Village of Western Springs Public Health & Safety Committee met May 7.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
Members Present:
Scott Lewis, Chair
Alan Fink, Trustee
Staff Present:
Chief Brian Budds, LES
Chief Patrick Kenny, Fire & EMS
Deputy Chief Mike Kelly, Fire & EMS
Deputy Chief Daniel Albrecht, LES
Shaun O'Connor, LES
Staff Not Present:
None
Others Present:
Alice Gallagher, Village President
Ingrid Velkme, Village Manager
Grace Turi, Director of Finance
Casey Biernacki, Assistant Director of Municipal Services
John Mastandona, Assistant Director of Finance
Mike Jurusik, Village Attorney
Public Present:
Greg Zito, RedSpeed
Electronic Attendance:
This meeting was conducted via Zoom online platform in accordance with Illinois Governor Executive Orders: Number 2020-07 dated March 16, 2020, Number 2020-10 dated March 20, 2020, and Number 2020-18 dated April 1, 2020 ("Stay at Home" Order).
#1 Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 7, 2020.
#2 Roll Call
President Alice Gallagher, Manager Ingrid Velkme, Finance Director Grace Turi, Assistant Director of Municipal Services Casey Biernacki, Assistant Director of Finance John Mastandona, and Village Attorney Mike Jurusik were also present.
#3 Approval of minutes - March 11, 2020
MOTION: Chair Lewis requested a motion to approve the minutes of the March 11, 2020 meetings. Trustee Fink made the motion, Chair Lewis seconded, and the minutes were approved by unanimous vote.
#4 Public Comment
None
#5 Red Light photo enforcement contract renewal
Chair Lewis asked Chief Budds to go over the Red Speed contract renewal. Chief Budds reported that staff would be recommending the renewal of the contract for one year.
There is a draft agreement in the packet. The reason for a one-year agreement is that there are statutes that mandate that a municipality cannot enter an agreement that would exceed the current Village President's term. There will be an option to extend that agreement beyond the one year. We have been with RedSpeed since 2008. The pricing and leasing agreement are a fixed price for all three cameras. They are about $1500 per month per lease and that is a fixed cost. There are additional fees if the ticket goes through the adjudication process. Chief Budds asked the attendees if there were any outstanding questions. Chair Lewis reported that the information in the packet was valuable and was pleased to see the reduction in accidents and that it was fulfilling their purpose there.
Manager Velkme asked the Chief to comment on some of the other benefits of having the cameras. Chief Budds reported on the safety issues that the cameras assist with. It avoids the need for a police officer to be at the intersection and the officer can focus on other violations. A second benefit is that this type of citation is like a parking violation and is a fixed fine and not considered a moving violation. A third benefit is they are beneficial in assisting in solving crimes. One of the crimes that the camera helped solve a murder in Hinsdale. The offending vehicle was traveling eastbound on Ogden and with the cameras, we were able to get a license plate and there was a conviction in that case. They can also assist in finding fault in accidents as well.
Chief Budds recommends moving forward with the approval of the new contract because of the benefits that the cameras bring. We are still seeing an increase in violations at times because it takes many years to change driving habits.
Trustee Fink asked if there has ever been a month or quarter where the cameras did not pay for themselves and the Village had to subsidize the cost. Director Turi responded that the Village has always netted out a surplus.
Trustee Fink stated the even though people do not like the cameras, the stats show that it is making us safer by decreasing accidents. Trustee Fink added that red light cameras got a lot of bad press because of a company in Oak Brook Terrace. He wanted to clarify that this is a different company that doesn't have the same background. Chief Budds confirmed that this is a different company. They were SafeSpeed and Red Flex and to his knowledge, RedSpeed has not had any controversy related to it.
Greg Zito from RedSpeed elaborated that since RedSpeed's inception they have never been involved in any lawsuits or charges of corruption or criminal activity. Greg gave a brief history of his work history at RedSpeed. He noted that he works on Legislative Affairs as well as sales for the company. He adds that it has been a tumultuous time due to a few companies and that the cameras have always been a controversial subject matter. Greg thanks the Village for their support of the program over the years.
Chair Lewis asked Attorney Jurusik if he had any issues with the contract. Attorney Jurusik mentioned that he has worked with RedSpeed's attorney over the last few days on an updated contract and reached an agreement. There are all the same provisions as the original agreement that we have been working on since 2008. He is comfortable recommending the agreement if the Board agrees to recommend it. Chair Lewis asked if the Village is okay renewing the contract and not having to go out for bids. Attorney Jurusik stated that this type of contract does not require competitive bidding, although you could do that if you so choose. It is a unique service and many of the competitors are all charging the same fees.
MOTION: Chair Lewis requested a motion to move the RedSpeed contract renewal to the Board for approval. Trustee Fink made the motion, Chair Lewis seconded, and the motion was approved by unanimous vote.
