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, February 18, 2025 6:30 PM Village Hall II. Call to Order Village President Vicki Scaman called the Regular Meeting to order at 6:34 P.M. III. Roll Call Trustee Wesley joined the meeting at 6:37 P.M. Trustee Enyia joined the meeting at 8:17 P.M. Trustee Buchanan left the meeting at 9:37 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 I. Presentation: Employee Years of Service Awards A. ID 25-209 Presentation of Village of Oak Park Employee Service Awards. Village Manager Kevin Jackson presented the employee service awards. Deputy Chief Dave Jacobson reported on the incident of April 8, 2021 and recognized Patrol Officer Kenneth Tworek who received medal of valor and department meritorious service award for his actions that day. Police Chief Shatonya Johnson thanked Officer Tworek's wife and family. She shared more successes from his career and presented him with his retirement badge. Officer Tworek made remarks and expressed his gratitude. IV. Agenda Approval President Scaman moved Item M from Consent to Regular Agenda. It was moved by Trustee Robinson, seconded by Trustee Straw, to approve the Agenda as amended. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. V. Non-Agenda Public Comment Stuart Barnes Jamieson: 27-year resident. Integrated housing needs to be part of intentional work and support of Village leadership. He advocated for the establishment of an independent community advisory council to advise the Housing Center and Village relationship. Village of Oak Park Page 1 Printed on 3/12/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes February 18, 2025 VI. Proclamation B. MOT 25-128 A Motion to Approve a Proclamation for The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest’s “Heart of Our Villages” Award in Honor of Bob Trezevant March 13, 2025. President Scaman read the Proclamation into the record and presented Bob Trezevant with a framed proclamation. It was moved by Trustee Robinson, seconded by Trustee Buchanan, that this Motion be approved. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. C. MOT 25-130 A Motion to Approve a Proclamation Celebrating Women’s History Month March 2025. President Scaman, Village Clerk Christina Waters, Trustee Buchanan, and Trustee Robinson read the Proclamation into the record. It was moved by Trustee Wesley, seconded by Trustee Robinson that this Motion be approved. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. VIII. Village Board Committees There were no comments. IX. Citizen Commission Vacancies D. ID 25-232 Board and Commission Vacancy Report for February 18, 2025 There were no comments. X. Consent Agenda President Scaman made a statement regarding the process for Item N on the Consent Agenda. Approval of the Consent Agenda It was moved by Trustee Robinson, 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: 6- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1- Village Trustee Enyia E. RES 25-123 A Resolution Approving a Program Year 2023, Program Year 2024, and 2020 - 2024 Consolidated Plan Substantial Amendment for Community Development Block Grant Data. This Resolution was adopted. Village of Oak Park Page 2 Printed on 3/12/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes February 18, 2025 F. RES 25-138 A Resolution Authorizing the Rejection of all Bids for Project 25-20, Oak Park Avenue Streetscape Improvements This Resolution was adopted. G. RES 25-144 A Resolution Authorizing Subordination of a Lien for the Property Located at 1026 South Harvey Avenue (BPIP-056) This Resolution was adopted. H. RES 25-145 As Discussed at the January 28, 2025 Board Meeting, a Resolution Approving the Oak Park Vision Zero Action Plan with a Goal to Achieve Zero Traffic-Related Deaths or Serious Injuries in Oak Park by 2035 This Resolution was adopted. I. RES 25-146 A Resolution Approving a Task Order with Civiltech Engineering, Inc. for Professional Transportation Engineering Services for a Traffic Signal Modification Study in an Amount Not to Exceed $247,128 and Authorizing its Execution This Resolution was adopted. J. RES 25-147 A Resolution Approving an Independent Contractor Agreement with G.A. Paving, LLC for Village Wide Utility Pavement Patching Services in 2025 in an Amount not to Exceed $250,000.00 and Authorizing its Execution This Resolution was adopted. K. RES 25-148 A Resolution Approving and Adopting the 2025 Special Event Fees This Resolution was adopted. L. RES 25-149 A Resolution Approving Amendments to Appendix I (“Job Class and FLSA Status”) and Appendix VII (“Appointee Pay Plan Schedule”) of the Village of Oak Park Personnel Manual This Resolution was adopted. N. RES 25-155 A Resolution Approving a Third Amendment to the Village Manager Employment Agreement with Kevin J. Jackson and Authorizing Its Execution, and Directing Staff to Prepare the Necessary Budget Amendment This