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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/12/2015 COW Minutes COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MINUTES May 12, 2015 I. CALL TO ORDER – ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m. in the Village Board Room of the Village Hall, 50 South Emerson Street, by Mayor Arlene Juracek. Trustees present included Paul Hoefert, John Matuszak, Steven Polit, Richard Rogers, Colleen Saccotelli and Michael Zadel. Staff present included Acting Village Manager David Strahl, Village Clerk Lisa Angell, Administrative Generalist Nell Pietrzyk and Administrative Analyst Alexander Bertolucci. II. APPROVAL OF COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MINUTES FOR APRIL 14, 2015 Motion made by Trustee Rogers seconded by Trustee Polit. Minutes were approved. III. APPROVAL OF FINANCIAL PLANNING WORKSHOP MINUTES FOR APRIL 28, 2015 Motion made by Trustee Rogers seconded by Trustee Zadel. Minutes were approved. IV. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD None V. MOUNT PROSPECT YOUTH GROUP DISCUSSION Mayor Juracek provided opening remarks regarding the Mount Prospect Youth Commission. She stated the Commission was placed on ‘reserve status’ in 2013 and is approaching its three year hiatus limit and will dissolve if no further action is taken. She indicated former Trustee George Clowes informed the Village Board of a successful Teen Advisory Board at the Mount Prospect Public Library. Staff has done research to see if the library’s Teen Advisory Board could be a potential model for the Village’s Youth Commission. Staff has also reviewed similar commissions in neighboring communities to see what has made those youth groups successful. The intent of the research is to make an informed decision when the time comes to take action. Acting Village Manager David Strahl provided an overview of the Mount Prospect Library’s Teen Advisory Board (TAB). He stated TAB has up to thirty members and primarily consists of seventh and eighth graders. It was suggested to form a youth group in place of the Youth Commission in an ad hoc format rather than a regular standing commission. Having the ad hoc format would allow the Village Board to communicate with the youth group and receive input on an as need basis. It appears youth groups work better connected to a Library or Park District and have a more specific goal rather than having a group focus on the community as a whole. The Youth Commission’s mission may have been too broad and rigid. 05/12/15 Committee of the Whole Page 1 of 4 Administrative Analyst Alexander Bertolucci provided an overview of youth groups in other comparable communities. He collected data on youth activities, membership structure and successes. He stated a common challenge is the youth are busy participating in a variety of activities and belong to multiple organizations. He stated some municipal youth commissions addressed this challenge by not limiting the number of youth members. He also stated comparable youth commissions are driven by adult members with the youth helping as needed and collaborate with schools, library and park districts to organize community youth events. He stated if the Youth Commission were to be reactivated, parameters similar to comparable youth commissions should be implemented. George Clowes, 604 S. Elm Street,FormerAdult Advisor on Mount Prospect Youth Commission spoke. Mr. Clowes stated attendance is not just an issue youth groups are facing. He stated he had recently attended the Arlington Heights and Mount Prospect Sunrise Rotary Club’s last meeting because they were having a hard time attracting new members. He stated social media and the different means of communicating have changed a lot of things. Mr. Clowes stated it was important to note the feedback received from the Village’s Junior High Schools and Prospect High School officials about the Youth Commissions duties. The feedback received supported the value of a Youth Commission to the community. It was noted the duties of the commission provide the youth with a foundation of civil responsibility. He stated one of the most important duties of the Youth Commission was being used as a sounding board for the Village Board for topics such as underage drinking. The Youth Commission was also used to identify youth issues in the community and compiling and maintaining a directory of existing services and programs for the youth. These duties can be met by coordinating with other organizations within the Village; providing an opportunity for the youth to meet with groups and solicit feedback as well as get to know the people involved. Mr. Clowes stated the Youth Commission was created as a youth driven commission to provide an opportunity for youth leadership development. He stated this could be successful given the right structure. He stated having three or four adults as voting members would be a good idea. He also stated one adult advisor should serve as a mentor to the Chairman and possibly to the Vice Chairman. Mr. Clowes stated changing the time of the meeting could possibly help in promoting membership and attendance. He also stated possibly reallocating some resources from focusing staff toward the Village’s senior services and redirect some effort towards the Youth Commission could possibly promote success as well. General comments from the Village Board members included the following items: 1) There were comments regarding the possibility of having an Ad hoc format versus regular standing commission. 