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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/12/1997 CWC minutesMINUTES FLOATING COFFEE WITH COUNCIL SATURDAY, JULY 12, 1997 9:00 AM LOCATION 1 - 2nd FLOOR CONFERENCE ROOM, VILLAGE HALL The meeting was called to order by Trustee George A. Clowes. Trustee Timothy J. Corcoran was also present. Representing staff were Village Manager Michael E. Janonis and Deputy Director of Public Works Sean P. Dorsey. Village residents in attendance were: Jerry Boldt, 300 N. School Street Jerry Clauser, 302 S. Kenilworth Avenue David Schein, 512 S. NaWaTa Avenue Frank Smith, 903 Quince Lane Mr. Jerry Boldt, 300 N. School Street. Mr. Boldt commented that he had been following the Village Board's discussion of Street Improvement Program financing options. He asked if the Board had considered instituting a local income tax to pay for street improvements? Mr. Boldt suggested that such a tax would affect businesses and residents equally and might be the most equitable way to raise funds. Trustee Clowes responded that both the collection and timing of income tax revenues are problematic for local municipalities. The timing of revenues is especially important when funds are being used to pay for seasonal, time -sensitive road construction projects. For these reasons, a local income tax is considered an unattractive option. Mr. Janonis concurred and commented that, because of these problems, very few area municipalities use a local income tax as a revenue source. Mr. Boldt also expressed his gratitude to the Village for efforts taken to reduce traffic volumes in the Isabella Street / Rand Road area. In particular, he cited the effectiveness of Police Department enforcement efforts. He also expressed his opinion that traffic volumes have been reduced by approximately 1/3 since institution of the turn restrictions. Trustee Clowes acknowledged Mr. Boldt's comments and asked staff if there had been any analysis of the effect the new turn restrictions had on the Rand Road / Mount Prospect Road and Rand Road / Central Road intersections. Mr. Janonis responded that staff had received no indication that conditions worsened at either of these intersections. Mr. Janonis also commented that staff is attempting to schedule a July meeting with [DOT to discuss the traffic light timing and vehicle stacking problems at these intersections. Mr. Boldt also suggested that the Village should consider requiring residents who live on east -west street corner lots, such as the homeowners on Isabella Street, to site their garbage and recyclables on the north - south street parkways. Mr. Boldt felt that this arrangement might save the Village some money by eliminating a refuse collection truck. Mr. Jerry Clauser, 302 S. Kenilworth Avenue. Mr. Clauser explained that a section of the curb in front of his house was replaced last year as part of the street resurfacing program. He commented that the concrete sub -contractor had done a very careful job and only disturbed a small portion of the sod behind the curb. The landscaping sub -contractor then replaced the disturbed sod. A while later, another 1 landscaping sub -contractor replaced the new sod along with an additional quantity of sod that was never disturbed. Mr. Clauser expressed concern that this work unnecessarily added to the cost of the street improvement project. Deputy Public Works Director Dorsey explained that the contract specifications for street resurfacing projects include a certain quantity of sod. The amount of sod to be replaced is determined by staff engineers before the contract is let for bidding. If a contractor damages additional quantities of sod, or replaces too much sod, the cost is borne by the contractor; not the Village. Mr. Dorsey assured Mr. Clauser that staff would ascertain the details of the parkway sod restoration work performed near his house last year and provide him with an explanation of events. Mr. David Schein, 512 S. NaWaTa Avenue. Mr. Schein expressed concern that recent federal legislation appears to have usurped local authority to regulate the siting and operation of cellular telephone antennas. He suggested that the effects these towers have on people living near them is, at best, undetermined. Mr. Schein recommended that the Village Board consider challenging the validity of the federal regulations. Mr. Schein mentioned that he was aware the Board recently discussed this matter and asked for clarification of their position. Mr. Janonis responded that the Village does have some authority to regulate cellular towers. The Village's authority is primarily limited to issues such as safety, structural integrity, and aesthetics. The federal regulations specifically prevent the Village from using concern about adverse health or environmental impacts as a cause of action for denying a permit to erect a cellular tower. Trustee Clowes mentioned that the Board had discussed the idea of developing a tiered approach to siting these towers. Mr. Janonis explained that the tiered approach would involve assigning all property in the Village to a specific tier. Each tier would correspond to a level of preference for hosting a cellular tower site. For example, the Board may decide that certain commercial properties and certain publicly owned properties might be the most preferential sites for cellular towers. Single family residences, schools, and recreational areas might be the least preferred sites. The Village could ask cellular companies