Intergovernmental Committee

123 Madison Street Village of Oak Park Oak Park, Illinois 60302 www.oak-park.us Meeting Minutes Intergovernmental Committee Saturday, March 21, 2015 9:00 AM Township Board Room, 105 S. Oak Park Ave. 1. Call To Order The meeting was called to order at 9:10 a.m. by Andrea Ott. Attendees: Paul Aeschleman - Parks (9:25 a.m.) Peter Barber - Village Matt Baron - Library Jim Gates - D97 Steve Gevinson - D200 Victor Guarino - Parks Andrea Ott - Village Jeff Weissglass - D200 Absent: Graham Brisben - D97 Clarmarie Keenan - Township Colette Lueck - Village Ade Onayemi - Township Bruce Samuels - Library Others Attending: Teresa Powell - Village 2. Approval of Agenda It was moved by Peter Barber and seconded by Vic Guarino to approve the agenda. The agenda was approved. 3. Approval of Minutes 02.21.15 It was moved by Peter Barber and seconded by Vic Guarino to approve the minutes of February 21, 2015. The minutes were approved. 4. Public Comment There was no public comment. 5. Eisenhower Issues Mr. Guarino reported that Parks Executive Director Jan Arnold has asked Ms. Lueck and Village Manager Cara Pavlicek if the Park District can participate in the Eisenhower Advisory Group. Village of Oak Park Page 1 Printed on 4/23/2015 Intergovernmental Committee Meeting Minutes March 21, 2015 Mr. Gates reported that D97 requests a presence on the Eisenhower Advisory Group. Mr. Weissglass noted that the members of the D200 board are “interested bystanders”. In the absence of Ms. Lueck, who is part of the advisory group, further discussion on this topic will be addressed at the next meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee. 6. Next Steps Assembly Ms. Ott reported that several conflicts were reported for the May 16 date agreed upon last month. The committee agreed to change the date to May 9. The space and moderator used for the October Assembly, Gil Herman, are both available for May 9. Ms. Powell will not be available but will work with the committee to prepare materials for the event. Mr. Weissglass reported that the Village of River Forest is having a meeting of all governments and D200 is invited to that meeting on May 27. Mr. Gates distributed a draft of the format and topics based on last month’s discussion for review by the Committee. Ms. Ott noted that there was to be a brief recap of the October Assembly, no more than five to ten minutes, possibly by the moderator. Mr. Barber suggested removing the “low-hanging fruit” topic as there are other ways to address that issue. Mr. Guarino suggested that community capacity and community comparisons best address the issues to be considered. Mr. Weissglass suggested that community comparisons could be a subtopic of community capacity. Mr. Guarino recommended the Civic Federation study as a resource for comparisons and will send to the group. Mr. Weissglass recommended that Larry Msall of the Civic Federation could present on this, if needed. There was discussion of the fact that taxes have increased faster than inflation and possible referendums by the school districts in coming years. Mr. Gates reminded the group that the discussion at the last Committee meeting was to focus on business rather than taxes in the next Assembly. If Tax Assessor Ali ElSaffar can present, he can address tax increases broadly without a focus on certain pending issues. Mr. Baron suggested that Mr. Herman, as moderator, could address this in his opening remarks, that all taxing bodies should be communicating about possible future tax increases. Mr. Gates proposed getting I-Gov approval for Draft Section H.; possible 5 common slide topics. Mr. Barber noted that this was not the focus of this Assembly, and that the last Assembly helped all involved get a better sense of the priorities of each government. Mr. ElSaffar can address the total capacity for taxation of the Village. The officials can consider where we go from here. Ms. Ott suggested that this would logically lead to comments from Realtors and the Chamber of Commerce regarding taxes and services and the effect on real estate and businesses. Village of Oak Park Page 2 Printed on 4/23/2015 Intergovernmental Committee Meeting Minutes March 21, 2015 Mr. Gevinson asked about information on services. Options could include the Civic Federation study or the Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Aeschleman noted that the Comprehensive Plan does not include metrics or a method to achieve goals. Mr. Barber noted that these proposals were aspirational and could constitute unfunded mandates. Mr. Gates recommended keeping discussion at a high level for services. Why do people move to Oak Park? Let the presenters (real estate and business) offer answers. Ms. Ott noted that in her discussions with young families there were unexpected answers to this question. Mr. Gates asked “What makes Oak Park special?” Mr. Gevinson asked how property values have changed over recent years. Mr. Aeschleman suggested that data is available through the Village real estate transfer tax. Mr. Gates noted that home improvements also impact property values, as does a stable community with good services. Ms. Ott proposed that she work with Mr. Gates, Mr. Aeschleman and Ms. Keenan to develop a template for the presentations. Mr. Gates proposed that the speakers address drivers and challenges as the government speakers did at the last Assembly. Mr. Barber suggested limiting total speaker time to allow for table discussions as at the last Assembly. Ms. Ott suggested that Mr. ElSaffar be the keynote with time to set the stage for discussion. Mr. Barber suggested that he speak about where Oak Park stands in terms of taxes; Mr. Gevinson asked for a longitudinal view of changes over the past ten years. Mr. Aeschleman asked about the split between commercial and residential and other changes in tax calculations, including condo conversions. Mr. Weissglass reported that he has already discussed the meeting with Mr. ElSaffar, who is available to speak. Mr. Aeschleman asked that he include the impact of other Cook County taxing bodies outside of Oak Park. Mr. Barber asked about projections of new residential developments