Board of Trustees Meeting

VILLAGE OF HOMEWOOD BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 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, Director of Public Works John Schaefer and Police Chief Denise McGrath. MINUTES: The minutes of the meeting of August 22, 2023, were presented. There were no comments or corrections. A motion was made by Trustee Colton and seconded by Trustee Willis to approve the minutes as presented. Roll Call: AYES—Trustees Willis, Colton, Heiferman, Harris-Jones and Roman. NAYS –None. Motion carried. CLAIMS LIST: The Claims List in the amount of $595,503.12 was presented. There were no questions from the Trustees. A motion was made by Trustee Willis and seconded by Trustee Harris-Jones to approve the Claims List as presented. Roll Call: AYES—Trustees Willis, Colton, Heiferman, Harris-Jones and Roman. NAYS –None. Motion carried. President Hofeld said two items totaled 57 percent of the Claims List: $252,793.87 for September employees health insurance, and $84,266.52 to RA D’Orazio Ford Inc. for police vehicles. MEET THE MERCHANTS: Alecia and Jonathan Pierre, owners of AJ Blooms, a new florist in Homewood, were invited to give an introduction to their business at 18855 Dixie Highway. Alecia has been doing floral design for 20 years for special events and weddings. Opening the store allows the couple to serve the public. HEAR FROM AUDIENCE: Mike Dickover asked the village to intercede with a garbage issue arising from a neighboring property. President Hofeld said staff would address the issue. OMNIBUS VOTE: Consider a motion to pass, approve, authorize, accept, or award the following item(s):  A. Reappointment/Ethics Commission/Ellen Dreyfus: Approve the reappointment of Ellen Dreyfus to the Ethics Commission for a three-year term ending on September 12, 2026. B. R-3153/20 Years of Service/Laura Fritz: Pass a resolution honoring Laura Fritz for her 20 years of service to the Homewood Police Department. C. R-3154/20 Years of Service/Joseph Keblusek: Pass a resolution honoring Joseph Keblusek for his 20 years of service to the Homewood Police Department. D. R-3155/Petition to Unionize/Sergeants of the Homewood Police Department: Pass a resolution acknowledging and accepting a petition to unionize filed by the Sergeants of the Homewood Police Department. E. R-3156/Motor Fuel Tax Funds/Street Patching: Pass a resolution appropriating $325,000 of Motor Fuel Tax funds for the second phase of street patching for the period of May 1,2023 – April 30, 2024. F. R-3157/Purchase and Sale Agreement/174th Street/Wind Creek IL, LLC: Pass a resolution approving and authorizing the sale of a 29,044 square foot roadway parcel at 174th Street west of Halsted Street to Wind Creek IL, LLC for a casino development; and, authorize the Village President to enter into a real estate purchase and sale agreement to transfer the property to Wind Creek IL, LLC for an amount not to exceed $43,000. G. M-2264/Vacation of Public Right-of-way/174th Street: Pass an ordinance approving the vacation of the public right-of-way commonly known as 174th Street west of Halsted Street in Homewood, IL. Police Chief McGrath was asked to address Police Department issues. She first thanked Sgt. Fritz (who was present) for her dedicated service to the department the past 20 years, and presented her with a certificate of appreciation. She said Officer Keblusek, who was absent, would be given his certificate at the police station, and she thanked him for his service. Chief McGrath also addressed the sergeants who were present to hear the vote on their request for unionization. She said she wanted the sergeants to know there was unanimous agreement on the Village Board to accept the proposal. She said it was the Village’s way of showing appreciation and recognition for them and for all the members of the Police Department and what they do each day. She called them valued employees. Trustee Colton asked for an explanation of Items F-G. Attorney Cummings said when Wind Creek Illinois, LLC went to clear the title for the future Wind Creek Casino at 174th and Halsted Streets, it was discovered that a portion of the property was owned by the Tollway Authority. The organization asked if the Village would work to clear up the issue. The Village paid the Tollway $43,000 for that property. It is now selling that strip of land to Wind Creek for $43,000. There was no cost to the Village. A motion was made by Trustee Colton and seconded by Trustee Roman to approve the Omnibus Agenda as presented. Roll Call: AYES—Trustees Willis, Colton, Heiferman, Harris-Jones and Roman. NAYS –None. Motion carried. GENERAL BOARD DISCUSSION: President Hofeld said he received a letter from a brother of the late Jim Wright informing him that in accordance with the former Village Trustee’s will $30,000, a portion of the sale of his real estate holdings, was for the Village. In keeping with Jim Wright’s interest in trees and the Village’s tree canopy, the money will be used to purchase trees for the Village. President Hofeld said over the years Mr. Wright had anonymously donated $25,000 to the Village, and upon his death Mr. Wright left the Homewood Fire Department his1954 fire chief’s car. EXECUTIVE SESSION: A motion was made by Trustee Willis and seconded by Trustee Roman to move into Executive Session to discuss the semi-annual review of closed session minutes under 5 ILCS 120/2(c)21. Roll Call: AYES—Trustees Willis, Colton, Heiferman, Harris-Jones and Roman. NAYS –None. Motion carried. The board moved to Executive Session at 7:18 p.m. The board returned from Executive Session at 7:26 p.m. A motion was made by Trustee Colton and seconded by Trustee Roman to adjourn the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees. The meeting adjourned at 7:26 p.m. on voice vote. Respectfully submitted, Marilyn Thomas Village Clerk  Public Comments - Board of Trustees Meeting – September 12, 2023 Summary of Public Comment:  1 comment – Complaint regarding Canada Geese at or about Elder Road and Aberdeen Avenue. From: Sent: Tuesday, September 12, 2023 9:26 AM To: Haney, Napoleon <nhaney@homewoodil.gov> Subject: Re: Geese Feeding comments Hello again. I am back with repeated comments about the goose and goose poop situation at the corner of Elder Rd and Aberdeen Ave. The situation has not improved and now with school in session at James Hart, the kids walking to and from school have to be walking through goose poop as it covers both the street and the sidewalks on both sides. I cannot walk nor ride my bike in the area because of this. It is also a definite health hazard: "Canada Geese, on average, drop between 1 to 1.5 pounds of feces every day! Hosting a population of 20 birds would be the same as having someone spread 20-30 lbs of bacteria contaminated biohazard on your lawn every day. Most people aren’t aware, but these birds can present a real threat to humans and pets alike" (*http://goodbyegeese.net/2017/12/15/the- hidden-dangers-of-goose-droppings/) I implore you to take some action to get this situation under control. The situation is also a traffic problem because the geese sit on the roadway, which is now one of the few routes replacing 183rd street due to the dangers of left turns onto and off of Center Avenue. I am attaching photos showing the daily blocked roadway - not showing are the smaller groups sitting on lawns and sidewalks on each side of the street. Thank you, (Hope to stay Anonymous Again)