Board of Trustees Meeting

VILLAGE OF HOMEWOOD BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2022 VILLAGE HALL BOARD ROOM CALL TO ORDER: President Hofeld called the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees to order at 7:08 p.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: President Hofeld led trustees in the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL: Deputy Clerk Nancy Adams called the roll. Those present were Village President Richard Hofeld, Trustee Julie Willis, Trustee Vivian Harris-Jones, Trustee Jay Heiferman and Trustee Lauren Roman. Trustees Lisa Purcell and CeCe Belue were absent. President Hofeld introduced staff present: Village Manager Napoleon Haney, Village Attorney Chris Cummings, Director of Finance Dennis Bubenik, Director of Economic Development Angela Mesaros and Director of Public Works John Schaefer. MINUTES: The minutes of the meeting of Nov 22, 2022, were presented. There were no comments or corrections. A motion was made by Trustee Roman and seconded by Trustee Harris-Jones to approve the minutes as presented. Roll Call: AYES—Trustees Willis, Harris-Jones, Heiferman and Roman. NAYS –None. Motion carried. CLAIMS LIST: The Claims List in the amount of $863,963.58 was presented. There were no questions from the Trustees. A motion was made by Trustee Roman and seconded by Trustee Harris-Jones to approve the Claims List as presented. Roll Call: AYES—Trustees Willis, Harris-Jones, Heiferman and Roman. NAYS –None. Motion carried. President Hofeld said three items totaled 70 percent of the claims list: $86,218.01 to Thorn Creek Basin Sanitary District.; $238,505.91 for employee insurance, and $283,896.90 to the City of Chicago Heights for Lake Michigan water. HEAR FROM THE AUDIENCE: President Hofeld invited anyone in the audience to address the board on any subject not on the agenda. Rachel Shore, owner of Be Well Studio, asked to address the board. She said she is being forced to vacate her space at 17900 Dixie Highway because the Village purchased the location for construction of a new water tower. She asked why she was not able to get a sufficient loan to help her relocate her business. Stoney Point Grill, moving into the Hartford Building, was given an $800,000+ supplement from the Village through TIF funding, but she could only receive a little over $2,000 in assistance. Shore argued that the Village is being unfair to small businesses that want to locate in the Village but aren’t given adequate resources, in many cases, to make that possible. She took out a $50,000 personal loan to redevelop a space for her business. OMNIBUS VOTE: Consider a motion to pass, approve, authorize, accept, or award these item(s): A. Agreement/Business Incentive Program/2023 Ridge Road/Be Well Studio: Authorize the Village President to enter into an agreement with Rachael Shores, owner of Be Well Studio, to provide financial assistance from the non-TIF Business Incentive Program in the amount of $2,190.36 for building improvements at 2023 Ridge Road. B. MC-1067/Class 1 Tobacco License/2138 Homewood Inc.: Pass an ordinance increasing the number of Class 1 tobacco retailer licenses by one for 2138 Homewood Inc. d/b/a Go 2 Market Shell located at 2138 183rd Street, subject to an approved background check. C. R-3132/Transfer of Tax Increment Financing District Funds: Pass a resolution approving the transfer of funds from the Southwest Central Business District - Special Tax Allocation Fund to the Downtown Transit Oriented Development - Special Tax Allocation Fund. D. Bid Rejection/Marlin Avenue Project: Reject all bids as submitted for the Marlin Avenue water main replacement project due to the bids being well above the budgeted amount. E. 2022 Real Estate Tax Levy Ordinances: a. M-2231: Pass an ordinance levying taxes for corporate purposes and for special funds for the fiscal year commencing on the first day of May 2023 and ending on the thirtieth day of April 2024 for the Village of Homewood. b. M-2232: Pass an ordinance increasing the 2022 Street and Bridge tax levy in the Village of Homewood. c. M-2233: Pass an ordinance directing the Cook County Clerk to reduce the Village of Homewood's 2022 Levy, if necessary, to comply with the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law. F. Meeting Cancellation/December 27, 2022: Approve the cancellation of the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees scheduled for December 27, 2022. Regarding Item A: Trustees Heiferman and Roman said they can understand Rachel Shore’s frustration, but she didn’t make a true comparison of her business to that of the incoming restaurant. President Hofeld explained that the Village has to follow rules set out for a TIF district, and the restaurant was getting a substantial assist over several years because of the sales tax it is expected to generate. Regarding Item D: Trustee Heiferman asked Director Schaefer if the water main work on Marlin Avenue would be rescheduled. Director Schaefer said there have been several water main breaks on Marlin and there also is a drainage issue that could be handled at the same time. Costs for the repair were up about 30 percent and the water fund has limited dollars available after the work the Village did converting its water source to Chicago Heights. The project is being delayed a year to allow time to replenish the water fund. A motion was made by Trustee Roman and seconded by Trustee Heiferman to approve the Omnibus Agenda as presented. Roll Call: AYES—Trustees Willis, Harris-Jones, Heiferman and Roman. NAYS –None. Motion carried. GENERAL BOARD DISCUSSION: Trustees wished the community Happy Holidays. A motion was made by Trustee Roman and seconded by Trustee Heiferman to adjourn the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees. Roll Call: AYES—Trustees Willis, Harris-Jones, Heiferman and Roman. NAYS –None. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 7:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Marilyn Thomas Village Clerk