Board of Trustees Meeting

VILLAGE OF HOMEWOOD BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2023 VILLAGE HALL BOARD ROOM CALL TO ORDER: President Hofeld called the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees to order at 7:00 p.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: President Hofeld led trustees in the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL: Clerk Marilyn Thomas called the roll. Those present were Village President Richard Hofeld, Trustee Julie Willis, Trustee Anne Colton, Trustee Vivian Harris-Jones, Trustee Jay Heiferman and Trustee Lauren Roman. Trustee Lisa Purcell was absent. President Hofeld introduced staff present: Village Manager Napoleon Haney, Village Attorney Chris Cummings, Assistant Village Manager Tyler Hall, Public Works Director John Schaefer, Economic Development Director Angela Mesaros, Finance Director Amy Zukowski and Police Chief Denise McGrath. MINUTES: The minutes of the meeting of May 9, 2023, were presented. There were no comments or corrections. A motion was made by Trustee Roman and seconded by Trustee Colton to approve the minutes as presented. Roll Call: AYES—Trustees Willis, Colton, Harris-Jones, Heiferman, and Roman. NAYS –None. Motion carried. CLAIMS LIST: The Claims List in the amount of $592,508.30 was presented. There were no questions from the Trustees. A motion was made by Trustee Colton and seconded by Trustee Harris-Jones to approve the Claims List as presented. Roll Call: AYES—Trustees Willis, Colton, Harris-Jones, Heiferman, and Roman. NAYS –None. Motion carried. President Hofeld said the $285,877.35 payment to Chicago Heights for Lake Michigan water totaled 48 percent of the Claims List. PRESENTATION: Clerk Thomas read a proclamation designating June 2 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day. President Hofeld encouraged everyone to wear orange to show their support. Anthony Graves of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America addressed the board thanking the trustees for their support of this critical issue. OATH OF OFFICE: A motion was made by Trustee Roman and seconded by Trustee Colton to approve the appointment of Elizabeth Smith to the Appearance Commission. Roll Call: AYES—Trustees Willis, Colton, Harris-Jones, Heiferman, and Roman. NAYS –None. Motion carried. Clerk Thomas administered the oath of office to Elizabeth Smith as a member of the Appearance Commission. HEAR FROM THE AUDIENCE: President Hofeld invited anyone in the audience to address the board on any subject not on the agenda. Amy Crump asked for leeway on fining people for failing to cut their grass. She said she received a letter seven days after it was dated. The letter stated a fine would be imposed within three days if her grass was not cut, yet the letter arrived four days after the deadline in the letter. She said that if the Village was going to rely on the mail to deliver these types of notices, property owners should be given more time to comply. OMNIBUS VOTE: Consider a motion to pass, approve, authorize, accept, or award the following item(s): A. Contract/Wetland Revegetation Monitoring and Reporting Services/Tallgrass Restoration LLC: Waive competitive bidding and approve the proposal from Tallgrass Restoration, LLC of Schaumburg, IL for post-construction wetland revegetation monitoring and reporting services in the amount of $52,500, the lowest cost proposal from qualified contractors. B. M-2250/Amended Business District Plan/17748-17956 Halsted Street: Pass an ordinance amending the Business District Plan for the property commonly known as Washington Park Plaza, 17748-17956 Halsted Street. C. M-2251/Business Development Agreement Amendment/17748-17956 Halsted Street: Pass an ordinance authorizing execution of the Third Amendment to the Business Development Agreement for property commonly known as Washington Park Plaza, 17748-17956 Halsted Street. Village Manager Haney gave a history of Washington Park Plaza from its beginnings before 2005, and how the plaza has flourished since it was first redeveloped when Jewel moved to the east side of Halsted Street, including real estate and tax incentives. The owner of the property is asking for a five-year extension of the incentives provided by the Village, including a current 50-50 share of tax revenues up to $4.5 million. The amended business district plan and development agreement would increase the cap to $5 million and extend the agreement term by five years. President Hofeld said the plaza management has been great to work with. They have been able to bring in recognized businesses and the plaza is well maintained. He knows that the management firm is trying to refinance its debt and is working to bring in additional top brand tenants. Trustee Colton asked how long the Village intends to give incentives. She argued that they should not be ongoing. She said she would be watching over the next five years to see if the incentives really work. Manager Haney explained that there never was a TIF District established when Washington Park Plaza was developed, so the Village has agreed to incentives. Trustee Heiferman said he considered the request a win-win for the developer and the Village. He said he believes in treating businesses well. The plaza is well maintained with well recognized tenants that are drawing business to Homewood. Trustee Roman said she relies on legal and economic development staff who have the expertise to understand the situation and know how it works for Homewood, especially considering the high Cook County property taxes. The Halsted Street business corridor is the envy of communities around Homewood and maintaining that business district is helping to maintain property values for residents. A motion was made by Trustee Colton and seconded by Trustee Willis to approve the Omnibus Report as presented. Roll Call: AYES—Trustees Willis, Colton, Harris-Jones, Heiferman, and Roman. NAYS –None. Motion carried. NEW BUSINESS: Discussion/Liquor License Request/Stoney Point Grill, 2031 Ridge Road. Finance Director Zukowski asked the board to consider a Class 4A liquor license for James Burke, owner of Stoney Point Grill, who is asking for indoor and outdoor liquor service. Burke said he received his building permits and expects to have the restaurant open in October. A motion was made by Trustee Roman and seconded by Trustee Harris-Jones directing staff to prepare an ordinance for consideration at a future meeting increasing the number of available 4A liquor licenses to accommodate this request. Roll Call: AYES—Trustees Willis, Colton, Harris-Jones, Heiferman, and Roman. NAYS –None. Motion carried. GENERAL BOARD DISCUSSION: President Hofeld and Trustees pledged to wear orange on June 2 to mark National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Trustee Willis said she was looking forward to the Farmers Market opening Saturday, May 27. President Hofeld introduced Joe Peters, the owner of the Hibbing Building, and thanked him for his efforts at opening a new business in the Village. EXECUTIVE SESSION: A motion was made by Trustee Colton and seconded by Trustee Roman to move to Executive Session to discuss the purchase or lease of real property under 5 ILCS120/2(c)(5), and setting a price for the sale or lease of property owned by the Village under 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(6). Roll Call: AYES—Trustees Willis, Colton, Harris-Jones, Heiferman, and Roman. NAYS –None. Motion carried. The board moved to Executive Session at 7:35 p.m. The board returned from Executive Session at 8:05 p.m. ADJOURN: A motion was made by Trustee Roman and seconded by Trustee Heiferman to adjourn the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees. The meeting adjourned on voice vote. Respectfully submitted, Marilyn Thomas, Village Clerk