President Gallagher stated that increase safety and limiting accidents are the first priority of this program, there is a financial benefit to this program. President Gallagher reported that we get about $200,000 a year in violations. In 2017 14% of violations were residents. In 2019 - 2020 it was 12%.
#6 CALEA re-accreditation virtual on-site
Chief Budds reported that the upcoming CALEA re-accreditation will be the Department's fifth. The Department has been accredited since 2004. Accreditation means we are meeting or exceeding national standards. The next assessment will be completed virtually and not on-site. There will be phone and Zoom meetings being conducted between June 1 - 3, 2020. There will also be a media and public notice sent out to the media in the coming week.
#7 National Police Week Proclamation - May 12th to May 16th.
Chief Budds reported that the National Police Week is the week of May 12 - 16, 2020.
May 15, 2020, is National Police Officer Memorial Day. This year due to the COVID 19 pandemic there will be a virtual candlelight vigil on May 13, 2020. Chief Budds requests that President Gallagher read the Proclamation at the upcoming Board meeting.
#8 EMS Week Proclamation
Chief Kenny reported that the National Emergency Medical Service Week is the week of May 17 - 23, 2020. EMS week is specific is for recognizing our paramedics and EMTs.
This year we have a few people who are reaching milestone years of service. Deputy Chief Mike Kelly and Division Chief Gallagher are both celebrating thirty-five years as paramedics. Neither of their positions requires them to maintain their certifications but they continue to get recertified. James Jagoda is celebrating twenty-years and Paul Tomczyk is celebrating fifteen years as Emergency Medical Technicians. Chief Kenny noted that over 70% of our calls are EMS based. Chief Kenny requests that President Gallagher read the Proclamation and the EMS Years of Service at the upcoming Board meeting.
#9 Other
- Trustee Fink asked Chief Budds what the Police Department was doing about calls relating to Social Distancing. Chief Budds reported that we respond to all the calls and educate about social distancing guidelines. We have not had any major incidents and officers will still complete a short narrative for Records. It may become more challenging as the weather gets warmer, but we will continue with education and will use social media as well. The Department is seeing good compliance overall with the residents and businesses.
- Chief Kenny reported on updates about COVID 19. They are averaging about 3 meetings a week that are dealing with the two local hospitals. These meetings include several senior members of the area Villages. There has been some lack of supplies and with the increase in symptoms, just about every call requires Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Locally we have not been severely impacted by this illness, but the peak may be coming around the middle of May.
The FD is looking to start-up training in June by using both stations to follow the Governor's order for social distancing.
- Chief Kenny mentioned that the Village has switched over from Code Red to a new system called Rave. It was done through L TACC and there have been notices sent out on social media and Tower Topics about how to register.
Currently there 861 emergency message subscribers, 722 non-emergency message subscribers, and 124 who created a Smart 911 profile. The FD also has the MRC dropping packets off at people's doors to fill out and mail back in to have them be signed up.
- Chief Kenny noted that both the Police and Fire Department are transferring over to a new radio system, Starcom. There are several enhancements that the new radio system. There will be some challenges with the new program.
- Chief Kenny reported that the Fire Department's annual report is online.
- Assistant Director Casey Biernacki went over the Electric Vehicle charging stations being installed. The Village received grant money in 2016 for bicycle and pedestrian improvements along the BNSF railway. The charging stations will be installed at the Grand and Burlington Avenue corner. The project is almost done and should be done in a few weeks. The Village will provide free parking for the first 3 hours. There will be a $20 an hour fee after the first 3 hours. The spaces are for Electric Vehicles only. This will be a 6-month pilot program. There will be a need to make certain changes to the Municipal Code. There will be a $35 citation issued for vehicles parked there that are not charging or is not an electric vehicle.
- Chair Lewis asked who is paying for the electricity that is charging those cars. Assistant Director Biernacki stated that the Village would.
- Attorney Jurusik stated that they used Naperville's bill as a template. There will be added regulations on the parking spots and charging fees. They looked at permits, permit approvals, and signage with Community Development Director Marty Scott. They have identified a permit proposal and process for parking in public rights of way and other properties. There was an added regulation for spots for private property or commercial use and private property for private use.
MOTION: Chair Lewis requested a motion to move the Municipal Code Amendments to the Board for approval. Trustee Fink made the motion, Chair Lewis seconded, and the motion was approved by unanimous vote.
Manager Velkme added that this project is furthering the green effort in the Village and is part of the Strategic Plan. Trustee Fink added that after 6 months we can see how much we are spending on electricity.
#10 Adjournment
MOTION: Chair Lewis asked for a motion to adjourn. Trustee Fink made a motion to adjourn. Chair Lewis seconded the motion. The motion to adjourn was approved by a unanimous vote at 9:52 a.m.
https://www.wsprings.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_05072020-1056
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