City of Countryside City Council met March 8
Here are the minutes provided by the council:
City Council Members
Mayor, Sean R. McDermott
City Clerk, Elizabeth Kmet
Treasurer, Courtney Bolt
Aldermen Thomas Mikolyzk, Scott Musillami, John Finn John Von Drasek, Mark Benson and Tom Frohlich
1. CALL TO ORDER –The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Acting Mayor Musillami. who led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
Roll Call: City Clerk Kmet called the Roll of those physically present as follows: Present: Acting Mayor Musillami, Alderman Finn, Alderman Von Drasek, Alderman Mikolyzk, Alderman Benson, Alderman Frohlich, City Clerk Kmet, Treasurer Bolt
Absent: Mayor McDermott, City Administrator Paul
Also Present: Police Chief Ford, City Attorney Peck, Assistant City Administrator Peterson, Finance Director Schutter, City Engineer Fitzgerald, Recording Secretary Prokop
2. OMNIBUS AGENDA
a. Approval of the City Council Meeting Minutes of February 22, 2023.
b. Statement of Bills submitted for payment through March 8, 2023 in the amount of $198,777.02.
A motion was made by Alderman Von Drasek, seconded by Alderman Mikolyzk that this matter be APPROVED as presented; motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 6 Alderman Musillami, Alderman Von Drasek, Alderman Finn, Alderman Mikolyzk, Alderman Benson, Alderman Frohlich
Nay: 0
3. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC
a. Rosemary Dostal, 9521 – 56th St. – stated residents want to know the pending sale price of the old City Hall. Acting Mayor Musillami stated that during negotiations that information is not available to the public. Afterwards they may seek a FOIA request.
4. MAYOR’S REPORT
a. Acting Mayor Musillami sought consideration of an Ordinance Increasing the class F Liquor Licenses by One.
A motion was made by Alderman Benson, seconded by Alderman Mikolyzk that this matter be APPROVED as presented; motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 6 Alderman Musillami, Alderman Von Drasek, Alderman Finn, Alderman Mikolyzk, Alderman Benson, Alderman Frohlich
Nay: 0
City Clerk Kmet declared that this will be known as ORDINANCE 23-05-O.
b. Consideration of a Class F Liquor License for Honey Jam located at 181 Countryside Plaza – the former JC Georges location.
A motion was made by Alderman Frohlich, seconded by Alderman Von Drasek this matter be APPROVED as presented; motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 6 Alderman Musillami, Alderman Von Drasek, Alderman Finn, Alderman Mikolyzk, Alderman Benson, Alderman Frohlich
Nay: 0
c. Acting Mayor Musillami stated that the City received good news today regarding MLS ratings for the Chicagoland area. In the March-April 2023 issue of MLS magazine, the City of Countryside had the largest one-year median sales price increase of 27%. In 2022 the average house sold for $487,485; that is up from $337,500 in 2021.
5. CITY CLERK’S REPORT - no report
6. TREASURER’S REPORT – no report
7. COMMITTEE AND COMMISSION REPORTS FOR DISCUSSION, CONSIDERATION AND, IF SO DETERMINED ACTION UPON:
a. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
1. Alderman Von Drasek sought consideration of a Resolution to grant a Class 6b Incentive for the Commercial Property located at 5301 Dansher Road, Countryside, IL. At the meeting held earlier this evening, the EDC members approved the matter.
A motion was made by Alderman Frohlich, seconded by Alderman Finn that this matter be APPROVED as presented; motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 6 Alderman Musillami, Alderman Von Drasek, Alderman Finn, Alderman Mikolyzk, Alderman Benson, Alderman Frohlich
Nay: 0
City Clerk Kmet declared that this will be known as RESOLUTION 23-03-R.
b. FINANCE COMMITTEE
1. Alderman Finn thanked all the people involved in making the St. Patrick’s Day Parade a wonderful event. Even the weather cooperated; many thanks to Staff Sharon and Liz, all the volunteers and everyone who showed up for the parade. It was an awesome day. The City was able to raise a significant sum of money for two worthy charities. Acting Mayor Musillami added his thanks – the City appreciates all the hard work done by the City Staff and all the volunteers and participants –thank you.
c. HUMAN RESOURCES COMMITTEE - no report
d. INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE - no report
e. PLAN COMMISSION/ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS - no report
f. SPECIAL EVENTS COMMITTEE – no report
g. SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE
1. Ms. Peterson sought consideration of the “No Mow “Til Mother’s Day” initiative. This was discussed at the last committee meeting and supported by the committee. The committee seeks approval from the entire City Council. Liz Saucedo created an online sign-up sheet. Interested Residents can sign up on the City’s website. The site sends you to an Excel spreadsheet for easy tracking. Citizens who do sign up will get a sign posted in their front yard by the PW Department so that Code Enforcement will not issue citations for long grass. Residents have until the Saturday after Mother’s Day to mow the lawn. This basically supports pollinators and the ecosystem.
