President and Board of Trustees

123 Madison Street Village of Oak Park Oak Park, Illinois 60302 www.oak-park.us Meeting Minutes President and Board of Trustees Monday, March 8, 2021 6:30 PM Village Hall I. Call to Order Village President Abu-Taleb called the meeting to order at 6:36 P.M. He authorized a statement be read providing that the meeting is being held remotely due to COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines and that it is not prudent to have people present at the Village Board's regular meeting location due to public health concerns related to that pandemic. II. Roll Call Present: 7- Village President Abu-Taleb, Village Trustee Andrews, Village Trustee Boutet, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Moroney, Village Trustee Taglia, and Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla Absent: 0 Village Trustee Taglia joined the meeting at 6:46 pm following technical difficulties with remote access meeting management. III. Agenda Approval It was moved by Village Trustee Andrews, seconded by Village Trustee Boutet, to approve the Agenda. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 6- Village President Abu-Taleb, Village Trustee Andrews, Village Trustee Boutet, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Moroney, and Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1- Village Trustee Taglia IV. Presentation: Employee Years of Service Awards Village President Abu-Taleb expressed his excitement in recognizing staff. Village Manager Cara Pavlicek said although due to COVID the Village is recognizing employee’s years of service virtually, she expressed how invaluable it is to have these employees on the team. Village Trustees thanked each of the employees. Many thanked them especially for this last year. Village of Oak Park Page 1 Printed on 4/19/2021 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 8, 2021 Five years of service: Steven Cutaia, Korry Thomas, Brian Bruesch, Steven Drazner, Anthony Lein, Patrick Sanchez, Daniel Leiner, Jacob Haag, David Brown, Adam Smith, Brent Mason, Timothy Steffen, Zachary Byington Ten years of service: Christine Mooney-Simkus, Ronald Foytik, Robert Anderson Fifteen years of service: Toni Radtke, Jeffrey Poshek, Susannah Yong, Kenneth Tworek, Manuel Ruiz, Jr., Jonathon Larson, Kristin Cook, Raphael Murphy, Joseph Pantaleo, David Cameron, Danielle Robinson Twenty years of service: Joseph Kreml, Tina Brown, Christopher Eurkaitis, Ryan Marinier, James Valentine, Michael O'Connor, Nathaniel Leitl, Shatonya Johnson, Derrick Breland, Andres Alvarez, Joseph Schejbal, David Powers, Daniel McInerney, Thomas Drasnoff Twenty-five years of service: Paul Strudivant, Kevin Collins, Charles McVey, Dave Jacobson Thirty years of service: William Henry, Neil McSheffrey Thirty-five years of service: Ronald Kobyleski Forty years of service: Thomas Ebsen V. Non-Agenda Public Comment Kelly Arquette: Kelly has been an Oak Park resident for 20 years, who moved to the Pleasant neighborhood 8 months ago. She stated she reached out to Village staff regarding the proposal for the Dreschler site as well as a 78-unit condo deconversion at Pleasant/Home Ave., but said she was not able to get answers to her questions. Kelly thinks a study should be done to see how much inventory Oak Park has and how much it can handle given that Oak Park's grown rate has only been .4%. She requested the Village to pause on development and think about Oak Park holistically and for the long-term. VI. Regular Agenda A. ID 21-111 Presentation on 2020 Crime Statistics Jack Powers: Jack addressed his public comment to Trustee Arti Walker-Peddakotla and Trustee Susan Buchanan. He would like to get focused on treating our police department as a partner that earns that Village of Oak Park Page 2 Printed on 4/19/2021 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 8, 2021 status every single day and stop treating it as an adversary worthy of distrust. From the Chief on down, the police department can't claim perfection but they can and do prove excellence. Work with them to enhance strengths and address weaknesses. Monica Sheehan: Monica thanked Police Chief LaDon Reynolds and all of his officers. She mentioned that last August Trustee Arti Walker-Peddakotla’s proposal to defund the police was based on reports issued by Freedom to Thrive Oak Park, a group she helped found. The reports contain misleading information that reach conclusions not backed by the underlying data. It is of great concern that these misleading reports have permeated official discussions within our village and may resurface again depending on the outcome of April’s election, if just two of the four open board seats go to defunding advocates. Continual improvement is a desired goal for every aspect of our village, including its policing. However, basing important decisions on policing, or any budgetary item, on minor subsets of inconclusive data that reach pre-conceived, biased conclusions is anti-science and stands in defiance of our village’s principles. These Freedom to Thrive Oak Park reports should be disregarded in any village business discussion unless reintroduced with the proper context. Chief Reynolds shared a presentation on the uniform crime report which are sent to the FBI and State of Illinois. In 2020 there were major crime challenges such as the double-homicide, identity theft involving Illinois Department of Employment Securities fraud, ATM thefts, midnight burglary (garages and residential), burglary from motor vehicle - left unsecured, theft $500 and under - delivered packages, reckless driving - rowdy funerals, aggravated firearm discharge incidents, aggravated battery incidents and vehicular hijackings. Chief Reynolds provided a snapshot from 2016-2020, which reflected an increase in the crime rate. He indicated this increase is happening regionally. Chief Reynolds shared