President and Board of Trustees

123 Madison Street Village of Oak Park Oak Park, Illinois 60302 www.oak-park.us Meeting Minutes President and Board of Trustees Monday, March 30, 2020 6:00 PM Remote Participation Meeting I. Call to Order Village President Abu-Taleb called the Meeting to order at 6:00 P.M. II. Roll Call Present: 7- Village President Abu-Taleb, Village Trustee Andrews, Village Trustee Boutet, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Moroney, Village Trustee Taglia, and Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla Absent: 0 III. Agenda Approval It was moved by Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla, seconded by Village Trustee Buchanan to approve the Agenda. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. IV. Public Comment Village Clerk Scaman read the following Public Comment aloud: Manuel Rodriguez: Mr. Rodriguez questioned whether the Village will be extending their easing of parking restrictions to coincide with President Trump’s extension of social distancing. Orlando Rivero: Mr. Rivero requested that COVID-19 updates from the Village be posted on the website at a consistent time each day. He asked if more information can be given regarding the locations of positive cases in Oak Park without violating HIPPA. Dr. Mary Ann Bender, President of the Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce: Dr. Bender described how the current health crisis has negatively affected small businesses and expressed appreciation to Village President Abu-Taleb for collaborating with the OPEDC and the Chamber to give education and support to their businesses. Kitty Conklin: Ms. Conklin suggested that the Village consider continuing to allow employees to work from home once this health crisis has passed. This would enable the police to move their offices upstairs at Village Hall and eliminate the need for a new police station. V. Test Audio for Elected and Appointed Officials Village of Oak Park Page 1 Printed on 4/7/2020 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 30, 2020 ID 20-117 Testing of Audio and Video for Remote Participation Meeting of the Village Board. Village President Abu-Taleb commented that the audio test seems to be working. Village Manager Pavlicek asked if this Public Comment format will work for the Board at the meeting next week. Materials for the meeting will be posted at close of business Thursday and will relate to the public health emergency. Village Trustee Boutet commented that Unity Temple was able to include many parishioners in their virtual service and asked if the Village would be able to do something similar that would enable live public participation. Village Manager Pavlicek explained the limitations regarding Zoom and similar video conferencing apps in terms of their inability to link in with the Village’s system to be archived. Village Trustee Boutet asked if there was a way for residents to dial in if they called one by one. Village Manager Pavlicek stated that it is a matter of how much staff time they can commit to this. Village Trustee Andrews acknowledged that a call-in would be difficult and suggested commenters record a short video on their phone and send that to the Village Clerk. Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla stated that the Clerk reading Public Comment was efficient. Her only concern is that some comments may take longer than three minutes to read. Village Manager Pavlicek commented that she and Clerk Scaman worked together on the time limit issue and asked Clerk Scaman to describe how this will be handled. Village Clerk Scaman stated that she would read up to three minutes of each comment. The Board will then receive the comments in an email and can read them in their entirety. Village Trustee Boutet stated that depending on how long this lasts, they need to have some kind of technology to give the public live access. Village President Abu-Taleb believes it is working the way it is. VI. Village Manager Reports none VII. Call to Board and Clerk Village Trustee Andrews commended staff and first responders for their response to the COVID-19 crisis. Village Trustee Taglia noted that staff has been working 24/7 and that this all-encompassing event has taken over their lives. The Village Manager, staff and first responders have been giving this their all. Village Trustee Boutet also thanked staff and told Village Manager Pavlicek her appearance on the Doris Davenport Show was excellent. She is not looking forward to making some tough budget decisions in the future. She wishes all the best and reminded everyone who posts on social media to make sure their information is from a reliable source. Village Trustee Moroney thanked Village Manager Pavlicek and is thankful that she is the person in charge during this time. Village of Oak Park Page 2 Printed on 4/7/2020 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 30, 2020 Village Trustee Buchanan noted her clinic hours have increased and that she has been distracted, although she is keeping up with emails and daily reports. She is disappointed about some of the projects that will be postponed. She is confident that the Village is in good hands and feels safe and reassured because of the current Village staff. Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla also thanked staff, especially the Department of Public Health. She noted that the Community Mental Health Board, in partnership with the Village and the Township, released a social service guide. There are resources for those experiencing domestic violence and other unstable home situations, among other things. She asked that this be available on the Village website. She asked that residents complete their census forms and thanked Housing Forward and the Food Pantry for the work they have done during this crisis. Village Clerk Scaman acknowledged the hard work of staff and also reminded residents to complete their census forms. She thanked the Board and Village President for their leadership, and Village Manager and Village Attorney for long hours and dedication. Village President Abu-Taleb thanked staff and thanked residents for staying at home. He acknowledged how difficult it is to change one’s lifestyle. Losing your freedom and having your movements restricted is not a part of who we are. He noted that what is being seen in New York and other parts of the world can be what the Village may be seeing in a couple of weeks. He also advised all to be watchful of what they post on social media. The Village is trying to do all they can to keep the community safe and healthy. VIII. Adjourn It was moved by Village Trustee Taglia, seconded by Village Trustee Boutet, to adjourn. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. Meeting adjourned at 6:30 P.M., Monday, March 30, 2020. Respectfully Submitted, MaryAnn Schoenneman Deputy Village Clerk Village of Oak Park Page 3 Printed on 4/7/2020