Senior Services Commission

APPROVED Minutes of a Regular Meeting of the Senior Services Commission Village of Northbrook Cook County, Illinois November 8, 2012 The meeting was called to order at 7:02 pm in the Activity Room at Crestwood Place. Present were Chairman Wax and Members Ganitopoulous, Pesman, Louis, Rosenberg, Stern, and Abrams. A quorum was present. Member Forde was absent. Also present were Liaison Kiraly, Realty and Mortgage (R&M) representatives Crane and Jaworski, and Recorder Sweet. Review and Approval of Minutes Member Rosenberg, seconded by Member Ganitopoulous, motioned to approve the minutes of the September 13, 2012 meeting. On voice vote, the minutes were approved. Member Louis, seconded by member Ganitopoulous, motioned to approve the SSC minutes from the October 25, 2012 Special Meeting. On voice vote, the minutes were approved. Chairman’s Report Chairman Wax announced that there is an open spot on the Commission for a resident of Crestwood Place. Anyone interested should apply through Debbie Ford, Village Clerk. Manager’s Report Building Manager Marsha Crane explained she contacted AT&T to discuss a possible cable TV contract for Crestwood. AT&T has thus far been unresponsive. Additionally, one resident has moved out, but the unit has been rented already. Member Rosenberg asked if the cable TV contract will be through AT&T. Ms. Crane responded she had received a bid from Comcast, but it was too expensive. Budget and Finance 1) Review of August 2012 Financial Report Chairman Wax commented that there was cash available at the end of August and that the fund is financially sound. Member Louis asked about pending items. Staff will follow-up with the Village. Member Ganitopoulos, seconded by Member Stern, motioned to accept the financial report. On voice vote, the motion passed. 2) Review of September 2012 Financial Report $546,000 in cash has been allocated. This is subject to pending items. Member Louis, seconded by Member Rosenberg, motioned to accept the financial report. On voice vote, the motion passed. 3) Discussion of Proposed Capital Expenditures for FY 13/14 Chairman Wax explained there are two sections to the proposed capital expenditures, repairs and capital improvements (which come out of reserve funds). Currently projected is $200,000 in repairs, $110,000 of which are capital expenditures. Chairman Wax expects that not all the capital expenditures will be made; they need to be prioritized in the draft budget. The Chairman called for questions or comments. Member Abrams asked for clarification about carry over for unspent funds. Member Stern asked for more details about the $43,500 spent as of today, and the additional expenditures for tuck pointing and Minutes of a Regular Senior Services Commission Meeting Thursday, November 8, 2012 bathrooms. Village Liaison Kiraly responded that the other expenditures, including hot water heaters, will be made in the current fiscal year, if necessary and if possible. The work may be done incrementally. Additionally, Ms. Crane indicated that regular maintenance is done annually, but some equipment is due for replacement. Chairman Wax indicated that more detailed discussion needs to be done at the January meeting. Member Louis commented about the greenhouse work, and as its deferred to 14/15, it should be indicated on the budget in that year. Member Abrams asked for details related to the bathroom and kitchen renovations. Staff clarified that ten have been renovated so far this year. Old Business 1) Update on rental status of Unit C-107 Ms. Crane reported that 5 people have expressed interest in the unit. Two looked and declined. The apartment has an obstructed view. Another person is coming on Monday, November 12 to see it. Over 30 calls have been received related to the unit. Ms. Crane will provide an update during the January meeting. Member Abrams asked for clarification that the unit would be renovated for approximately $ 16,000 once rented. Staff responded yes. 2) Next steps with Village to Village Report to Village Board of Trustees Staff Liaison Phil Kiraly reported that the Community Relations Commission (CRC) modified the Senior Service Commission’s statement regarding the Village to Village report. The wording is included in the packet. The CRC did not have a quorum at the October meeting. They changed wording to indicate the Senior Services Commission would direct questions to the appropriate commission rather than specifying the CRC. Staff Liaison Kiraly asked if there were any objections. Chairman Wax asked what is the next step in the process. Mr. Kiraly explained that the Village to Village report will be presented to the Village Board, as early as the December 11th meeting. Mr. Kiraly will send a follow-up email to Commission members when the date is assigned. New Business 1) R&M Request to Reestablish Bonuses for Staff Ms. Aggie Jaworski, representative of Realty and Mortgage, discussed R&M’s request to reestablish bonuses for certain staff at Crestwood. She indicated that she feels that employees that work hard should receive a