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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/08/2000 CWC MinutesMINUTES FLOATING COFFEE WITH COUNCIL SATURDAY, JANUARY 8, 2000 9:00 AM LOCATION NO. 1: VILLAGE HALL, 100 SOUTH EMERSON STREET Mayor Gerald L. Farley called the meeting to order at approximately 9:00 AM. Trustee Timothy J. Corcoran, Trustee Michaele W. Skowron, Trustee Irvana K. Wilks, and Trustee Richard M. Lohrstorfer were also present. Representing Village staff were Assistant Village Manager David Strahl and Deputy Director of Public Works Sean P. Dorsey. Village residents in attendance were: Chris Lenz, 214 N. Louis Street David Schein, 700 Ivanhoe Lane Chris Lenz, 214 N. Louis Street. Mr. Lenz stated that he was present to discuss three (3) issues with the Board. His first issue was to inquire about the status of the Taco Bell development on Rand Road. Assistant Village Manager David Strahl responded that the development was presently at a standstill due to problems obtaining permission from the Thunderbird Bowling Alley to use part of their property as an access road. Mr. Lenz' second issue was to inquire about the survey stakes recently placed along Rand Road near Louis Street. Mr. Strahl responded that the survey stakes were probably related to the construction of the new deceleration lanes for the Menards store. Mr. Lenz' final issue was to request that a section of street opposite his driveway be made into a No Parking zone. Mr. Lenz related that his driveway entrance is directly across from the point on Louis Street where the pavement widens to better accommodate on- street parking. The widening results in a section of angled curb that is not long enough to fit a parked vehicle. For this reason, the pavement adjacent to the angled curb is striped with paint to indicate a No Parking area. Despite the pavement markings, Mr. Lenz reported that patrons of the beauty shop across from his house still attempt to use the space for parking. As a result, protruding or "double- parked" cars constrict the pavement width adjacent to his driveway. Mr. Lenz is concerned that his family members will eventually hit a parked car while trying to maneuver the tight turn into or out of his driveway. Page 1 of 6 Mr. Lenz stated that he has asked the Police Department to resolve the matter but was told that they cannot ticket or tow vehicles because the parking restriction (painted pavement) is not in the Village Code. Mr. Strahl stated that he would ask the Police Department to investigate the problem and formulate an effective solution. Mr. David Schein, 700 Ivanhoe Lane. Mr. Schein asked the Board to do something to calm the traffic on Ivanhoe Lane. He related that motorists frequently speed recklessly down the densely populated street. He asked the Village to install "Slow" traffic signs. Deputy Director of Public Works Sean Dorsey informed Mr. Schein that Ivanhoe Lane is a privately owned street. As such, the Village has no authority or responsibility to improve or modify the roadway. There being no additional residents in attendance to present matters for the Board's consideration, Mr. Strahl suggested inviting Finance Director Doug Ellsworth to make a short presentation about a recently received proposal to utilize the Village's excess capital development bonding capacity. Mayor Farley and the trustees present concurred. Finance Director Doug Ellsworth explained that staff recently received an offer of $53,000 from Gates Financial to utilize the unused portion of the volume cap on the Village's capital development bonds. Gates plans to use the bonding capacity to perform 1 -2 million dollars worth of improvements at Centennial Apartments. Most of the proposed improvements are mechanical; not cosmetic. Gates reports they intend to keep the same residents. Mr. Ellsworth theorized that if the Village did not provide the bonding capacity, Gates could easily obtain it from another municipality. He also noted that if the Village fails to utilize all of its bonding capacity by May 1, 2000, the unused portion would revert to the State of Illinois. Mr. Ellsworth also noted that staff is carefully examining Gates' offer to make certain that the Village does not wind up being a catalyst to the demise of a senior housing facility. Mayor Farley and the trustees present expressed support for accepting Gates' offer provided it did not negatively impact senior housing. There being no further business to discuss, Mayor Farley adjourned the meeting at approximately 10:15 AM. MINUTES FLOATING COFFEE WITH COUNCIL SATURDAY, JANUARY 8, 2000 10:30 AM LOCATION NO. 2: HOLMES JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL, 1900 WEST LONNQUIST BOULEVARD Mayor Gerald L. Farley called the meeting to order at approximately 10:30 AM. Trustee Timothy J. Corcoran, Trustee Michaele W. Skowron, Trustee Irvana K. Wilks, and Trustee Richard M. Lohrstorfer were also present. Representing Village staff were Assistant Village Manager David Strahl, Deputy Chief of Police Ron Richardson, and Deputy Director of Public Works Sean P. Dorsey. Village residents in attendance were: Joe Berra, 2101 Jody Court Lor Berra, 2101 Jody Court Bert Herrman, 2105 Jody Court Frank Vlazny, 2103 Jody Court John Stroh, 1817 Catalpa Lane Frank Vlazny, 2103 Jody Court. Stated that Village Board meetings are too intimidating for most residents. He suggested that the Board's positioning on an elevated dais and the fact that the meetings are televised make people uncomfortable. He then opined that, because of these conditions, resident attendance at most Village Board meetings is very low. Mr. Vlazny also commented that the Board "micromanages" Village affairs. He suggested that the Board deliberates issues that should be delegated to staff. Mr. Vlazny concluded his remarks by commenting that government has become too large and cumbersome for taxpayers to support. He opined that older people, in particular, are "pushed out" of their homes because they cannot afford their tax bills. He suggested that the Village Board should occupy its time looking for ways to change the way government operates. Mayor Farley asked Mr. Vlazny to identify some of the changes he thought would be worthy of the Board's consideration. Mr. Vlazny said that the Village should regionalize police and fire protection services. Trustee Skowron noted that the Village already participates in a regional emergency dispatch system. The Village also utilizes regional police and fire training facilities. She also commented that larger, regional organizations