Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout3199_001o,om MINUTES COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING SEPTEMBER 8, 1951 I . ROLL' _CALL The meeting was called to order by Mayor Krause at 7:30 p.m., in the Public Safety Building, 112 East Northwest Highway. Present at the meeting were: Mayor Krause, Trustees Ralph Arthur, Gerald Farley, Leo Floros, Edward Miller, Norma Murauskis and Ted Wattenberg. Also in attendance were: Village Manager Terrance Burghard, Director of Community -Development Kenneth Fritz and approximately O persons in the audience. II. MINUTES The Minutes of the Committee of the Whole meeting of August 25, 1981 were reviewed and accepted. III. OLD ORCHARD TOWNHOMES Mayor Krause explained that the developer of the Old Orchard Joint Venture Townhomes, Mr. Frank DiMaria, is now experiencing difficulty in finishing some' and is 'requesting an extension of his building permits. Mr. DiMaria explained to the Committee of the'Whole that he cannot complete the units now under construction until he sells some of the units that have been completed.. These units are not selling, according to Mr. DiMaria, with the current economic conditions and interest rates. He has full intentions to stay with the project and complete the remaining seuen.units and feels that an extension of the building permits will allow him to do so. Village Manager ,.reviewed with Mr. DiMaria the need for strict compliance with our property maintenance standards including continual policing of the area to make sure the debris and refuse does not accumulate to the detriment of surrounding property and,that the structures are properly protected for the safety of residents in the area, Mr. DiMaria explained that it was his intention to comply withallof our requirements. Mr. Arnold Segal, of the Colony Cciuntry Association, -addressed the Committee of the Whole and suggested that the walls that :are left standing in the ,seven incomplete units area detriment to their own property values and ma,possily be a hazard to residents in the area, Mr. DiMaria explained that the construction of those masonry walls cast approximately $24,000 and that they could be removed for $1500, but they would have to be reins taled, at ;a cost substantially in excess of $24,000. o , -2- He indicated further that the walls were now braced and he did not feel that -it would be a hazard. Mr. Lee Hilfman,,President of the Colony Country Association, reiterated his position that the walls are a danger and , detriment to the surrounding.. property. After some further general discussion, the Committee of the Whole concluded that it would not be in anyone's economic interest to have the walls taken down at this point and that Mr: DiMaria should pay particular attention to the appearance of that property. After some further general discussion, Village Manager was instructed'to.place this item on the next Village Board Agenda for formal action to extend the building permits not to exceed one year. IV. ST.. JOHN'S LUTHERAN CHURCH REZONING RE QST The petitioner, in this case Mr. and Mrs. Burns, are seeping to•deve.lop the St. John's property to construct 48 multi -family units on 3.1 acres. The Plan Commission has met and approved, in principle, the plat of subdivison and the Zoning Board of Appeals has rejected by 6-0 vote the application for rezoning. Mayor Krause pointed out theshin he area pursuant to our local zoning ordinancead filed a petition and that would require two-thirds vote of the Trustees to overcome those objections. Mr. Be nie Lee, attorney for the petit;ioner,. reviewed the architectural., plana and the site layout for 'The the proposed rezoning. 48 units will -be contained in 4 masonry structures , approximately 50% of the parking will unoergroundand., according9,to Mr. Lee, there is r density proposed "at; the St,. '`.John,� s property, similar to doining'ulti-family developmends Mr. Lee stressed that the petitioner would meet all the requirements of the R--4 zoning including setbac .s.y ok �ul�. President of the Bra.len Townhotte Association spoke for the adjoining . ningprop,ertyowners and expressed their concerns in a similar fashion as they did ,at the onngBoard .o: Appears' hearing. Bral°en�people are concerned aboutthe additional density, gear setbacks, impact -on traffic 'and° the- need .to provide buffer zoning "between their.