Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-10-07 Board MinutesCALL TO ORDER & Village President Dan DiMaria called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. John Pietron, and led the II, assemblage in the Pledge of Allegiance. He then directed the Clerk to call the roll. III. Village Clerk Ed Ramos called the roll. Present were: Trustees Bill Grear, She[ Marcus, John Pietron, John Thill, and Maria Toth. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. Regarding the Minutes of the Special Meeting of September 23, 2013, Trustee Toth moved to accept the Minutes as presented. Trustee Thill seconded the motion. Trustee Pietron asked that the Minutes be amended to include Nancy Razdevich in the list of the people present at the meeting. Upon the vote, the motion passed unanimously via voice vote. Regarding the Minutes of the September 23, 2013 Regular Board Meeting, Trustee Toth moved, seconded by Trustee Grear, to accept the Minutes as presented. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. V. SPECIAL REPORTS Naval Thanksgiving Day Dinner Presentation Casey Buchara andJoe Gesicki appeared before the Board to promote American Legion Post 134's annual Naval Thanksgiving Day. Mr. Buchara chairs the Thanksgiving Day Committee. He thanked the mayor and board for their past support of "Navy Day' on Thanksgiving. He explained that this is the 7`h annual Navy Day, which is an occasion for the older veterans and Morton Grove residents to show their appreciation of the new military personnel. The Legion buses in 50 recruits from Great Lakes Naval Base on Thanksgiving morning (bus courtesy of School District 67). The recruits start their day with coffee and sweets, have the chance to play videogames and make long - distance telephone calls, and fed and entertained throughout the day. Mr. Buchara said that many local merchants assist in this event. He encouraged the Mayor and the Board members to attend, adding that the Legion is grateful for any support from the community, both financial support and volunteer support. They are also seeking support for the Wounded Warriors program. V. SPECIAL REPORTS (continued) Mayor DiMaria said that he's attended in the past with his children, who have a great time inte- racting with the Naval recruits. He encouraged all residents to attend this wonderful event. VI. PUBLIC HEARINGS I►[97►1q VII. RESIDENTS' COMMENTS (Agenda Items Only) Vlll. Proclamations NONE PRESIDENT'S REPORT Mayor DiMaria proclaimed October 13, 2013 as "B'Nai B'rith Day" in the Village of Morton Grove. B'Nai B'rith is the oldest service organization founded in the United States, and has an unparalleled record of aiding humanity in communities around the globe. B'Nai B'rith members - provide countless hours of community service to local projects in the towns where they live. Mayor DiMarla pointed out that Trustee Marcus is a Past President of the Midwest Region of B'Nai B'rith International and currently sits on the National Executive Board of Trustees. 2. Appointment of New Trustee a. Mayor DiMaria noted that he had received a lot of applications to fill the Trustee seat vacated by former Trustee Kalogerakos, and felt that his choice, Janine Witko, was the most qualified candidate of them all. b. Mayor DiMaria said that this proves that Janine is an independent thinker who puts the Village first. He added that Janine agrees with and supports the Board's vision for moving the Village forward. The mayor said that he had spoken with all of the trustees about this appointment and everyone was extremely happy and delighted with his choice. Trustee Toth moved to approve Mayor DiMana's appointment of Janine Witko to fill the vacant trustee seat, seconded by Trustee Pietron. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Grear acre Tr. Marcus ave Tr. Pietron aae Tr. Thill acre Tr. Toth acre Mayor DiMaria then swore in the newest trustee, Janine Witko. c. Trustee Witko thanked her family and friends for their support, commenting that many of them were present this evening. She thanked Rita and Paul Minx for getting her started in local politics, and thanked Mayor DiMana and the Board for putting their faith in her. Trustee Grear presented her with flowers from the Board. VII. PRESIDENT'S REPORT (continued) Minutes of October 7, 2013 Board Meetib" d. Mayor DiMaria stated that Trustee Witko is going to be a valuable team member, adding that this was a great day for Morton Grove! 