Board of Trustees

Village of Peoria Heights Board of Trustees September 5, 2023 The meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m. Everyone stood for a moment of silence and the Pledge to the Flag. Upon calling roll, the following Trustees were present: Sarah DeVore, Jeff Goett, Mattthew Wigginton, and Brandon Wisenburg. Trustee Elizabeth Khazzam was absent. Others present included Mayor Michael Phelan, Village Clerk Stephanie Turner, and Village Counsel Attorney Mark Walton. Trustee Goett made a motion to approve the appointment of Ms. Jennifer Reichert to replace Mr. Mark Gauf. Trustee DeVore seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-0. Clerk Turner swore in Ms. Jennifer Reichert as Village Trustee. Trustee Goett made a motion to approve the minutes from the August 15, 2023 meeting. Trustee DeVore seconded the motion. The minutes were approved 5-0. Clerk Turner read a letter from Sarah, a Village employee, explaining recent claims made about her were false and misleading. Clerk Turner also read a letter from Mr. Greg Birkland, for KDB Group, regarding concerns about the lease at 1201 E Kingman Avenue. Mayor Phelan opened the meeting to public comment. Ms. Bonnie Faley, 1424 Marietta, has concerns about traffic. She suggested parking should be restricted to one side. Chief Sutton noted that the Board might consider a Village wide policy restricting traffic to one side in high volume areas during events. Mayor Phelan requested a discussion item be added to the agenda for the future. Ms. Barb Maliccio, representative of the Peoria Heights Chamber of Commerce, provided an update on the 125th celebration of the Village. She provided an overview of events and invited the community to join in the celebration. Ms. J. Gruber, 3814 N Monroe, expressed support for the Peoria Heights Fire Department. She then thanked Village staff for their work on the corner near her residence. She also reported concerns about a specific property. Hearing no additional public comment, Mayor Phelan closed the meeting to public comments and moved on to old business. Chief Sutton noted that most of the Village trustees had met with representatives of Illinois American Water approximately a year ago. He noted he had been contacted by those representatives requesting to meet with the Village officially for a public presentation. Trustees Wisenburg, Wigginton, Goett, and Reichert all agreed. Trustee DeVore agreed as well requesting Woodard and Curran also attend the meeting in order to advise the Board on its options. Chief Sutton will contact IAW to inform them of the Board’s decision. Having concluded old business, the Board moved on to new business. Trustee DeVore made a motion to approve Ordinance 2023-1708: an Ordinance Approving and Authorizing the Execution of a Business Development District No. 1 Redevelopment Agreement By and Between the Village of Peoria Heights and Barbara Milaccio DBA Exhibit A Gallery. Trustee Wigginton seconded the motion. Ms. Milaccio explained Exhibit A Gallery will be relocating and is requesting grant funds for updating the new location. Trustee DeVore expressed happiness the business was able to remain in the Village. Trustee Wigginton thanked Ms. Milaccio for her information including that she paid into the BDD fund through taxes. The Board approved Ordinance 2023-1708 by 5-0. Trustee DeVore made a motion to approve a special use permit for Beck Oil’s Company for the operation of two digital electronic multiple message signs located at 922 E. War Memorial Drive. Trustee Goett seconded the motion. Trustee DeVore explained that the business needed to obtain a special use permit because of the zoning of the location. Director of Community Development, Mr. Wayne Aldrich, provided an update on the construction which is making good progress. Trustee Wigginton asked about the sizing of the signs. Chief Sutton explained the signs had been approved by the Peoria Heights ZBA, and there weren’t any safety concerns. The Board approved the special use permit 5-0. Director Aldrich shared he would be part of a group providing a presentation at the American Association of Planners. They will be presenting on the process of creating a comprehensive plan using the Village’s as one example. He noted he’ll also be networking with planning businesses for upcoming work for the Village such as the transportation plan which will be funded by grant from TriCounty Regional Planning. TriCounty Regional Planning will soon be seeking bids for consultants for the projects. The Village has also been invited to apply for federal funding for grant funds for Phase I engineering for redesigning Monroe Avenue. Trustee DeVore made a motion to approve Resolution 2023-11: Adopting a Qualification Based Selection Policy and Procedure. Trustee Wisenburg