Resolution was adopted. O. MOT 25-118 A Motion to Approve the Quarterly Financial Update (Unaudited) For Period Ending June 30, 2024 This Motion was approved. Village of Oak Park Page 3 Printed on 3/12/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes February 18, 2025 P. MOT 25-119 A Motion to Approve the Quarterly Financial Update (Unaudited) For Period Ending March 31, 2024 This Motion was approved. Q. MOT 25-121 A Motion to Concur with the Transportation Commission’s Recommendations for Traffic Calming on the 500 Block of South Humphrey Avenue This Motion was approved. R. MOT 25-126 A Motion to Approve the Quarterly Financial Update (Unaudited) For Period Ending September 30, 2024 This Motion was approved. S. ORD 25-121 An Ordinance Amending the Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Budget This Ordinance was adopted. XI. Regular Agenda M. RES 25-154 A Resolution to Approve Citizen Commission Work Plans for 2025 Trustee Robinson requested to table the Citizen Police Oversight Committee's (CPOC) work plan pending the outcome and result of the consultant's review. Assistant Village Manager/HR Director Kira Tchang said the newly listed items in CPOC's work plan are either a continuation or more detailed level of information of items that have long been on their work plan. They have been doing the Flock ALPR reporting since that work was assigned to them by the Village Board in 2022. Trustee Robinson requested clear labeling for the next semi-annual report. Trustee Parakkat inquired about the Community Relations Commission (CRC) work plan. Director Tchang said the CRC has a number of vacancies which has led to a number of meeting cancellations. Once they are able to increase the membership and resume meetings, they can submit a work plan for 2025. It was moved by Trustee Robinson, seconded by Trustee Parakkat to amend the Agenda Item to remove the CPOC work plan. The motion failed. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYE: 3 - Parakkat, Robinson, Wesley NO: 3 - Buchanan, Straw, and President Scaman ABSENT: 1 - Enyia It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Wesley, that this Resolution Village of Oak Park Page 4 Printed on 3/12/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes February 18, 2025 be adopted. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 5- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley NAYS: 1- Village Trustee Robinson ABSENT: 1- Village Trustee Enyia T. ID 25-185 Study Session on Homeownership Programs Assistant Village Manager/Neighborhood Services Director Jonathan Burch presented the Item. Presentations were given by Illinois Realtors Local Government Affairs Director Michael Bailey and his colleague Lisa, Illinois Housing Development Authority (IDHA) Account Manager of Community and Diversity Outreach Fabiola Candlish, and Community Partners for Affordable Housing (CPAH) Vice President Amy Kaufman. Trustee Straw inquired about the impact of the community land trust idea on the ability to develop density. VP Kaufman said most of the development CPAH has done has been single family and they have never done anything over 14 units for the land trust model. It is better targeted for the higher income levels because the homeowner association (HOA) fees will be a lot for someone below 80% of area median income (AMI). The land trust as a nonprofit is not paying property taxes. He asked if there is any disincentive to improvements to properties because they aren't going to recoup as much. VP Kaufman said there are a limited number of improvements that are structural and can earn a depreciated credit if you have to move. He inquired about the ongoing costs for a municipality. She said CPAH is independent and handle their own operating costs. The municipalities provide the money for the project and some operating support. He asked about the impact of interest rates on inventory and if there are any policy prescriptions. Illinois Realtors representative Lisa said it does affect inventory because people don't want to sell their home because there is nowhere to go. VP Kaufman said the missing middle inventory is an addressable issue. The first-time buyer and downsizer are often going for the same property. We could use more multi-family housing that could serve a variety of needs. Director Bailey noted the transfer tax is $8 per $1,000 which is on the higher end and a potential barrier to selling. Trustee Straw said he would support moving quickly on removing exclusionary zoning ordinances to allow for the construction of those missing middle types of developments by right. He said he would be open Village of Oak Park Page 5 Printed on 3/12/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes February 18, 2025 to exploring the idea of a community land trust and he would like to see it focus on the development of missing middle types of housing rather than the