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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3206_001, u MINUTES COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING AUGUST 11, 1981 I. ROLL CALL Mayor Krause called the Committee of the Whole meeting: to order at 7:37 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 and Ted Wattenberg,. Absent was Norma Murauskis. Also present was Village Manager Burghard, various staff and the press. II. MINUTES The Minutes of the Committee of the Whole meeting of July 28, 1981 were reviewed and filed. eVilageManaer introduced Ronald W. Pavlock as the new Chief of Police effective Tuesday, August 11, 1981. Village' Manager reviewed the experience and educational background of Chief Pavlock and procedures for the selection of the Assessment Center held during the weekend of August 7. Chief Pavlock and his wife, Renee, were in the audience and indicated their desire to work and :live in the Village of Mount Prospect. III. BUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT FEES Mayor Krause reviewed the intent of the staff recommended changes in the Building and Development fees and the Finance Commission's recommendation that the fees be adopted. Chief Pairitz, Task Force Chairman, indicated that most of the fees had not been changed. -in the last 2-8 years and in some instances as with Health and Development, fees are being proposed where none were charged in the past. The Task Force attempted.in estimating the fees to use actual staff time and comparisons for similar services in surrounding communities. Village Manager commented ,that the recommendation of the Finance Commission that an automatic escalator be included in the fees would have to be reviewed.by the attorney. The Committee of the Whole then discussed various aspects of the proposed schedule of fees and directed in the end that an ordinance be prepared.to implement the recommendations of the Finance Commission and, the staff.. Several Board members expressed concern, however, that the fees not be prohibitive and not dissuade single-family property owners from making improvements. Captain Wuollett from the Code Enforcement Division showed that a typical fee for a $100,000 home would range from the present $494 to the proposed $619. It was pointed out additionally that several of the fees are increasing by some 50%. The Committee of the Whole agreed, in principle, that the matter should proceed to the ordinance stage, however, they all expressed again the concern that the fees not be prohibitive. Additionally, it was suggested that the Northwest Municipal Conference eventually look into the possibility of some standardized processes and`fee structures for our area communities in an effort to aid builders and simplify the system for the residents. Trustee Arthur thanked the Finance Commission for their work in this matter. IV. BUILDING CODE UPDATES Chief Pairitz reviewed for the Committee'of the Whole the procedure of the municipality to periodically adopt national building, electrical and plumbing codes as they are promulgated. The last time the Village did this was approximately three years ago and now the new codes are being published and our local ordinances ought to be updated to coincide with these new codes. After some general discussion, the Committee of the Whole instructed the administration to prepare these changes in ordinance form for subsequent Village Board Agenda. During this discussion, the Village's position regarding building permits--and-fees for religious ins-titutions was reviewed. Chief Pairitz stated that pursuant to earlier direction of the Mayor and the Board of Trustees, -fees are assigned to religious institutions but held in escrow. At the time of completion of the proposed improvements, the funds are then released by the Mayor and the Board of Trustees back to the religious institution. V. FANSLOW-IRMA LEGAL COSTS The Committee of the Whole reviewed a staff repot outlining the municipal expenses encountered in successfully defending the Fanslow lawsuit (Harris Trust). Inasmuch as this was an $8,000,000 law suit against the Village, alleging civil rights violations, the matter was handled by IRMA and its attorneys. The total cost to IRMA for legal fees in -this case was $2,223.65. Trustee Wattenberg expressed his opinion that the legal fees for this matter were excessive and that the administration should continue to monitor such costs. A general discussion ensued as to procedures followed by IRMA in reviewing" all of its bills. Mr. Geick,Assistant Village Manager, explained that there are several specific committees of IRMA utilizing staff from each community to review such expenses and policies. After some further general discussion, the Village Manager was instructed to continue to review our costs with IRMA, the procedures for settlement, and specifically legal fees. Trustee Wattenberg also indicated that the Village should continue°its efforts to work with Springfield to have legislation adopted that would require prior notification to the elected officials of any lawsuit against the Village. VI. MANAGER'S REPORT The Village Manager reported to the Committee of the Whole that at the August 24 Committee meeting, bids will be available for the Busse and Wille project and the staff would again review the procedures necessary to implement Special Service Districts. Well #17 is somewhat behind schedule because of the inability of the contractor to mobilize his forces on the scene and to deliver the necessary explosives. The t.v. inspection of the Well demonstrated the most likely place to seal off the Well and while we are behind schedule, everything is proceeding as expected. The Senior Citizen housing project, Centennial Subdivision, is behind schedule because of the operating engineers' strike. Our roadway has been layed out and curb and gutter installed, however, the paving cannot take place until the strike is settled. In the interim, the Developer, Dell Corporation, has begun brick -work, using hand labor. The Village Manager reported that the Truth in Taxation legislation recently signed by the Governor does not apply specifically to the Village of Mount Prospect, but nevertheless in consultation with the Mayor, we will follow the intent of the legislation by advertising in the local newspapers and holding the necessary Public Hearing. Copies of the proposed ordinance and a cover memo from the attorney were distributed. Mayor Krause indicated that she wanted to comply with the intent and spirit of the law and that an advertisement was being drafted and would be placed in the two local newspapers. VII. ANY OTHER BUSINESS Trustee Floros inquired as to the status of the work with the Joint Action Water Agency and the Village Manager reported that Citizens Utilities has met the spirit of the requirements proposed by the Board of Directors and they should consider it formally at a later meeting of this month. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, TERRANCE,L. BURCHARD Village Manager TLB/rcw