data which reflected the increase in vehicular hijackings, aggravated batteries (with and without a firearm) and the number of firearms recovered and the Oak Park Police Department's response to these crimes. The Oak Park Police Department continues to work with neighboring and regional partners to participate in task force initiatives. Chief Reynolds also provided information pertaining to community support services which included partnerships with Thrive Counseling Center and Loyola Medical Center. There were successes within the Police Department such as the identification program which helps to arrest numerous offenders and the rowdy funeral response has helped in rerouting many funerals. Chief Reynolds shared a video of Officer Traccye Love assisting a senior resident in getting the vaccination. Village of Oak Park Page 3 Printed on 4/19/2021 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 8, 2021 The Board of Trustees engaged in discussion with the Chief of Police. Village Trustee Susan Buchanan asked what is aggravated discharge of a firearm? Chief Reynolds clarified that when an offender discharges a firearm in violation of the law. Village Trustee Buchanan asked if there are theories as to why crime is going up? Chief Reynolds responded that there are a lot of factors contributing - social economic conditions, surrounding communities, several lines of transportation which flow through Oak Park including the expressway. The up-tick is being seen regionally. Village Trustee Dan Moroney asked if current staffing levels are what the Chief feels is needed to provide the adequate level of safety for the Oak Park community. Chief Reynolds said he does feel the budget is appropriate. Village Trustee Simone Boutet asked if there are any other resources the Oak Park Police Department needs to keep Oak Park safe? Chief Reynolds responded, nothing more than what he submitted in the budget. He recognized that the Oak Park Police Department does need to move it's technology to the 21st century and continue to work collaboratively with other departments. Village Trustee Deno Andrews asked Chief Reynolds to expand on the technology needed and the level of importance the facility is to bringing the Police Department to the 21st century. Chief Reynolds stated that square footage and processes are main factors. Policing is not the same from 40 or more years ago when the current police department facility was built. Chief Reynolds listed three main benefits to an improved police facility, 1. Safe facility for police department staff 2. An environment that fosters positivity and growth, and 3. A welcoming environment for the community to visit. Village Trustee Arti Walker-Peddakotla asked Chief Reynolds what is the difference between part 2 offense arrest and part 1 offenses? Chief Reynolds responded that one is the actual incidents that occurred, the other is the number of individuals who have been arrested and charged with those crimes as it relates to those offenses. Is part 1 offense commonly called the clearance rate? Chief Reynolds said it is part of the clearance rate, but there are different ways to clear a case and it does not have to end in arrest. What is the clearance rate actually represent? Chief Reynolds said it represents the resolution of the case meaning the case has been solved or has not been solved. Trustee Walker-Peddakotla noted that the clearance rate is low. It does not look like the crime rate of solving crimes has increased. Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla asked why the Village of Oak Park Page 4 Printed on 4/19/2021 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 8, 2021 clearance rate is low? Chief Reynolds clarified that it is not the clearance rate, but the arrest rate. We are looking at the number of arrests for those particular crimes. Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla asked how many arrests resulted in conviction? Chief Reynolds said that data must be coordinated through state’s attorney’s office. Village Trustee Jim Taglia asked about the firearms recovered and what percent of the guns recovered were related to criminal activity. Chief Reynolds said eleven firearms were voluntarily turned in to police and the rest were recovered during criminal investigations. Village Trustee Taglia expressed his concern that approximately three to four handguns are taken away from criminals within the Village of Oak Park each month. Village Trustee Taglia also noted the Oak Park Police Department does a good job in deescalating situations and in community policing. When the Oak Park Police are faced with taking a gun away from people and they do so successfully each month. Village Trustee Taglia asked Chief Reynolds if he could recall the last time an Oak Park police officer has fired their weapon. Chief Reynolds confirmed it has been a decade since an Oak Park police officer has fired a weapon. Village Trustee Taglia expressed his gratitude for having a well-trained police force who has not overreacted or done the wrong thing. He referenced the Freedom to Thrive report which suggested a reduction in the Oak Park Police force from one-hundred and twenty sworn officers to eighty-eight, which is approximately a twenty-eight percent reduction. In correlation with taking three to four guns off the street a month, a proposed reduction could have a big impact on Oak Park. Trustee Taglia would like to see zero guns on the street. If the Village were to reduce the sworn officers by twenty-eight percent the force would recover fewer guns and that would not make the Village safer, but rather less safe. Trustee Taglia also shed light on the victims of gun related issues. There were twelve people shot in Oak Park last year. Village President Abu-Taleb agrees with Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla that profiling and discrimination are