VILLAGE OF LANSING JOURNAL AND REGULAR PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGULAR BOARD MEETING OF THE MAYOR AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES ON NOVEMBER 18, 2014

Transcription

1 VILLAGE OF LANSING JOURNAL AND REGULAR PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGULAR BOARD MEETING OF THE MAYOR AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES ON NOVEMBER 18, 2014 CALL TO ORDER Mayor Abbott called the meeting to order at 7:31 p.m. Following the Pledge of Allegiance, Mayor Abbott introduced Pastor Andy Smith of Living Word Church. Pastor Smith offered a prayer. Mayor Abbott asked for a roll call. Roll call revealed the following trustees present: Trustees Butler, Kapteyn, Stole, Skrbina, Manno and DeLaurentis PRESENTATION OF MINUTES Mayor Abbott asked if there were any corrections or additions to the minutes of the October 21, 2014 Village Board Meeting. There were none. Mayor Abbott asked for a motion to approve the minutes. Trustee Stole so moved. Trustee Kapteyn seconded. Yeas - 6 -Trustees: Minutes accepted Stole, Kapteyn, Butler, Skrbina, Manno and DeLaurentis. ADMINISTRATOR S REPORT Village Administrator, J. Wynsma, introduced Mayor Abbott s appointment to the Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals, Mr. John Cole. Mr. Wynsma spoke of Mr. Cole s extensive experience in the construction industry. Mr. Cole founded the J.F.Cole Construction Company in 1969, and ran the company for 40 years, custom-building residential and commercial projects both in the U.S. and internationally. Mr. Cole is a current member of the United Board of Carpenters and was a member of the Residential Construction Employers Council from 1967 to 1995, serving as Secretary for two of those years. John has also served on the Board of Directors for several various builder associations. John is a member of New Community Church, where he has served in several leadership roles. 1

2 Mr. Wynsma requested a motion to approve Mayor Abbott s appointment of Mr. John Cole to the Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals. Trustee DeLaurentis so moved. Trustee Kapteyn seconded. Motion passed DeLaurentis, Kapteyn, Butler, Stole, Skrbina, and Manno Mr. J. Wynsma introduced Eric Graf of the Canadian National Railroad Police, who, on behalf Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, presented the Village with an award for efforts during Illinois Rail Safety Week. Eric Graf was pleased to report that, The Traffic Safety Committee together with the efforts of 286 police agencies statewide, the Governor s office, Illinois Operation Lifesaver, and other public and private entities logged more than 4,000 hours in the week. They were devoted collaboratively to education and enforcement initiatives, with the Lansing Police Department logging in 79 man hours. Administrator Wynsma introduced Mr. Richard Brady, President of Matrix Group, the firm hired to conduct the Police Staffing and Operation Analysis of the Police Department. A presentation of the draft of the report was conducted by Mr. Richard Brady. He reiterated that the analysis is in draft form and will continue to be refined and studied. Mr. Brady summarized the tasks performed and the limits of the scope study. He divided the presentation into three sections: 1) Evaluation Of Services, 2) Management Systems and 3) Numbers of Staff. After explaining the three sections and the findings, he expressed the high level of service provided to the community by the Lansing Police department and the level of pro-active time. He continued with recommendations and suggestions regarding pro-active time, altering shift hours, roles of sergeants and lieutenants, re-deploying of staff and alternative response techniques. Trustees directed questions regarding various details of the draft report to which Mr. Brady responded. ATTORNEY S REPORT Lansing Village Attorney, Mr. Tim Lapp, introduced Ordinance , an Ordinance Authorizing an Addendum to Mutual Aid Box Alarm System Agreement. This ordinance has come from Illinois MABAS, with recommendation by way of Chief Gregorovic. The addendum provides that a stricken municipality may be charged for reimbursement from municipalities giving mutual aid for events lasting in excess of 8 hours. The other aspects of the existing Illinois Mutual Box Alarm System Agreement remain unchanged: events lasting less than 8 hours remain no charge or voluntary mutual aid responses. Trustee Skrbina so moved. Trustee Butler seconded. 2

3 Ordinance Adopted Skrbina, Butler, Kapteyn, Stole, Manno, and DeLaurentis. Mr. Lapp continued by introducing Ordinance , an Ordinance of the Village of Lansing for the Establishment of an Enterprise Zone Subject to the Enterprise Zone Act of the State of Illinois. This ordinance authorizes the Enterprise Zone application, establishing the Calumet Enterprise Zone and setting zone boundaries and authorizing the required intergovernmental agreement among the participating communities. Creation of the enterprise zone will provide various incentives to industrial and commercial businesses. Travis Bandstra, Economic Development responded to questions from the Board regarding the value to a business with a town possessing an enterprise zone classification, the development of enterprise zones in recent years to promote economic development & the increased use of zones for commercial businesses, as opposed to the industrial-focus of years past. Discussion ensued regarding providing Lansing a competitive edge to appeal to developers. Trustee Stole so moved. Trustee Kapteyn seconded. Ordinance Adopted Stole, Kapteyn, Butler, Skrbina, Manno, and DeLaurentis Mr. Wynsma then introduced Resolution 910, a Resolution of the Village of Lansing Authorizing the Purchase of th Place in the Village of Lansing. This resolution authorizes the TIF purchase of this residential property adjacent to the Pioneer Motel, at a cost of $37,000. Trustee Stole so moved. Trustee DeLaurentis seconded. Resolution 910 Adopted Stole, DeLaurentis, Butler, Kapteyn, Skrbina, and Manno, Mr. Wynsma concluded his report by introducing Resolution 913, a Resolution of the Village of Lansing, Cook County, Illinois Authorizing the Village to Enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement with The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District for the Design, Construction, Operation Maintenance of the Stoney Island Ditch and Lansing Manor Detention Basin & Pumping Station Modifications. This 3

