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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-01-25 MinutesCALL TO ORDER I. Village President Dan Staackmann called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. After leading the assemblage in the Pledge of Allegiance, he directed the Village Clerk to call the roll. II. Village Clerk Tony Kalogerakos called the roll. Present were: Trustees Dan DiMana, Larry Gomberg, Bill Grear, Shel Marcus, John Thill, and Maria Toth. Ill. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. Regarding the Minutes of the Special Meeting of January 11, 2010, Trustee Marcus moved, seconded by Trustee Thill, to accept the Minutes as presented. There was no discussion. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. b. Regarding the Minutes of the January 11, 2010 Regular Meeting, Trustee Thill moved, seconded by Trustee Marcus, to accept the Minutes as presented. There was no discussion. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. IV. SPECIAL REPORTS 1►[07011q V. PUBLIC HEARINGS NONE VI. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS (Agenda Items Only) NONE _..... ....... Minutes of January 25, 2010 Board Meeting VII. PRESIDENT'S REPORT -_ Mayor Staackmann asked Trustee Grear to join him at the podium, announcing that the Village has a local hero to honor this evening. He said it was an amazing thing for a person to take the initiative to see danger, shuck it aside, to save a life. He asked Fire Chief Tom Friel to provide more detail. Chief Friel said it was rare for him to stand before the Board to make a report like this. He stated that on the morning of January 6, 2010, an employee of McGrath Acura was in its parking lot and noticed smoke coming from a residence on the east side of McGrath's property. Rather than turn a blind, the employee, James Burns, drove over to investigate. He confirmed that it was smoke and asked fellow employees to call 9 -1 -1 while he went to see if anyone was in the building. He pounded nn the front door and got no response. Mr. Burns found an unlocked side door and entered, but the room was filled with smoke from the ceiling to the floor, so he couldn't proceed. He started shouting to see if anyone was home. His shouting woke a young man sleeping in the basement. The man followed the sound of Mr. Burns' voice and was able to escape just as the Fire Department arrived on the scene. The fire had consumed one bedroom and the main floor of the building, and was starting to progress into the basement. Three smoke detectors were located in the home —none of them functional. Chief Friel noted that the proclamation prepared for Mr. Burns states: "James Burns represents a tradition of selfless bravery without regard for personal reward or recognition that is treasured and valued in the Village or Morton Grove. It is fitting that a grateful community honor an individual who is a representation of the finest community spirit." The proclamation announces January 25, 2010, as "James Burns Day' in recognition of Mr. Burns sense of duty and personal ethics. Mayor Staackmann presented Mr. Burns with a plaque and thanked him. Mr. Burns commented that the Mayor and Board was "very generous" with their praise. The mayor said it's not often that people "get involved," even though they should, because everyone makes a difference. He also presented a plaque to McGrath Acura for having employees of Mr. Burns' caliber. Mayor Staackmann noted that the Police Department had apprehended two burglars last week. They spotted a break -in; the resident was actually home and called the Police Department. Sgt. Panko did an outstanding job of setting up a perimeter. The burglars tried hiding but the police found them and recovered their burglary tools as well. 3. Mayor Staackmann said that the Village is 25 days into the new year, and he wanted every- one to know the Board and Village staff is busier now than ever. There have been numerous meetings about the senior programs and the TIF Districts. He said the Board is really working hard. VIII. Clerk Kalogerakos had no report. CLERK'S REPORT _ I Minutes of January:25, 2010 Board Meeting: IX. STAFF REPORTS A. Village Administrator Mr. Wade provided a status report about the Village's efforts to maintain and continue senior services efforts at the Civic Center. He said that, to date, Family & Senior Services, Director Jackie Walker- O'Keefe and he have met with five parties who are interested in offering similar services. These groups are a mix of a not - for - profit and for - profit entities. They each have differing qualifications, and each has been asked to submit a "plan" to submit to the Board by February 1st. The Director and he have answered numerous questions and have given tours of the facility. Mr. Wade said he was confident that the senior programs would be maintained. 