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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-05-14 MinutesCALL 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, Dan DiMaria, Roy Kogstad, Rita Minx, Dale Senensky, and Dan Staackmann. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Regarding the Minutes of the April 23, 2007 Regular Meeting, Mayor Krier asked if anyone had any changes or corrections to the Minutes. There were none. Trustee Minx moved, seconded by Trustee DiMaria, to approve the April 23, 2007 Minutes as presented. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. 2. Regarding the Minutes of the April 30, 2007 Town Hall Meeting, Mayor Krier asked if anyone had any changes or corrections to these Minutes. There were none. Trustee Minx moved, seconded by Trustee Brunner, to approve the April 30, 2007 Town Hall Minutes as pre- sented. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. IV. PUBLIC HEARINGS NONE V. SPECIAL REPORTS NONE VI. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS (Agenda Items Only) NONE VII. Mayor Krier proclaimed the month of May 2007 as "Click It or Ticket" Seat Belt Enforcement Month in Morton Grove, and urged all citizens to always wear their safety belts when driving or riding on roads, now and in the future. 2. Mayor Krier next proclaimed May 14, 2007 as "Paul A. Morin Day". He explained that Mr. Morin was elected the National Commander of the American Legion in August of 2006. He is a Vietnam veteran and an active member of the Aldenville American Legion Post 337. Mr. Morin has been honored for his dedication to various veteran service organizations and continues his work to help veterans receive quality medical, surgical, and skilled nursing care. Mayor Krier said that Mr. Morin will be in Morton Grove on May 18th and at that time, the proclamation will be given to him. 3. Mayor Krier issued a proclamation honoring School District 219 for receiving the prestigious Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education and National School Boards Association Award. He explained that this award is only given to one school district in the entire nation, and for 2007, it was given to Niles Township District 219. The award recognizes the school district's demonstrated support and achievement for all four artistic disciplines: music, visual arts, theater, and dance. The Board and the assemblage congratulated District 219. 4. Next, Mayor Krier sought concurrence from the Board for his appointments of Randy Israel and Tina Miritello to the Economic Development Commission. Mr. Israel is a current owner of business property on Dempster Street, and Ms. Miritello is the former Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce. Mayor Krier felt that both would be excellent additions to the Eco- nomic Development Commission. Trustee Minx moved to concur with Mayor Krier's appointments. Trustee Senensky seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. 5. Mayor Krier also sought the Board's concurrence with his appointment of Dale Senensky to the Traffic Safety Commission, upon the retirement of Commissioner Jim Verhunce on June 7, 2007. Trustee Minx moved to concur, seconded by Trustee Brunner. Motion passed via voice vote. VIII. CLERK'S REPORT Clerk Fritzshall asked for the Board's approval of the following Executive Session Minutes: June 27, 2005; July 11, 2005; August 22, 2005; September 12, 2005; September 26, 2005; October 26, 2005 (both preceding and following the regular meeting); January 9, 2006; January 16, 2006 (after the special meeting); and January 23, 2006. Trustee Minx moved to approve the above-stated Executive Session Minutes. Trustee DiMaria seconded the motion. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 abstain Tr. Brunner ~ Tr. DiMaria ~ Tr. Kogstad abstain Tr. Minx ~ Tr. Senensky ~ Tr. Staackmann VIII. CLERK'S REPORT (continued) 2. Next, Clerk Fritzshall presented Resolution 07-25, Accepting the Canvass Results and Proclamation for the April 17, 2007 Consolidated Election. She explained that, due to a change in Illinois election law, votes are now canvassed and the winners of elections pro- claimed by the Board of Election Commissioners of Cook County. These are the certified re- sults: 3,113 total ballots cast For the office of Village Trustee: For the office of Library Trustee (two 6-year terms) Carol L. Gail: 862 Dayal R. Patel: 680 Dale Senensky: 795 Daniel J. Staackmann: 1,746 Shel Marcus: 1,561 John C. Thill: 1,547 Sherwin Dubren: 458 William N. Luksha: 437 Bruce L. Tarpey: 461 Eric Poders: 20 IX. A. 2. Janice Sykes Russo: 1,567 Arthur Goldstein: 969 Daniel Hoffman: 1,576 Sadiqua Ahmad: 371 For the office of Library Trustee (one 4-year term) Agnes S. Quinn: 2,081 The Cook County Board of Elections proclaims that Daniel J. Staackmann, Shel Marcus, and John C. Thill have been elected as Village Trustees to serve afour-year term; that Janice Sykes Russo and Daniel Hoffman have been elected as Library Trustees to serve a six-year term; and that Agnes S. Quinn has been elected as a Library Trustee to serve a four-year term. Trustee DiMaria moved to approve Resolution 07-25, seconded by Trustee Senensky. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Brunner ~ Tr. DiMaria ~ Tr. Kogstad Tr. Minx ~ Tr. Senensky ~ Tr. Staackmann Village Administrator STAFF REPORTS Mr. Wade announced that aMid-Year Budget Workshop was scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on May 23 in the Council Chambers. Mr. Wade also reminded the Board and the assemblage that the May 28, 2007 Village Board Meeting was cancelled due to the Memorial Day holiday. B. Corporation Counsel: Ms. Liston had no report. X. A. Trustee Brunner: TRUSTEES'REPORTS Trustee Brunner reported that the State of Illinois has passed its state-wide smoking ban, which is much more restrictive than the Village's. However, Morton Grove's smoking ban will still go into effect on August 1, 2007. The State's is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2008. 2. Trustee Brunner also reported that the Department of Family and Senior Services, in conjunc- tion with the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC), is going to have a Sharps Disposal Program at the Civic Center on weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. This is aused-needle disposal program for people who have to have injected medicine. They can pick-up containers for their used needles at the Civic Center and also return the filled containers there. Also in conjunction with SWANCC, on the second and fourth Tuesday in August, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., residents will be able to bring their unused and old pre- scription medications to the Civic Center and SWANCC will dispose of them. B. Trustee DiMaria: Trustee DiMaria had no report. C. Trustee Kogstad: Trustee Kogstad had no report. D. Trustee Minx: Trustee Minx presented Ordinance 07-14, Adopting Updates of the Fire Prevention Regulations and Codes. This is the second reading of this ordinance. Trustee Minx explained that the Fire Department has undertaken the review of the Village's fire prevention regulations and codes, and, in order to comply with recent changes to the Village's Code regarding building regulations, Chief Friel is recommending that the Village adopt the 2003 Edition of the International Fire Code. Trustee Minx moved, seconded by Trustee Staackmann, to adopt Ordinance 07-14. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Brunner ~ Tr. DiMaria ~ Tr. Kogstad Tr. Minx ~ Tr. Senensky ~ Tr. Staackmann E. TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) Trustee Senensky: Trustee Senensky presented Resolution 07-26, Authorizing the Disposition of Unclaimed Bicycles Recovered by the Morton Grove Police Department. He explained that the Police Department regularly receives calls regarding found bicycles. They collect these bicycles and store them for at least six months while attempting to ascertain ownership. If no ownership information is found, the department can dispose of the bicycles according to department policies and State guidelines. This resolution will authorize the Police Department to donate 27 unclaimed bicycles to anot-for-profit group located in Evanston. Trustee Senensky moved, seconded by Trustee Minx, Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Brunner ~ Tr. DiMaria Tr. Minx ~ Tr. Senensky XI. Trustee Staackmann Trustee Staackmann had no report. to approve Resolution 07-26. Tr. Kogstad Tr. Staackmann OTHER BUSINESS Kudos to Outgoing Trustees a. Mayor Krier thanked Trustee Senensky for his two years of service to the Village and pre- sented him with a plaque and a personalized "key to the city". Mayor Krier said that Trustee Senensky has given a lot to the Board and said, "We've taken his council on matters often." Trustee Brunner also thanked Trustee Senensky and said she was glad he was going to stay around (via his appointment to the Traffic Safety Commission). Trustee Staackmann said that he's known Trustee Senensky since high school! He wished Trustee Senensky well and said he had enjoyed working with him. Trustee DiMaria said that Trustee Senensky has done an incredible job and is dedicated to the Village. He said that Dale is a good friend and a good neighbor. Trustee Senensky said he had been honored to serve on the Board, and noted that some hard decisions had been made to benefit the Village employees and the citizens as a whole. He complimented staff members Andy DeMonte and