bonus. Mr. Kiraly responded that he was not SSC liaison at the time, but last January the Commission voted to remove the $3500 dollar budget line item for staff bonuses. At the May 24th meeting, a motion was made to allow R&M to request that bonuses be reestablished. Right now there is no budget line or funding available for bonuses. Mr. Kiraly suggested that perhaps, in order to avoid a budget transfer, R&M could propose staff bonuses as part of the budget for the next fiscal year. Then bonuses could be paid out in May 2013 for the prior fiscal year. Mr. Kiraly continued that it is up to Commissioners to determine if this is an appropriate action to take. Commissioner Stern asked for clarification, that even if there is a budget surplus, some can’t be allocated for bonuses? Mr. Kiraly indicated that funds designated for capital expenditures are not appropriate for bonuses. Chairman Wax added that bonuses are paid for fiscal year 11/12. Therefore the easiest way to handle bonuses is to add it to the budget for each year. Member Stern asked when staff bonuses have historically been paid. R&M Staff responded that bonuses are had typically been provided in December. Member Rosenberg asked what criteria are used for bonuses. Ms. Jaworski responded that staff bonuses are based on performance over the entire year, using a preset formula. Chairman Wax asked how many employees would qualify for a bonus. Ms. Jaworski responded four employees. Chairman 2 Minutes of a Regular Senior Services Commission Meeting Thursday, November 8, 2012 Wax asked about the size of the bonus. Member Abrams added that a performance structure helps with budgeting. Chairman Wax summarized there are two issues to determine: whether to provide a bonus and how bonuses are determined. Member Stern would like wording added that bonuses are given if management deems that appropriate. Member Abrams, seconded by Member Pesman, motioned for a vote on reestablishing bonuses. Roll was called; the motion passed unanimously. Chairman Wax indicated that this would be discussed as a component of the budget discussion in January. Hear from Audience John Kollar, a former Commissioner, thanked SSC members for their service. He shared concerns about the lack of power in the building’s emergency generator. Ms. Crane responded that the issue has been resolved. Mr. Kollar, a retired architect, recommends purchasing a used second generator to help with backing up the system. Staff Liaison Kiraly indicated that he would work with the Northbrook Public Works Department and with R&M to address this potential concern. Mr. Kollar continued that the basement storage area cannot be turned into an apartment unit because it lacks two points of egress because the windows are too high to be emergency exits. Mr. Kollar fears it is a life/safety issue and also liability issue. Kathleen Arns, of unit C205, would like to know if bonuses are on top of automatic salary increases. Chairman Wax responded that salary increases are not set until January. She continued that parking is abominable and she often has to park on the street. Resident Lois Rubin added that the parking problem is that guests park in resident parking spaces. Ms. Crane responded that parking tickets are issued in these circumstances, but only when they are made aware of the problem. Ms. Rubin continued that truck deliveries also block spaces. Ms. Crane added that many residents don’t have cars and that technically there are enough spaces for residents. She can look at a list of the number of cars in the building. Member Abrams asked for that information. Marbeth Yasinger, of Unit B109, commented that it is hard for her to walk to her car in icy conditions when she can’t get a close space. An unidentified resident asked why can’t parking be assigned? Chairman Wax indicated that decision would be up to building management. Ms. Crane responded that there is too much change in both residents and car owners to assign spaces. Ms. Crane indicated residents were welcome to come up with an alternative parking plan for management consideration. Ms. Crane continued that she will provide a written explanation of the parking system to any interested residents. Dolores Boot, of Unit B302, added that parking is a privilege, not a right for those who live in Crestwood Place. Ms. Boot continued that the units are not condos, they are apartments, and residents do not rent parking spaces. Dave Bachrach, of Unit A407, asked if staff work for the Village or R&M. Liaison Kiraly indicated the Village contracts with R&M to manage day-to-day operations of Crestwood Place. Chairman Wax added that Crestwood is supported by a Village fund, so the Commission is responsible for reviewing the budget, and making recommendations for acceptance to the Village Board. 3 Minutes of a Regular Senior Services Commission Meeting Thursday, November 8, 2012 Next Regular Meeting Date: January 10, 2013 Adjourn Member Stern moved, seconded by Member Pesman, to adjourn the meeting at 7:56 pm. By voice vote, the motion carried. Respectfully submitted, /s/ L. Sweet Recorder 4