MINUTES OF
BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING
Date:
Location: Village Office
Time:
1. PLEDGE: President Kuskowski called the meeting to order and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Sign in sheet circulated.
ROLL CALL: Present: Village President Kuskowski, Trustees Adams, Cantieri, Filippell, Rigali, Parro, Village Clerk Leitner, and Village Treasurer Gidley. Absent: Trustee Aitken.
Also in attendance: Belinda Wadas, newsletter correspondent.
2. APPROVAL OF
MINUTES: Minutes of the
3. PUBLIC COMMENTS: None.
4. PLAN COMMISSION—Pres Kuskowski will request that the Plan Commission to look at: 1) tighter zoning regulations for teardowns; 2) permits for home businesses; and 3)consider looking at whether outbuildings should be better defined. Tr Adams wants them to look at restricting the number of driveways per residence.
5. ZBA—None.
6. BUILDING AND ZONING: Trustee Cantieri reported that five permits were issued. Tr Cantieri noted that 131 Paddock required a no-fee water main installation: should get one from Gray house also, so Village has record of installation.
Violations—Building Inspector is following up.
Building & Zoning Committee- setting meeting in October re Drew Mack. Seeking to have a recommendation for the Macks at the next Board meeting. Unanimous recommendation sought from B&Z Committee for Village Board.
Tr Cantieri and Treas Gidley will meet to advertise an RFP in the Ill Municipal Review for a building inspection service. They will inform the current provider, Independent Inspections, and invite them to bid as well. Tr Parro asked who else provides within BACOG organizations.
7. TREASURER’S REPORT AND FINANCE REPORT: Treas Gidley distributed the monthly expenditures summary, profit and loss statement, YTD budget expenditures, bank statement balances. P/L: $70,000 negative balance for the month. Compared to last year, the Village has received $60,000 less in property taxes, and last year’s vehicle sticker collections were reported in motor vehicle fuel tax, but this year had to be reported differently. In sum, the Village has received $40,000 less in revenue and has greater expenses. Plus, the Village is $40,000 over budget already. Consumer’s Water System can only report what has actually been received. Receipts are down, but the Village does not know how to account for the discrepancy in income. Treas Gidley will pursue with Consumer’s Water whether customer billing should be higher. The Village has yet to pay on the management contract—numbers don’t make sense.
Monthly Bills: Motion to approve the bills was made by Trustee Adams and seconded by Trustee Rigali, and followed by a Roll Call vote: VOTE: AYES: Trustees Parro, Adams, Cantieri, Filippell, Rigali. NAYES: None. ABSENT: Aitken.
Vehicle Sticker Statement- detailed number of outstanding payments.
Ameritech—The Village will not be charged from October, 2001-July 15, 2002 and Ameritech will pay the Village $568.43 as a good will repayment.
Tax Levy Changes—need to be done ASAP. Finance Committee to meet this month to decide how to address this issue.
Transfer of MFT funds coming from the state into Tr Parro’s designated accounts.
B&Z requests for road bonds repayments—Treas Gidley needs some assistance from the Village Board: some old bond repayments are impossible without final reports from Building inspector.
Pres Kuskowski and Treas Gidley met with a
representative from US Rep Fitzgerald’s office to find out Village’s
needs. They received information on
grants and the name of someone in
9. POLICE REPORT: Monthly Activities Report-Pres Kuskowski presented the 646 monthly activities report, on file at the Village office. Also, Police rescued a great horned owl.
Allie Widmar reported on an Emergency Operations Planning meeting she attended with Richard Gillett downstate. There are four phases to an emergency: (i) mitigation-gather group to plan the plan; (ii) preparedness-mutual aid agreements; (iii) disaster response-fire and police and president; (iv) recovery—look at long term and short term goals and review handling of emergency. Clearly this effort requires input from more than two people. She suggests polling the community for resources to determine what we have, what we need. Several Trustees volunteered to be on the Committee.
