Board of Trustees Meeting

VILLAGE OF HOMEWOOD BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2024 VILLAGE HALL BOARD ROOM CALL TO ORDER: President Hofeld called the meeting of the Board of Trustees to order at 7 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 Vivian Harris-Jones, Trustee Jay Heiferman, Trustee Phillip Mason, and Trustee Lauren Roman. Trustee Allisa Opyd was absent. President Hofeld introduced staff present: Village Manager Napoleon Haney, Village Attorney Chris Cummings, Director of Economic and Community Development Angela Mesaros, Fire Chief Bob Grabowski, Police Chief Denise McGrath and Assistant Village Manager Terence Acquah. MINUTES: The minutes of the June 25, 2024, regular Village Board meeting were presented. There were no comments or corrections. A motion was made by Trustee Mason and seconded by Trustee Harris-Jones to approve the minutes as presented. Roll Call: AYES --Trustees Willis, Harris-Jones, Heiferman, Mason, and Roman. NAYS –None. Motion carried. CLAIMS LIST: The Claims List in the amount of $812,497.20 was presented. There were no questions from the Trustees. A motion was made by Trustee Willis and seconded by Trustee Mason to approve the Claims List as presented. Roll Call: AYES --Trustees Willis, Harris-Jones, Heiferman, Mason, and Roman. NAYS –None. Motion carried. President Hofeld said the $254,575.66 payment for employee health insurance for July and the $314,516.05 payment to Chicago Heights for water totaled 70% of the total Claims List. HEAR FROM THE AUDIENCE: President Hofeld invited any audience member to address the board on any subject not on the agenda. No comments were offered. MEET THE MERCHANTS: Director Mesaros welcomed Keith Stoffle, director of golf at Ravisloe Country Club. What once was a private club, from 1901 through 2008, was sold to Claude Gendreau in 2009 and he opened it as a public course. The facility also has a putting green and golf simulator. The restaurant serves in the dining room or outside on the patio. Ravisloe Country Club is open seven days a week. The website is ravisloe.com. APPOINTMENT: A motion was made by Trustee Mason and seconded by Trustee Roman to approve the appointment of Naomi Perkins to the Events Committee. 3 Roll Call: AYES --Trustees Willis, Harris-Jones, Heiferman, Mason, and Roman. NAYS –None. Motion carried. Clerk Thomas administered the oath of office to Ms. Perkins. PRESENTATION: Antonia Steinmiller, the village’s Communications & Engagement Specialist, said she was tasked with ways to help residents prepare for the invasion of the cicadas this spring. She plotted out a poster following an example from Taylor Swift, and it went viral through social media. The design was put on T-shirts for sale online, through a pop-up shop and at the Art & Garden Fair, and the sale raised $3,486 for Anew: Building Beyond Violence and Abuse. President Hofeld presented a check to volunteers and staff with the organization. OATH OF OFFICE: Chief Grabowski introduced Andrew Sline as the newest firefighter/paramedic. He represents the third generation in his family to be a member of the Homewood Fire Department. His grandfather and uncle and great uncle all served before him. Andrew is a Homewood resident and graduate of Homewood-Flossmoor High School. He was a volunteer firefighter in Glenwood since age 16 and got hired on as a part-time firefighter in Homewood serving from 2021-2023. Chief Grabowski said Sline tested and was on the Homewood firefighter list. He officially joined the Homewood Fire Department June 3, 2024. NEW BUSINESS: Director Mesaros asked Trustees to consider the proposal to hire a consultant for work on a proposed Tax Increment Financing District south of 175th Street and the west side of Halsted Street. The Board would be approving a contract with Ryan LLC of Chicago to initiate a TIF designation for certain properties, including the former Walmart property that has been vacant since March 2023. The firm would be preparing a TIF eligibility analysis; preparing a redevelopment plan; preparing the required notices and mailing lists and completing the public approval process. The contract is for $23,500 with a 15 percent cost contingency in the amount of $3,525. The total cost of the contract is $27,025. A motion was made by Trustee Heiferman and seconded by Trustee Roman to approve the consultant agreement with Ryan LLC of Chicago. Roll Call: AYES --Trustees Willis, Harris-Jones, Heiferman, Mason, and Roman. NAYS –None. Motion carried. OLD BUSINESS: The Board was asked to accept staff’s recommendation to negotiate a purchase and sale agreement and a