Community Relations Commission

Community Relations Commission Meeting Summary July 13, 2017 Persons in attendance: Jenny Lee (Chair) Carolyn Drblik Joe Kuffel Dan Ryan Trustee John C. Jekot Tony Hollenback – Director of Family Services Commander Bob Tornabene Cammy Fortuna – Secretary Persons absent: Brian Sweeney Luis Tigera – Chief of Police Steve Vinezeano – Village Manager Chair Jenny Lee called the meeting to order at 6:12 p.m. in the 3rd Floor Family Services Group Room at the Human Services Building, 999 Civic Center Drive. Bob Tornabene motioned to approve the April 13, 2017 meeting summary, seconded by Dan Ryan. On voice vote, all concurred. Reported Citizen Comments / Complaints a. Police and Other Village Departments Commander Tornabene commented on complaints about home repair scams and the IRS phone calls. The scammers are now using numbers that appear to be local. The Village is putting out information on the website and social media for the residents to beware. Noise complaints in the south area of Niles are being addressed by Commander Tornabene and Chief Tigera. Residents voiced their concerns and those concerns are being looked into. Credit card scams were also discussed. Two important suggestions offered, don’t let anyone take away your credit card to make the swipe and be very cautious at ATM’s and gas station pumps. 1  Community Relations Commission July 13, 2017 b. Telephone / Email Hotlines A letter was received from an out of town resident that was addressed to the Community Relations Commission wanting to have their information removed from a local business’s mailing list. A copy of the letter was sent to the business and the business was contacted to remove this person’s information. The information will be removed, however any near future mailings that are already in the system will still be sent to the resident. Also if the person makes another purchase from the business, the resident’s information will go back on that list. Paperkarma.com is a good app to use to reduce unwanted mailings. c. Commissioners No complaints received by Commissioners. The Community Relations Commission can receive a broad range of complaints, not only housing complaints. Old Business Dan Ryan commented on a neighbor who was removed from her home. The neighbor is now living with relatives and new neighbors have moved in. Foreclosures were discussed, this is a slow process. The Village is made aware of properties being foreclosed especially for the purpose of property maintenance. Family Services offers assistance through the Financial Wellness Program with a limited number of funds to try to guide and assist residents on a short term basis with financial institutions to hopefully prevent foreclosure. In order to properly assist people financially, the underlying issue must be addressed. The number of residents asking for assistance through the Financial Wellness Program rose from 250 last year to over 600 this year. New Business a. Discuss Changing the CRC Meeting Time to 5:00 p.m. The start time for the CRC meetings will remain at 6:00 p.m. Open Discussion Family Services is working hard to use resources wisely to maximize them to the fullest. Family Services is forming partnerships with local churches and businesses. A Distress Relief Resource Fair is being planned for some time in November for people that need support. This is designed to be a one stop shopping event for resources. The fair will be informational linking people with the support that they need. This event also be sent out on social media. A fundraiser and 50th Anniversary celebration for Family Services was discussed. Chief Tigera created a Crime Prevention Bureau in the Police Department; Commander Tornabene will be in charge of this program. The program will include reaching out to Seniors and to Schools. The program will bring back a school resource officer and increase efforts to expand on scams such as credit card fraud and the IRS scam. 2  Community Relations Commission July 13, 2017 Public Comment No members of the public were present to make public comment. Next Meeting The next meeting is Thursday, October 12, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. Adjournment With no further business or discussion to take place the meeting concluded at 7:06 p.m. 2017-2018 Community Relations Commission Commissioners Ex-Officio Members Jenny Lee - Chair Trustee John C. Jekot Carolyn Drblik Village Manager Steven C. Vinezeano Joe Kuffel Human Services Director Tony Hollenback Daniel P. Ryan Sr. Chief of Police Luis Tigera Brian Sweeney Secretary Cammy Fortuna 3