President and Board of Trustees
Regular MeetingOak Park, IL · February 8, 2021
Minutes
123 Madison Street
Village of Oak Park Oak Park, Illinois 60302
www.oak-park.us
Meeting Minutes
President and Board of Trustees
Monday, February 8, 2021 5:30 PM Remote Meeting
I. Call to Order
Village President Abu-Taleb called the meeting to order at 5:32 P.M. He
authorized a statement be read providing that the meeting is being held
remotely due to COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines and that it is not
prudent to have people present at the Village Board's regular meeting
location due to public health concerns related to that pandemic.
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 Moroney, seconded by Village Trustee Andrews,
that this be approved. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was
as follows:
AYES: 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
NAYS: 0
ABSENT: 0
IV. Non-Agenda Public Comment
There was no Non-agenda Public Comment.
V. Regular Agenda
A. MOT 21-26 Motion to Approve Proclaiming 2021 the Year of the Butterfly
Village Trustee Buchanan read the Proclamation aloud.
It was moved by Village Trustee Andrews, seconded by Village Trustee Moroney,
that this Motion be approved. The motion was approved. The roll call on the
vote was as follows:
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President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes February 8, 2021
AYES: 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
NAYS: 0
ABSENT: 0
B. MOT 21-21 A Motion to Concur with the Environment and Energy Commission’s
Recommendation to Use Sustainability Funds to Fund the 2021 Green Alley
Improvement Project and Reimburse the Sustainability Fund in the Fiscal
Year 2022 Budget for the Costs and Direct Staff to Bid the Project and
Prepare the Necessary Budget Amendments to Use Sustainability Funds to
Fund the Construction and Construction Engineering Costs for the Project
Village Manager Pavlicek introduced the agenda item and informed members of
the Village Board that if they approve spending of sustainability funds for the
green alley project a future board can approve repayment of those funds from
the general fund overtime.
Trustee Andrews shared his opinion that the additional cost and life of green
alleys do not support the expenditure at this time. Trustee Buchanan, Boutet,
and Walker-Peddakotla each made statements not in support of using
sustainability funds because they would like to see those funds used to support
a sustainability action plan that prioritizes programs and initiatives that make the
greatest impact on reducing green house gas emissions. Trustee Buchanan
would support requesting from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District
(MWRD) to see if they are willing to postpone the grant funding an additional
year so that the Village can properly budget for the match.
Trustee Taglia, Moroney and Village President Abu-Taleb support using the
sustainability fund so to not loose the grant from the MWRD. Village Trustee
Moroney expressed his opinion that the sustainability fund is an appropriate fund
for the program and he is not concerned with need for reimbursement.
Village Engineer McKenna shared information on the value of green alleys to
reduce backyard and basement flooding. Village Manager Pavlicek explained
why it would not be appropriate to turn to neighbors to contribute to the cost in
response to questions from Trustee Boutet. Instances when neighbors have
contributed to the upgrade of green alleys is when it is not environmentally
recommended for that alley yet the neighbors petition for it anyway.
It was moved by Village Trustee Moroney, seconded by Village Trustee Boutet, to
approve the motion as presented. A roll call vote was taken. The motion failed.
The roll call on the vote was as follows:
AYES: 3- Village President Abu-Taleb, Village Trustee Moroney, and Village Trustee Taglia
NAYS: 4- Village Trustee Andrews, Village Trustee Boutet, Village Trustee Buchanan, and
Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla
ABSENT: 0
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President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes February 8, 2021
C. ID 21-73 Discussion of FY2021 Sustainability Fund
Village Manager Pavlicek introduced the agenda item.
Public comment:
Crystal Hodges: Ms. Hodges provided public comment concerned that the
greenhouse gas emissions data on the agenda is not accurate and called for a
cohesive and comprehensive sustainability action plan.
Stephen Morales: Mr. Morales provided public comment urging the Village
Board to respond to the climate crisis with a sense of urgency and move
forward with using the sustainability funds for the greatest impact.
Chair of the Environment and Energy Commission Laura Derks presented on
recommendations from the Oak Park Ad Hoc Sustainability Action Planning
group that had strong participation from Trustee Buchanan and Boutet, as well
as village staff and community leaders in sustainability. The plan highlighted the
following suggestions; 1) educational community campaign on best practices
for the greatest impact for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and providing a
one-stop shop on the village website for finding information, 2) create a
residential retrofit grant fund, 3) creation of a reduce energy/encourage solar
program, 4) hire a consultant to conduct a greenhouse gas inventory and create
an action plan, 5) hire a full-time staff person with the capacity to collaborate for
community-wide participation and implementation of the action plan.
After discussion the Village President directed staff to review the
recommendations and come back to the Village Board with more information.
Village Manager Pavlicek stated she could respond appropriately in one month.
D. ID 21-74 Discuss Staff Recommendation for community engagement process and
framework for development of a Climate Action Plan (CAP) and Resiliency
Plan aligned with the ICLEI ClearPath platform as discussed on October 19,
2020.
All parties agreed to bring this discussion back to the Board of Trustees in
30-days.
E. RES 21-67 A Resolution Approving the Renewal of the Crossing Guard Services
Agreement Between the Village of Oak Park and Andy Frain Services, Inc.
through June 30, 2021 and Authorizing its Execution
It was moved by Village Trustee Andrews, seconded by Village Trustee
Walker-Peddakotla, that this Resolution be adopted. A roll call was taken. The
roll call on the vote was as follows:
AYES: 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
NAYS: 0
ABSENT: 0
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President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes February 8, 2021
VI. Adjourn
It was moved by Village Trustee Andrews, seconded by Village Trustee
Walker-Peddakotla to adjourn. A roll vote was taken. The meeting adjourned at
6:48 P.M., Monday, February 8, 2021.
