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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/27/1986 COW Minutes12 MINUTES COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MAY 27, 1986 I. ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order at 7:31 p.m. Present at the meeting were: Mayor Carolyn H. Krause; Trustees Ralph Arthur, Gerald Farley, Leo Flo ros, Norma Murauskis, and Theodore Wattenberg. Absent from the meeting was Trustee George Van Geem. Also present at the meeting were:, Assistant to the Village Manager Michael Janonis, Director of Public Works Herbert Weeks, Research Assistant Michael Steklac and Hal Predovich of the Business District Downtown Development and Redevelopment Commission. Also present were two persons from the print media. 11.0 MINUTES The Minutes of the Committee of the Whole meeting of May 13, 1986 were accepted and filed. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD There being no citizens present who wished to make a presentation before the oCom mittee of the Whole, the Committee moved on to the next item of business. IV* ALIQUOR LICENSE REGULATIONS The Committee of the Whole took up a general discussion of the staff report proposing amendments to the Village Liquor License Ordinance. Four separate issues were raised for Board consideration., The Committee of the Whole reviewed proposed changes to Class S Liquor Licenses. In particular, they looked at amending the definition of "lounge" to eliminate the reference to bars and taverns and to prohibit splitting of the lounge area into two or more locations on the premises; also that the restaurant section of the establishment remain open and offer a full-service menu during the times the lounge is open for the service of alcoholic beverages as well as the requirement that the definition of restaurant include the provision that no more than 50% of the restaurant's revenues could be derived from the sale of alcoholic beverages. Discussion among Committee members brought about a consensus that the definition of a Class S, License be amended to eliminate the reference to bars and taverns, to prohibit the splitting of lounge areas into two or more locations and to require full service menu during times in which alcohol is served. A recommendation to include nclude the 50% food service revenue rule was not viewed favorably, Trustee Wattenberg voiced his opposition to the proposed amendments saying that he had not identified a call for such changes within the community and that* the adm inist rat ion's energies were best served pursuing other Village problems such as vandalism and burglaries. It was also the consensus of the Board under the Class S designation that current License holders would be grandfathered under the old definition and that only upon change in ownership or the creation of a new License would restrictions be applied to License holders. The Committee of the Whole also discussed the issue of creating a separate License classification for bowling alleys because they did not really fit into the Class S designation, as amended under the proposals. It was the consensus of the Committee that a new classification be created that would allow liquor to be served in establishments where the service of alcoholic beverages is incidental to bowling. Committee members discussed a proposed modification to Class A Liquor Licenses which would delete the ability of a Class A holder to serve liquor by the *drink and to also sell packaged liquor. It was the feeling among Committee members that this dual privilege was unnecessary and, in fact, promoted excessive drinking in that people would probably buy liquor as they left an establishment and possibly drink in their car. It was the consensus of the Board that the definition of Class A be redefined to eliminate package liquor sales and that existing businesses be grand- fathered in until a change in ownership or the issuance of a new License* The final proposed change considered by the Committee was to require corporations holding liquor licenses in the Village to employ a manager of the premises who was a resident of Mount Prospect,. After general discussion, the consensus of the Committee was not to require corporations to have resident managers. Committee members in general could not find a compelling reason to require a resident manager for a Village establishment. Ms. Linda Ostrowski, resident of Mount Prospect, addressed the Board and said that she felt that the whole issue of Liquor Licenses and the proposed changes was excessive and wastefuf on the part of the Board. She stated that she was in basic agreement with Trustee Wattenberg that there had not been any evidence of a need for a change and she did not understand why this was such an important issue. She also made reference to recent news articles that were in the Herald which reported to show the top ten communities in the northwest suburbs with regard to DUI arrests. She pointed out that Mount Prospect was not 'included in this list and found that this was a contradiction based on all the attention the Board was giving the liquor issue. Mayor Krause responded that the article itself pointed out that the arrests made in those towns did not necessarily result from people who had frequented establishments within their borders. In fact, it was noted that several communities, because of the extensive number of main thoroughfares running through the town, simply had more opportunity in which to arrest drunk drivers* Further, the Mayor stated that the actions taken by the Board in the recent past were simply changes that brought Mount Prospect more into line with surrounding communities. Mayor Krause noted that the Village has one of the highest number of lounge liquor licenses of any surrounding community and that the changes were too long in coming. 