A motion was made by Alderman Mikolyzk, seconded by Alderman Finn that this matter be APPROVED as presented; motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 6 Alderman Musillami, Alderman Von Drasek, Alderman Finn, Alderman Mikolyzk, Alderman Benson, Alderman Frohlich
Nay: 0
h. FLAGG CREEK ADVISORY BOARD – no report
8. LEGAL REPORT – no report
9. CITY ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
a. Ms. Peterson sought consideration of a Local Public Agency Engineering Services Agreement for the Joliet Road Pedestrian Bridge at Brainard Avenue with Novotny Engineering of Willowbrook, IL. The City received funds in the amount of $2.5M as part of the 2020 Capital Bill. The cost of the project is approximately $2,210,000. The City was awarded $2.5M which covers construction, property assembly and all the engineering. The Engineering Services Agreement is a standard agreement undertaken with most IDOT projects. The project is overseen by Novotny Engineering. The Council has the Engineering Agreement for consideration tonight. Discussion re: injuries and fatalities in that area in the past five years. Chief Ford stated that there have been at least four fatalities and multiple injuries along Joliet Road; crossing in the crosswalk and lighting are very important.
A motion was made by Alderman Von Drasek, seconded by Alderman Mikolyzk that this matter be APPROVED as presented; motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 6 Alderman Musillami, Alderman Von Drasek, Alderman Finn, Alderman Mikolyzk, Alderman Benson, Alderman Frohlich
Nay: 0
b. Consideration of a Permit for a Temporary Outdoor Storage Area for Home Depot, located at 140 Countryside Plaza from April 14, 2023 through July 31, 2023. This is similar to what they did last year. There is a letter from Home Depot Corporate and a letter from the landlord allowing the outdoor storage
A motion was made by Alderman Benson, seconded by Alderman Finn that this matter be APPROVED as presented; motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 6 Alderman Musillami, Alderman Von Drasek, Alderman Finn, Alderman Mikolyzk, Alderman Benson, Alderman Frohlich
Nay: 0
c. Presentation of the Annual Report of City Operations for 2022. Ms. Peterson highlighted several accomplishments over the past year. The Finance Committee recommended no property taxes for 2022, which is the 9th year in a row. The City issued the Series 2022 Pension Obligation Bonds, which reduced future pension funding obligations at just over $6.3M which will create net economic value to the City of just under $4M. Standard & Poor has confirmed the City’s Double AA Credit Rating noting strong management and good financial policies and practices, consistently supported with good budget performance.
The Community Development Department issued 634 permits with a construction value of $18M, an increase of 40% from 2021. This shows the confidence businesses and home owners have in investing in Countryside. A new SCADA System was purchased for the Water Department. The gas card promotion provided 1,601 gas cards to assist residents during the time of high gas prices and overall inflation. The City created two new events: The Back to School Wellness Fair at Ideal Park and the Blue Grass and Brews Festival – both well-attended events. Please review the remainder of the report on the City’s Website.
d. Consideration to Ratify an Electricity Purchase Contract with Dynergy for a period of 24 months.
A motion was made by Alderman Benson, seconded by Alderman Mikolyzk that this matter be APPROVED as presented; motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 6 Alderman Musillami, Alderman Von Drasek, Alderman Finn, Alderman Mikolyzk, Alderman Benson, Alderman Frohlich
Nay: 0
10. STAFF REPORTS
a. Police Chief Ford
Presentation of the 2022 Annual Report for the Police Department. During the year officers made over 135 adult arrests resulting in over 180 charges; these charges ranged from Burglaries, weapons offenses, and traffic offenses. Officers also handled over 12,700 calls for service. There were two uses of force recorded with no viable complaints during the year.
The City has a professional police department. Letters of appreciation and gratitude come from citizens, businesses and local agencies. Our officers are committed to serving the community and building a strong relationship of mutual trust and respect. Training is a large component. In 2022 officers received over 3,000 hours of training, which surpassed all prior years, not including the 560 hours for new police officers attending the Police Academy.
The City continues to maintain a fully-staffed Police Department. Training in de-escalation and crisis intervention is paramount. These two areas of training play a major role in how our officers deal with mental health issues -- always very difficult situations. In July 2021 the State required police agencies to track and report any mental health incidents. In 2022 the City had 55 such incidents. The City is proud of our officers’ reactions in getting people the help they needed. The Annual Report is available online for any interested citizens to review. It will highlight many accomplishments -- too numerous to mention. Many thanks to Administrative Assistant Charity Mitchell who compiled this data into the Annual Report. Also, thanks to Mayor McDermott and the City Council for their continued support in making sure our officers are well-equipped and safe as they carry out their function of serving residents and guests of the City of Countryside.
Alderman Mikolyzk suggested that these reports be made a part of the City’s Newsletter going out to residents. Ms. Peterson suggested adding a link in the Newsletter directing residents to the Annual Report. Alderman Von Drasek discussed the new Virtual Reality Training that is currently ongoing – it is so real. Chief Ford agreed – state requirements for role playing and simulation training have increased. With Council support the City was able to purchase this program and train on it; that is one of the major accomplishments; participating officers are enthusiastic about it. Most of the training relates to de-escalation handling of mental health issues – talking and not shooting. There is also extensive training on use of force. The Mayor thanked Chief Ford for the report and commended the entire Police Department on doing an excellent job for the citizen.
b. City Engineer Fitzgerald – no report
c. Assistant City Administrator – no report
11. BUSINESS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL FOR DISCUSSION, CONSIDERATION AND, IF DETERMINED, ACTION UPON: none
12. ADJOURNMENT
A motion was made by Alderman Finn, seconded by Alderman Benson that this meeting be ADJOURNED; motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 6 Alderman Musillami, Alderman Von Drasek, Alderman Finn,Alderman Mikolyzk, Alderman Benson, Alderman Frohlich
Nay: 0
Acting Mayor Musillami declared the meeting adjourned at 7:53 p.m.
https://www.countryside-il.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/3-8-23-City-Council-MINUTES.pdf
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