Village of River Forest Board of Trustees met April 13.
Here is the minutes provided by the board:
A regular meeting of the Village of River Forest Board of Trustees was held beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room of Village Hall, 400 Park Avenue – River Forest, IL.
1. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. Upon roll call, the following persons were:
Present: President Adduci, Trustees Bachner, Brennan, Cargie, Henek, O’Connell, Vazquez
Absent: None
Also Present: Village Clerk Kathleen Brand-White, Village Administrator Eric Palm, Assistant Village Administrator Lisa Scheiner, Assistant to the Village Administrator Jonathan Pape, Management Analyst Sara Phyfer, Police Chief James O’Shea, Finance Director Rosemary McAdams, Fire Chief Kurt Bohlmann, Public Works Director John Anderson, Village Attorney Greg Smith
2. APPROVAL OF REMOTE PARTICIPATION
Trustee Brennan made a motion, seconded by Trustee Vazquez to allow the meeting to occur by remote audio and video conference.
Ayes: Trustees Bachner, Brennan, Cargie, Henek, O’Connell, Vazquez
Absent: None
Nays: None
Motion Passes.
3. CITIZEN COMMENTS
Helen Kwan provided an update on the Village’s Senior Citizen Response Program. She stated that everything is going well, and they receive about 12-15 contacts per day. She noted that the majority of individuals are looking for grocery shopping and that people are very happy with this service. She assured that as call volume increases, they will be able to manage it.
President Adduci noted she has also heard positive things and that residents are pleased.
4. ELECTED OFFICIAL COMMENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Trustee Bachner read a statement to acknowledge that this land was once inhabited by indigenous people and stated that River Forest continues to be a place that people from diverse backgrounds live and gather. She also thanked residents, businesses, and community members for working to keep everyone safe and to make sure COVID-19 affects us as little as possible. She asked Assistant to the Village Administrator Pape to give a Census update.
Mr. Pape reported that as of yesterday, the Village had a self-response rate of 69.1% and that they saw a big jump on April 1. He stated the Village has one of the best rates in the region and in Cook County. He noted that the remaining 30% will be the hardest to count and hardest to reach. He thanked President Adduci for her robocall on Census Day.
In response to a question from President Adduci, Mr. Pape stated that students who would live in River Forest on April 1, 2020, but for COVID-19, would be included in the Census count. He stated they are re-approaching the way they will be reported, noting they would not be able to get the level of detail typically seen in the responses, but that the students would be counted.
Trustee O’Connell suggested asking the Senior Citizen Task Force to help market the Census. Trustee Bachner concurred and noted they could hand out marketing materials.
Trustee Cargie reiterated Trustee Bachner’s remarks about first responders and Village staff. He thanked the Senior Citizen Response Program team for their work. He noted he will be trying to put together a virtual meeting for the Deer Management Committee so they can begin working on the community survey.
Trustee Vazquez echoed these remarks and also thanked businesses and residents for being patient and cooperating. He thanked the school districts and Helen Kwan as well.
Village Clerk Brand-White echoed the thanks as well.
Trustee Brennan also echoed these remarks. She stated Helen and the task force are doing a stellar job, as well as Staff and first responders. She stated her appreciation for the open communication from President Adduci and the spirit of camaraderie in the Village. Trustee Brennan remarked that the Village is staying relevant.
Trustee Henek agreed with the trustees’ sentiments. She expressed concern about some of the stores in town, and particularly with safe distancing practices at Jewel. She stated she knows these matters come down to the stores but that she wanted to make sure the Village is doing what it can to keep people safe without being punitive.
Chief O’Shea stated the Police Department is looking for voluntary compliance, and that officers have handed out masks that the Department cannot use. He stated they have seen people adhering to social distancing and that employees are doing their best to keep people separated. He stated they will continue to monitor stores on the Village’s street cameras. He noted they have seen improvements in the parks and other open areas.
In response to a question from Trustee Cargie, Chief O’Shea noted that they have not issued any citations for failure to comply with the Stay at Home Order.
Trustee O’Connell congratulated and thanked everyone for supporting this effort and thanked Helen Kwan as well. He noted there are a lot of bicyclists and runners out there and asked that drivers slow down. He expressed hope that the community will move beyond this sooner than later.
