City of Countryside City Council met March 27.
Here is the minutes as provided by the council:
A. CALL TO ORDER – Pledge of Allegiance led by Mayor McDermott.
The meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM.
B. ROLL CALL
City Clerk Burdett called the Roll of those physically present as follows:
Present: Mayor McDermott, Alderman Mikolyzk, Alderman Jasinski, Alderman Von Drasek, Alderman Musillami, Alderman Benson, Alderman Finn, City Clerk Burdett, Treasurer Stancik
Also Present: City Administrator Paul, Police Chief Ford, City Attorney Peck, City Engineer Fitzgerald, Deputy Clerk Peterson, Finance Director Schutter
C. OMNIBUS AGENDA
1. The Minutes of the Regular Meeting of March 13, 2019 were previously distributed to the members of the City Council. Mayor McDermott asked if there were any corrections to be made to said Minutes. There were none.
2. The Statement of Bills was submitted for payment through March 27, 2019: $2,075,106.82.
I move to approve the minutes of the City Council Meeting of March 13, 2019 and to approve the Statement of Bills through March 27, 2019 in the amount of $2,075,106.82.
A motion was made by Alderman Musillami, seconded by Alderman Mikolyzk, that this matter be APPROVED as presented. The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 6 Alderman Von Drasek, Alderman Jasinski, Alderman Mikolyzk, Alderman Musillami, Alderman Benson, Alderman Finn
Nay: 0
D. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC - NONE
E. MAYOR’S REPORT
1. Mayor McDermott sought consideration of an Ordinance Amending Section 3-5-7 of the Municipal Code to delete one Class AA Liquor License, delete one Class HH Liquor License and delete one Class J-2 Liquor License.
A motion was made by Alderman Von Drasek, seconded by Alderman Benson, that this matter be APPROVED. The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 6 Alderman Von Drasek, Alderman Jasinski, Alderman Mikolyzk, Alderman Musillami, Alderman Benson, Alderman Finn
Nay: 0
Clerk Burdett declared that this will be known as ORDINANCE 19-02-O.
2 Presentation of Parade donations from the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The City raised well over $30K; after expenses there are $17K+ to distribute. The funds will be shared by the Pulmonary Hypertension Association and the Illinois Carol Fisher Chapter of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. Mayor McDermott stated that the Pulmonary Hypertension representative is unable to attend tonight, however, Ms. Mallory Quick, from the Crohn’s Foundation is present. The check was presented to Ms. Quick by Parade Chairman, Alderman Finn, who thanked her for doing a great job. Photos were taken in front of the Parade Banner.
3. Mayor McDermott presented the Parade Award for the best Float; in consultation with Chairman Finn, both concluded that the best Float was the one by the City of Countryside; it was great; the music was a wonderful addition – well done. The best Party along the parade route award goes to the Hind Family on Park Avenue in the Triangle, Jim and Lisa Heim. Everyone agreed that they are winner this year.
F. CITY CLERK’S REPORT - NO REPORT
G. TREASURER’S REPORT
1. Treasurer Stancik presented the Distinguished Budget Award from the Government Finance Officers Association to Finance Director David Schutter for the third consecutive year. Congratulations to Dave, Meiling, Holly, Kelly and Gail for all their hard work.
H. COMMITTEE AND COMMISSION REPORTS FOR DISCUSSION, CONSIDERATION AND, IF SO DETERMINED, ACTION UPON:
1. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - no report
2. FINANCE COMMITTEE - no report
3. HUMAN RESOURCES COMMITTEE – no report
4. INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE – no report
a. Alderman Von Drasek announced that Elaine Carnell, long-time Countryside resident and member of the Aging Well Committee, passed away last week. A Memorial Service will be held on May 5; further information will be provided. Elaine stayed active to the end; special thanks to the Countryside PD who assisted her on several occasions. The family wants the PD to know their efforts are appreciated. The Mayor stated that she will be missed. She was very active with the League of Women Voters and very political as well as a civic-minded individual.
5. LICENSE COMMITTEE – NO REPORT
6. PLAN COMMISSION/ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
a. City Attorney Peck sought consideration of an Ordinance to Amend the Zoning Ordinance to Adopt the 2018 Zoning Map. By State Statute every municipality must adopt an up-to-date Zoning Map. The PC/ZBA has reviewed the Map provided by the City engineer and it is their recommendation to approve that Map.
A motion was made by Alderman Von Drasek, seconded by Alderman Musillami, that this matter be APPROVED. The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 6 Alderman Von Drasek, Alderman Jasinski, Alderman Mikolyzk, Alderman Musillami, Alderman Benson, Alderman Finn
Nay: 0
Clerk Burdett declared that this will be known as ORDINANCE 19-03-O.
7. POLICE COMMITTEE—NO REPORT
8. RECREATION COMMITTEE
a. Alderman Jasinski sought consideration of awarding a contract for the Fireworks Show to Mad Bomber Fireworks Productions of Kingsbury, IN in the amount of $7,000.00. This amount will be equally shared by the City of Countryside and the Park District of LaGrange. There will be a 20-minute fireworks show after the last of the concerts using 2-inch display shells; it will be a well-attended event.