to consider siting their towers at our most preferred sites. If those sites were unacceptable, the Village would then ask the cellular companies to consider sites on a less preferred tier. Mr. Schein commented that if a cellular company could prove that they needed to put an antenna up at a specific site in order to maintain cell coverage, the Village could not stop them. Mr. Janonis concurred, noting that the Village would have authority to enforce lot setback and structural integrity requirements. Mr. Janonis also mentioned that staff will investigate the idea of co -locating as many antennas as possible at specific sites in order to minimize the number of individual antennas popping up around the Village. Mr. Frank Smith, 903 Quince Lane. Mr. Smith mentioned that he was aware of recent efforts to control noise generated by O'Hare and Palwaukee airports. He suggested that a similar effort be organized to control noise generated by rail traffic on the Wisconsin Central railroad. Specifically, Mr. Smith suggested that the railroad be prohibited from operating within Village limits between the hours of 11 PM and 5 AM; reduce the speed of trains; and replace substandard or noisy equipment. Mr. Janonis responded that the Village probably does not have the authority to restrict the railroad's hours of operation or limit the speed of trains. As an example, he cited the unsuccessful efforts of local authorities to reduce the speed of Metra commuter trains in the wake of the Fox River Grove accident. Mr. Janonis stated that he would verify the Village's authority with regard to the Wisconsin Central. Mr. Janonis also noted that the condition of the rails was significantly improved last year in preparation for Metra commuter traffic. He suggested that much of the noise generated by freight trains can be attributed to faulty bearings in the railroad car wheel assemblies. Staff will contact the Wisconsin Central regarding the condition of railroad cars and other equipment. Trustee Corcoran mentioned that he has heard very few complaints about noise generated by the Union Pacific railroad. He also suggested that staff obtain a decibel meter and compare typical day readings N for the two (2) railroads. Trustee Corcoran indicated that he concurs with the idea of looking at noise mitigation for railroad traffic. Trustee Clowes suggested that noisy trains on the Union Pacific line could still be an issue. He mentioned that he can hear late night trains on the Union Pacific very clearly from his home. Mr. Janonis mentioned that the Wisconsin Central seems intent on installing a second track in the near future. He suggested that the Village's position with regard to the construction of the second track will be to ask the Wisconsin Central to install noise mitigation barriers as well as new, all -way grade crossing gates that will allow the Village to restrict train whistle blowing. Mr. Janonis indicated that the Village could be in a strong position to ask for these types of improvements due to the fact that very few, if any, other communities have residential properties so close to railroad tracks. The meeting at Location 1 adjourned at 10:15 AM. LOCATION 2 - ST. JOHN LUTHERAN CHURCH, 1101 LINNEMAN ROAD The Floating Coffee with Council was reconvened at 10:35 AM by Trustee Clowes. Trustees present were Timothy J. Corcoran, Irvana K. Wilks, and Daniel A. Nocchi. Representing staff were Village Manager Michael E. Janonis, Deputy Director of Public Works Sean P. Dorsey, and Problem Solving Officer (PSO) Anthony Halachoulis. Village residents in attendance were: Larry Braus, 612 W. Dempster Street Francis Swanson, 1147 Linneman Road Kenneth Wall, 1137 Linneman Road LaVerne Wall, 1137 Linneman Road Jerri Innaurato, 1421 Chestnut Drive Ed Biberdorf, 1107 Linneman Road Mr. Larry Braus, 612 W. Dempster Street. Mr. Braus mentioned that he was affiliated with the Mount Prospect Jaycees organization. He asked members of the Board and staff to contact him if anyone has ideas about how the Jaycees could help serve the community. Trustee Clowes mentioned that TAP Mount Prospect has organized a number of programs with different community groups using funding provided by the Village, the Mount Prospect Park District, and a grant from Randhurst Shopping Center. He stated that he was unsure if there were going to be any additional funds left in the current budget. However, he proposed that someone from TAP could contact Mr. Braus when they start working on their next budget. Trustee Clowes also thanked Mr. Braus and the Jaycees for their service to the community. Ms. Francis Swanson, 1147 Linneman Road. Just visiting. Mr. Kenneth Wall, 1137 Linneman Road. Mr. Wall asked for an explanation of the difference between a Regular Meeting of the Village Board and a Committee of the Whole Meeting. Trustee Clowes explained that Regular Meetings are occasions when the Board meets to take action on specific issues. He cited the first and second readings of an ordinance to Qenerate funding for road improvements as an example of an issue requiring Board action. Trustee Clowes also explained that Committee of the Whole meetings are used to discuss, find facts, and build consensus about issues that may require Board action or direction. Trustee Wilks provided an historical perspective. She mentioned that the Board convenes Regular Meetings to satisfy legal requirements and vote on issues. At one point in time, Board members were assigned to several different committees