development of single family homes. Developing first-time homebuyer assistance on top of the IDHA programs would make sense. Manager Candlish noted any IDHA program needs to go through the 8-hour homebuyer education class. The city of Chicago has empty lot programs that have an affordable housing aspect to it. Trustee Robinson asked if homeowners have to stay under the AMI threshold. Both representatives from IDHA and CPAH confirmed they do not. She asked if either program prohibits homeowners from taking advantage of other municipal-type grant programs. Manager Candlish said as long as IDHA holds the second lead position, they can continue to layer as many times as that lead organization deems necessary. Trustee Robinson asked what the Village's role would be with these two programs. Director Burch said the Village would provide education for homeownership assistance and down payment programs. She asked if a program could be developed to identify vacant properties and purchase them and fix them for sale. Director Burch said staff have been thinking about doing a program like that. She asked if there is a role for the Housing Trust Fund (HTF). Director Burch said yes, it would allow flexibility. She said she would like staff to come back with a suite of options that are centered around affordable housing goals specifically with respect to homeownership. She said she would love an advisory committee to come together and help us figure out what to do zoning-wise. Manager Jackson said staff can bring that back on its own. President Scaman noted the strategic housing study also highlighted the idea of a zoning task force. Trustee Parakkat said clarifying the goals and what this accomplishes for us as a community is not clear and would be a great starting point. He said the land trust model has tax implications. He asked if the equity portion is taxable for the homeowner, which VP Kaufman confirmed. The land trust does not pay taxes on the land. He noted that does not contribute to the tax base of this community, which was confirmed. She noted a large percentage of homes were not producing anything on the tax rolls when they were purchased. He asked how many affordable units are possible. VP Kaufman said it started with 2-4 homes a year. It accelerates as you have success and funding falls into place. He said it would be good to know the opportunity cost to benefit between rental affordability and homeownership affordability. Director Burch referenced two local developments providing $1.7M once we netted out the fees that the Village is providing subsidies in Village of Oak Park Page 6 Printed on 3/12/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes February 18, 2025 other ways. The Village has made substantial investments in the past in its rental housing stock. Trustee Parakkat said there is a price point to entering and staying in the community and none of these incentives address that. Manager Jackson said that has been prioritized in our Board goals and there is convergence between this item, the strategic vision for housing, and our economic vitality strategic plan. We want to broaden the tax base and reduce the tax burden while honoring our values for providing additional supply for affordable housing, rental, and homeownership. There is tension between our goals and the question is how we manage those trade-offs. Trustee Parakkat said he believes demand will outpace supply and our ability to make the community affordable becomes a losing proposition. Director Burch echoed the tension between some of the Board goals. Trustee Wesley said there is a cost of doing nothing which we have been doing for a long time. We built a lot of apartment units but we didn't build any homes. If we got rid of single family zoning we probably could have built more homes. He inquired about the profile of the typical buyer. Illinois Realtors representative Lisa said she has a young couple about age 35 who are first time home buyers around $440K. She also works with professionals in the $600-$700K range who ay be second time home buyers. There are also $1M plus buyers. Manager Candlish agreed that the profile for different buyers has changed. Trustee Wesley said because there is so little liquidity in the market, it's hard for anybody to find what they're looking for. Director Bailey added that buyers are going to have to settle and change what they're willing to look at, such as a house that needs renovation and will need to go through the lengthy permitting process. Our seniors are moving into the high rises. Illinois Realtors representative Lisa added that Oak Park doesn't have many single-story homes for seniors. Trustee Wesley said he is supportive of all of the programs mentioned. We need to increase supply and change zoning and be less restrictive about what we allow to be built here and where. President Scaman said we are here because we