3. Commission Appointment Since Trustee Witko will no longer be serving on the Plan Commission /Zoning Board, Mayor DiMaria asked for the Board's concurrence to appoint Craig Gillespie to fill her seat. Trustee Thill so moved, seconded by Trustee Marcus. Motion passed unanimously via voice vote. 4. Mayoral Update a. Mayor DiMaria said he had attended two grand openings recently. One was for "Biggies" on Oakton near Austin Avenue. He was joined there by Trustees Toth, Thill, Pietron, and Marcus. He said he highly recommends Biggies —they have very good food! The second grand opening was at Fear City on September 27. It was very good; very different this year. He encouraged everyone to go! b. Mayor DiMaria said that, at the invitation of Clerk Ramos, he attended the Adobo Festival in St. Paul Woods on September 29. He thanked Clerk Ramos for inviting him, and said that he had a great time and met many members of Morton Grove's Filipino community. c. Mayor DiMaria also attended the International Shopping Center Conference with Village Administrator Ryan Horne and Community & Economic Development Director Nancy Razdevich and Administrative Intern Laura Lake. He said it's the second time he's been there this year, and he came away with several meetings set up. There were many brokers there and people are starting to get excited about Morton Grove. d. Mayor DiMaria noted that planning has begun for the 2014 Taste of Morton Grove. This annual fundraising event is sponsored by the Morton Grove Foundation, and each year the beneficiaries are local groups and charities. He said that volunteers for this year's Taste Committee are welcome, and encouraged people to get involved. e. Mayor DiMaria said that there will be another "Student Government Day" on Wednesday, October 9. He and Trustee Toth will be hosting this event, which begins at 8:30 a.m. He said he felt that it was important to get children involved early in learning about their local government, and encourage the other Board members to attend. He also expressed his thanks to intern Laura Lake, who was very involved in the planning for this day. IX. CLERK'S REPORT Clerk Ramos asked for a motion to approve the Executive Session Minutes of March 11, 2013, March 25, 2013; June 24, 2013; July 8, 2013; and September 9, 2013. Trustee Marcus so moved, seconded by Trustee Toth. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 abstain. Tr. Grear aae Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Pietron aye Tr. Thill aye Tr. Toth aye Tr. Witko abstain 2. Next, Clerk Ramos asked for a motion for the destruction of tapes of Executives Sessions (as authorized by the Illinois Open Meetings Act) for November 14, 2011, November 28, 2011; February 27, 2012; and March 26, 2012. Trustee Marcus so moved, seconded by Trustee Pietron. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 abstain. Tr. Grear aye Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Pietron aye Tr. Thill aye Tr. Toth aye Tr. Witko abstain 3 Lastly, Clerk Ramos asked for a motion not to release any Executive Session Minutes. Trustee Marcus so moved, seconded by Trustee Toth. Motion passed: 5 ayes, 0 nays, 1 abstain. Tr. Grear aye Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Pietron aye Tr. Thill aye Tr. Toth acre Tr. Witko abstain X. STAFF REPORTS A. Village Administrator: a. Village Administrator Ryan Horne reminded the assemblage that the Dempster Street closure, which began on October 2, would last until October 10. He encouraged everyone to follow the posted detours. b. Mr. Horne noted that the Village would hold a Flu Shot Clinic for all residents at the Civic Center on October 9 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. c. Mr. Horne announced that Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky would be present at the Civic Center on October 19 at 5:00 p.m. to provide an overview of and respond to questions regarding the Affordable Care Act. d. Mr. Horne stated that, also on October 19, at 4:00 p.m. at the Civic Center, representatives of the North Shore Senior Center would be available to provide counseling to seniors regarding the Senior Health Insurance Program. Minutes of October 7, 2013; Board Meeting X. STAFF REPORTS (continued) e. Mr. Horne thanked Mayor DiMaria for attending the International Shopping Center Conference, noting that Mayor DiMaria was the only mayor present to represent his Village, and that he himself was one of the few Village Administrators present. He said Mayor DiMaria's passion for Morton Grove and his energy were very noticeable. B. Corporation Counsel: Corporation Counsel Liston had no report. XI. TRUSTEES' REPORTS A. Trustee Grear: 1. Trustee Grear presented Ordinance 13 -15, An Ordinance Granting an Amendment to a Special Use (Ordinance 11 -27) to Allow Additional Entertainment Uses at 8240 Austin Avenue. a. This is an ordinance regarding Plan Commission Case PC 13 -09, where the Applicant, Big City Entertainment (BCE) was requesting an amendment to a Special Use Permit to allow for additional entertainment uses and modification to hours of operation. b Director of Economic Development Nancy Razdevich presented this case to the Board. BCE (Fear city) has a special use permit to operate a haunted house, with a limited number of days and hours of operation. BCE would like to allow additional entertainment