10. STORM WATER
MANAGEMENT: Pres Kuskowski reported that resident John Johnson has
completed mapping the Village’s drainage system, but blueprints are not yet
ready. The culvert put in under Kubala’s driveway on
MS4 and NPDES Permit—Pres Kuskowski working to determine whether the Village needs to complete this permit.
11. ROADS: Tr Parro spent $10,500.00 on recent tree removal, including large Oak on ELSD [L].Tr Parro and Police Chief Sinacore made a list of intersection brush removal sites. Pres Kuskowski sent out a list to seven different residents asking them to trim their bushes on, or intruding into, the right-of-way. They will have until the end of September to comply.
12. HEALTH AND SANITATION:
Clarke Mosquito spraying-The Village
will have to pay $570.00 for this week’s additional spraying. Clarke expects little
or no more spraying once the weather turns. Tr Cantieri wonders whether this is
the same product formerly used—same as
SWALCO-no report.
13. UTILITIES—Water System report not in yet, but
the Village’s water usage is reportedly back to normal. Treas Gidley requested
the Board consider an automatic debit for the water system, but Pres Kuskowski
and the Board seek clarification by TreasGidley before proceeding.
Simplified Municipal Telecommunications Tax Act allows the Village to tax telecommunications up to 6 percent. Village Attorney prepared an Ordinance reflecting one percent, but it can be changed. The Ordinance repeals our existing law with no interruption if we pass it this month. In any case, it needs to be passed by the end of September. Discussion included the following questions: How much should rate be? How does tax get distributed to TL –by zip code? Problem with this designation, as we’ve learned with Ameritech.
Motion to approve passage of the new Simplified Municipal Telecommunications Tax Act Ordinance, reflecting a three percent tax was made by Trustee Rigali and seconded by Trustee Adams, and followed by a Roll Call vote: VOTE: AYES: Trustees Parro, Adams, Cantieri, Filippell, Rigali. NAYES: None. ABSENT: Aitken.
14. URBAN FORESTRY: IDOT to take care of dead trees on parcel across Rte 59 from the Village Office. Rich Bergland put together a nice brochure of trees which grow well here. Reforestation and Tree Commission discussed. Tr Adams seeking members.
Village Arborist Rich Bergland has also made a list of dead trees throughout the Village, and marked them accordingly. Pres Kuskowski and Trustee Parro ascertained which are on Village property. The question was raised whether the Village had any insurance liability if such trees are not removed.
15. BACOG REPORT—BACOG Board approved amending the by-laws
and removing two meetings-July and December.
Chair can pass those months’ bills, to be ratified at the following
months meeting.
BAGIS-Tr Parro received the BETA
version of the BAGIS mapping system. He reviewed it for errors and sent it back.
The group is already planning next year’s update.
16. OLD BUSINESS:
Codification: Code Review: Tr Parro 2001 references should read 2002. BOCA code
confirmed we still use 1992 and 1993 codes as referenced therein. Chapter 5 of Title
7 re
Motion to approve the ordinance re-adopting and re-enacting the Village of Tower Lakes Village Code and adding a new section 1-1-5 thereto, as amended per Board discussion, made by Tr Adams, seconded by Tr Cantieri and followed by a Roll Call Vote: AYES: Pres Kuskowski, Trustees Parro, Adams, Cantieri, Filippell, Rigali. NAYES: None. ABSENT: Aitken.
17. NEW BUSINESS: Trustees Meetings-Pres Kuskowski wants to meet with each trustee at least once between meetings to discuss current events.
Pres Kuskowski mentioned the availability of CDBG
Community Block Grants for
Pres Kuskowski declares October Domestic Violence Month.
MEETING ADJOURNED: Motion to adjourn the Board meeting made by Tr Rigali and seconded by Tr Cantieri and followed by unanimous voice vote.
Respectfully Submitted,
Kathleen Leitner
Village Clerk