4 resolution authorizes the Intergovernmental Agreement with The MWRD for the funding of the Stoney Island Drainage project. The MWRD has agreed to fund 86% of the construction, up to $1,172, The balance of the project will be funded by Lansing TIF money. Construction will start in the spring of Trustee Kapteyn so moved. Trustee Butler seconded. Mayor Abbott asked for a roll call. Resolution 913 Adopted Kapteyn, Butler, Stole, Skrbina, Manno, and DeLaurentis. Mayor Abbott introduced Village Engineer Jeff Pintar, who expanded on the two years of work dedicated to the Stoney Island project/eliminating flooding in west Lansing near Stoney Island Avenue. COMMITTEE REPORTS FINANCE Trustee Butler made a motion to approve the following: Payroll for the period ending October 25, 2014, in the amount of $447, Payroll for the period ending November 8, 2014, in the amount of $471, General Prepaid Bills for October 23, 2014, in the amount of $28, General Prepaid Bills for October 30, 2014, in the amount of $171, General Bills for November 4, 2014, in the amount of $735, General Prepaid Bills for November 6, 2014, in the amount of $374, General Prepaid Bills for November 13, 2014, in the amount of $3, General Bills for November 18, 2014, in the amount of $1,174, Trustee DeLaurentis seconded. Mayor Abbott noted that due to the Election Day holiday and therefore, this being the first Board Meeting in November, the bills reported tonight contain carry-over from the month of October which would have normally been reported on the first November Board Meeting. Motion passed Butler, DeLaurentis, Kapteyn, Stole, Skrbina, and Manno Trustee Butler announced that the Village is required to pass its annual tax levy in December. The Treasurer will be recommending a 4.89% increase over last year s extended levy. One-hundred percent of the increase will be for pension obligations. The draft ordinance will be presented at the next Board Meeting, for passage on December 16,

5 Trustee Butler continued by announcing that the Treasurer has recommended that the Village Board completed a refunding of the 2008A G.O. Bond, in an effort to take advantage of lower interest rates. Trustee Butler explained that this was a $10 million issue, and the Village would be refunding the outstanding $9 million. The 2008A series is callable in March of 2015, and the refunding issue will need to be sold before December 31, 2014 to take advantage of the bank-qualified interest rates. The projected savings are over $800, INSURANCE Trustee Butler continued by reporting that the finance staff has with been working with the Village s auditors to finalize the annual audit. Additionally, the Treasurer s office has been working with insurance brokers to renew the annual workmen compensation and liability insurance policies. PUBLIC WORKS Trustee Kapteyn made a motion to award the contract for the installation of pedestrian lighting along Ridge Road to the low bidder, Utility Dynamics Corp., in the amount of $490,828.75, based upon technical review of the bids, the recommendation of Village Engineer Jeff Pintar. Trustee Stole seconded. Contract Awarded Kapteyn, Stole, Butler, Skrbina, Manno, and DeLaurentis. In preparation for the winter, Trustee Kapteyn reported that Public Works has ordered 500 tons of road salt & are busy preparing all plow trucks. Crews have begun hanging holiday decorations on Ridge Road & Torrence Avenue, and will be installing new lighting snowflakes. Trustee Kapteyn was pleased to report that the Ridge Road Project from Torrence Avenue west to Stoney Island is near completion. Also, the Ridge Road TIF Project is underway, replacing curbs and sidewalks along Walter, Roy, Ada, and Grant Streets, and will also resurface each street from Ridge Road south to Illinois Street. Trustee Kapteyn added that six Public Works employees have recently attended an all-day chain saw class focusing on proper chain saw usage and safety features. PUBLIC SAFETY Trustee Skrbina announced that members of the police department have recently participated in training courses: Officer Ron Mack attended a Search and Seizure class, Officer Jason Klausner attended an Emergency Vehicle Operator course and will now be instructor other officers, and Sergeant Al Phillips conducted school safety lockdown drills at all District 158 and 171 schools, as well as St. Ann s and Trinity Lutheran schools. 5