2. Mr. Wade said that the Village has also been in dialogue with PACE regarding senior transportation service, and how to offer it as efficiently and cost - effectively as possible. He reminded the Board that the present bus service costs the Village approximately $60,000 annually and serves about 60 unique individuals. The Village is looking at alternatives, perhaps a subscription plan with PACE or a refinement of the existing service. 3. As far as room and banquet hall rentals, there has been a meeting with one interested party. Discussions will continue. 4. Mayor Staackmann personally thanked the people who worked at the Civic Center, who had their jobs cut, and who have now come back as volunteers, notably Gloria Falkovitz. He said the Village Board sincerely appreciates those people. 5. Trustee Thill asked Mr. Wade and Ms. Walker- O'Keefe to encourage any parties they're speaking with to consider utilizing those people who have been working ( volunteering at the Civic Center. B. Corporation Counsel: Ms. Liston had no report. X. TRUSTEES'REPORTS A. Trustee DiMaria: Trustee DiMaria had no report. X. TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) Trustee Gomberq: Minutes of January 26, 2010 Board Meeting'.. Trustee Gomberg presented Ordinance 10 -01, Providing for the Issuance of One or More Series of General Obligation Bonds, Series 2010, of the Village of Morton Grove, Authorizing the Execution of One or More Bond Orders in Connection Therewith and Providing for the Levy and Collection of a Direct Annual Tax for the Payment of the Principal and Interest on Said Bonds. This is the second reading of this ordinance Trustee Gomberg Said this ordinance would authorize the issuance of bonds for a multi -year street improvement program, a village -wide water meter replacement program, feeder main relocation near the north pumping station, repainting of both water towers, replacement of the water main at the river, a west side storm sewer study, replacement of the Village's salt dome, and a new ambulance. Total bonds to be sold are $9,850,000, not to exceed $10.2 million (to cover the costs of bond counsel and the sale). Trustee Gomberg moved to adopt Ordinance 10 -01, seconded by Trustee DiMaria. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. DiMaria aye Tr. Gomberg aae Tr. Grear acre Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Thill acre Tr. Toth aye C. Trustee Grear. Trustee Grear presented Resolution 10 -06, Authorizing the Execution of a License Agreement for Locating a Village -Owned Outdoor Warning Siren on an Existing Utility Pole Owned by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. He explained that the Village was awarded a grant through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, thanks in part to Representative Beth Coulsen, in the amount of $30,000 for the purchase of new Emergency Alert System /Outdoor Warning Siren equipment. The Village will co- locate this equipment on an existing utility pole owned by the MWRDGC in the area of Church and Austin Avenue. Trustee Grear moved to approve Resolution 10 -06, seconded by Trustee Toth. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. DiMaria acre Tr. Gomberg aye Tr. Grear aye Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Thill acre Tr. Toth aye b. Trustee Thill thanked Chief Friel for his persistence in this matter. This has taken 18 months of negotiations and wouldn't have happened if not for Chief Friel. Mayor Staackmann asked the chief to clarify the criteria to "flip the switch" on the siren. c. Chief Friel said that people often refer to outdoor warning sirens as "tornado warnings" but they are more than that. They are part of the Village's "emergency alert system," which is a long- standing federal program that has been refined over the years. The primary means of getting immediate alerts to the public remains television and radio. -.... -... Minutes of January 25, 2010 Hoard Meeting X. TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) C. Trustee Grear (continued) d. Chief Friel said that the outdoor sirens would be a "second - level" of the emergency alert system to let people know about severe weather or civil unrest. A third level of alert would be the Village's reverse -911 system, which can be targeted to more localized conditions. He noted that there is a link on the Village's website for residents to register in the reverse -911 system; however, anyone who has a land -based phone is already in the system. They can choose to opt out, if they desire to do so, by going to the website and following the link to opt out. If someone only has a cell phone /pager /BlackBerry, etc., and wants to receive these types of alerts, they must register their device by going to the Village's website. 