have goals to become diverse socioeconomically. We do have space to build a missing middle and we know we need to address zoning to see that happen. There will be an Easing into Home Ownership seminar tomorrow night at Oak Park Public Library. U. RES 25-140 A Resolution Approving a Funding Grant Agreement with the Oak Park Village of Oak Park Page 7 Printed on 3/12/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes February 18, 2025 River Forest Chamber of Commerce to Conduct Three New Programs in Fiscal Year 2025 Development Services Director Emily Egan presented the Item. Trustee Wesley said as long as the Village and Chamber are okay with the contracts, he is fine with them. Trustee Robinson inquired about private security for First Fridays. Director Egan said one proposal for First Fridays is for four different events over the summer. The Village would like to work in partnership with the Chamber on the site plan details. We have worked with the Police Department to identify other big community events around those days that might require additional staffing. These are high end estimates that will be refined and finalized by April 15. Trustee Robinson said she would like for the Village to offer the same kinds of supports to other programs and first-time events. Director Egan noted the Village is a financial partner on these new events and therefore want to monitor its success and see how we can learn from them and grow. President Scaman asked if Trustee Robinson would see the Village absorbing these costs for the future. Trustee Robinson said she thinks that is too hard to tell right now. President Scaman said she agreed. Trustee Wesley said he liked the emphasis on partnership and is looking forward to watching these events grow and seeing the community connect. OPRF Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Darien Marion-Burton said there is a difference between this program and the programming for members. These events will be open to all businesses and residents. Trustee Parakkat asked if the Chamber will have the right level of staffing if this is approved. Director Marion-Burton said they need to make one key hire of a partner program manager to execute all of these. Trustee Parakkat asked if the thought has evolved on the selection of the business districts and if metrics will be isolated by location. Director Egan said the reports the Village is requesting from the Chamber will be standardized regardless of the site plans. Trustee Parakkat said he would have been more comfortable if the economic vitality plan was informing some of this but we do not have that handy. Director Egan said the strategic Board goals call out building capacity in business districts and bridging the connection between the business district and the neighborhood. Manager Jackson agreed we are connected to our goals and where we are headed with the vision for economic vitality. This is new and different and it will have an impact on us Village of Oak Park Page 8 Printed on 3/12/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes February 18, 2025 operationally. We are committed to partnering and making sure it is consistent with our goals and we will continue to report out on the metrics. Trustee Parakkat said he is comfortable with where it's at. Police Chief Shatonya Johnson said the Police Department supports it. Staffing is a concern for them, especially on dates where events are already scheduled. It was moved by Village Trustee Robinson, seconded by Village Trustee Enyia, that this Resolution be adopted. 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: 0 ABSENT: 1- Village Trustee Buchanan XII. Call to Board and Clerk Trustee Straw said he attended a demonstration outside Lurie's for trans teens to get gender-affirming care. The national administration is pursuing an agenda of chaos that would prevent this kind of progressive work on a municipal level. It highlights the importance of the leadership of the Village Board and other governing bodies in the community. It is important that this body continues to make clear that if you are against DEI, you are opposed to diversity, equity, and inclusion that this and other governing bodies will stand and fight for. President Scaman said she appreciates the comments and we will continue to speak out about the need to serve and protect and call out hate and to stand for the values that we aspire to here in the Village. Trustee Enyia thanked the Oak Park Fire Department for stepping up at the Black History Month event and acknowledged our newest firefighter Savannah Reinhart was sworn in today. XIII. Adjourn It was moved by Trustee Wesley, seconded by Trustee Straw, to Adjourn. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. Meeting adjourned at 10:01 P.M., Tuesday, February 18, 2025. Respectfully submitted, Deputy Clerk Hansen Village of Oak Park Page 9 Printed on 3/12/2025