redevelopment agreement with Grace Yan Cui of CIG (Chicago Investment Group) 2018 Homewood LLC for the property at 2018-2020 Ridge Road. The building is owned by the Village. It previously housed Karate Kids. When it was donated to the Village it was leased to the Homewood Science Center for its use, but the HSC staff said it did not need the space. The Village solicited alternate proposals as required by the TIF Act and received two proposals in addition to the plan submitted by the Chicago Investment Group. After reviewing all proposals, staff recommended selecting the Chicago Investment Group plan. President Hofeld asked for comments from the Trustees. Trustees Willis and Harris-Jones said they were satisfied with the analysis by staff that supported the recommendation. Trustees Heiferman and Mason said they were excited for the Mongolian BBQ restaurant planned for the space. Trustee 4 Roman said the delay (by two weeks) in approving the CIG proposal was meant to be due diligence for the project. She too welcomed CIG to the Village. A motion was made by Trustee Willis and seconded by Trustee Mason to negotiate a purchase sale agreement and redevelopment agreement with Grace Yan Cui and CIG 2018 Homewood LLC. Roll Call: AYES --Trustees Willis, Harris-Jones, Heiferman, Mason, and Roman. NAYS –None. Motion carried. GENERAL BOARD DISCUSSION: Trustees Willis and Harris-Jones said the 4th of July parade was outstanding. Trustee Heiferman commented on the restorations being done to the Gottschalk House. President Hofeld announced a public meeting with Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi to hear from him about the jump in taxes after the south suburbs were reassessed. The meeting will be at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 20, at the Homewood Auditorium. It will be a question/answer session. ADJOURN: A motion was made by Trustee Roman and seconded by Trustee Harris-Jones to adjourn the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees. Roll Call: AYES --Trustees Willis, Harris-Jones, Heiferman, Mason, and Roman. NAYS –None. Motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 7:22 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Marilyn Thomas 5  Public Comments for the July 9, 2024 Board Meeting From: Kris Condon Sent: Sunday, July 7, 2024 7:39 PM To: PublicComments Subject: (Thank you) For Public Comment, July 9, 2024 Good Evening, President Hofeld and Members of the Board of Trustees: As you are by now aware, I am not reluctant to bring issues of personal concern to this body, as evidenced by my message of June 25, 2024, regarding consistent enforcement of the Village fireworks ordinance. At the same me, I am equally compelled to share my thanks and apprecia on to Chief McGrath, Deputy Chief Johnson, and Officer Dean for their assistance over the July 4 holiday. At the June 25 mee ng, you heard my neighbor express concern about neighbors (and I use that term loosely, as the behavior was not remotely neighborly) firing Roman candles and bo le rockets at her wooden deck and my frame garage. Mrs. Townsend’s concerns were well-founded this past week. We had a repeat performance from another neighbor who was shoo ng fireworks into a 70-foot tall tree; a emp ng to shoot bo le rockets between transformer lines; and aiming for her deck, another neighbor’s backyard, and over my frame garage roof onto my pa o. My call to 911 was handled quickly and professionally by Officer Dean, who called me a er the fireworks confisca on occurred. Officer Dean was forthcoming about what he could and could not tell me and further understood my fear of retalia on given this person’s history of verbally abusive interac ons with other neighbors. While there was admi edly ac vity in the rest of the neighborhood over the July 4 holiday, the situa on was infinitely improved over last year, and I a ribute that in great part to the assurances the Chief offered the Board on June 25. Homewood did not need home rule on July 4 to have a safer holiday. This was all about choices and consequences, with the individual in ques on understanding that the act of thumbing his nose at neighbors and the Village would be addressed accordingly, irrespec ve of home rule. What we needed this past week was enhanced communica on, enforcement of exis ng ordinances, and Village leadership’s support of those law enforcement officers who had a completely thankless job that evening. That’s what I witnessed. For my part, I thank Homewood Police Department for delivering as promised. I am a grateful resident. Sincerely, Kris Condon Dr. Kristine M. (Kris) Condon Homewood, IL 60430 1 6