AYES: 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
NAYS: 0
ABSENT: 0
Respectfully submitted,
Village Clerks Office
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Agenda
123 Madison Street
Village of Oak Park Oak Park, Illinois 60302
www.oak-park.us
Meeting Agenda
President and Board of Trustees
Monday, February 8, 2021 5:30 PM Remote Meeting
A Special Meeting is being conducted remotely at 5:30 p.m. with live audio available
and optional video. The meeting will be streamed live and archived online for
on-demand viewing at www.oak-park.us/boardtv as well as cablecast on VOP-TV,
which is available to Comcast subscribers on channel 6 and ATT Uverse subscribers
on channel 99. Remote Meetings of the Oak Park Village Board of Trustees is
authorized pursuant to Section 7 (e) of the Open Meetings Act. The Village President
has determined that an in-person meeting is not practical or prudent due to the
COVID-19 outbreak during the Governor’s disaster proclamation. It is also not
feasible to have a person present at the Board’s regular meeting location due to
public safety concerns related to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The President and Board of Trustees welcome your statement into the public record of a
meeting. Public statements of up to three minutes will be read into the record during
Non-Agenda public comment or Agenda public comment, as an individual designates.
Statements will be provided to the Village Board in their entirety as a single document.
Please follow the instructions for submitting a statement provided below. You may also
communicate with the Village Board at 708.358.5784 or email board@oak-park.us.
Questions regarding public comment can be direct to 708-358.5672 or email
clerk@oak-park.us
Instructions for Remote Non-Agenda Public Comment
Non-Agenda public comment is a time set aside at the beginning of each Village Board
meeting for public statements about an issue or concern that is not on that meeting’s
agenda. Individuals are asked to email statements to publiccomment@oak-park.us, to
be received no later than 30 minutes prior to the start of the meeting. If email is not an
option, you can drop comments off in the Oak Park Payment Drop Box across from the
entrance to Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, to be received no later than 5 PM the day of
the Village Board meeting. Non-agenda public comment will be limited to 30 minutes with
a limit of three minutes per statement. If comment requests exceed 30 minutes, public
comment will resume after the items listed under the agenda are complete
Instructions for Remote Agenda Public Comment
Public statements for an agenda item of up to three minutes will be read into the record.
Individuals are asked to email statements to publiccomment@oak-park.us, to be
received no later than 30 minutes prior to the start of the meeting. If email is not an
option, you can drop comments off in the Oak Park Payment Drop Box across from the
entrance to Village Hall,123 Madison Street, to be received no later than 5 PM the day of
the Village Board meeting. The Village Board permits a maximum of three statements
for each side of any one topic that is scheduled for or has been the subject of a public
hearing by a designated hearing body. These items are noted with (*) on the agenda.
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President and Board of Trustees Meeting Agenda February 8, 2021
I. Call to Order
II. Roll Call
III. Agenda Approval
IV. Non-Agenda Public Comment
V. Regular Agenda
A. MOT 21-26 Motion to Approve Proclaiming 2021 the Year of the Butterfly
Overview: This is a motion to approve Village President Abu-Taleb proclaiming 2021 the
Year of the Butterfly
B. MOT 21-21 A Motion to Concur with the Environment and Energy Commission’s
Recommendation to Use Sustainability Funds to Fund the 2021 Green Alley
Improvement Project and Reimburse the Sustainability Fund in the Fiscal
Year 2022 Budget for the Costs and Direct Staff to Bid the Project and
Prepare the Necessary Budget Amendments to Use Sustainability Funds to
Fund the Construction and Construction Engineering Costs for the Project
Overview: At the January 19th Village Board meeting, the Village Board referred this issue
to the EEC to discuss using Sustainability Funds for the Green Alley Project. At
their January 27th meeting, the Environment and Energy Commission (EEC)
recommended that the Sustainability Fund be used to pay for the 2021 Green
Alley Project if the Sustainability Fund can be reimbursed from other funds in
FY2022. If the Sustainability Fund cannot be reimbursed, the EEC
recommended the Village Board request to defer the project to 2022 and not
use Sustainability Funds to fund the project. As discussed at the January 19th
Board meeting, staff recommends using these Sustainability Funds to construct
the project in 2021 and not risk losing $475,000 in Metropolitan Water
Reclamation District (MWRD) grant funds by requesting to defer the project.
Staff would include an inter-fund transfer to reimburse the Sustainability Fund
as part of the FY2022 Budget process.
C. ID 21-73 Discussion of FY2021 Sustainability Fund
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President and Board of Trustees Meeting Agenda February 8, 2021
D. ID 21-74 Discuss Staff Recommendation for community engagement process and
framework for development of a Climate Action Plan (CAP) and Resiliency
Plan aligned with the ICLEI ClearPath platform as discussed on October 19,
2020.
Overview: On October 19, 2020 the Village Board received a report on the Greenhouse
Gas Inventory Update, Energy Benchmarking with Energy Star Portfolio
Manager with next steps identified as staff recommendations for a community
engagement process and framework for development of a Climate Action Plan
(CAP) and Resiliency Plan aligned with the ICLEI ClearPath platform.
E. RES 21-67 A Resolution Approving the Renewal of the Crossing Guard Services
Agreement Between the Village of Oak Park and Andy Frain Services, Inc.
through June 30, 2021 and Authorizing its Execution
Overview: On September 19, 2018 the Village Board entered into an Intergovernmental
Agreement with District 97 for the Village to manage crossing guard services
for the public elementary and middle schools. Subsequently, upon execution of
this agreement, the Village contracted with Andy Frain for crossing guard
services and the Village is reimbursed by District 97. This is a renewal of the
agreement from February 9, 2021 through July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021.
VI. Adjourn
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