- units. and % adjoining single family ,units. After some further general discussion about',the merits of the 'case and its potential impact on the .neighborhood, the 'Mayor and Board .of Trustees d unanimously expressed their support `for the Zoning Board 'decision. ofnAppeals' At that point, Mr. Lee requested �that they �be a'l'lowed .to. go : back, to the, Zoning Board 1 of Appealsto amend the petitionto 'consider reducing the. density or finding ;some other altern ti.Ve. Mayor Krause requested that Mr., Lee',s statement be placedin writing ,and submitted to -the Village and further pointed out that, o w 7 b a z � -3 - the amended petition would still fall within the 6 month coverage of our Zoning Ordinance and require a two-thirds vote of the Mayor and Board -of. Trustees.This- vote is required subsequentto the adoption of the Comprehensive Plan, Mr. Lee objected to that interpretation and the Village Manager 'explained that that was the position of the Manager's Office.. Mr. Lee agreed that ,he would submit his request to return to the Zoning Board for`• an amended position to the Village. V. SELF-SERVICE GAS STATIONS Mayor Krause reviewed with the Committee of the Whole the recornmendation of the staff regarding, the interpretation of the Zoning Ordinance as it applies to self-service gas stations.. Pr'evicusly, the administrative staff had required that any time a service station contemplated the addition of self-service gas pumps, they were required to go through a rezoning, provision. This was necessary because a number of our service stations are located in various districts other than the B-4 zone as required by the current zoning ordinance. The administration considers the existing service stations to be legal non -conforming uses, however, the addition of self-service pumps was a trigger effect to require an updating of the zoning. In each instance the service stations were rezoned. Village Manager's Office is suggesting that there is no greater intensity of use by allowing self-service pumps and that this is a costly and time -consuming -process to have the properties rezoned. Additionally, the °Village may gain land use control in the long run by allowing the legal the Village will the' then be in a position to review uses so that if uses do chap e'i'n the future,, - view the whole zoning matter. After some general discussion, the ,��'� �w Commit,tee.of•the Whole concurred with the administration's,- recommendation dministration'sr'eco endation that the: institutionof self-service pump. ,_:`,- ­ is ,not' a sufficient change in use or 'intensity in, use a to_, warrant rezoning process. If other changes are contemplated at the site, such as building expansion or the addition of functions that do in.rease the :intensity ,of the use, A then the matter will hie to go before,the,Zoninig Board of Appeals. . :a l s a , a w f a , n 7 -4- VI. MANAGER'S REPORT Village Manager reviewed with the Committee of the Whole the status of WELL #17 and that work is continuing there.' The blasting and plugging efforts have reduced 70% of the flaw and during the week of September -7, the administration estimates the completion of this work. We are still within the earliest $50,000 budget proposal although the Board'has authorized expenses up to $75,000. The WELLER CREEK project in all likelihood will be carried over until the spring of 1982 inasmuch as numerous Federal and State jurisdictions are now reviewing permit applications and conflicting interpretation of State and Federal statutes.' The matter,of the 'LOT DEDICATION from the RAUENHORST- INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT is nowreadyto go to the Mayor and Board of Trustees for formal action. Rauenhorst had submitted an alternative lot to the Village but after evaluation by the staff and at a meeting of September 4, the Village Manager had sustained the position that the lot originally earmarked for dedication to the Village should be the lot so dedicated. There being no further business to come before the Committee of the Whole, the meeting was adjourned at 10:20 p.m. . 'Respectfully submitted, TERRANCE L. BURGHARD Village ,Manager TLB%rcw Village of Mo,, t Prospect Mount Prosp, iIlinois .... ._ INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM TO: Village Manager/Committee of the Whole FROM: Public Works Department SUBJECT: Municipal Forestry Program Review DATE: September 18, 1981 TRIMMING Trimming is one of the most important tree maintenance procedures. Regular trimming helps in disease control, improves the appearance of trees, and helps keep them safe. Under our current program all areas of the Village are trimmed on an approximate five-year cycle. All trees in each scheduled area (over 3" in diameter) are trimmed contractually. Trimming on an area -wide basis is most cost-efficient. Aside from area - wide trimming, the only other trimming being done is to correct hazardous conditions. If an individual tree in an unscheduled area presents a definite hazard (eg. very low branches or large deadwood) the situation is corrected by a Village crew as soon as time permits. Though necessary in some cases, this type of trimming is much less efficient than area -wide trimming. There- fore, current emphasis is on close monitoring of area -wide trimming to insure that a minimal number of trees