2. Trustee Grear reminded the assemblage about the upcoming Chamber "VIP of the Year" dinner, being held on February 4`" at the Civic Center. He said he was proud that this year's honoree is Mike Simkins, and said he hoped the Civic Center would be "at capacity". 3. Trustee Grear thanked Gloria Falkovitz and the others who work so hard at the Civic Center. He also noted that District Chief Bob Hohs was recovering from surgery, and asked the assemblage to keep him in their prayers. D. Trustee Marcus: Trustee Marcus had no formal report, but echoed Trustee Grear's comments about the Civic Center volunteers, and thanked Mr. Wade and Ms. Walker- O'Keefe for all the time and effort they're expending to continue the senior services in Morton Grove. He said that the seniors are very important to the Board, and hoped they knew that the Board is making every effort to maintain the programs and services they've enjoyed. E. Trustee Thill Trustee Thill presented Resolution 10 -07, Authorizing the Execution of a Contract with the Autumn Tree Care Experts, Inc. For the 2010 Tree Trimming Program. Trustee Thill moved, seconded by Trustee Gomberg, to approve Resolution 10 -04. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. DiMaria afire Tr. Gomberg avee Tr. Grear acre Tr. Marcus avee Tr. Thill aye Tr. Toth ave 2 Trustee Thill then presented Resolution 10 -08, Authorizing the Execution of a Contract with Arthur Weiler, Inc. For the 2010 Tree Planting Program. Trustee Thill moved to approve Resolution 10 -08, seconded by Trustee DiMaria. Trustee Toth noted that the estimated contract value is $17,510, but that, since it is a unit price contract, the final contract amount will be based on the actual quantity of work performed. She wondered if that work included the planting of the trees, or if it was only for the - - -- purchase of the trees. . - - Minutes of January 25, 2010 Board Meeting X. TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) E. Trustee Thill (continued) Mr. DeMonte responded that the price included both the cost of the trees and the cost to plant them. Trustee Marcus clarified whether this had gone out for bid versus being a continuation of an existing contract. Mr. DeMonte answered that it had gone out to bid; six vendors had responded with bids. Mayor Staackmann called for the vote on Resolution 10 -08. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. DiMaria aae Tr. Gomberg aaye, Tr. Grear aae Tr. Marcus aye Tr: Thin _ _ _ _ _ _ Tr. Toth av? 3 Trustee Thill introduced Resolution 10 -09, Authorizing the Execution of a Contract With G &M Trucking, Inc. For the 2010 Material Hauling Program. Trustee Thill moved to approve Resolution 10 -09, seconded by Trustee Gomberg. Trustee Thill asked Mr. DeMonte about some of the different materials that will be hauled away; i.e., "CA6" (gravel with screen) and "FA2" (sand). He also inquired as to where the sludge goes. Mr. DeMonte said he would check. The previous vendor had his own landfill so the sludge went there, but he wasn't sure where it would go with this particular vendor. Mayor Staackmann called for the vote on Resolution 10 -09. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. DiMaria aye Tr. Gomberg aae Tr. Grear aye Tr. Marcus acre Tr. Thill acre Tr. Toth aaye, 4. Trustee Thill brought forward Resolution 10 -10, Authorization to Execute a Contract With DiMeo Brothers Inc. For the Dempster Street Water Main Improvements. Trustee Thill explained that this contract was bid out and 17 bids were submitted. DiMeo Brothers is qualified and its bid was within the Village's budgeted amount. The estimated contract amount is $1,367,920, but the final contract amount will be based on the quantity of work performed. Trustee Thill commented that this is a very good contract for the Village, and moved to approve Resolution 10 -10, Trustee Marcus seconded the motion, which passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. DiMaria acre Tr. Gomberg aye Tr. Grear aye Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Thill a0e Tr. Toth aye 6 Trustee Thill thanked the Niles Township Indian community, celebrating "Republic Day", which is similar to our Fourth of July celebration. He said he appreciated being invited to the Saturday night event, and found the food and entertainment to be very good. rd Minutes of January 26, 2010 Board Moatin it TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) Trustee Toth: Trustee Toth presented Ordinance 10 -02, Authorizing a New Title 10, Chapter 5, Article A, Entitled "Vacant Building" of the Municipal Code of the Village of Morton Grove. This is the second reading of this ordinance. a. Trustee Toth explained that, with the economic down turn, the Village has experienced an in- crease in vacant buildings, some as a result of bank foreclosures and bankruptcies, others where the builder or