11PAN The Committee of the Whole reviewed a report by Research Assistant Michael Steklac on the proposed fee increases for Liquor Licenses,, These fee increases would take effect on new Licenses 'Issued in the current fiscal year and to all Licenses issued in 1987. Also under consideration was an amendment to the Code which would allow for a rebate of a License fee in a situation where a business changed hands within 60 days of the beginning of the License year. This recommendation was based on several complaints received by establishment owners who were attempting to sell their businesses and the closings coincided with the beginning of the new licensing year (fiscal year). There was general support among Committee members to incorporate the recommended changes in the rebate procedure and also the proposed License fee increases with the following exceptions. Trustee Farley recommended that Classes 'D and G Licenses be raised from the proposed $750 to $1,000 because he did not see the distinction between such so-called private clubs and other types of drinking establishments. He pointed out that these establishments were open to the public and that they operated, in effect, the same as other drinking establishments. This same point was also raised with regard to the Park District. Upon a polling of the Board, the consensus of Committee members was to retain the recommended fee increases for Classes D and G licenses.. Trustee Wattenberg also recommended that Class M Licenses be reduced from the current $2,,500 (no increase proposed) to the median fee charged by surrounding communities of $1750. It was Trustee Wattenberg's feeling that the existence of the Holiday Inn in the Village was too vital to the Village's well being to. burden them with such a large License fee. Upon a polling of the Board, the consensus of Committee members was to leave the fee at the recommended level of $2,500. Staff was instructed to prepare the necessary Ordinances to effect I uate the proposed changes. VI. ,PUBLIC WORKS FACILITY CONSULTANTS SPECIFICATIONS Committee members reviewed the Request for Proposals drawn up by the Village Manager for a detailed consultant's report on the options available for a Public Works facility. Trustee Floros commented that he felt that the recommendations were concise and objective and saw no problem with them. Trustee Arthur recommended that items 3 and K be either deleted or written in a more neutral manner. It was his feeling that the wording of 'Items J and K would suggest to the consultant the outcome the Village was looking for. Mr. Hal Predovich of the Di Business strict Develop - 1 1 ment and Redevelopment Commission had several suggested changes which included among other things under item H calling for a pro forma financial statement based on the data generated and under item K to further define redevelopment as a possible sale, lease, rent or other use of the Pine Street facilities.. Committee members inquired of the Assistant to the Village Manager Mike Janonis what the time frame was for bringing the proposals back to the Board and he indicated that this item would be brought back before the Board at the June 3 Board meeting, After general discussion among Committee members, it was the consensus of the Committee that the specifications be,left as written and that no changes be made. M Iu ► a 0 Assistant to the Village Manager Michael Janonis reported to Committee members that negotiations with the Tenants' Organization of Illinois had progressed to a point where the Village was just about ready to bring an agreement before the Board for their approval that would define the scope of services and other related items. Mr. Janonis indicated, however, that he had still to clear up an issue regarding liability 'insurance and until this issue was resolved, he would defer bringing this agreement before the Board for approval. Mayor Krause indicated that she was looking forward to the Tenants' Organization of Illinois coming into Mount Prospect to open an office. She felt that the services that would be provided would enhance the current Landlord/Tenant Ordinance and would move the Village forward in this area. Additionally, the Mayor stated that she was concerned with the condition of some o * f the buildings in Mount Prospect and that they were continuing to deteriorate despite the good efforts of the Village through, its Code Enforcement Division to remedy Property Maintenance Code violations. Mayor Krause proposed that at some future Committee, of the Whole meeting a discussion be entered into about some innovative ways to "improve the condition of the housing stock within the Village. Additionally, the Mayor felt that because of the changing population in some areas of the Village that the Village might consider hiring a bilingual staff member who could deal specifically with the problems occurring in some of these multi -family areas. There was a general concurrence on the part of the Committee members that this item be discussed at a future COW meetings Assistant to the Village Manager Michael Janonis reported that the results of the petition drive in the Forest River Fire Protection District netted only 28 signatures supporting a call for a Referendum to increase the Tax Levy for fire protection services within the District. Mr. Janonis explained to Committee members that the agreement with the Fire Protection District was that if a sufficient showing of interest among residents resulted from the petition drive that the Trustees would act to place a Referendum on the ballot in November. That showing of support did not materialize and it was Mr. Janonis' opinion that the staff had exhausted all of its administrative avenues in this matter. It was, therefore, up to the Board to decide what course of action to take at this point. There was discussion of Court action to seek modification of the current agreed Order and the possibility of terminating service to the District. Mayor Krause pointed out that the Village could probably not terminate service to the District and that the better route was to seek a modification of a Court Order. The consensus of Committee members was to seek modification of the Court Order and staff was 'Instructed to proceed along these lines. I Mr. Janonis reported to the Board that the Village was currently negotiating with the Metropolitan Sanitary District to amend its lease with the MSD for the Melas Park site to reduce the required liability 'insurance from $1 million to $3 million to $500,000. Because of the liability 'insurance prices, not only the Village but other endeavors who use the Park are unable to obtain such high coverage limits and it was forcing the cancellation of.activities at the Park site. The Village Manager's office was confident that such amendments to the lease would be approved* Vlll*ANY OTHER BUSINE5S Trustee Floros, inquired of Mr. Janonis the status of the Honey Bee Restaurant and why the remaining structure had not been torn down. Mr. Janonis indicated that Code Enforcement Division had recently taken the owner of Honey Bee to Court for failure to demolish unsafe structure but that the owner's attorney was taking an aggressive posture and that we would have to await the outcome Of the Court case. * IX* ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to be discussed, the meeting was adjourned at 9:17 p.m. Respectf ally submitted, MICHAEL E, JANONIS Assistant to the Village Manager MEJ/rcw *W5