A motion was made by Alderman Mikolyzk, seconded by Alderman Finn, that this matter be APPROVED. The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 6 Alderman Von Drasek, Alderman Jasinski, Alderman Mikolyzk, Alderman Musillami, Alderman Benson, Alderman Finn
Nay: 0
b. Alderman Jasinski noted that April 20 is the Annual Easter Egg Hunt at Countryside Park at 10 a.m. The Easter Bunny will be there early with plenty of treats for children age 11 and under. Ms. Peterson is seeking volunteers to assist in the distribution
9. WATER COMMITTEE – NO REPORT
10. FLAGG CREEK ADVISORY BOARD – NO REPORT
I. LEGAL REPORT
J. CITY ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
1. City Administrator Paul sought consideration to award a contract for the Municipal Complex Signage to Poblocki Sign Company in the amount of $54,534.00. Bid packages were sent out by Dewberry to 12 Sign Companies; the City received two sealed bids; they were opened yesterday. A third bid was received today which was not accepted. The recommendation is to award the contract to the low bidder, Poblocki Sign Company.
A motion was made by Alderman Finn, seconded by Alderman Jasinski, that this matter be APPROVED. The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 6 Alderman Von Drasek, Alderman Jasinski, Alderman Mikolyzk, Alderman Musillami, Alderman Benson, Alderman Finn
Nay: 0
2. Ms. Paul presented the Annual Report of City Operations; each Council Member has a copy. The City Staff has been focused on the new Municipal Complex through most of 2018. Certain important items to note are: due to good fiscal management, the City was able to abate property taxes for the fourth year in a row. The City received a $1M Grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation for the new Municipal Complex. Several other grants received are listed on the last page of the pamphlet. The City applied for $8.5M in grants; $5M is still pending, and the City has been approved for $3.8M.
The City continues to outperform the targets pertaining to the insurance pool for liability claims and Workers’ Comp. The City has favorable claims experience which translates into savings on insurance premium for the following year. For this past year the experience factor was THE BEST out of the 70-member pool and reduced premiums by $100K – a really significant savings for the City. Another big accomplishment, thanks to Mayor McDermott, was the IGA with Cook County re: resurfacing of the 5th Avenue Cutoff. The work began last fall and will be completed this year – also a significant improvement for area residents.
On behalf of all members of the City Council, Mayor McDermott thanked Ms. Paul for the great job that she does. The City of Countryside has the best Staff in the entire Cook County area; they do their job very efficiently and serve the community very professionally.
K. STAFF REPORTS
1. CHIEF OF POLICE
a. Chief Ford presented the Annual Report of the Police Department. The PD has made some major changes in the last year, improving the leadership of the Department. Training has increased substantially. The goal is to guide new officers into the leaders they eventually will become and continue the trend. The PD is being restructured to create a better flow through the chain of command. A Supervisor position has been changed from Master Sergeant to Commander for consistency; two probationary officers were hired and one was promoted to Detective. The first Annual Junior Police Academy was a great success with children from the local area attending almost 40 hours or one whole week during the Summer. Both children and parents loved the program. They discovered the physical requirements necessary for becoming a police officer. The Special Olympics monetary goal of $15K was met during the last four years thanks to several events like Cop on the Top and Texas Roadhouse – plus other events during the fund-raising season; also tee shirts and hats were sold with all funds going to Special Olympics.
The Crime-Free Housing Program assisted landlords with a goal of cleaning up blighted areas, apartment complexes and rental properties. This program is helping landlords create a better environment for residential and multifamily rental properties in the City. The City joined an Online Auction company to liquidate surplus goods – motorcycle, surplus squad cars, equipment, etc. Two officers received Life Savings Awards and two citizens received Certificates of Appreciation. The Department received over 3,000 hours of training, much of it dedicated to the One Mind Campaign – receiving certificates for assisting in mental health situations. As a Police Department they are moving in the right direction. He thanked the Mayor and the City Council for their support during all these years. Mayor McDermott thanked Chief Ford for the dedication to duty displayed by the PD – by putting their lives on the line for their community. The professionalism is clearly displayed; the City appreciates all their hard work. On behalf of the entire City, Mayor McDermott, expressed sincere condolences to Chief Ford on the recent loss of his Father.
2. CITY ENGINEER
a. City Engineer Fitzgerald provided updates on certain projects. The MFT project is nearing approval by IDOT; that will be going out to bid in a few weeks. His office is continuing Design Work on the East Avenue Water Main Project – another couple of months. The ComEd crews are cutting down trees on Brainard but they have not put any poles in yet. The poles have been out there for the past month; none have been put in the ground. They expect the pre-con with IDOT on the Brainard Avenue Shared-Use path within the next three weeks – then they will know exactly when K5 will start so they can get resident notification letters out. Mayor McDermott suggested inquiring of ComEd when they plan to begin.
L. BUSINESS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL FOR DISCUSSION, CONSIDERATION AND, IF SO DETERMINED, ACTION UPON: NONE
M. MOVE TO EXECUTIVE SESSION
1. Mayor McDermott sought to move to Executive Session to discuss real estate under Section 2 (c)(5) of the Open Meetings Act.
A motion was made by Alderman Musillami, seconded by Alderman Von Drasek, that this meeting be RECESSED. The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 6 Alderman Von Drasek, Alderman Jasinski, Alderman Mikolyzk, Alderman Musillami, Alderman Benson, Alderman Finn
Nay: 0
Mayor McDermott declared the meeting recessed at 7:54 p.m.
* * * * *
N. RECONVENE TO REGULAR SESSION
The Regular City Council returned to Open Session with the same members present at 8:15 p.m.
O. ADJOURNMENT
A motion was made by Alderman Von Drasek, seconded by Alderman Musillami that this meeting be ADJOURNED. The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 6 Alderman Von Drasek, Alderman Jasinski, Alderman Mikolyzk, Alderman Musillami, Alderman Benson, Alderman Finn
Nay: 0
Mayor McDermott declared the meeting adjourned at 8:16 p.m.
https://www.countryside-il.org/agendas-minutes/march-27-2019/
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