Leverage Village codes, policies, and programs to support business development. We are continuously revising our codes to update for our current environment. We revise building codes, safety codes, liquor codes and more. Focus redevelopment efforts on key commercial areas and sites. Establish a framework for a pedestrian friendly commercial district. 4. Residents' Comments: Eric Poders — Employee of the Village invest so much into the Village from government to schools. Tap into these people and get some incentive programs for them. The Public Works workers have a lot of input and insight into the Village. Figure out a way to compile all the intrinsic information that everyone in the Village has. Create a questionnaire for all to fill to voice their opinions from within the Village and also get public input. Bob Burkhart — Representing the Vision Morton Grove advocacy group. Has suggestions on how the Village can more actively represent our community. He suggests training individuals to fit positions at higher levels. Mary Elis — Would like the Village to be more transparent. 5. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 9:40. 4 PASSED this 26th day of September 2022. Trustee Grear Trustee Khan Trustee Minx Trustee Thill Trustee Travis Trustee Witko APPROVED by me this 26th day of September 2022. c Daniel DiMaria, Village President Village of Morton Grove Cook County, Illinois APPROVED and FILED in my office this 27th day of September 2022. Eileen Scanlon -Harford, Village `Clerk Village of Morton Grove Cook County, Illinois i 1