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 Tuesday, August 27, 2024 7:00 PM Village Hall I. Call to Order Village President Vicki Scaman called the Regular Meeting to order at 7:04 P.M. II. Roll Call Trustee Straw joined the Meeting at 7:07 P.M. Present: 7- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley Absent: 0 III. Agenda Approval President Scaman requested to move Items L and T from Consent to Regular Agenda. It was moved by Trustee Wesley, seconded by Trustee Robinson, to approve the Agenda as amended. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: IV. Minutes A. MOT 24-213 A Motion to Approve Minutes from the July 23, 2024 Regular Meeting of the Village Board It was moved by Trustee Wesley, seconded by Trustee Robinson, to approve the Minutes. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. V. Non-Agenda Public Comment Dan Sullivan: 700 block of Linden is getting a new sewer line. Does not want new cement that doesn't match the old cement. Requested to add gravel and dye, offered to pay the difference, was told it cannot be done. Nick Agliata: Uses Avenue Garage for primary parking. Concerned about blanked 25-cent fee for public EV charging stations. Proposes a separate rate for residents without a garage, an idle fee for extended use, and discussing at a future Board meeting. Village of Oak Park Page 1 Printed on 9/17/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes August 27, 2024 VI. Proclamation B. MOT 24-214 A Motion to Approve a Proclamation Recognizing September 2024 as Addiction Recovery Month President Scaman read the Proclamation into the Record and acknowledged Susan Parks and Elizabeth Riley in attendance. Way Back Inn Executive Director Anita Pindiur accepted the Proclamation and provided additional information regarding addiction recovery. It was moved by Trustee Wesley, seconded by Trustee Straw, that this Motion be approved. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: C. MOT 24-215 A Motion to Approve a Proclamation Recognizing SMART Week Trustee Enyia read the Proclamation into the Record. Moms Demand Action representative Jenna Leving Jacobson accepted the Proclamation and provided additional information regarding SMART Week. Other members of Moms Demand Action were in attendance. It was moved by Trustee Wesley, seconded by Trustee Straw, that this Motion be approved. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. D. MOT 24-216 A Motion to Approve a Proclamation Recognizing Women’s Equality Day Annually on the 26th of August Trustee Buchanan read the Proclamation into the Record. It was moved by Trustee Buchanan, seconded by Trustee Straw, that this Motion be approved. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. VIII. Village Board Committees & Trustee Liaison Commission Reports President Scaman reported the Early Childhood Collaboration hosted Dr. Heckman in August who provided an update on the information of early stages development. She acknowledged Board Chair Bob Tucker and Executive Director Mary Reynolds. IX. Citizen Commission Vacancies E. ID 24-416 Board & Commission Vacancy Report for August 27, 2024 There were no comments. X. Citizen Commission Appointments, Reappointments and Chair Appointments F. MOT 24-218 A Motion to Consent to the Village President’s Appointment of: Citizens Police Oversight Committee - Justin Johnson, Appoint as Commissioner Village of Oak Park Page 2 Printed on 9/17/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes August 27, 2024 Community Relations Commission - Yoko Terretta, Appoint as Chair Environment & Energy Commission - Cassandra West, Appoint as Commissioner Historic Preservation Commission - Asha Andriana, Appoint as Commissioner It was moved by Trustee Wesley, seconded by Trustee Enyia, that this Motion be approved. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. A Motion to Consent to the Village President’s Appointment of: Citizens Police Oversight Committee - Justin Johnson, Appoint as Commissioner Trustee Parakkat requested this Item be a separate vote because he wants to vote no. He expressed concern that the accountability function has slipped into one of disrespect for our Police and Police Chief and he does not want that behavior to adversely impact the morale of our staff and recruitment. Trustee Robinson said she is also concerned about the tenor of discourse in the commission meetings. There should be a standard and expectation for respectful, focused conversations. She said she will approve the re-appointment because we have supports coming to uphold a better process for this commission including an external professional assessment. There is room for and a need for improvement here. Trustee Enyia said he will vote yes. We have commissions to get diverse options and create positive change for residents and staff. He said he thinks Commissioner Johnson always means well and has respect for Chief Johnson and the rest of the police. President Scaman thanked everyone for their comments and the commissioners for their service. It was moved by Trustee Enyia, seconded by Trustee Buchanan, that this Motion be approved. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 6- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley NAYS: 1- Village Trustee Parakkat ABSENT: 0 XI. Consent Agenda Approval of the Consent Agenda It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Wesley to approve the items under the Consent Agenda. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 7- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley Village of Oak Park Page 3 Printed on 9/17/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes August 27, 2024 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 G. MOT 24-203 A Motion to Concur with the Transportation Commission’s Recommendations for Traffic Calming at the 900 Block of Home Avenue Including the Installation of Paint and Post Bump-Outs Mid-Block and the Home Avenue and Lexington Intersection and the Installation of Flashing Stop Signs at the Home and Garfield Intersection This Motion was approved. H. MOT 24-207 A Motion to Approve the Bills in the Amount of $7,270,493.63 from June 29, 2024, through August 3, 2024 This Motion was approved. I. MOT 24-210 A Motion to Approve the March 2024 Monthly Treasurer’s Report for All Funds This Motion was approved. J. ORD 24-146 Concur with the Zoning Board of Appeals’ Recommendation and Adopt an Ordinance Granting a Special Use Permit for a Medical Clinic to be located at 6632-6634 Roosevelt Road This Ordinance was adopted. K. RES 24-124 Resolution Authorizing the Execution of a Five-year Contract with Total Communication Solutions (TCS) for a New Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Telephone System by Zoom in an Amount Not to Exceed $362,331.66 over 5 years This Resolution was adopted. M. RES 24-273 A Resolution Authorizing the Execution of a Settlement Agreement in Workers’ Compensation Case Number 2023 WC 02598 This Resolution was adopted. N. RES 24-276 A Resolution Approving an Amendment to the Renewal of the Independent Contractor Agreement with Allied Garage Door, Inc. to Provide Emergency Overhead Door Repairs and Maintenance Services at Village-Owned Facilities to Increase the Not-to-Exceed Amount for FY 2024 from $50,000.00 to $60,000.00 and Authorizing its Execution This Resolution was adopted. O. RES 24-277 A Resolution Approving the Purchase of One 2025 Ford Utility Hybrid Police Interceptor Vehicle with Police Package from Currie Motors of Frankfort, Illinois, in an Amount Not to Exceed $50,819.00 and Waiving the Village of Oak Park Page 4 Printed on 9/17/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes August 27, 2024 Village's Bid Process for the Purchase This Resolution was adopted. P. RES 24-278 A Resolution Approving an Independent Contractor Agreement with MG Mechanical Contracting, Incorporated to Install New Mechanical Equipment and Complete Repairs to Various Existing Mechanical System Equipment at the Public Works Center in an Amount Not to Exceed $235,250.00 and Authorizing its Execution This Resolution was adopted. Q. RES 24-279 A Resolution Approving an Independent Contractor Agreement with BP Construction and Remodelers Inc. to Complete Various Repairs to the Exterior Facade at the Public Works Center in an Amount Not to Exceed $116,600.00 and Authorizing its Execution This Resolution was adopted. R. RES 24-280 A Resolution Approving a Contract with R.W. Dunteman Company for Project No. 24-6 Pavement Preservation, in an Amount not to Exceed $572,340 and Authorizing its Execution This Resolution was adopted. S. RES 24-281 A Resolution Approving an Intergovernmental Agreement between the Village of Oak Park and the County of Cook for the Invest in Cook Grant for the 2025 Neighborhood Greenway Project in an Amount of $125,000 and Authorizing its Execution This Resolution was adopted. U. RES 24-282 A Resolution Approving a Collective Bargaining Agreement Between the Village of Oak Park and Local 95 International Association of Fire Fighters, AFL-CIO, for the Period of January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2027 and Authorizing its Execution This Resolution was adopted. XII. Regular Agenda L. RES 24-268 A Resolution Approving an Independent Contractor Agreement with J. Graham, LLC. for the Viaduct Art Installation, in an Amount Not to Exceed $235,000 and Authorizing its Execution Village Engineer/Assistant Public Works Director Bill McKenna presented the Item. Trustee Robinson inquired about the north side with the brown sculpture. Engineer McKenna said they discussed it with the artist and it will be viable on all four entryways. The Village is coordinating with Union Pacific on Village of Oak Park Page 5 Printed on 9/17/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes August 27, 2024 repairing the viaduct system. Trustee Wesley asked if the aluminum panels can be swapped out. Engineer McKenna said they can be removed for maintenance but the intent is a static mural system. Trustee Wesley asked if we are still within the initial $14.7M streetscape budget. Engineer McKenna confirmed that is still the goal. Current estimates are $16.5M but we will review those plans to get closer to that budget amount. Trustee Wesley said he would like to stay within the $14.7M. It was moved by Trustee Enyia, seconded by Trustee Robinson, that this Resolution be adopted. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 7- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 T. RES 24-283 A Resolution Approving an Amendment to an Employee Leasing Agreement with MGT of America Consulting, LLC for an Interim Chief Financial Officer to Change the Not-to-Exceed Amount from $150,000 to $225,000 and to Extend the Term from August 2, 2024 to February 28, 2025 and Authorizing its Execution Assistant Village Manager/HR Director Kira Tchang presented the Item. Trustee Parakkat pulled this Item from Consent to get an update on the CFO search. He said his concern is its linkage to the financial efforts. We are entering our second budget cycle with an interim CFO. Manager Jackson said we have full confidence in our interim CFO and we view this as strengthening the process. Trustee Parakkat asked if anything can be done to accelerate this process. Manager Jackson said we are moving as fast as we can. President Scaman expressed her gratitude to Deputy CFO John Kramer. It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Robinson, that this Resolution be adopted. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 7- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 V. ORD 24-144 Concur with the Plan Commission and Adopt an Ordinance Amending Village of Oak Park Page 6 Printed on 9/17/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes August 27, 2024 Article 2 (“Definitions & Rules of Measurement”), Section 2.3 (“Definitions”), Article 8 (“Uses”), Section 8.4 (“Principal Use Standards”) and Table 8.1 (“Use Matrix”) of the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance to Establish a Community Service Center as a Special Use in the I-Institutional Zoning District Development Services Director Emily Egan presented this Item and Item W. It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Wesley, that this Ordinance be adopted. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 7- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 W. ORD 24-145 Concur with the Plan Commission and Adopt an Ordinance Granting a Special Use Permit to Allow a Community Service Center in the I-Institutional Zoning District Located at 38 North Austin Boulevard There were no additional comments. It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Robinson, that this Ordinance be adopted. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 7- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 X. RES 24-274 A Resolution Approving a Second Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement with Walker Consultants, Inc. to Increase the Not-To-Exceed Amount from $171,700.00 to $231,700.00 and Authorizing its Execution Director Egan presented this Item and Item Y. Trustee Robinson inquired about the cost to do the work. Director Egan said it is within the third amendment. Trustee Robinson wondered why we are doing a second amendment for Walker Consultants and not just moving to the repair phase. Director Egan responded that we work with Walker to review the pricing for specific repair items, monitor the work performed, and guide staff to complete the design work necessary to bid out. Trustee Robinson requested a cost breakdown per garage. Director Egan said staff can provide that. Parking and Mobility Services Manager Sean Keane added that the OPRF garage accounts for the lowest amount. This additional $60K is for the work required for the Avenue Garage. Village of Oak Park Page 7 Printed on 9/17/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes August 27, 2024 Trustee Parakkat asked if the structural issues are to be expected. Director Egan said part of the repair work includes further study to ensure it is not through any other garages. The consultants said this is a relatively common item to find in a garage this age and will begin repair and regular inspections starting in September. Staff are working to explore all cost recovery options. Trustee Parakkat said he supports moving forward. Trustee Straw requested an explanation of a post-tension tendon. Walker Consultants Principal Dan Moser said it is a steel cable poured into the concrete slab and provides the structural support to help hold it up. They make for very efficient structures and save a lot of money in beams and columns and foundations. They will not affect height clearance or any usability of the garage. Trustee Straw noted the additional cost of doing the steel I-beams is 10% but the life expectancy is double. He said the approach of going with the steel I-beams makes the most sense. He wondered if no action was taken, how long it would be until there would be a safety concern. Principal Moser estimated we would have to do something in six months and then it would be an emergency situation. They will check the other floors in the garage. Trustee Straw said he will vote yes on both items. Trustee Wesley inquired about the remaining lifespan of the garages. Principal Moser said the design life of a parking structure is 40-50 years. With good maintenance as we've seen here, garages can go another 20+ years. Trustee Wesley asked if the Village has any outstanding debt on any of the garages referenced here. Director Egan said staff can provide an answer to that. It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Wesley, that this Resolution be adopted. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 7- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 Y. RES 24-275 A Resolution Approving a Third Amendment to the Independent Contractor Agreement with J. Gill & Co. for Maintenance Repairs of the Village’s Holley Court, The Avenue, and Oak Park River Forest High School Parking Structures to Increase the Not-To-Exceed Amount from $1,671,175.00 to $2,416,175.00, Waiving the Village’s Bid Process, and Authorizing Its Execution Trustee Straw requested a friendly amendment to reduce the not-to-exceed Village of Oak Park Page 8 Printed on 9/17/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes August 27, 2024 amount from $2,416,175.00 to $2,336,175.00, which was seconded by Trustee Wesley. It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Wesley, that this Resolution be adopted as amended. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 6- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley NAYS: 1- Village Trustee Buchanan ABSENT: 0 Z. ID 24-296 A Presentation and Discussion on Changes to the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance Assistant Village Manager/Neighborhood Services Director Jonathan Burch presented the Item. Trustee Robinson inquired about staff's decision to not include a parking requirement. Director Burch said staff considered the portions of the Village that have existing parking capacity and requirements that might make this permission possible. She asked if staff's analysis assumed expansion of the maps. Director Burch said staff were focused on the downtown and Hemingway areas. Trustee Buchanan asked if the current IHO would continue, which does not apply if the entity is not seeking zoning relief. Director Burch said the Village is not choosing to pursue anything related to that. Trustee Straw noted this could be applicable to by-right development. Village Planner Craig Failor said the current IHO is not a part of the zoning code. Trustee Straw said density is something we want to be encouraging. Manager Jackson said the Board could change the land use standards in areas where you want to see more density and it could be a by-right consideration in those areas where the ordinance is changed. Trustee Straw said he believes it is important to tie these conversations together. Trustee Parakkat asked if the Village will get any additional insight from back testing for the past 12 years. Director Burch said they received feedback from developers recognizing our position in the market and the challenges in terms of land values, construction costs, property taxes, and electrification costs. President Scaman said she likes that this will be reviewed annually as part of the CIP. She cautioned against bringing back data from the past because the market and building costs were different. Manager Jackson noted this conversation is about strengthening our current IHO. Village of Oak Park Page 9 Printed on 9/17/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes August 27, 2024 Trustee Wesley asked why the Village would want to strengthen the IHO. Manager Jackson said the Village would want to encourage additional affordability. Trustee Wesley said his issue is having this conversation outside of the comprehensive zoning conversation when the two are intrinsically linked. He said he doesn't think our current IHO incentivizes density. We are the leader in providing affordable housing in our property values. Our property values are a median of about $400K. Our affordable housing percentage is 23.5%. That is the best in the state. We want more units and yet we're adding a tax to build more units here. Manager Jackson noted the current IHO does not have a density bonus of two for one. Trustee Wesley said let's do the density bonus and not do any demerits. Manager Jackson said the presentation is about an engagement with the development community and trying to strike a balance between incentives and trying to make the fee market sensitive to where it's tolerable so you can achieve the affordable goals while providing an incentive for development by adding to the density bonus. Trustee Wesley said he is for codifying a bonus in the IHO. His source of frustration is we are breaking something that is working. He said he thinks the current IHO is working and he would add the two-for-one density bonus for onsite affordable units. Trustee Buchanan said she disagrees with Trustee Wesley. She said this country has a desperate housing crisis and one of the reasons is we've left the housing to the market. The capitalists have failed and the only way they will build affordable housing is if we make them. She said she is in favor of using whatever tools we can to force developers to provide more affordable housing. She said she favors Option 2. Trustee Buchanan said the Board has said it wants a race equity assessment of all of our agenda items and a decision this big should have the race equity assessment performed. Director Burch said they have talked with Dr. Walker and DEI staff about the options. A formal racial equity analysis can be brought with the next item. Manager Jackson added that our equity administrator is a part of all of these conversations which are not mutually exclusive. Trustee Robinson said she agrees with Trustee Buchanan's comments about not just leaving this up to the market. The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus made it clear there are individuals at higher price points who are renting at lower price points. Option 2 lets us shore up the Housing Trust Fund (HTF) and it is most important that we direct those efforts. Expanding the map makes sense as we have development with affordable units outside of these zones. It is far more efficient to affect affordable housing Village of Oak Park Page 10 Printed on 9/17/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes August 27, 2024 outside of the maps, which already happens on a very limited basis. She said she is in favor of Option 2. Trustee