will require individual attention in the five- year period following trimming. Requests for dollars needed for area -wide trimming has been declining over the last several years, mainly because of increased efficiency in the trimm- ing program. The loss of many of our larger trees due to Dutch Elm Disease has also been a factor, but less significantly. The Board should be aware that currently Mount Prospect does not have a large proportion of our trees in the larger size classes, but as they grow to maturity, dollars spent on trimming will also have to increase if the five-year cycle is to be maintained. DUTCH ELM DISEASE Dutch Elm Disease is still plaguing Mount Prospect's elms, and no cure is in sight. Current recommendations for control place the greatest emphasis on -sanitation, which includes prompt removal of diseased and dying elms, as well as all elm deadwood. Other possible control measures still in use are spraying, injection, and girdling. Mount Prospect's program currently focuses mainly on sanitation. Recent improvements in our trimming program have for the most part eliminated dead- wood in our remaining elms, thus cutting down the number of possible breeding sites for the beetle which spreads the disease. This past year an improvement was made in decreasing the time that diseased trees remain standing, and attempts will be made to further decrease that time. This coui"d be accomplished by considering the continuation or expansion Printed on 10D% Recycled Paper SUBJECT: Municipal ForestrN7— -ogram Review Page / 2 of an experimental program begun this year, in which removal of some diseased trees was done contractually. Other control measures currently being used on a limited basis are injection and girdling. The use of spraying has been attempted at various times in the past, by both Mount Prospect and other c-)mmunities. Results have varied widely, but in some cases spraying appears to have helped to control the disease. Since our efforts at sanitation are improving, it might be wise at this time to consider reimplementing a spraying program for Dutch Elm Disease next year. OTHER DISEASE AND INSECT CONTROL PROGRAMS The major problems against which measures are Cottony Maple Scale not require spraying of affected infestation. Another insect which is not yet ed in the next few years is the the potential effects of such an PLANTING the Village is currently taking control and Ash Borer. Each problem may or may trees, depending on the current extent of a problem in Mount Prospect but can be expect - Gypsy Moth. The Board should be aware of infestation. A common goal of urban forestry programs is to eventually utilize all suitable planting sites. To this end, we have been attempting to 1) encourage replace- ment of all trees which have been removed, whenever there is sufficient room and adequate growing conditions for a new tree and 2) plant trees in other suitable sites which have never had trees. In the last five years the nature of the planting program has changed from planting at 100% Village expense, to planting on a 50-50 cost -share basis, to planting on a cost -share basis with resident's paying a flat rate of $35.00 (currently about 40% of the cost). Planting has not kept up with removals over the last few years. Modifications in the planting program which should possibly be considered are changing the resident's share (increasing or decreasing), buying smaller trees, and/or increasing dollars budgeted for tree planting. Also, additional emphasis on publicizing the planting program and making it more visible might help increase participation. REVIEW OF ORDINANCES A) The ordinance regulating species allowed for parkway planting includes some species which have not proven to be desirable in terms of survival rates and maintenance requirements. Other potentially -desirable species are not included on the list. The Board should determine whether pro- posed changes in the ordinance are warranted. B) Provisions in the Development Code currently requires developers to plant parkway trees in new developments, or pay the Village to plant such trees. In the past, the practice of allowing the developer SUEJECT: Municipal Forestr= -ogram Review Page / to plant required trees has made it difficult to assure that the right number and species of trees will be planted in the right locations and that the quality of stock and planting procedures are adequate. The Board should determine whether changes should be made to eliminate the developer's option to plant the trees himself. C) The ordinance regulating removal of diseased elm trees contains certain language that is out-of-date. The Board should determine.whether this - ordinance should be updated. Village of cent Prospect Mount Prospect, Illinois INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM TO: VILLAGE MANAGER FROM: ASSISTANT