do not necessarily operate more Page 3 of 6 efficiently or deliver higher quality services than smaller organizations. She suggested that large, regional police and fire departments would have considerable difficulty responding to incidents as quickly as residents expect our local departments to respond. She commented that regionalized solutions should be used when they increase efficiency and/or improve the quality of a service. They should not be considered a panacea or a universally applicable antidote to the problem of "big" government. Mr. Vlazny suggested that the Village should consider combining the local police and fire departments into one unit as the Village of Rosemont has done. Trustee Corcoran related his observations from the business world that organizations, if successful, grow and expand until they reach a size where they are no longer effective or efficient at their core business. At that point, they tend to repeatedly reorganize and subdivide in an effort to get back to where they started. The net effect of these reorganizations is stockholder enrichment. Businesses reorganize because stockholders make money on the deal. Businesses reorganize all the time. Unfortunately, there are very few good examples where reorganizations have resulted in greater efficiency or better, lower cost outputs. John Stroh, 1817 Catalpa Lane. Mr. Stroh identified himself as a member of the School District 59 Parent/Teacher Organization. He stated that he was attending to thank the Board for their help with site improvements at John Jay School last year. He also asked for an increased police presence around District 59 schools. He related that the schools continue to have a problem with motorists disobeying signage intended to improve traffic flow during student drop -off and pick -up times. Trustee Wilks surmised that most of the offenders are probably the parents of students attending the schools. She suggested that the schools should re- educate parents about the traffic control plans. Mr. Stroh responded that the schools have made that effort and will continue to do so. Deputy Chief of Police Richardson noted that the Police Department has worked with the school districts in the past to develop and implement these types of plans. He stated that he would ask his staff to re- examine the plans for District 59 schools and lend assistance where necessary. Mr. Vlazny asked why the Village Board routinely approves the Mount Prospect Library budget without any reductions or much comment. Mayor Farley responded that the library has its own duly elected board. As such, the Village Board of Trustees has no regulatory or legislative control over the budget that the library board approves. State law requires the Village to incorporate the library's tax levy into its own. For these reasons, the Village Board usually does not deliberate the library's budget. Mr. Vlazny asked why the Village doesn't make the library form its own district. Trustee Wilks responded that the library has explored that option in the past. Their research indicated that it would actually be more expensive to form its own library district than it would be to continue operating under the current organizational structure. Bert Herrman, 2015 Jody Court. Mr. Herrman asked why the Board rejected the opportunity to share gaming revenues from the Village of Rosemont's riverboat casino. He also asked why the Village rejected Hooters' plans to construct a restaurant at Randhurst Shopping Center. He noted that Hooters wound up building a very successful business in Schaumburg. Mayor Farley acknowledged that he voted against the Hooters restaurant plan. He stated that he voted against it because he felt its operations were inconsistent with the standards of the community. Trustee Wilks stated that she voted against Hooters because she- visited the restaurant chain's downtown Chicago store and disliked the atmosphere and operations she observed. She also objected to the restaurant's request for an outdoor beer garden and found the tactics used by the restaurant's petitioners to woo Board votes distasteful. Mayor Farley stated the gaming revenues were refused because the Board was philosophically opposed to funding public services with gambling money. Trustee Corcoran stated that he supported the Hooters plan but acknowledged that it was the majority decision of the Board to reject the project. He also stated that he objected to the use of gaming revenues because he does not feel the Village should encourage the expansion of gambling in the northwest suburbs. Trustee Skowron noted that a zoning change was necessary in order for Hooters to build at Randhurst. The zoning change prompted a discussion at the Village Board level. No zoning change was necessary for Hooters to build at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg. Therefore, the Schaumburg Village Board did not have an opportunity to consider the merits of the project. She suggested that, had the matter had been subject to review by their Village Board, Hooters might have been hotly debated in Schaumburg as well. Mr. Vlazny asked for an explanation of the "sidewalk inspector" program discussed at recent budget hearings. Trustee Corcoran responded that the program entailed hiring an inspector to visually examine properties from the vantage point of a public sidewalk. The purpose of the examinations would be to monitor compliance with existing Village exterior property maintenance codes. Trustee Skowron related that residents often find themselves in the difficult position of either having to personally confront a neighbor or file a complaint about them in order Page 5 of 6 resolve an exterior property maintenance issue. The "sidewalk inspector" program was intended to alleviate this problem while improving neighborhood aesthetics. Mr. Vlazny agreed that the program sounded worthwhile but suggested that the additional duties should be absorbed by existing staff. Lor Berra, 2101 Jody Court. Ms. Berra asked if the Board would consider reducing the vehicle sticker cost to $1 for senior citizens. Mayor Farley responded that the issue of reduced vehicle sticker rates for senior citizens has been discussed in the past. However, the idea was ultimately rejected because senior citizens use Village roads as much as the general public. There being no further business to discuss, Mayor Farley adjourned the meeting at approximately 11:50 AM. Respectfully Submitted, � n . Dorsey Deputy Director of Public Works Attachments SPD /spd C: \COFFEE WITH COUNCIU MINUTESUANUARY 8 2000.130C