President Adduci stated they still do not know yet whether the Order will go beyond April 30. She reiterated what everyone has said, adding that she is proud to be the Village President and that the town is run so well. She expressed gratitude to Staff and everyone who makes us proud to be part of River Forest. She stated they will be working to get notices to commissions that need to meet. She noted that the Memorial Day parade was canceled, and that the Village supported that decision with the Park District and Civic Association. President Adduci reported Staff is working with D90 to get messages out to younger families and to widen the Village’s reach. She thanked Staff for the communication efforts and working on cleaning up the streets where more garbage has been noticed.
In response to a suggestion from Trustee Henek, Administrator Palm stated Staff could communicate the message about keeping the Village clean and that Staff will discuss how to continue this effort.
Trustee Vazquez noted that there are a lot of River Forest visitors and that not everyone who is littering are residents.
5. PUBLIC HEARING – FY 2021 VILLAGE OPERATING BUDGET
President Adduci called the Public Hearing to order at 7:32pm.
Administrator Palm stated that pursuant to State law, the Village is required to hold a public hearing on its annual budget prior to adoption. He noted that the budget has been available to the public for inspection at the Village Hall and on the Village website. He invited the public to make comment. He stated that the Board will consider final approval of the budget at its 7:00pm meeting.
Hearing no public comment, Trustee Vazquez made a motion, seconded by Trustee O’Connell, to close the public hearing.
Roll call:
Ayes: Trustees Bachner, Brennan, Cargie, Henek, O’Connell, Vazquez
Absent: None
Nays: None
Motion Passes.
6. CONSENT AGENDA
a. Special Village Board Meeting Minutes – March 30, 2020
b. Proclamation – Arbor Day
c. Waiver of Formal Bid (Due to Sole Source Item) and Award of Purchase of Soundproofing Material from Acoustiblok in the amount of $56,192.25 (This amount to be reimbursed to the Village by Metra)
d. Award of Bid and Contract for the 2020 Street Patching Program to McGill Construction, LLC in the amount of $91,425.00
e. Award of Bid and Contract for the 2020 Curb and Sidewalk Replacement Program to Strada Construction Co. in the amount of $59,512.50
f. Award of Bid and Contract for the 2020 Pavement Preservation Project to Denler Inc. in the amount of $50,000.00
g. Award of Bid and Contract for the 2020 Asphalt Pavement Crack Sealing Project to Denler Inc. in the amount of $43,400.00
h. Waiver of Formal Bid (Due to Competitive RFP) and Award of Contract for Construction Engineering Services for 2020 Street Improvement Project, Alley Improvement Project and Water Main Projects with Thomas Engineering Group in a not-to-exceed amount of $142,787.84
i. Pipeline Crossing Agreement with Union Pacific Railroad for the 2019 Water Main Improvement Project
j. Amend Section 9-3-20 of the Village Code for Removal of an ADA Parking Space on Edgewood Between Central and Lake – Ordinance
k. Accounts Payable –March 2020 – $1,408,075.74
l. Financial Report – March 2020
m. Monthly Department Reports
n. Performance Measurement Report
o. Village Administrator’s Report
Trustee Brennan left the meeting at 7:36pm
Trustee Bachner made a motion, seconded by Trustee Vazquez, to approve the Consent Agenda items A – O.
Roll call:
Ayes: Trustees Bachner, Cargie, Henek, O’Connell, Vazquez
Absent: Trustee Brennan
Nays: None
Motion Passes.
7. CONSENT ITEMS FOR SEPARATE CONSIDERATION
a. Accounts Payable from the General Fund to McDonald’s-Karavites for $41.22 (Trustee
O’Connell Common Law Conflict of Interest)
Trustee Vazquez made a motion, seconded by Trustee Bachner, to approve accounts payable from the General Fund to McDonald’s-Karavites for $41.22.
Roll call:
Ayes: Trustees Bachner, Cargie, Henek, Vazquez
Absent: Trustee Brennan
Abstain: Trustee O’Connell
Nays: None
Motion Passes.
8. RECOMMENDATIONS OF BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES
None.
9. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
None.
10. NEW BUSINESS
a. Village Code Amendment Regarding Nuisances Due to Violations of the Illinois Governor’s Public Health, Safety and Welfare Executive Orders (Adopting Executive Order 20-03 Issued by the Village President Under a Declaration of a State of Emergency (COVID-19 – March 30, 2020)) – Ordinance
Trustee Brennan returned to the meeting at 7:41pm.
Trustee Henek made a motion, seconded by Trustee Cargie, to approve an ordinance amending the Village Code regarding nuisances due to violations of the Illinois Governor's Public Health, Safety and Welfare Executive Orders and adopting Executive Order 20-03 issued by the Village President under a Declaration of a State of Emergency.
