Board of Trustees Meeting

VILLAGE OF HOMEWOOD BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2024 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 Jay Heiferman, Trustee Vivian Harris-Jones, Trustee Lauren Roman and Trustee Alissa Opyd. Trustee Anne Colton was absent. President Hofeld introduced staff present: Village Manager Napoleon Haney, Village, Assistant Village Manager Tyler Hall, Public Works Director John Schaefer and Police Chief Denise McGrath. MINUTES: The minutes of the meeting of February 13, 2024, were presented. There were no comments or corrections. A motion was made by Trustee Heiferman and seconded by Trustee Opyd to approve the minutes as presented. Roll Call: AYES—Trustees Heiferman, Harris-Jones, Roman and Opyd. NAYS –None. ABSTAIN— Trustees Willis. Motion carried. CLAIMS LIST: The Claims List in the amount of $133,175.64 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, Heiferman, Harris-Jones, Roman, and Opyd. NAYS –None. Motion carried. HEAR FROM THE AUDIENCE: President Hofeld invited anyone in the audience to address the board on any subject not on the agenda. Three women representing the Advisory Committee to the Peoples’ Trustees (of Dolton) complimented the Village Board on how the meeting was conducted. They said they wish Dolton government operated in the same manner. They want change there, but they set a change in Thornton Township government as their first priority. They believe there is strength in numbers and they came to address the Board because a portion of Homewood is in Thornton Township. The group is planning a rally at the township hall in South Holland in April. Details will be available soon. Amy Crump of Homewood said she was troubled by a lack of assistance for homeless people. She saw a group of homeless women and children near a grocery store on Halsted Street several weeks ago begging for money. She wanted to get them assistance, but every support organization she could think of only had Monday through Friday hours. She considered calling the police, but said unhoused people don’t react well to police. She asked if Homewood was linked to any services she should know of. President Hofeld said the Village doesn’t offer any services and he suggested PADS. Police Chief Denise McGrath said officers would have tried to offer assistance, but doesn’t have direct connections with any organizations. President Hofeld said there have been pan-handlers along Halsted Street and wondered if this was another incidence. Ms. Crump said she didn’t believe it was a scam, but she couldn’t be certain. MEET THE MERCHANT: Larry Kane representing Jonathan Kane Salon at 18065 Harwood Ave. said he has been at his location for 8 years. He relocated from Flossmoor and recalled having to go before the Planning Commission to get a variance to open the shop. He greatly appreciated that he was given a chance to relocate to Homewood. He offers a variety of services for hair care to health and wellness and spa treatments. He started with 18 employees and today he has 31 employees. PRESENTATION: Police Chief Denise McGrath gave an update on how the police department is using the Axon body cameras and in-car cameras. She recalled how the first use of recordings was a single fixed camera operated via VHS tapes that were in the trunk of the squad car. The tapes were held for 30 days and then overwritten. The police department did a trial run for digital equipment but there were some compatibility and service issues. The department switched to Axon in July 2018 and signed a contract for the equipment a year later. February 2019 was the first use of body- worn cameras. Each generation of Axon equipment offers improvements. The latest, in 2023, is offering better quality recordings from body-worn cameras. It also allows officers to receive Amber Alerts, notices of stolen vehicles, license plate reader etc. directly to the squad cars. All recordings are stored on the Cloud and are secured by Axon. Trustees thanked the chief for sharing the information. OATH OF OFFICE: Clerk Thomas administered the oath of office to Hannale Nelson, the new records supervisor for the Police Department. She comes to Homewood after working in the police departments of Olympia Fields and Flossmoor. OMNIBUS REPORT: The board is asked to pass, approve, authorize, accept or award the following items: A. Agreement/Dacra Adjudication Systems, LLC d/b/a Dacra Tech, LLC/Software: Authorize the Village President to enter into an agreement with Dacra Adjudication Systems, LLC d/b/a Dacra Tech, LLC, of Itasca, IL, for citation, adjudication, and collections processing software. B. R-3175/Motor Fuel Tax Funds/Street Patching: Pass a resolution appropriating $650,000 of Motor Fuel Tax funds to cover street patching for the period of May 1, 2024 to April 30, 2025. C. Serial Raffle/Queen of Hearts/Marian Catholic High School: Authorize the issuance of a Serial Raffle License to Marian Catholic High School with the following exceptions: 1) Extend the ticket sales timeframe from the 90-day maximum to a one-year maximum 2) Waive the capped/maximum prize value of $5,000, or allow an increase up to $250,000. Trustee Opyd asked how much paving will be done this summer. Director Schaefer said the Village is using a patching approach because it allows greater coverage at the same cost of repaving an entire area. A motion was made by Trustee Opyd and seconded by Trustee Roman to approve the Omnibus Report as presented. Roll Call: AYES—Trustees Willis, Heiferman, Harris-Jones, Roman, and Opyd. NAYS –None. Motion carried. NEW BUSINESS: Letter of Support/Illinois Department of Transportation/Dixie Highway: Authorize the Village President to execute a letter to the Illinois Department of Transportation in support of restriping Dixie Highway from Park Avenue to south of 175th Street to create a three-lane cross section that includes accommodations for on-street bicycle lanes. President Hofeld said the issue was put on hold. He was hoping to have a representative from IDOT provide details to the Trustees before they take action. GENERAL BOARD DISCUSSION: Trustee Heiferman invited the public to meet him at the Starbucks on Harwood between 5 and 6 p.m. on Monday, March 4, for his monthly meet-and-greet. Trustees also offered their congratulations to Larry Kane for the success of his salon and his work in the Village. EXECUTIVE SESSION: A motion was made by Trustee Roman and seconded by Trustee Harris-Jones to move to Executive Session to discuss the purchase or lease of real property under 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(5). The board moved to Executive Session at 7:25 p.m. The board returned from Executive Session at 7:32 p.m. A motion was made by Trustee Opyd and seconded by Trustee Roman to adjourn the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees. The meeting adjourned at 7:32 p.m. on voice vote. Respectfully submitted, Marilyn Thomas Village Clerk