Robinson said she is still interested in the idea of a fee in lieu for things like an art installation for residential development projects. Director Burch said Development Services and Neighborhood Services will bring an agenda item that will focus on the HTF. Trustee Robinson said it makes sense to broaden the sources of incoming revenue for that fund. Trustee Robinson noted the developers being dissuaded by the electrification ordinance. Director Burch said the perception exists and it is an opportunity for staff to do education with the developers. President Scaman said redevelopment is waiting for the stretch code. Trustee Robinson recommended carving out some exemptions for the IHO, particularly if there is consensus to develop it Village-wide. She asked why it does not include single-family homes. Director Burch said the Village could go back and explore it. The applicable development is 10 units or more and single-family homes would fall underneath that threshold. Trustee Robinson asked if staff would recommend aligning the IHO's 60% AMI threshold and the HTF's 80% AMI threshold. Director Burch said we also have the higher standard inside of this for the 120% for ownership properties. HPAC has flagged this topic for staff already. Trustee Robinson highlighted the new HTF application and rolling submission process. Director Burch said we are accepting applications now. It was moved by Trustee Robinson, seconded by Trustee Straw, to extend the meeting past 10:00 P.M. A roll call vote was taken and the motion was approved. The roll call vote was as follows: AYE: Trustees Buchanan, Enyia, Parakkat, Robinson, Straw and President Scaman NAY: Trustee Wesley Trustee Parakkat said the underlying goal is to create socioeconomic diversity in this community though he is not certain of the path to get there. He said he is leaning towards what Trustee Wesley stated. Trustee Straw said he likes increasing across all options of the bonus for onsite units. The bonuses through the IHO is a strong argument in favor of expanding the IHO Village-wide. He requested this conversation be tied with those zoning changes. He said he thinks both Options 1 and 2 have arguments in their favor. He said he would like to continue to be creative around pushing on the bonuses and incentives and he would consider reducing the mandatory parking minimums across the development. He said he agrees with broadening the map to offer these incentives to include onsite affordable housing to cover the entire market. Village of Oak Park Page 11 Printed on 9/17/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes August 27, 2024 Trustee Enyia said he concurs with Option 2 as this gives up a good opportunity to build up the fund and holding developers more accountable. President Scaman said she isn't against anything in Option 2 but she is looking for the information that would come out of the missing middle and racial equity assessment. She said she sees a need for expanding the map and parking still needs to be studied. She said is comfortable with the way the fee in lieu is being presented and looking at it on an annual basis. XIII. Call to Board and Clerk Clerk Waters said the Village Clerk's Office is hosting voter registration events, including the OPRF Civics Fair, Sept. 7 Barrie Fest, tenant workshop, Sept. 14 Farmers' Market, Sept. 17 National Voter Registration Day, Sept. 21 Viva on the South Lawn, and Sept. 22 Fall Fest at Rehm Park. Residents can also come to Village Hall. Trustee Wesley encouraged residents to attend Barrie Fest, Oak Park's longest running private festival. He said it is frustrating that we have the best naturally occurring affordable housing in the state and we want to tinker with it or dismantle it because the way we create it doesn't feel good enough to us. We have been creating affordable housing better than anyone else and we should just keep doing that. The one way to drive housing costs down is to build more units. Trustee Straw highlighted the SMART Week proclamation and the importance of having conversations with children. He acknowledged the work of D97 and D200 and the safe storage ordinance this Board passed last summer. He encouraged the public to read the consent agenda because there are exciting things happening that we do not discuss, including the bike boulevards. Trustee Robinson said the Village Board had a retreat with Steve Ludwig where we talked about how our personal experiences inform our values. She shared her own experience of her family moving out of Little Village for safety reasons and moving to Oak Park. Someone set fire to that house and her parents bought another house in Oak Park with enormous sacrifice, which has been impactful to her. Trustee Parakkat said housing is a fundamental need and how we think about it and how we act to get more people into houses is something that is very personal based on our experiences. President Scaman thanked the Trustees for the thoughtful information that was brought forward. Village of Oak Park Page 12 Printed on 9/17/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes August 27, 2024 XIV. Adjourn It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Robinson, to Adjourn. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. Meeting adjourned at Tuesday, August, 27, 2024 at 10:34 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Deputy Clerk Hansen Village of Oak Park Page 13 Printed on 9/17/2024