6 Additionally, Sergeant Randy Hoving organized Coffee with a Cop on November 8, affording residents the opportunity to meet members of the police department. The police department partnered with the Illinois State Police and the Illinois Department of Transportation to conduct a truck enforcement and safety operation along Torrence Avenue. The operation yielded over $7, in fines for safety and overweight violations. Trustee Skrbina also reported that the police department registered over 50 more residents into the Code Red Notification System during Autumn Fest. Trustee Skrbina continued by announcing that members of the fire department have recently participated in training courses: the department trained this month of fire alarm systems, water supply, ventilation, sprinkler system, and standpipe operations; the department also completed a MABAS-sponsored incident command class, as well dedicating many hours to the driver-training of three probationary POC firefighters. Engineers Tim Kotecki, Jim Perrault, and Tom Langdon were all state-certified as Fire Service Vehicle Operators, and Chief Gregorovic and EMS Coordinator Lt. Joe Lash attended the quarterly EMS Meeting Trustee Skrbina announced that the fire department will be wearing red shirts on Fridays, in honor of all our service men and women deployed around the world. RED stands for Remember Everyone Deployed, with all proceeds being raised will be donated by the union to the Wounded Warrior s Foundation. The fire department held its annual MDA Boot Drive in October, and raised just under $1, for the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation. Additionally, Trustee Skrbina reported that work to restore the 1935 fire engine is currently in its final staged at TF South s Vocational Center. Completion is slated for In closing, Trustee Skrbina announced that, after twenty-two years of service to the Village of Lansing and the Lansing Fire Department, Chief Dan Gregorovic will be retiring on December 5, Trustee Skrbina noted that the Chief would like to express his thanks to the incredible group of firefighters that he has been blessed to work with over the past two decades. Chief Gregorovic also wished to express that it had been an honor and a privilege to serve and protect the Lansing residents. In addition, Mayor Abbott thanked Chief Gregorovic for his years of service and the audience provided a standing ovation for his dedicated service. YOUTH CENTER & LNN Trustee Manno reported that members of the Youth Center Builders Club volunteered at Autumn Fest, the Golden K s Peanut Day, and the Ghostly Games hosted by the Lan Oak Park District. A total of twelve volunteers logged over fifty-five volunteer hours in the month of October alone. 6

7 Trustee Manno announced that video game competition, nail art and early out days remain popular events at the Youth Center. Additionally, members are looking forward to the upcoming Anniversary Glow Party. Mayor Abbott added that, every year, the Youth Center decorates a tree at the Thornton Township Building in South Holland. Mayor Abbott thanked Jen her for her dedication and participation in the event. AVIATION & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Trustee Stole had no report. BUILDINGS & ADA Trustee DeLaurentis reported that, in the month of October, the Building Department issued 245 building permits with a total valuation of $1,418,057 of investment in the properties in Lansing. Notable projects for October were: the completion of the Edible Arrangements façade; Alloy Steel submitted plan for office expansion; a Temporary Occupancy was issued for some of the new offices at Phillips Chevrolet; and the completion of the addition to National Pasteurized Egg. In closing, Trustee DeLaurentis reported that 251 inspections, both residential and commercial, were performed, and over 194 code enforcement files were created. Mayor Abbott noted on the success of the Phillips Chevrolet dealership, and thanked the dealership for their investment in the community. PUBLIC COMMENT Tim Biron, White Oak Ave, Cedar Lake, IN shared his opinions regarding the village administrator style of government, the chain of communication between the village board, administration and department heads, and his thoughts of the underutilization of police offficer s expertise and experience regarding decisions made concerning their department. In addition, Mr. Biron shared his thoughts regarding the selection, process, staffing and cost of the Matrix Consultants study. He continued by asking the board to foster transparency and open communication along with utilizing resources within the department when making decisions. Mary Beth Palka, 2030 Hearth Circle, IL provided her opinion regarding the police study and her desire to hire more policemen. Karen Shomer, expressed her opinion regarding her desire to hire more police officers. Michael Hersom, th Street, Lansing, IL shared his appreciation for the residents and the audience s willingness to their comments. He asked the trustees to listen to the residents and display due diligence before voting on ordinances. He concluded by thanking Jeff Pintar, Village Engineer, for his work resolving flooding issues in his neighborhood. Michael Krusza, 2612 Indiana Avenue, Lansing, thanked TJ Grossi, Building Commissioner for his support in expediting the obtaining of the demolition permit required by Cook County for an elderly resident s garage demolition. 7

8 NEW/OLD BUSINESS Trustee DeLaurentis questioned the replacement of the Adjudicator position. Attorney Lapp explained the selection of and the difference between the prosecutor and Adjudicator positions. In addition, Trustee DeLaurentis inquired about the scheduling of a Park District meeting for the development of Fox Point. Administrator Wynsma explained the meeting will be scheduled after the Village Engineer has provided the specifications, etc. required for the meeting. Trustee Manno thanked the volunteers who assisted with the demolition of the garage, complimented the Fire, Police & Public Works departments and also favorably commented on the additional holiday decorations. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Abbott asked for a motion to adjourn to the Executive Session at 9:50 p.m. Trustee Stole so moved. Trustee Kapteyn seconded. Butler, Kapteyn, Stole, Skrbina, Manno, and DeLaurentis Respectfully submitted, Donna Kooyenga Village Clerk 8