Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/08/2011 COW Minutes COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MINUTES February 8, 2011 I.CALL TO ORDER–ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order at 7:10p.m. in the Village Board Room of the Village Hall, 50 South Emerson Street, by Mayor Irvana Wilks. Present at the meeting were TrusteesPaul Hoefert, Arlene Juracek, John Korn, John Matuszak, and Steven Polit, and Michael Zadel.Staff present includedVillage Manager Michael Janonis, Police Chief John Dahlberg, Village Attorney George Wagner, and Administrative Analyst Michael Dallas. II.ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES A motion to approve theminutes was made by Trustee Hoefertand seconded by Trustee Juracek.All trustees approvedthe motion. Mayor Irvana Wilks Before moving on to the next section of the meeting’s agenda, proposed adding an item (Personnel) to the Closed Session. A motion to approve the addition was made by Trustee Korn and seconded by TrusteeHoefert.All trustees approvedthe motion. III.CITIZENS TO BE HEARD Mayor Irvana Wilks introduced Keagan Anderson, the Senior Patrol Leader from Boy Scout Troop #23. No citizens requested to be heard. IV.MASSAGE BUSINESS REGULATIONS Village Manager Michael Janonis introduced the meeting’s main topic of discussion, emphasizing the need to develop a regulatory scheme using the Village’s licensing mechanism to deter and prohibitmassage/spabusinesses from conducting criminal activities. Mr. Janonisnoted that any regulatory scheme must be considerate and not impede the operations oflegitimate businessesin the profession. His goal for the evening’s discussion was to provide Village staff with sufficient direction to draft regulations. Village Attorney George WagnerPolice Chief John Dahlberg During the evening and were asked to provide their reasons for support of the regulatory scheme and points of clarification. The following represents a summary of their responses: The Village can use the business licensing mechanism to deter this activity; Massage/spa businesses are regulatedthrough zoningregulations; The Stateof Illinoispreempts licensing of message therapists; There are many requirements to obtain a State of Illinoismassage therapist license including good moral character, minimum 500 hours of training, and a competency exam; Only licensed massage therapists may use the term“massage”or “massage therapy” when advertising; H:\VILM\MDallas\Meeting Minutes\COW Minutes 2-8-11.docx 2/8/11 Committee of the Whole Page 1of 3 In the past, the Police Department hasmade arrests atmassage/spa businesses; The Police Department monitors Internet traffic and uses undercover officers to investigate criminal activity; Such investigativeoperations are expensive and difficultto conduct; The Police Department wantsto reduce investigativetime and resources by creating a tougher regulatory scheme. To help Village staff design the proposed regulations,the Village Board proposed the following ideas: Require all business licenses to be prominently displayedin front of business; License other employees that are not already licensed by the State of Illinois; Require frequent inspections; Hold landlords responsiblefor criminal activity, including possibly restricting their ability to lease thesame space again for asimilar business for specific period of time; Require a more open floor plan/configuration, including a visible waiting room; Require business to pay for criminal investigations; Require all transactions to be credit cardtransactions; Use the conditional use processto approve new businesses; The business must providea pictureandobtain a background checkfor every employee; The business owner must be a licensed massage therapist. General comments, questions or concerns from the Village Board included the following: Human trafficking is a related issue; Avoid regulations that would impair or prohibit businesses from conducting legitimate operations such as physical therapy; In order to avoid drafting regulations that impede legitimate business, define the specific characteristics that distinguish legitimate and illegitimatemassage business operations; Police stings are a more effective approach to addressing criminal activity; Ask businesses in this profession for their opinions on how to deter or prohibit criminal activity; Before closing, Mr. Janonisagreedthat Village staff would meet with businesses to solicit their opinions regarding business license regulations before coming back to the Village Board. V.MANAGER’S REPORT Village Manager Michael Janonis noted Village staff’s outstanding efforts during the recent snow stormto clearthe streets and provide other public safety assistance to the community. Village trustees thanked Village staff and also noted their efforts during and after the storm.General comments, questions or concerns from the Village Board included the following: Establish an emergency fund to address these types of events; 2/8/11 Committee of the Whole Page 2of 3 The State of Illinois is primarily responsible to clear snow for some major roads within the community; Recommendresidents and businessessign-up for the Village’s Everbridge Mass EmergencyNotification System; Community should be mindful not to plow-in neighbors driveways or fire hydrants during/after snowstorm; Important to check-in on neighbors during similarweatherevents. Mr. Janonisalso noted the FebruaryCoffee with Council meeting. VI.ANY OTHER BUSINESS Mayor Wilks stated that she, Trustee Korn, Trustee Juracek, and Trustee Polit recently met with Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle to discuss community affairs. Mayor Wilksalso recognizedthe Shining Star recipients and theoutstanding efforts by theSpecial EventsCommission. VII.ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:52p.m. MICHAEL DALLAS Administrative Analyst 2/8/11 Committee of the Whole Page 3of 3