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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-08-13 MinutesCALL TO ORDER II. Village Clerk Carol Fritzshall called the roll. Present were: Trustees Georgianne Brunner, Shel Marcus, Rita Minx, Dan Staackmann, and John Thill. Trustee Roy Kogstad was absent. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. Regarding the Minutes of the July 23, 2007 Special Meeting, Mayor Krier asked if anyone had any changes or corrections to the Minutes. Seeing none, Trustee Minx then moved, seconded by Trustee Marcus, to approve the July 23, 2007 Special Meeting Minutes as presented. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. b. Regarding the Minutes of the July 23, 2007 Regular Meeting, Mayor Krier asked if anyone had any changes or corrections. Again, there were none. Trustee Minx moved, seconded by Trustee Marcus, to approve the July 23 Regular Meeting Minutes as presented. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. c~ Regarding the Minutes of the July 30, 2007 Town Hall Meeting, Mayor Krier asked if there were any changes or corrections. Seeing none, Trustee Minx moved to approve the Minutes of the July 30, 2007 Town Hall Meeting as presented. Trustee Marcus seconded the motion, which passed unanimously via voice vote. IV. PUBLIC HEARINGS NONE V. SPECIAL REPORTS Plan Commission Case PC07-06 Requests a Special Use Permit to Operate an Automobile Leasina Facility at the Address Commonly Known as 6063-6065 Dempster Street. Plan Commission Chairman Ron Farkas presented this case. He explained that the Applicant, Enterprise Leasing, is requesting a Special Use Permit to operate a car leasing facility at 6063-6065 Dempster. Chairman Farkas said the Applicant plans to operate a fleet of 20 cars, but only 5-10 would be parked at any one time at the facility. Their primary business is with car dealerships and auto repair shops. Their office and wash-bay hours would be 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday, and 9:00 a.m. to noon on Saturday. The amount of parking V. SPECIAL REPORTS (continued) available is more than that requested by Village code; however, Enterprise is looking for a variance to allow tandem parking in the parking area by the southwest corner of the site. Chairman Farkas said that, at the Plan Commission hearing, no interested or concerned parties spoke, and the Commissioners voted unanimously to recommend approval of this request, with a number of conditions. One condition specifically noted was that no preparing of cars be allowed to begin until 7:00 a.m. on weekdays and at 8:00 a.m. on weekends. Trustee Thill said he was bothered by the fact that customers would be dropping off the cars in the alley after hours; he was concerned that the neighbors would be bothered by the slamming of car doors. Chairman Farkas said that concern had been mentioned at the hearing. Enterprise had responded that there is one space in the front designated for drop-off parking; they didn't feel there would be drop-offs in the alley. Trustee Thill pointed out that the key drop will be located on the alley-side of the building. Mayor Krier said that this could be addressed if the Village started getting complaints about noise from people dropping off cars. Trustee Staackmann asked if the Applicant had factored into its parking space count the fact that two parking spaces would be lost from the installation of an overhead door. Chairman Farkas said the Applicant was aware of that and had factored it into its calculations. Trustee Minx moved to accept the Plan Commission's report in the matter of PC07-06. Trustee Thill seconded the motion. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent. Tr. Brunner ~ Tr. Kogstad absent Tr. Marcus Tr. Minx ~ Tr. Staackmann ~ Tr. Thill 2~ Trustee Thill told Chairman Farkas to pass along his thanks to the Commissioners for voting to not allow parking on the front lawn of another "McMansion". This was a separate zoning case the members had heard that night. VI. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS (Agenda Items Only) Bill Luksha. Mr. Luksha spoke, regarding Ordinance 07-22 (the installation of a stop sign on Emerson at Menard). He said he lives in that neighborhood and knows that people use Menard as a shortcut. He said that, a year ago, he and about 20 other residents of that neighborhood had requested a stop sign at Menard and Emerson. The Traffic Safety Com- mission reviewed their request and voted against it because there was no history there that would warrant stop signs. Mr. Luksha was surprised at the "total about-face" from a year ago. VII. Mayor Krier had no report. VIII. CLERK'S REPORT Clerk Fritzshall had no report Ix. A. Village Administrator Mr. Wade had no report. B. Corporation Counsel: Ms. Liston had no report. X. A. Trustee Brunner: STAFF REPORTS TRUSTEES' REPORTS Trustee Brunner said she had received correspondence from the Solid Waste Agency of Norkhern Cook County (SWANCC} that October 31St would be the last day for its computer re- cycling program. This was a pilot program where homeowners could pay $25 and have SWANCC come out and pick up old computer components for recycling. SWANCC will now be evaluating this program. Also, October 31St will mark the end of SWANCC's "Sharps" disposal program and its prescription drug disposal program. Those were also pilot programs that will now be evaluated. Trustee Brunner also announced that SWANCC will hold a house- hold chemical waste collection on September 29th in Lake Forest and on October 20th in Vernon Hills. More information about this can be found on the Village's website or SWANCC's website. (www.swancc.ora} 2. Trustee Brunner thanked the Department of Family and Senior Services for all their efforts with the recent Civic Center "members only" party. She said that everyone's hard work certainly paid off in wonderful event. B. Trustee Marcus: Trustee Marcus presented Resolution 07-43, Authorization far the Purchase of Three Watchguard Digital In-Car Video Recording Systems for Police Vehicles From the Illinois State Bid Procurement Program-Contract #PSD-4014193. He explained that this new system will replace older VHS based in-car recording systems that are deteriorating in reliability. In-car video recorders document police activity and can be used for evidence collection, court testimony, and refuting claims of police misconduct. The Police Department has evaluated the in-car recording system from WatchGuard and has determined that it meets the Village's needs and specifications. Three in-car recording systems were approved by the Board in its 2007 Budget at a cast not to exceed $16,500. Purchasing these systems from the State Bid Procurement Program, at a cost of $14,548.50, will save the Village $1,951.50. Trustee Marcus moved to approve Resolution 07-43, seconded by Trustee Brunner. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent. Tr. Brunner ~ Tr. Kagstad absent Tr. Marcus Tr. Minx ~ Tr. Staackmann ~ Tr. Thill X. B. Trustee Marcus (continued} TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued} 2. Next, Trustee Marcus presented far a first reading Ordinance 07-23, Amending the Municipal Cade, Title 5, Chapter 9, Section 7 and 7A, Currently Entitled "Handicapped Parking and Special Provisions for Disabled or Handicapped Persons" in the Village of Morton Grove. Trustee Marcus explained that, recently the State of Illinois had amended its laws regarding parking places reserved far persons with disabilities in several significant ways: it increased the mandatory fines for unlawfully parking in a space reserved for disabled persons (it is now $250 to $350 per offense}; and it included provisions as to the unlawful use of registration plates, placards, or decals issued to disabled persons. This ordinance will update the Village's regulations to bring them in line with the new State laws. Trustee Brunner noted that, in provision 5-9-7-D-8, the Village's ordinance says that fees for the installation and maintenance of reserved parking space signs on public streets is $60 for the installation of the sign, and $20 annually for renewal/maintenance. She asked if language could be incorporated in that provision to allow the Village to waive the fees, if good cause was shown. Mayor Krier said that he didn't think the fees were "exorbitant", but if the Board felt such language was a good idea, it could be added. Corporation Counsel Liston pointed out that the fees have been in effect for over 20 years and that it's considered common to charge for such signage. She proposed the following language (in bold) be added to the last paragraph of the provision: "The application fee shall be paid at the Time the application is made and shall be refunded if the application is denied. The renewal fee shall be paid within thirty-one (31) days after- if be- comes drae. The application and or renewallmaintenance fee maybe waived at the dis- cretion of the Village Administrator or his/her designee for good cause shown." Trustee Staackmann asked if the new language would affect the Village's yearly check to make sure that such signage is still required. Village Administrator Wade said it shouldn't have any affect. Mayor Krier said that, as this was the first reading of the ordinance, the second reading will include the new language. 