seconded the motion. Director Aldrich explained federal funding required qualification based selections rather than selection based on price. The policy is required by IDOT for the work on Prospect Road. Trustee Wigginton asked how the Village had functioned without it previously. Director Aldrich explained it was a more formalized process. Trustee Wigginton moved to amend Section 8 to say, “the Selection Committee members are selected by the Village Board.” Trustee Wisenburg seconded the amendment. The Board voted 5-0 to approve the amendment. The Board voted 5-0 to approve Resolution 2023-11 as amended. Attorney Walton explained that KDB Group has requested to defer the agenda item regarding their lease to the next meeting, and Trustee Khazzam, as committee chair, agreed. Trustee DeVore made a motion to defer the motion to approve KDB Group, LLC request for reinstatement of lease agreement for Village property located at 1201/1203 E Kingman Avenue (pump house) and approval of proposed new use for such property. Trustee Wigginton seconded. Trustee Wisenburg asked Attorney Walton about the termination clause in the lease. Attorney Walton explained there’s no termination clause, but there are terms if the tenant defaults on the lease. The Board voted 5-0 to approve the motion to defer the item. Trustee DeVore explained Village staff had worked hard to create a portal for residents to report water issues on the Village website. She noted she had directed residents to report via the Code Enforcement over the weekend, but now encouraged residents to use the new portal on the Water Department page. Superintendent of Public Works, Chris Chandler, explained that Public Works has its own portal on its page as well for other issues. Chief Sutton asked Superintendent Chandler to explain the ice pigging process which would be happening in the fall. Superintendent Chandler explained that ice pigging is a process that uses an ice mix to clean the sides of water mains. Trustee Wigginton made a motion to approve purchase of PHFD equipment in the amount of $4,724 to Alexis Fire Equipment Co. Trustee Wisenburg seconded the motion. Trustee Wigginton explained the PHFD needed to replace hoses. The Board approved the purchase 5-0. Trustee Wigginton noted there had been a recent Neighborhood Watch meeting and he’d heard a lot of good feedback from residents. He encouraged residents to attend. Chief Sutton noted the SAFETY Act began September 18, 2023, and he’s been meeting with state officials on the changes. Trustee Wisenburg made a motion to approve placement of a stop sign at Illinois Avenue and Cox Avenue. Trustee Wigginton seconded the motion. Trustee Wisenburg noted the Village had discussed the area previously. Mayor Phelan encouraged residents to approach the Village if they had requests for additional stop signs. The Board approved the stop sign 5-0. Trustee Wisenburg introduced discussion of banning northbound street parking on Samuel Avenue on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Trustee Wisenburg clarified he meant the north side of Samuel Avenue. He stated the road was very tight with cars parked on both sides. Trustee Goett asked about the weekend restriction. Trustee Wisenburg noted the restriction was at the request of the neighborhood. Attorney Walton stated the Village would need to designate specific blocks and times to take action. Trustee DeVore asked the width of a fire engine. Superintendent Chandler spoke about the difficulty of plowing noting the plows are a similar size to the fire engines. Trustee DeVore noted, with the importance of parking, if perhaps the street should be made one way. Chief Sutton stated the narrowness was a safety concern. The Board discussed one way traffic and one side parking. Chief Sutton expressed support for parking on one side. Director Aldrich noted most streets of that width only had one side parking. Mayor Phelan requested Trustee Wisenburg work with Superintendent Chandler and Director Aldrich on the item. Trustee Wisenburg asked Superintendent Chandler if there was a solution to the weeds in the mulch at Lion’s Park. Superintendent Chandler stated mulch could be removed and a new weed barrier installed. Trustee Wisenburg requested a cost estimate. There was no miscellaneous business for discussion. Trustee Wisenburg made a motion to enter executive session under 5 ILCS 120/2(c)1 to discuss personnel, and Trustee DeVore seconded. The Board voted 5-0 to enter executive session at 6:20 pm. The Board reconvened regular session about 7:28 pm. Trustee Goett made a motion to adjourn, and Trustee DeVore seconded the motion. The Board of Trustees voted 5-0 to adjourn at 7:28 pm. _____________________________________ ______________________________________ Michael Phelan, Mayor Stephanie Turner, Village Clerk