2) There was discussion regarding the youth having less time due to school programs. 3) There was general discussion regarding the potential modifications to the Mount Prospect Youth Commission based on commission structures from comparable communities. 4) It was noted that past members of the Youth Commission are now very successful. 5) There were comments regarding the need for the Youth Commission to be more fun to get the youth more involved and active. 6) There was general discussion regarding moving away from a structured leadership to make the commission more successful. 7) There was discussion regarding leveraging of youth resources and engaging the community by involving an AmeriCorp volunteer to help the Village in this matter. 05/12/15 Committee of the Whole Page 2 of 4 8) There was a question regarding the need for the Youth Commission as the Village has youth programs in place offered by other organizations. 9) There were comments regarding the need for an outlet or source for youth to express opinions, engage in civic lessons and view the importance of local government. 10) There was a general discussion regarding the need for a collaborative youth basis effort with other organizations. 11) Engage youth by mentoring with Village staff and shadowing the processes of different departments. 12) There was discussion regarding the formation of a Youth Coffee with Council and the youth attending Board Meetings in order to act as Trustee for a Night. 13) There were comments regarding utilizing the social media platform Twitter during Board Meetings to provide opportunity for youth input. 14) There were comments regarding the need for more community service opportunities and linking youth driven events such as bowling tournaments as a fundraiser for the Mount Prospect Food Pantry. 15) There was a suggestion regarding a more narrow focus for the Youth Commission with only a few events being worked on. 16) There were comments regarding an adult driven commission being more successful. 17) There were comments regarding creating a safe haven for the youth once or twice a year on a fifth Tuesday when regular meetings are not being held. 18) It was noted that reallocating senior service resources towards youth services might not be the best option since there are fewer services available to seniors than the youth. 19) There was discussion regarding the possibility of the Youth Commission working with District 214 to obtain resources for the Youth Commission. There was a general consensus by the Village Board to give additional thought to the ideas proposed at the meeting. VI. VILLAGE CODE DISCUSSION Acting Village Manager David Strahl stated the Village Board has requested staff to review the Village Code in order to determine if there are sections that are outdated, considered unenforceable or have sunsetted. He stated there are a number of administrative modifications, outdated regulations, and codified operations that are not illustrative of current processes. He stated, additionally, as Code has undergone changes the references to specific sections of the Code within different chapters have become outdated overtime. He stated the process to completely recodify the Code would be very extensive and expensive. He stated that staff’s proposal is to review the Code on a chapter by chapter basis, while continuing with scheduled and budgeted revisions (i.e. Building Code, Zoning Code, and Fire Prevention Code). Village Clerk Lisa Angell stated Code revisions that are generally presented as “housekeeping” items are to address administrative modifications to correct the language of the Village Code without changing the intent of the Code. She stated staff utilizes the Codifier’s service to take draft ordinances and run them through the Code to check for continuity and has had discussion with the Codifier on reducing costs. She 05/12/15 Committee of the Whole Page 3 of 4 stated based on the initial review of the Code several years ago there are several chapters that could be corrected based on outdated language. General comments from the Village Board members included the following items: 1) There was discussion regarding the steps involved in updating the Village Code. 2) There was general discussion regarding the codification process. 3) There were comments regarding the simplification and streamlining the Village Code. 4) There was a discussion regarding the enforceability of regulations in the Village Code and how the Code guides behaviors within the Village. 5) There was a question regarding the number and need of hard copies of the Village Code. 6) There was discussion regarding state and county codified regulations that may supersede, supplement or impede the Village Code. There was general consensus from the Village Board to proceed with a chapter by chapter review of the Village Code as staff time allows. VII. MANAGER’S REPORT None VIII. ANY OTHER BUSINESS Trustee Polit stated the Blues Mobile Cruise Nights begin Saturday, May 16, 2015. Trustee Hoefert stated Public Works Open House is Saturday, May 16, 2015 from 9 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. IX. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m. NELL PIETRZYK ALEXANDER BERTOLUCCI Administrative Generalist Administrative Analyst 05/12/15 Committee of the Whole Page 4 of 4