mortgage holder has abandoned the property. An unacceptable burden is - -- placed -on -the Village -to -track down responsible- parties. This ordinance will require responsi- ble parties to register the affected properties and establish a plan to maintain the premises in a manner consistent with Village Code. She noted that, after the first reading of this ordinance, several changes had been made. The initial inspection fee was changed to $300, and the sections detailing "Signage" and "Time Restrictions — Boarding" were deleted. Trustee Toth moved to adopt Ordinance 10 -02, seconded by Trustee Thill. Trustee Toth thanked Building Commissioner Ed Hildebrandt for his assistance with this ordinance. b. Trustee Marcus said he had some concerns about "vacant" versus "unoccupied" in terms of the additional fees being charged to the businesses. He said he was concerned because businesses are struggling and making them have to come up with additional fees causes him some reservations. He felt it would be appropriate to table the ordinance to review the matter of fees and made that motion. Mayor Staackmann pointed out that this is the second reading of this ordinance. Trustee Thill seconded the motion to table Ordinance 10 -02 for further review. Motion failed: 3 ayes, 4 nays. Tr. DiMaria aye Tr. Gomberg nay Tr. Grear nay Tr. Marcus afire Tr. Thill aye Tr. Toth nay Mayor Staackmann: nay c Mayor Staackmann said that, if further clarification is needed, perhaps the Building Commis- sioner could go into some detail. He said that some of the motivation behind strengthening this ordinance was the fact that the Village is currently owed in excess of $400,000 in fines and liens from property owners, both residential and business. d. Trustee Marcus said he's concerned about the business community, and wanted to review the guidelines. He said he agreed in principle with what this ordinance is trying to do, but was concerned about its impact on the business community. Mayor Staackmann pointed out that it is the property owner who is responsible for the fine, not the lessee. Mayor Staackmann called for the vote. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 1 nay. Tr. DiMaria aye Tr. Gomberg aye Tr. Grear aye Tr. Marcus nay Tr. Thill aye Tr. Toth aye __. _' '... _... .. Minutes of January 25, 2010 Soard Meefing X. TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) F. Trustee Toth: (continued) Trustee Toth next presented Ordinance 10 -04, Amending the Village of Morton Grove Unified Development Code; Section 12 -4 -3D; "Zoning Districts — Commercial District — Uses to Allow Drive -Thru Facilities" and Section 12 -5 -5, "Special Zoning Provisions — Criteria for Specific Commercial Uses — Drive -Thru Facilities" Within the Village of Morton Grove. This is the second reading of this ordinance. Trustee Toth explained that the Plan Commission had considered this case and recommended that this text amendment be adopted provided- certain,- additional conditions were imposed. These conditions are consistent with conditions which would normally be imposed upon granting a special use permit for drive -thru facilities. T rustee Toth moved to adopt Ordinance 10 -04, seconded by Trustee Thill. She asked the Board to realize that, if this ordinance is approved, these types of projects will no longer go through procedural control; that is, they will not be heard before the Plan Commission or the Traffic Safety Commission —only the Appearance Commission. Mayor Staackmann called for the vote on Ordinance 10 -04. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 1 nay. Tr. DiMaria aye Tr. Gomberg aye Tr. Grear acre Tr. Marcus nav Tr. Thill acre Tr. Toth aye XI. OTHER BUSINESS NONE XI I. WARRANTS Trustee Gomberg presented the Warrant Register for January 25, 2010 in the amount of $622,474.84. He moved to accept the Warrants, seconded by Trustee Thill. There was no further discussion on the Warrants. Upon the vote, the motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. DiMaria aave Tr. Gomberg aave Tr. Grear aye Tr. Marcus aae Tr. Thill avee Tr. Toth aye XIII. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS NONE . _.... _.. Minutes of January 25, 2010 Board Meeting XIV. ADJOURNMENT /EXECUTIVE SESSION There being no further business, Trustee DiMaria moved to adjourn the meeting. Trustee Thill seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. The meeting adjourned at 7:46 p.m. PASSED this 8th day of February, 2010 Trustee DiMaria We Trustee Gomberg Trustee Grear Trustee Marcus Trustee Thill Trustee Toth 8th day of February, 2010. Daniel J "Staackmann, Village President Board of Trustees, Morton Grove, Illinois APPROVED and I ED in my office this 9th day of February, 2010. Tony S. Ka!o erakos, Village Clerk Village of Morton Grove, Cook County, Illinois Minutes by Teresa Couser