and did not meet as a Committee of the Whole. The theory behind this organization was that the committees would work out a course of action and make a recommendation to the full Board at a Regular Meeting. Trustee Wilks noted that this system failed because the Board tended to continue the discussions at Regular Meetings. As a result, the committee meetings were viewed as an inefficient use of time. The Board then adopted the present Committee of the Whole format and retired the smaller committees. Mr. Wall also asked why tax increases are needed to repair Village streets. He mentioned he was very happy with the condition of Linneman Road but could not recall any discussion of tax increases when that road was being worked on. Trustee Wilks suggested that road improvement program should be explained to Mr. Wall. Trustee Clowes concurred but suggested that the discussion be tabled until the end of the meeting so that other residents attending could be heard in a timely fashion. Ms. LaVerne Wall, 1137 Linneman Road. Ms. Wall stated that she has no issue for the Village Board to consider. She mentioned she was very pleased that the motion to adopt a precinct system for public representation failed. She stated that she has always felt well represented. Ms. Jerri Innaurato, 1421 Chestnut Drive. Ms. Innaurato stated that the grass at 1423 Hickory needs to be cut again. She mentioned that she has been in contact with Village staff about this property and has asked that it be monitored more closely. Trustee Nocchi mentioned that he has been in contact with the Community Development Department about this property and has been assured that the Village is reinitiating legal action to force compliance with Village property maintenance codes. Village Manager Janonis confirmed that staff is taking action on this property. Mr. Janonis also mentioned that compliance efforts to date have been hampered by the fact that the property is unoccupied and staff has been forced to deal with off-site, third party interests. Trustee Wilks thanked Ms. Innaurato for her work as part of the Visions Group. Mr. Ed Biberdorf, 1107 Linneman Road. Just visiting. Trustee Corcoran reintroduced the subject of road improvements. He explained that the Village is attempting to adopt a road repair program whereby most roads will be repaired after 20 years of use. If properly constructed, a 20 year old road surface should only require milling and replacement of the surface layers. Staff refers to this type of road repair as resurfacing and has determined that a 20 year average life followed by resurfacing treatment is the most cost effective way to manage Village owned pavements. The average cost to resurface a mile of Village streets is approximately $250,000. Trustee Corcoran also pointed out that the Village has a backlog of streets that require more than just resurfacing of the top layers. These streets require complete rebuilding of the street base and surface layers. Staff refers to this type of repair as reconstruction. The average cost to reconstruct a mile of Village streets is approximately $900,000. The backlog of reconstruction streets was created because not enough money has been spent over the years to keep up with the pace of roadway deterioration. In addition, the Village has also annexed areas with poorly constructed streets. The goal of the road improvement program is to eliminate the backlog of reconstruction streets and eliminate the backlog of resurfacing streets while continuing to perform routine resurfacing work on the streets reaching the end of their 20 year useful life. All of this work will take place within approximately a 10 year time frame. Trustee Corcoran pointed out that it is not possible to finance this work utilizing existing revenue sources. Therefore, there is a need to look at tax increases and other new revenue sources to finance the program. 4 Trustee Clowes noted that the road improvement program is "front -loaded". The initial years will concentrate on removing the costly backlog of reconstruction streets. The latter years will concentrate on removing the backlog of resurfacing streets. By the year 2007, the funding requirements should return to normal, pre-program levels. Trustee Clowes also noted that, until recently, funding for road improvements has been inadequate to keep pace with the rate of roadway deterioration. Trustee Clowes also explained that the Public Works Department has developed a comprehensive analysis and condition rating system for all Village streets. This system has enabled the Board to consider a more well defined problem. Trustee Clowes also emphasized that it is the intent of the Board to retire whatever mechanism(s) used to fund the street improvement programs when the program is completed. Trustee Wilks observed that much of the discussion in recent weeks has shifted from justifying the need for road improvements to debate about how to finance road improvements. She stated that the road program as presently defined will require about $20 million dollars. Of this amount, approximately $13 million must be raised through new revenue sources. $7 million from existing revenue sources is already earmarked for the project as part of the Village's normal commitment to road repairs. Trustee Wilks stated that she supports the idea of using a utility tax as a funding mechanism because it is the type of tax that will affect both businesses and residents. She also mentioned that she is reluctant to support a