President Adduci stated this gives the Police Department another tool to enforce the Governor’s Stay at Home Order but noted it would be a last resort. She also noted that executive orders are used sparingly and stated she will be signing Declaration 20-3 to extend the Village’s State of Emergency until the next Village Board of Trustees meeting on April 27.
Roll call:
Ayes: Trustees Bachner, Brennan, Cargie, Henek, O’Connell, Vazquez
Absent: None
Nays: None
Motion Passes.
b. Fiscal Year 2021 Annual Operating and Capital Budget – Ordinance
Trustee Vazquez made a motion, seconded by Trustee O’Connell, to approve an Ordinance Adopting the Annual Budget for the Fiscal Year Commending on the 1st day of May, 2020 and Ending on the 30th Day of April, 2021 for the Village of River Forest, Illinois.
Administrator Palm stated Staff will correct the items related to performance measures in the final document.
Roll call:
Ayes: Trustees Bachner, Brennan, Cargie, Henek, O’Connell, Vazquez
Absent: None
Nays: None
Motion Passes.
c. Temporary Relief from the Public Hearing Requirements Under the Village of River Forest Preservation Ordinance for Applications to Demolish Accessory Structures on Significant Properties – Ordinance
Trustee Bachner made a motion, seconded by Trustee Henek, to approve an ordinance providing temporary relief from the public hearing requirements under the Village of River Forest Historic Preservation Ordinance for applications to demolish accessory structures on significant properties.
Mr. Pape thanked Historic Preservation Commission Chairman Dave Franek for his support putting this together, as well as Village Attorney Smith for his assistance. He summarized that the Commission already has a process that works well given the current circumstances with the exception of demolition applications. He stated that the Village Code calls for a public hearing for the demolition of a structure but that this proposed ordinance would not apply to primary structures. He stated the goal is to help individuals through the process and to allow their projects to move forward without the requirement of a public hearing.
Roll call:
Ayes: Trustees Bachner, Brennan, Cargie, Henek, O’Connell, Vazquez
Absent: None
Nays: None
Motion Passes.
d. Adoption of Administrative Policy – Illness at the Workplace (COVID-19) Including
Exemption from Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFRCA)
Trustee O’Connell made a motion, seconded by Trustee Vazquez, to ratify the Village’s Policies for Illness at the Workplace (COVID-19) for First Responder Employees and Non- First Responder Employees and to authorize the Village Administrator to modify the Illness at the Workplace policies as-needed and report material changes to the Village Board of Trustees.
Assistant Administrator Scheiner summarized that Staff put in place procedures and leave policies to give guidelines to departments for employees who were exposed to or contracted COVID-19. She explained that the Federal government’s FFCRA was really intended to apply to private sector employees who may not have access to the same generous leave benefits as public sector employees. She stated that certain provisions allow municipalities to classify all employees as emergency responders in order to exempt all employees. Ms. Scheiner stated that the bottom line is all employees do provide essential services to community.
In response to a question from Trustee Cargie about how the Village benefits by exempting employees from the FFCRA, Ms. Scheiner explained that the Federal government is not providing money to municipalities, which were cut out for being eligible for payroll tax credits. She stated that the main reason to do this is to continue to provide essential services, She explained that under the FFCRA, there is a cap on what employees will be paid, and there would be challenges to figuring out how to pay employees. She also noted there is a childcare component, and that a concern of many public sector employees is that by not exempting, they could lose a significant portion of their workforce for childcare reasons. She emphasized that Village is sensitive to childcare needs and that the Village will continue to work with employees to accommodate them by enabling shift trades and schedule changes.
Roll call:
Ayes: Trustees Bachner, Brennan, Cargie, Henek, O’Connell, Vazquez
Absent: None
Nays: None
Motion Passes.
e. Status on COVID-19 Programs for Reimbursement
Administrator Palm briefly noted that FEMA will reimburse 75 cents on the dollar and that pre-registration paperwork has been submitted. He stated Staff is tracking expenses and waiting for direction from the County on when they can start submitting paperwork.
11. EXECUTIVE SESSION
None.
12. ADJOURNMENT
Trustee Cargie made a motion, seconded by Trustee Vazquez, to adjourn the regular Village Board of Trustees Meeting at 7:59 p.m.
Roll call:
Ayes: Trustees Bachner, Brennan, Cargie, Henek, O’Connell, Vazquez
Absent: None
Nays: None Motion Passes.
https://www.vrf.us/uploads/cms/documents/events/04-13-20_River_Forest_VBOT_Meeting_Minutes.pdf
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