Ryan Gillingham of Public Works, Chief Friel and Captain Porter of the Fire Department, Chief Tasch and Deputy Chief Erickson of the Po- lice Department, Corporation Counsel Liston, and Village Administrator Wade and his staff, saying he'd miss working with them. Trustee Senensky pointed out that, since 2005, the Vil- lage has had to hire a new Village Administrator, a new Financial Director, a new Police Chief, a new Economic Development Director, a new IT person, and a new HR person. He called all the new staff members "phenomenal". Trustee Senensky thanked Trustee Brunner for being "a great leader and friend". He told Trustee Minx she was a "great asset" to the Village and told Trustee Staackmann it had been a pleasure working with him. Trustee Senensky thanked Trustee DiMaria for his friendship and said, "See you on the golf course!" He told Trustee Kogstad that "the people are being cheated by your actions". XI. OTHER BUSINESS (continued) Trustee Senensky thanked Mayor Krier for giving him the chance to serve on the Board and said that the Mayor's father and grandfather should be proud of him. Trustee Senensky thanked his wife and children for their support, and told the assemblage that he would "miss about 90% of you." He suggested that the other 10% stop their personal attacks on Village employees and Board members. Trustee Senensky also wished John Thill and Shel Marcus good luck. b. Next, Mayor Krier presented a plaque and a "key to the city" to Trustee DiMaria, thanking him for his six years of service. He said that, although he and Trustee DiMaria have battled in poli- tics, they both practice the "politics of ideas, not the politics of personal destruction". Mayor Krier said, "We were friends before and we're better friends now." He said that Trustee Di- Maria is stepping down so as to be able to spend more time with his family, but said that, had Trustee DiMaria chosen to run for election again, he surely would have won. Mayor Krier said that he doesn't think that Trustee DiMaria's political career is over, and told him, "You are what government, what a politician, is all about." Trustee Brunner thanked Trustee DiMaria for his service and said it had been a pleasure serv- ing with him. Trustee Minx said that, as "senior" Trustee, Trustee DiMaria had taught her and Trustee Brunner a lot. She said she'd miss him and wished him good luck. Trustee Staack- mann said that the perfect word to describe Trustee DiMaria is "irrepressible". He said Trus- tee DiMaria was always there with a quip in a tight spot. Trustee DiMaria thanked everyone for their kind words. He thanked the residents for their support over the last six years, and thanked publicly the people who have supported him. He thanked his wife and his children, pointing out that he had three daughters in high school now-one of the main reasons he had opted not to run for office again. Trustee DiMaria thanked the members of the Action Party, especially Dan Scanlon, Jack O'Brien, Bill Grear, and Terri Cousar. He said he would continue his involvement with the Action Party, citing his belief in the organization. He thanked his fellow Board members, saying he was glad he got along with all them in spite of, at times, being on "different sides of the fence". He said he felt that the Village was moving in the right direction. Trustee DiMaria thanked all the Village employees and department heads, saying that, without them, "the Village is nothing-we can sit here and legislate, but they're out there doing the job." His advice to the newest trustees was "Vote with your heart for the good of the Village" and he assured them that if they did so, they'd be able to sleep at night. Trustee DiMaria also had some words for the "rabble rousers". Quoting Mark Twain, he said, "First get your facts straight-then you can distort them at your leisure." He said that people who come up to the podium should first be sure they have their facts straight and understand them. He said the Board is there for the good of the Village-"we're residents and taxpayers here, too!" He said they should get their facts straight and then come and make recommendations tothe Board. Mayor Krier asked the outgoing Trustees to take a seat in the audience. He acknowledged several former Village officials present: Trustee Steve Blonz, Trustee Don Sneider, Clerk Marilyn Sneider, Clerk Wilma Wendt, Trustee Joe Moll, and Mayor Dan Scanlon. XI. 2. 