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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/07/1997 CS minutes MAYOR Gerald L. Farley IP~OOC~ lID&W_J - Z-o -o{ TRUSTEES George A. Clowes Timothy J. Corcoran Richard N. Hendricks Paul Wm. Hoefert Arlene A. Juracek Irvana K. Wilks Phone: 847/392-6000 Fax: 847/392-6022 TDD: 847/392-6064 VILLAGE MANAGER Michael E. Janonis Village of Mount Prospect VILLAGE CLERK Carol A. Fields 100 South Emerson Street Mount Prospect, Illinois 60056 MINUTES CLOSED SESSION JANUARY 7, 1997 The Closed Session was called to order at 9:37 p.m., in the conference room of the Senior Citizens' Center, 50 South Emerson Street, for the purpose of discussing Personnel. Present at the Closed Session were: Mayor Gerald L. Farley; Trustees George Clowes, Timothy Corcoran, Paul Hoefert, Arlene Juracek and Irvana Wilks. Also present were: Village Manager Michael Janonis and Assistant Village Manager David Strahl. Personnel J~ Mayor Farley indicated to other Board members present that Trustee Hendricks had made an accusation that one of our Building Inspectors had been accused of taking bribes in the course of his duties. " . W.,..... Village Manager Michael Janonis stated that Trustee Hendricks had gone directly to the Inspector and had made the allegations. The residence in question is located at 214 North Elm Street. Mr. Janonis indicated that he had interviewed the owners, Don and Peggy Nelson, on December 27. Mr. Janonis indicated that the interview lasted approximately one and one-half hours. Mr. Janonis indicated he asked the owners directly about whether they had any knowledge of or felt there were any improprieties in terms of bribes taking place as a result of their construction project. The owners' response was that they had not raised the question of impropriety with Trustee Hendricks. Mr. Nelson indicated that the conversation he had with Trustee Hendricks lasted approximately two minutes and that Trustee Hendricks did much of the talking during that period of time. Mr. Janonis indicated that Mr. Nelson admitted he had never seen the architectural drawings for the second floor addition. Mr. Nelson indicated several times during the conversation that he had not been as diligent as he should have in overseeing the contractor's activities. Mr. Janonis indicated that Mrs. Nelson sat in the interview for approximately 15 minutes and that she exhibited an extremely bitter attitude toward the Village. She indicated that she felt it was the Village's responsibility to protect homeowners against these problems. Mr. Nelson throughout the interview was very reasonable and discussed his frustrations readily. ~ (lYi)Q ~~ d' ~1' gs~ d~ d[? 2.>E1 ~@ Mr. Janonis also covered Mr. Nelson's perception of the Inspectors' performance in the field. It was determined that there were two specific areas where inspections were not as thorough as they should have been. Mr. Janonis indicated that the Inspector in question would be counseled and that his performance would be monitored. A follow-up inspection was arranged with the Nelsons and efforts would be made to review whether the contractor's license should be revoked. At approximately 9:45 p.m., Trustee Hendricks entered the Closed Session. Mr. Janonis indicated that he had just briefed the Board on his interview with the Nelsons. Mr. Janonis stated to Trustee Hendricks that the Nelsons denied ever making allegations regarding impropriety. Trustee Hendricks explained to Board members his version of the conversation and the fact that Mr. Janonis asked that Trustee Hendricks not be involved in the discussion with the Nelsons. Manager Janonis attempted to explain to Trustee Hendricks that the Nelsons had been less than vigilant in their oversight of the project. However, Trustee Hendricks became angry with the result of the interview. He left the Closed Session at 10:00 p.m. There was some discussion regarding appropriate steps to make sure that Inspectors performed adequately out in the field as well as the need to communicate better with residents so that contractors do not take advantage of residents or make the Village out to be the bad guy. Village Manager Michael Janonis informed Board members that staff would begin negotiations with the Police and Fire Unions the week of January 13. Assistant Village Manager Dave Strahl indicated that his preliminary discussions with the Police Union representatives were that the discussions would be protracted and probably end up in arbitration. Manager Janonis indicated that the objectives of the negotiations were to seek changes in health insurance as applied to other employee groups, limit wage increases to 3-31/2% and resist any additional benefits or time off. Trustees indicated their agreement with that strategy. Mr. Janonis also reminded Board members not to engage in any discussions with the employees directly or to discuss the status of negotiations with the press. There was general discussion among Board members regarding the appropriate role of elected officials in enforcement of Village Codes. The Village Manager was asked to check on whether elected officials were considered "employees" and what liability might the Village be exposed to if an elected official oversteps his or her bounds. Mayor Farley indicated that there was no official action necessary in Closed Session. On a Motion by Trustee Wilks, Seconded by Trustee Clowes, with a unanimous roll call vote, the Village Board moved out of Closed Session at 10:41 p.m. MEJ/rcc X:IUSERSlROBERTAClWINIOFFICElMEJICSl107CS.MIN