wrong, and shared his personal experience with both. He believes that police are people and are men and women of our community. He said he is proud of Chief Reynolds and the work he does. B. RES 21-87 A Motion to Concur with Staff Recommendations and Adopt a Resolution Approving the Work Plans of the Village of Oak Park’s Boards and Commissions for 2021 Environment and Energy Commission via Chair Laura Derks: Dear Mayor Abu Taleb and Village Board: At our last meeting, the EEC voted to recommend to the Village Board that your use of the Sustainability Fund be limited programs that are specifically designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere. These parameters include: Village of Oak Park Page 5 Printed on 4/19/2021 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 8, 2021 --Renewable energy --Energy Reduction and improved efficiencies --Climate action planning and staffing to support that planning and program development that is recommended as a result. We would like to reiterate the urgency in spending the money accumulated in the Sustainability Fund. Up to this point, the non-use of these dollars has resulted in no climate. Rebecca Andree O'Brien: Rebecca Andree O’Brien was recently appointed to the Citizen Involvement Commission. She believes the Citizen Involvement Commission's work plan is quite broad, which will allow the commission to adapt as necessary particularly as we navigate the effects of the pandemic. Members of the Community Relations Commission resigned citing frustrations with being undervalued, and Trustees publicly indicated a lack of trust in the recommendations of the CIC. Rebecca suspects this creates a lack of trust with potential volunteers, who might feel their time and voice will not be valued in a commission role. Rebecca hopes that the Citizen Involvement Commission can work with the Village Board members as the commission reviews the interview and selection process to better understand what information the board would value in approving Citizen Involvement Commission appointments. In doing so, she hopes the Board will trust and value the recommendations that come from the Citizen Involvement Commission and ultimately avoid outside appointments which have not gone through a formal vetting process. She believes this will build trust in our community and encourage more participation from community members, particularly those who are typically underrepresented their local government. Rebecca will advocate for this step within the Citizen Involvement Commission, and when the time is right, she hopes the Village Board will join the Citizen Involvement Commission in strengthening the communication and trust between the board, the commissions, and the people of the Oak Park community. Village Trustee Walker-Peddkotla asked the Transportation Commission why the slow streets pilot is crossed out and if this pilot program will be evaluated? Staff liaison and Village Engineer, Bill McKenna said staff recommended removing this item from the work plan because it was meant to be temporary. Funds were not allocated for the slow streets program in the fiscal year 2021 budget. Commission Chairs who were present include Iris Sims, Chair of the Plan Commission Stephen Morales, Chair of the Community Development Citizens Advisory Committee David Baker, Chair of the Civic Information Systems Commission Village of Oak Park Page 6 Printed on 4/19/2021 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 8, 2021 Ron Burke, Chair of the Transportation Commission Tim Kelly, Chair of the Building Codes Advisory Commission Juan Betancur, Chair of the Community Design Commission Lance Taylor, Chair of the Aging in Place Commission Donovan Pepper, Chair of the Citizen Police Oversight Committee Transportation Commission Chair, Ron Burke said the Transportation Commission is interested in evaluating how the slow streets pilot went and make recommendations to the Village Board of Trustees once the pilot has been fully evaluated. Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla and Village Trustee Buchanan would like is interested in hearing from the slow streets program and would like to have it included in their work plan. Village Trustee Buchanan would also like for the Transportation Commission’s recommendation. Village President Abu-Taleb said he originally voted in favor of the slow streets project, but did not think the slow streets was a good project for the Village as it cost the Village approximately $60,000. Village Trustee Boutet agrees and does not think the program was well executed. Village Trustee Moroney also stated he has gotten feedback that it was not valuable. Village Trustee Andrews also agreed with his colleagues that sidewalks are for pedestrians and streets are for bikes and cars. It was moved by Village Trustee Andrews, seconded by Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla, that this Resolution be adopted. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 7- Village President Abu-Taleb, Village Trustee Andrews, Village Trustee Boutet, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Moroney, Village Trustee Taglia, and Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 VII. Adjourn It was moved by Village Trustee Boutet, seconded by Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla, to adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 9:13 P.M., Monday March 8, 2021. Respectfully Submitted, Christina Waters, Deputy Village Clerk AYES: 7- Village President Abu-Taleb, Village Trustee Andrews, Village Trustee Boutet, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Moroney, Village Trustee Taglia, and Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla NAYS: 0 Village of Oak Park Page 7 Printed on 4/19/2021 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 8, 2021 ABSENT: 0 Village of Oak Park Page 8 Printed on 4/19/2021