uses, such as airsoft/ laser tag gaming, tactical training, birthday parties, charitable poker games, dances, movie nights, and other related entertainment uses. c. Ms. Razdevich noted that Charles Grendys, co -owner of BCE, testified at the Plan Commission hearing that BCE has received a charitable games provider license from the State; the license allows up to eight charitable gaming events annually. He also said that any event that would draw over 50 people would be done on a weekend (because the surrounding businesses do not operate on weekends). Currently the haunted house accommodates 1,000 customers a night, on average. In comparison, BCE expects that up to 50 would attend airsoft /laser tag gaming and approximately 100 customers would attend charitable gaming. d. As for the tactical training, Mr. Grendys had testified that, when fire and police inspectors came through the facility, they had mentioned that they thought it would be a great place to train. BCE contacted Mir Tactical about possibly setting up some tactical training and /or airsoft gaming. Mir Tactical sets up tactical training with specific scenarios —for example, hostage situations. Mr. Grendys believes that there is a huge demand for tactical training; he has been contacted by various entities such as the Coast Guard and the Treasury Department, and thought it would be good for the community to be known for tactical training. e. When asked about the charitable poker events, Mr. Grendys said that, if this Special Use Amendment was approved, BCE would rent their hall to Rockford Charities, an organization that runs charity gaming events. Players "buy in" and a certain amount of each pot goes to the designated charity, specifically a certified 501(c)3 charitable organization. BCE would find a Morton Grove caterer to provide food as needed. � Minutes of October 7, 2013. So Meetin "' AM A. Trustee Grear: (continued) TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) f. Mr. Grendys further testified that BCE is not looking for a liquor license; for charity gaming, liquor would be provided by a licensed caterer. g. After more discussion, the Plan Commission unanimously voted to recommend approval of this request, with several conditions. h. Ms. Razdevich noted that, this evening, Mr. Grendys from BCE is asking that the second reading of Ordinance 13 -15 be waived. She invited Mr. Grendys to address the Board. Mr. Grendys said he was requesting the waiver of the second reading requirement because BCE wants to be able to market these events to the haunted house customers, who will only be coming through the end of October. He said he didn't have anything specific in mind, but if people wanted a venue for a party (with the upcoming holidays), he wanted to be ready. Having to wait until the second meeting in October (October 28) would mean that he would lose a lot of potential advertising time. j. Trustee Grear thanked Mr. Grendys for being a good neighbor. He said the neighborhood around Fear City has been a "minimal complaint" area, adding that BCE has done a great job with traffic control. He felt it would be a grave injustice to ask BCE to wait until October 281n especially since the Village is trying to be more business - friendly. Trustee Grear moved to waive the second reading of Ordinance 13 -15, seconded by Trustee Pietron. k. Trustee Marcus also complimented Mr. Grendys, noting that he was a great businessman who always participated in community events. He said that normally he has concerns about waiving the second reading of an ordinance, but felt that Mr. Grendys and BCE have gone out of their way to communicate to their neighbors, and thought that waiving the second reading in this instance would be beneficial to the Village. I. Trustee Marcus asked Corporation Counsel, regarding poker events, if a caterer could bring in liquor. Ms. Liston responded that, if the caterer had a Village of Morton Grove business license, they could. m. Trustee Marcus asked Mr. Grendys about "Las Vegas" nights. Mr. Grendys noted that his charitable gaming license only allows eight events per year, and only on weekends. n. Trustee Marcus asked about a portion of the Fear City revenue going to District 219. Mr. Grendys said that he'd heard that the school district needs help, plus he was trying to get attendance up for the haunted house, so he's providing discounted tickets, and a percentage of the proceeds will go to District 219. He said it seemed like the right thing to do. Trustee Marcus complimented him. Mr. Grendys commented that, on October 26, Fear City will welcome children 12 and under for a "lights -on ", minimally scary event. Normally attendees must be age 12 or older. o. Trustee Thill wanted to clarify that BCE is just leasing their facility for charitable gaming or tactical training, not running these events. Mr. Grendys said that was correct. ' Minutes of October P, 2013 Board Meeting XI. A. Trustee Grear: (continued) TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) p. Trustee Thill asked Ms. Liston about the Village's entertainment tax, wondering if these types of events were taxable under the Village's code. She said that the charitable poker games would be taxable and possibly the tactical training would be as well. Mayor DiMaria called for the vote on waiving the second reading of Ordinance 13 -15. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Grear aye Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Pietron aye Tr. Thill ave Tr. Toth aae Tr. Witko aye Trustee Thill then moved to adopt Ordinance 13 -15, seconded by Trustee Grear. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Grear ayre Tr. Marcus Tr. Thill aye Tr. Toth acre Tr. Pietron acre aye Tr. Witko aye 2. Trustee Grear welcomed Trustee Witko, saying that she was an "A +" candidate for the position. C. Trustee Marcus: Trustee Marcus had no formal report, but welcomed Trustee Witko and wished her well. He thought she was an excellent choice, and looked forward to her assistance in making good things happen in Morton Grove. Trustee Pietron: Trustee Pietron presented Resolution 13 -60, Authorizing a Contractual Agreement with Tobin Cheuk of Morton Grove, Illinois, For the Development and Data Migrationof the Village's Online Municipal code and Ongoing Maintenance Support. He explained that approval of this resolution will provide a cost - effective platform for the Village to make its Municipal Code current and accessible to residents, businesses, and Village Staff. b. Trustee Pietron noted that many entities, both internal and external, rely on the online version for the Village's most current Code, which is currently maintained through Sterling Codifiers. The Village's Administration Department was seeking a more cost - efficient solution to hosting the Village's online Municipal Code. Therefore they selected Tobin Cheuk of Morton Grove to develop the online code platform, migrate the existing data from the Village's current online provider, and regularly update and maintain the Code. j, l Minutes of October7,2013 Board PAeetin'' am D. Trustee Pietron: (continued) TRUSTEES' REPORTS (continued) c. Trustee Pietron noted that their is a one -time implementation fee of $5,000 for the initial development, and the subsequent annual hosting cost is $150. Maintaining regular updates will be charged on a per- record basis. He moved to approve Resolution 13 -60, seconded by Trustee Toth. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Grear aae Tr. Marcus afire Tr. Pietron ave Tr. Thill acre Tr. Toth ave Tr. Witko ave E. Trustee Thill: 1. Trustee Thill presented Resolution 13 -59, Authorizing the Execution of a Contract With Arrow Road Construction Company for the 2013 Street Patching Program. a. He explained that the street patching program is necessary to maintain the quality, drainage, and drivability of the streets in the village. The current program includes constructing isolated asphalt surface patches at various locations within the Village. b. Trustee Thill said that the estimated contract value is $90,000, but since this is a unit price contract, the final contract amount will be based on the actual quantity of work performed. Trustee Thill moved to approve Resolution 13 -59. Trustee Toth seconded the motion. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Grear aye Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Pietron aye Tr. Thill aye Tr. Toth acre Tr. Witko aye 2. Trustee Thill welcomed Trustee Witko to the Board. F. Trustee Toth: XII. Trustee Toth had no formal report, but stated she was excited to have Trustee Witko on the Board and welcomed her. OTHER BUSINESS Clerk Ramos also welcomed Trustee Witko and wished her well. XIII. XIV. XV. j- Minutes of October 7, 2013 Board Meeting ifd/_\CiC7_\= Trustee Toth presented the Warrants for October 7, 2013, in the amount of $355,080.46. She moved to approve the Warrants, seconded by Trustee Thill. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Grear aye Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Pietron aye Tr. Thill aye Tr. Toth avee Tr. Witko aye RESIDENTS' COMMENTS NONE ADJOURNMENT /EXECUTIVE SESSION Trustee Toth moved to adjourn the Meeting. Trustee Thill seconded the motion. Motion passed: 6 ayes, 0 nays. Tr. Grear a ee Tr. Marcus aye Tr. Pietron aye Tr. Thill aye Tr. Toth aye Tr. Witko ave The meeting adjourned at 7:52 p.m. 4J PASSED this 28th day of October, 2013. Trustee Greer cif Trustee Marcus Trustee Pietron Trustee Thill Trustee Toth Trustee Witko APPROVED by me this 28th day of October, 2013. c Daniel P DiMaria, Village President Board of Trustees, Morton Grove, Illinois APPROVED as' d PILED in my office this 29th day of October, 2013. Edilberto Ramos, Village Clerk Village of Morton Grove, Cook County, Illinois Minutes by Teresa Oousa- 10