and the impact of this on future taxes. Mr. Weissglass suggested the long-term impact on schools as new residents move up to home ownership in the future. Mr. Aeschleman asked about the impact on parks, especially on Mills Park and Austin Gardens. Mr. Barber asked if older residents will downsize and stay in Oak Park. Mr. Weissglass suggested that the three speakers be Mr. ElSaffar and representatives of the Realtors and the Chamber. There was discussion of the schedule, with a proposal that Mr. ElSaffar have ten minutes, and that the other two speakers have five minutes each, based on the template to be developed. The second speaker will be from the Oak Park Board of Realtors, with an invitation to the president of the local Realtors Board, Jane McClelland, and Chamber Executive Director Cathy Yen to give an overview of the business community. There was discussion of adding someone to address economic development as well, with a recommendation that John Lynch, the new Development Director of the Economic Development Corporation (EDC), be asked to present and compare Oak Park to other communities. Mr. Barber will invite him to speak. Mr. Guarino left the meeting at 10:03. Village of Oak Park Page 3 Printed on 4/23/2015 Intergovernmental Committee Meeting Minutes March 21, 2015 Ms. Ott summarized the speakers: Mr. ElSaffar, Ms. McClelland, Ms. Yen and Mr. Lynch. Mr. Gates volunteered the working group to prepare a paradigm and get feedback from the speakers. Mr. Gevinson asked about table discussion. Mr. Gates suggested that it’s important to get the speaker focus first and save the discussion of table discussion topics for the next meeting. Ms. Ott suggested that table topics and media outreach be discussed at the next meeting. There was discussion of a possible additional planning meeting following the meeting of April 18 to finalize details; this would be on April 25 if needed. The working group will prepare draft slide topics for speakers in the next week. All current elected officials and candidates will receive an invitation. Current and newly-elected officials will participate; other candidates are welcome to attend and observe. The schedule will invite people to arrive and check in at 8:45 (with coffee/refreshments provided) to begin at 9:00 and go the full three hours until noon. No lunch is planned. Mr. Baron suggested that each speaker be asked if there are three or four people representing “spheres of influence” who should also receive an invitation to attend and observe. 7. Report from Participating Taxing Bodies Mr. Gates reported that roughly 70 of nearly 4,000 students opted out of the PAARC exam; he discussed the rationale for the option provided for these students and suggested that additional legislation is needed to clarify the expectation for these students. The Superintendent search is on schedule for an announcement of a decision by June 1. Mr. Aeschleman spoke about local impacts on parks of the Governor’s proposed budget; this will delay the Austin Gardens Environmental Education Center and the new turf sports fields at Brooks and Julian Middle Schools jointly funded with D97 and sports affiliate organizations. Fields are now under-used as they are in such bad repair and the upgrades should improve usage. Construction is planned for summer. Mr. Aeschleman asked that joint intergovernmental projects be communicated so that all parties are informed consistently and at the same time. Ms. Ott added that this should be in writing. Mr. Aeschleman noted that good communication strategies can influence contributions and understanding on all sides for issues such as contractors and scheduling. Mr. Gates added that public relations people for each government should also be involved. Mr. Weissglass noted that the past two weeks have been difficult. The Black Lives Matter Assembly “blew up” into a national issue; a play on the school schedule was cancelled just as auditions were beginning based on play content and the Introduction to Mandarin Chinese class cancellation received pushback. He discussed the current discussion on a new pool at the high school; one option includes building ten tennis courts at the current Village Hall lot. Mr. Gevinson spoke about a proposed documentary film to be done by Oak Village of Oak Park Page 4 Printed on 4/23/2015 Intergovernmental Committee Meeting Minutes March 21, 2015 Park resident and film-maker Steve James on the achievement gap. Many students would be involved in the production if approved by the high school board on Thursday giving permission to film at the high school. There was further discussion of the pros and cons of this project for the high school and Oak Park. Mr. Weissglass noted that if it goes forward it will be a good thing to bring additional focus to this issue. Both the Collaboration for Early Childhood and D97 were recommended as additional resources to provide context for the film. Mr. Weissglass noted that Mr. James chose not to plan interviews with middle school student as they are at a more vulnerable stage of development. He noted that there are some strong feelings among faculty on both sides but that it is largely positive. Mr. Baron noted that this should also raise general community awareness of this issue. Mr. Gates discussed the longitudinal issues of child development that impact outcomes at the high school level. Mr. Weissglass asked if Mr. Gates would be interviewed on camera; Mr. Gates would need to consult with the Superintendent and public relations staff. Oak Park Regional Housing Authority Executive Director Rob Breymaier was also recommended as a resource. Ms. Ott reported that the Village Board will consider purchase of Robinson’s Ribs on Madison at the Monday Board meeting as part of assembly of the parcel of land including the current D97 administrative building for development. Mr. Barber reported that the EDC is currently focusing on development on Madison Street based on board consensus. He noted that Pete’s Fresh Market is scheduled to open in summer, with increasing penalties for late opening. 8. Adjourn The meeting was adjourned at 10:45 a.m. Village of Oak Park Page 5 Printed on 4/23/2015