3. OTHER BUSINESS (continued) Swearing in of New Trustees Judge Moishe Jacobus was present to perform the swearing-in of new Trustees Shel Marcus and John Thill, and re-elected Trustee Dan Staackmann. After taking their oaths of office, the new Trustees were seated and the meeting continued. Resolution 07-27 Mayor Krier presented Resolution 07-27, Appointing a Director and Alternate Director to the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC). Mayor Krier said that, as a member of SWANCC, Morton Grove is entitled to appoint a Director to serve on the Agency's Board. The Village does this annually. Resolution 07-27 authorizes the Mayor to appoint Trustee Brunner as this year's Director, with Trustee Thill and Village Administrator Wade as Alternate Directors. Trustee Minx moved to approve Reso- lution 07-27, seconded by Trustee Staackmann. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Brunner ~ Tr. Kogstad ~ Tr. Marcus Tr. Minx ~ Tr. Staackmann ~ Tr. Thill 4. Mayor Krier asked the new trustees if they had any remarks. a. Trustee Marcus said that being able to serve on the Village Board was "quite an honor". He said he was humbled by the election, and that he never thought he'd be in this position. He said he'd work with his fellow Board members to do what is right for the Village. Trustee Mar- cus thanked Judge Jacobus for participating this evening, and thanked his family for their sup- port. b~ Trustee Thill said that he intends to do the best he can. He asked the assemblage to let him know, respectfully, if they see him do something wrong. He said he was going to reach out to the community and ask everyone to "be available" to the Board, noting that "We're six people up here, and we don't have all the answers." Trustee Thill thanked his family, who had cam- paigned for him and supported him, as well as all his friends and neighbors. c~ Trustee Staackmann said he wanted to personally thank the community for believing in him, saying, "It's humbling to win an election." He thanked everyone for their support and thanked his family and friends for being here tonight. Mayor Krier said he's excited about working with this new Board. He said he had already met with Trustees Thill and Marcus; they've had some orientation with the Village Administrator; they've been doing a lot of reading; they've been involved with the Village; and they're hitting the ground running! XI I. WARRANTS Trustee Minx presented the Warrant Register which totaled $391,016.26. Trustee Minx moved to approve the Warrant Registers, seconded by Trustee Staackmann. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 abstain. Tr. Brunner ~ Tr. Kogstad abstain Tr. Marcus Tr. Minx ~ Tr. Staackmann ~ Tr. Thill XIII. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS a. Eric Poders. Mr. Poders asked Mayor Krier if he had attended the May 6th meeting regarding the school funding crisis. He also informed the Board that he had attended afour-hour meet- ing with Francorp, the largest franchising corporation in the world (responsible for 40% of the franchises in the U.S.). He said that a lot of ideas had come out at the meeting. He met with Bill Nuendorf to discuss them and there would be further discussion at the Economic Devel- opment Commission's meeting on May 23`d. He said there was a lot of talk about restaurants, and some names that had been thrown out were Pulse Foods (from India); Culvers; Hurricane Wings; Blue Sky Creamery, and more. He challenged the residents to figure out what they want (in terms of restaurants), and challenged the new Board to come up with revenue streams so as to be able to balance the budget. Mayor Krier said that he had been unable to attend the May 6th meeting on school funding, but is slightly involved because of his participation on the Metropolitan Mayors Council and the Northwest Municipal Conference. He felt it was more an issue for schools than the Village. b. Joe Hedrick. Mr. Hedrick thanked the Mayor for his proclamation for Paul A. Morin Day, and reminded everyone that the Memorial Day Parade would take place on Sunday, May 27, at 1:30 p.m. He said he'd like everyone to attend. Mr. Hedrick also encouraged everyone to read the article in this week's Bugle about the "Wounded Warriors" program. Mayor Krier invited everyone to stay for a brief reception following the adjournment. He thanked the Executive Secretaries Sue Lattanzi and Marlene Kramaric for putting the reception together. XIV. ADJOURNMENT/EXECUTIVE SESSION There being no further business, Trustee Minx moved to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by Trustee Brunner and approved unanimously pursuant to a voice vote at 8:20 p.m. PASSED this 11th day of June, 2007. Trustee Brunner Trustee Kogstad Trustee Marcus Trustee Minx Trustee Staackmann Trustee Thill APPROVED by me this 11th day of June, 2007. Richard Krier, Village President Board of Trustees, Morton Grove, Illinois APPROVED and FILED in my office this 12th day of June, 2007. Carol A. Fritzshall, Village Clerk Village of Morton Grove Cook County, Illinois Minutes by: Teresa Cousar