Village of Western Springs General Government Committee met March 1.
Here is the minutes provided by the Committee:
Present:
Chair Tymick, Member Tyrrell, Manager Velkrne, Director Baer, Director Scott, Municipal Services Coordinator Biernacki, Intern Chavez, Attorney Jumsik, Western Springs resident MaryAnn Quinlan, First Congregational Church Green Tearn Members Dick Kassner and Wendy Vichick, WSBA President Mike O'Brien and Casey's Market Owners David Casey and Joe Lane
Electronic Attendance at Meeting: There was none.
Chair Tymick called the General Government Committee meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Agenda Items:
1. Public Comment
There were no public comments.
2. Approval of Minutes
Chair Tymick moved, seconded by Committee Member Tyrrell, to approve the minutes of January 8 and 22, 2018 as read.
3. Styrofoam Recycling Program
Director Baer and Intern Chavez updated the committee on the success of the Styrofoam recycling program. First Congregational Church Green Team members Dick Kassner and Wendy Vichick also shared their favorable reviews of the program. Intern Chavez's recommendation is to continue the pilot program at a new location to handle the large volume of Styrofoam which is being dropped off each month. Attorney Jurusik will review the contract to determine if any modifications need to be made to reflect the new location and to continue this very effective program. Kudos to Intern Chavez and the First Congregational Church Green Team for establishing this recycling program. Chair Tymick will report to the Board on this matter at the March workshop meeting and express the committee's recommendation to extend the program beyond the 6 month pilot period. The new drop-off site located at the Recreation Center, 1500 Walker Street (northwest corner of the parking area), will be publicized on the Village website, on the Village's Facebook page, in Tower Topics, on flyers at local businesses, in church newsletters and in Casey's newsletter. Manager Velkme thanked the First Congregational Green Team for their efforts and especially Intern Chavez who worked hard to find a company to take the Styrofoam and to arrange the logistics of this program.
4. Vehicle Purchase Request
Municipal Services Coordinator Biernacki is the fleet manager for Village vehicles. Mr. Biernacki presented a request to purchase a new vehicle for Village Manager Velkrne. The Village included $30,000 for the purchase of a new vehicle in the 2018 budget. The recommendation is to purchase a 2018 Ford Escape SE vehicle from the Suburban Purchasing Cooperative (SPC) for $22,736. The SPC is similar to the Illinois State vehicle bid pricing program as it allows municipalities to joint bid various types of vehicles. The 2014 Ford Taurus vehicle which Manager Velkme currently drives will be assigned to Director of Cornmunity Development Scott. Mr. Scott's vehicle, which has high mileage, will be declared surplus upon receipt of the new vehicle. Chair Tymick, seconded by Member Tyrrell, voted to recommend approval of this purchase request to the Board.
s. Class J Special Event Annual Liquor License Request for WSBA
Director Scott updated the committee on this request presently previously which would entail modifying the special event liquor license classifications to grant one annual license to organizations such as WSBA and St. John of the Cross. These groups have proven that the events they sponsor can be well run by local volunteers and would simplify the approval process. Staff review and pre-event meetings with the applications would still occur. Attorney Jurusik provided draft documents for the WSBA's 2018 calendar of events. Some flexibility will be allowed for event date, event time period, hours of sale/consumption, applicant/permittee and alcohol supplier. The committee concurred that the process of staff review and subsequent review by the Liquor Commission, prior to Board approval, would make sense. Chair Tymick will report on this at the March 12, 2018 workshop meeting. This matter will proceed to the Liquor Commission for their review of this change.
6. Minimum Wage and Paid Sick Leave
The committee and Board discussed this matter previously and again this evening. Information was provided by both parties, Arise Chicago and WSBA, as well as staff information, regarding what other local communities have done on the opt out continuation. WSBA President Mike O'Brien presented information on a survey of WSBA members on these two issues. WSBA's official position is to recommend that the Village Board continue to opt-out of both the minimum wage and paid sick leave ordinances and await future action by the Illinois General Assembly on these issues. David Casey and Joe Lane, who are WSBA members and Casey' s Market owners, provided anecdotal information about their opposition to conforming to the Cook County mandate on these two items and communicated their support for continuing to opt out of these Cook County ordinances.
Village resident MaryAnn Quinlan expressed her request for support of both the Cook County minimum wage and paid sick leave ordinances that took effect on July 1, 2017. Ms. Quinlan reminded that these are two separate bills. Ms. Quinlan said people or businesses looking into investing in our town are looking at how the Village and local businesses manage their social governance. After extensive discussion on the matter, President Gallagher suggested each side reach out to the Village Board Trustees to present their position and recormnendation. The cornrnittee determined that taking this question to the November 6, 2018 ballot as a referenda question was not the best course of action. The Board will be polled at the March 12, 2018 Board workshop meeting to see if they are ready to vote on this matter.
7. Raffle License Request in Support of Special Olympics at the Western Springs Police Department "National Night Out" on August 7, 2018
Clerk Haeske submitted a request received from Officer Terry Madler for approval to conduct a raffle at the department's ?National Night Out? event on August 7, 2018. The proceeds of the raffle will be donated to Special Olympics. The committee concurred and will recommend approval of the waiver of the fee and bond requirement as well as issuance of the license for the event
8. Resolution Honoring Jake Elliott
Intern Chavez wrote a resolution honoring former Western Springs' resident Jake Elliott on his Super Bowl victory with the Philadelphia Eagles. The committee is supportive and will present the draft resolution at the March 12 workshop meeting for approval in the March cycle.
9, Refuse & Recycling Contract
Manager Velkme stated the Village's refuse and recycling contract with Republic Services will expire December 31, 2018. She asked the committee to begin discussion on how to proceed based on what the community wants. Staff feels it may be time to consider moving away from the blue bag recycling system since the bags themselves are not recyclable, they are costly, and we continue to see debris and paper items blowing around in town on garbage day. Chair Tymick shared his concern with the debris around the railroad tracks on garbage day with recyclables. Staff has seen increased use of containers and carts at the curbs from residents moving into town from other communities which use refuse and recycling containers. It seems it may be time to revisit our existing recycling program. Backdoor service is still desirable. President Gallagher would like the Village to consider bidding out or the refuse and recycling contract to insure best pricing. The committee will continue to review options and give direction to staff on how to proceed on development of a bid or request for proposal process regarding refuse and recycling.
10. ScheduleNextCommitteeMeeting
The next General Government Cormnittee meeting will be held during the first week April or prior to the Board meeting on April 9, if the first week does not work due to spring break absences.
11. Recess To Closed Session For The Purpose Of Discussion Of:
Collective negotiating matters between the Village and its employees or their representatives, or deliberations concerning salary schedules for one or more classes of employees (5 ILCS 120/2(c)(2))
Chair Tymick moved, seconded by Member Tyrrell to recess to closed session at 8:21 p.m.
12. Reconvene And Adjourn
With no further business to discuss, Chair Tymick moved, seconded by Member Tyrrell to reconvene and adjourn the meeting at 8:33 p.m.
http://www.wsprings.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_03012018-689
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