property tax increase for funding road programs due to the fact that it is difficult to remove a property tax once it has been implemented. A utility tax, on the other hand, can be controlled by including "sunset" provisions in the enacting ordinance. Trustee Wilks also commented that she has received the impression there is public support for road improvements. Regardless of this support, she emphasized that it remains difficult for Board members to raise taxes. Trustee Clowes concurred with Trustee Wilks' comments regarding the Board's reluctance to initiate new taxes. He also expressed his frustration with the fact that as much as 7-8 million dollars are raised every year by Mount Prospect residents who pay gasoline taxes. Unfortunately, most of this money winds up in the coffers of the federal, state, and county governments. He specifically noted that the county has a $0.06 per gallon gasoline tax that goes straight into their general fund; none of it used to repair or build roads. Trustee Clowes also mentioned that there are funds available in a trust fund in Washington D.C. that, if allocated according to population, could provide as much as $4 million for Mount Prospect roads. He suggested that residents concerned about how these funds are being used should express their opinions to the appropriate elected representatives. Ms. LaVerne Wall asked if all the roads in Mount Prospect are going to be reconstructed? Village Manager Janonis explained that approximately 12 miles of the 135 miles of streets maintained by the Village need to be reconstructed. The remainder need to be resurfaced. Trustee Clowes noted that not all streets within the corporate limits are owned or maintained by the Village. A number of roads, such as Route 83 and Central Road, are owned by the State of Illinois. Other roads, such as Mount Prospect Road and Busse Road, are owned by Cook County. Still other roads, such as roads providing ingress and egress for condominiums, townhomes, or apartment complexes, are privately owned. Trustee Corcoran mentioned that the Village sometimes faces a difficult dilemma involving state and county roads. In some instances, the state or county have let roads fall into disrepair and then approached the local municipalities with a conditional offer to make repairs. The offer is contingent upon the local municipality accepting ownership and maintenance responsibility for the roadway when work is complete. Trustee Corcoran noted that none of the state or county revenue sources are transferred with ownership. He likened this situation to the new thinking in federal government which transfers responsibility for a number of different programs from the federal and state levels to the local levels. He suggested that it will be interesting to see how much of the revenue follows the transfer of responsibility. Trustee Clowes concurred with Trustee Corcoran's comments about unfunded mandates. He cited the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) as an example of a federal unfunded mandate. He explained that the ADA requires the Village to install sidewalk ramps and depressed curbs but does not provide a mechanism to pay for these improvements. Mr. Ken Wall asked if Cook County plans to widen Busse Road? Trustee Corcoran responded that the county only plans to widen the road if the Village is willing to accept ownership and maintenance responsibility upon completion of the work. Mr. Wall commented that the road should be widened because the right-of-way appears wide enough and he has frequently observed a rush-hour bottleneck in that area. Trustee Clowes responded that traffic volumes have lightened considerably along Busse Road since the Arlington Heights Road improvements were completed. Village Manager Janonis mentioned that the intersection improvements at Central Road and Busse Road are still scheduled for construction. The intersection improvements involve adding turn lanes to accommodate traffic generated by the 3Com facility at Central Road and Arthur Road. Trustee Corcoran asked the residents present if they felt it was valuable to be able to watch Board meetings on cable TV? He specifically wanted to know how residents' preferences would be affected if one cable company offered Board coverage and another did not. Ms. LaVerne Wall stated that she thought it valuable to be able to watch the Board on TV. She also stated that if given a choice between a cable company that provided Board meeting coverage and one that did not, she would prefer the company that provided coverage. Mr. Larry Braus said that cable TV service has gone downhill in recent years. He mentioned that he enjoyed using the IT system until it was unceremoniously scrapped with little or no explanation. Mr. Braus also asked how the Village web page was progressing. Village Manager Janonis advised Mr. Braus that the page is up and is accessible via the internet. He also mentioned that staff has already begun to receive "hits" on the page. Trustee Corcoran suggested that the Village attempt to change the URL for the page to MountProspect.gov. Trustee Clowes suggested establishing links between the Village page and pages for other community organizations such as TAP and the Mount Prospect Public Library. Village Manager explained that the page is still under construction and he will ask staff to look at implementing these ideas. The meeting at Location 2 was adjourned at 11:35 AM. Respectfully Sub Sean P. Dorsey Deputy Directorblic Works CWC797.DOC 9