VILLAGE MANAGER DATE: SEPTEMBER 16, 1981 SUBJECT: HEALTH MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATIONS The Village was recently contacted by two Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO) with requests to be included in our employee health benefits program. Under provisions of Public Law 93-222 and Federal regulations issued on October 28, 1975 and April 25, 1978, an employer of 25 or more employees who has received a request from a qualified HMO is required to offer eligible employees an opportunity to enroll. There are two basic HMO model types. The first is the group practice model and the second is the individual practice association model. When both Federally qualified model types operate in an area where at least 25 employees reside, the employer must offer one HMO of each model type in its health benefits plan. The employer is not required to include in its health benefits plan the specific HMO which petitions it, however, the employer must then select another Federally qualified HMO of the same model type which serves, at a minimum, the same area in which the employer's employees reside. Once petitioned, the employer must contribute the same amount per employee to indeminity program and the HMO program. HMO's must petition employers in writing and those requests must be at least 180 days before an employer/employee contract or health benefits contract expires or renews; or a collective bargaining contract expires or renews. The Village of Mount Prospect meets all of these circumstances and had to offer HMO benefit plans to its employees. l The Village was not petitioned by two different model types of HMO's, however, it was petitioned by two group practice model Health Maintenance Organizations. These organizations were Anchor of Arlington Heights and Prucare of Glenview. Notice and informational booklets were provided to our employees the last week of August regarding the Health Maintenance Organizations and their benefit programs. During the month of September, meetings were held with the Health Maintenance Organizations in several locations so that our employees could inquire about these programs and to solicit information about comparables with the Village's health plan. The effective date for joining any of the Health Maintenance Organizations was established as October 1, 1981. As of this time, only four employees have made a decision to join.'either of the Health Maintenance Organizations which have petitioned the Village. The Village must contribute the same amount for the employees health insurance under the HMO plan as it presently does for the Village's own health benefit program. This contribution is th',e Village's only obligation under the HMO program. As is presently done with our own plan, the Village will automatically deduct from the employee's paycheck that amount of his contribution for the health insurance under the HMO's. The HMO insurance is more expensive than the Village's program, but I should also note that the HMO's have more extensive coverage than what the Village presently offers under the Connecticut General plan. In reviewing the HMO programs offered in other municipalities like Arlington Heights and Des Plaines, I have not found any reason to. believe that there would be negative effects on our present health insurance program with Connecticut General because we have allowed the HMO's to be offered to our employees. The reduction of the number of employees from our present insurance program has only a minimal effect on that program because of the types of employees who join HMO's. Generally speaking, it is�those employees who have young and/or large families who join the HMO's. These families are quite costly to health benefit plans and it is probably to the Village's advantage to have these employees included in the HMO's. Although we must offer the HMO programs to our employees by law, I would suggest that we still obtain the approval of the Village Board for entrance into this program. Not all HMO's',require contracts to be signed between their organizations and the Village, however, if this is taken to the Village Board', I would also suggest that we obtain authorization for the Mayor to sign any contracts that would be forthcoming. I am available to answer any additional questions you may have on this subject. EDWA.: GE I K ti 1` w D w Ms F II M: TI Ai III. Bl M U f n b ti M Ml B P` r P' Cl Si w B P W a' M i P' P` a a'' V. MOUNT Cook Cc eistz the Pul Assist he had Manager D .stri( t .me fry Mr. Mat discus possib Village County' new coo A poll` the ext it be i meetinE VI: VILLAGE Asista on the 1,. Wel Public been su to seal the wo the sea: may hav been es work is 2_ Cit Muni c i gxecut u4iit Village, wil 1 re�i meeting 3. Rau that th Rauenho Village area. the pre. Village request( been sk over th,a 4. Lin( cants E ins tal l W