3 Trustee Marcus echoed Trustee Brunner's kudos to the members of the Family & Senior Services Department. He said it was a memorable event. 4• Trustee Marcus noted that he and Trustee Thill had attended the Muslim Education Center's recent picnic /pre-dedication of the new mosque. He said that he found it gratifying to be there representing the community and was happy to meet and speak with many of the MEC's congregation. 5• Trustee Marcus said that he also introduced himself as the Village liaison to the new Executive Director of the Morton Grove Chamber of Commerce, Mark Pendergrass, and said that he looks forward to working with him. X. TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) C. Trustee Kogstad: Trustee Kogstad was absent - no report. D. Trustee Minx: Trustee Minx presented for a first reading Ordinance 07-24, Granting a Special Use Permit in the Village of Morton Grove for the Property Known as 6063-6065 Dempster for the Operation of an Automobile Leasing Facility. Trustee Minx explained that this is pursuant to Plan Commission Case PC 07-06, which the Board had heard earlier this evening, regarding Enterprise Leasing's request to have a leasing facility. Trustee Staackmann asked if the McPier law would apply. Mayor Krier explained that the McOier law has to do with the amount of sales tax collected on a rental car operation. He said the Village will get 1 % from this. There was no further discussion on this ordinance. 2~ Trustee Minx next presented Resolution 07-45, Providing For Budget Amendments For the Budget Year Beginning January 1, 2007 and Ending December 31, 2007. She explained that this resolution approved a budget amendment to provide for expenditures necessary to implement the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Village and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) and to provide for the same salary increases to the Village's non-union employees. Trustee Staackmann clarified that this is the same salary percentage increases as the IAFF, not the same salary increases. Trustee Minx said that, when preparing the 2006 and 2007 budgets, the Village had anticipated additional funds being needed for retroactive pay increases once the union contracts were finalized and had included sufficient funds for this purpose in the Village's fund balance. This totals $394,900 from the General Fund and $40,100 from the Water Fund, for a total of $435,000. Trustee Minx moved to approve Resolution 07-45, seconded by Trustee Brunner. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent. Tr. Brunner ~ Tr. Kogstad absent Tr. Marcus Tr. Minx ~ Tr. Staackmann ~ Tr. Thill Mayor Krier said that he was exercising his privilege to vote and he, too, voted "ate". 3. Trustee Marcus commented that he and Trustee Minx had both attended the Fire Depart- ment's recent oral interviews of 30 applicants. He complimented Chief Tom Friel and Chair- man Mike Simkins and the other Fire and Police Commission members for handling these interviews very professionally. Trustee Minx added that the process is very lengthy because all of the applicants are given ample time to respond to all of the same questions. X. E. TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) Trustee Staackmann Trustee Staackmann had no report. Trustee Thill Trustee Thill presented Ordinance 07-21, Authorizing the Installation of a Stop Sign on Lyons Street at its Intersection with Menard Avenue Within the Village of Morton Grove. This is the second reading of this ordinance. Trustee Thill said that he understands that traffic signs don't stop speeding, as was stated at the previous Board meeting, but said he still felt that the stop signs should be on Menard in- stead of on Lyons. Trustee Minx said that that issue was brought up at the Traffic Safety Meeting, and the answer there was that more special patrols might be the answer to the speeding problem on Menard. Trustee Thill moved, seconded by Trustee Minx, to adopt Ordinance 07-21. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent. Tr. Brunner ~ Tr. Kogstad absent Tr. Marcus Tr. Minx ~ Tr. Staackmann ~ Tr. Thill 2. Next, Trustee Thill presented Ordinance 07-22, Authorizing the Installation of Stop Signs on Emerson Street at its Intersection with Menard Avenue Within the Village of Morton Grove. This is the second reading of this ordinance. Trustee Thill explained that this is essentially the same issue as previously discussed, except it's putting a stop sign on Emerson instead of Lyons. He moved to adopt Ordinance 07-22, seconded by Trustee Minx. There was no further discussion on Ordinance 07-22. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent. Tr. Brunner ~ Tr. Kogstad absent Tr. Marcus Tr. Minx ~ Tr. Staackmann ~ Tr. Thill 3. Trustee Thill then brought forward Resolution 07-44, Authorizing the Execution of a Contract with J.A. Johnson Paving Company for the 2007 Street Patching Program. He explained that the Village annually contracts with a paving contractor to patch streets within the Village in need of local repairs. This contract was bid publicly. The estimated con- tract value is $75,700, but since this is a unit price contract, the final contract amount will be based on the actual quantity of work performed. X. 4. 5. TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) Trustee Thill: (continued) Tr. Brunner ~ Tr. Kogstad absent Tr. Marcus Tr. Minx ~ Tr. Staackmann ~ Tr. Thill Trustee Thill moved to approve Resolution 07-44, seconded by Trustee Minx. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent. Truste Thill complimented the Park District, notably Mary Walsh and Mary Bush, for its recent Natural History Day. He said the exhibits were great and the event was well-attended. Trustee Thill added his compliments to the Department of Family and Senior Services, especially Jackie Walker-O'Keefe, on the members-only Civic Center event. 6. Trustee Thill said he had attended the MCC's early celebration of the completion of the mosque exterior and found the MCC community to be very warm and hospitable. He said he had a wonderful time. He said that all of the above events just prove that Morton Grove is #1 ! Trustee Thill congratulated Mayor Krier on his son's wedding. XI. OTHER BUSINESS Trustee Brunner asked about the status of Trustee Kogstad's leave of absence. She said she thought he had said he would be back in June, and he has not yet returned. Mayor Krier said he has heard nothing. Trustee Marcus asked the mayor if he's contacted Trustee Kogstad. Mayor Krier said his opinion on creating a vacancy is that it must be a unanimous decision by the Board, because he doesn't want it to be seen as "political payback". He said he felt that Trustee Kogstad's continuing absence put a burden on the Board members. Mayor Krier said he would entertain a motion to declare a vacancy if the trustees were all behind it. He said he would work with the Board members to find a "consensus candidate" that would be acceptable to both parties represented on the Board. Corporation Counsel Liston said that, currently, Trustee Kogstad, under State law, is not dis- qualified from still serving as Trustee. If he were to resign, or move out of town, he would then be disqualified. Trustee Marcus asked if Trustee Kogstad has been receiving his stipend during his absence. Mayor Krier said he returned it initially, and it has not been offered to him since, so, no, he's not receiving his stipend. XI I. WARRANTS Trustee Minx presented the Warrant Register for August 13, 2007, which totaled $1,043,671.86. She moved to approve the Warrants as presented, seconded by Trustee Brunner. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent. Tr. Brunner ~ Tr. Kogstad absent Tr. Marcus Tr. Minx ~ Tr. Staackmann ~ Tr. Thill XIII. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS a. Eric Poders. Mr. Poders had several questions. The first was regarding the Executive Ses- sion meeting that will be held this Wednesday. He wondered if it was a closed meeting. Mayor Krier replied that it's called as a public meeting, but the Board adjourns to Executive Session-which is closed to the public-immediately after the meeting is called to order. Mr. Poders inquired about the EAV in the Waukegan Road TIF and was concerned that funds for School District 67 were being "suppressed". He also wondered if the TIF Joint Review Board has met this year. His last question was about the Bowman property-what was going to happen there, and was there going to be another public meeting about development in the Lehigh-Ferris TIF? Mayor Krier said the EAV in the Waukegan Road has gone up, and he didn't know anything about any funds for District 67 being "suppressed". He said the Village has an intergovern- mental agreement with District 67 regarding the TIF. Mayor Krier explained that money for the Waukegan Road TIF had been taken out of the General Fund in the past, before there was incremental revenue in the TIF Fund, but since the Waukegan Road TIF is now generating revenue, those monies are being repaid to the General Fund. He said he still didn't know if it would end up being a "successful" TIF. Regarding development in the Lehigh-Ferris TIF, Mayor Krier said it's been discussed publicly as well as in Executive Session. He said the Board knows what the residents want there and they are working to bring in the right developer. He said he couldn't really share any more plans right now, but assured Mr. Poders that he, the Board, and Mr. Nuendorf, have met with a myriad of people about the Lehigh-Ferris TIF. Mayor Krier said that the TIF Joint Review Board meeting had been announced several times at the Board Meetings prior to the date it met, earlier this summer. b' Bill Luksha. Regarding Trustee Kogstad's absence, Mr. Luksha noted that a previous legal opinion about this had stated that this type of thing was "unprecedented". He said he had learned that the Mayor of Arlington Heights had taken a year's leave of absence to run a gu- bernatorial campaign and then had come back and resumed his mayoral duties, so Trustee Kogstad's leave of absence was not unprecedented. Mayor Krier asked when that had hap- pened-whose gubernatorial campaign was it. Mr. Luksha responded, "Governor Ogilvie's". Mr. Luksha said that his neighbor had put a fence on his (Mr. Luksha's) property without a building permit. He was also concerned about the proliferation of signs around the Village- real estate signs, hail damage repair signs, etc. He wondered if the Village could do some- thing about all these signs. Mayor Krier said that a permit is needed to put up a fence, and if that fence is indeed on Mr. Luksha's property, it's illegal. He suggested Mr. Luksha speak to Building Commissioner Ed Hildebrandt about the matter. Regarding the signs, they are allowed under the Village's sign ordinance, and he didn't feel they were out of hand. Mr. Hildebrandt stated that he would come out and see the fence on Wednesday, and if it's illegal, it'll come down. As far as signs, alluding to garage sale signs, he said that on Monday mornings, inspectors go out and take down those signs because they are supposed to come down immediately after the garage sale. If it's a repeat offender, they will receive a citation. XIV. ADJOURNMENTIEXECUTIVE SESSION There being no further business, Trustee Minx moved to adjourn to Executive Session to dis- cuss personnel, labor negotiations, and real estate matters. The motion was seconded by Trustee Marcus. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent. Tr. Brunner a~ Tr. Kogstad absent Tr. Marcus Tr. Minx a~ Tr. Staackmann awe, Tr. Thill ~, The meeting adjourned to Executive Session at 8:25 p.m. Mayor Krier called the Executive Session to order at 8:36 p.m. Present were Mayor Krier, Clerk Fritzshall, Trustees Brunner, Marcus, Minx, Staackmann, and Thill. Also present from Village staff were Village Administrator Wade and Corporation Counsel Liston. There being no further business, Trustee Minx moved to adjourn the Executive Session. Trustee Brunner seconded the motion which passed unanimously via voice vote. The Ex- ecutive Session adjourned at 9:41 p.m. Trustee Minx then moved to adjourn the Board Meeting, seconded by Trustee Marcus. The motion passed unanimously via voice vote. The meeting adjourned at 9:42 p.m. PASSED this 27th day of August, 2007. Trustee Brunner Trustee Kogstad Trustee Marcus Trustee Minx Trustee Staackmann Trustee Thill APPROVED by me this 27th day of August, 2007. Richard Krier, Village President Board of Trustees, Morton Grove, Illinois APPROVED and FILED in my office this 28th day of August, 2007. Carol A. Fritzshall, Village Clerk Village of Morton Grove Cook County, Illinois Minutes Uy: Teresa Cousar