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, January 10, 2022 6:30 PM Remote I. Call to Order Village President Scaman called the meeting to order at 6:33 P.M. She 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 Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Taglia, and Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla Absent: 0 III. Consideration of Motion to Adjourn to Executive Session to Discuss Collective Bargaining and Pending Litigation It was moved by Village Trustee Parakkat, seconded by Village Trustee Enyia, to enter into Executive Session pursuant to 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(21) - Approval of Executive Session Minutes, pursuant to 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(2) - Collective Bargaining, and pursuant to 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(11) - Pending Litigation. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 7- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Taglia, and Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 V. Reconvene to Special Meeting and Call to Order The Special Meeting reconvened at 7:20 P.M. VI. Roll Call Present: 6- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, and Village Trustee Taglia Absent: 1- Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla VII. Agenda Approval Village of Oak Park Page 1 Printed on 1/20/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes January 10, 2022 It was moved by Village Trustee Robinson, seconded by Village Trustee Buchanan, to approve the Agenda. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 6- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, and Village Trustee Taglia NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1- Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla XIII. Non-Agenda Public Comment Village Clerk Christina Waters read the following Non-Agenda Public Comments aloud: Tammy: Tammy submitted their public comment expressing their general concern about crime in Southwest Oak Park and the dangerousness of the combination of 4 way/2 way stop intersections. Magda Piper: Magda Piper submitted their public comment expressing how frustrated and unhappy they are with the decision of the OPRF Health Department regarding the shut down of sports, all clubs, and music at the Oak Park River Forest high school and requested to mandate screening before taking the activities away. Dr. Ashley Knapp: Dr. Ashley Knapp, a resident of Oak Park and a research psychologist within Northwestern University’s medical school, submitted their public comment to advocate for additional 2022 funds, and a higher budget for FY23, to be set aside for a non-police, racially equitable crisis response team, adding they feel it is critical to provide our township with proper mental health services, especially during this pandemic where we are seeing mental health problems exasperate immensely. Anonymous: Anonymous submitted their public comment in support of removing the Trustees who want to defund the police department. Bike Walk Oak Park Advocacy Team: Bike Walk Oak Park submitted their public comment to express concern regarding the vehicular violence that continues to occur around our schools and requested that a comprehensive plan be put in place to address these issues. A comprehensive approach, that encompasses all D97 schools, must be implemented immediately. IX. Proclamation A. MOT 22-5 A Motion to Approve a Proclamation in Memoriam of Betty White January Village of Oak Park Page 2 Printed on 1/20/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes January 10, 2022 10, 2022 Village President Scaman thanked the Wednesday Journal for their work coordinating the Betty White Centennial Celebration which will take place on January 15th, 2022. President Scaman then read the Proclamation in Memoriam for Betty White aloud. It was moved by Village Trustee Parakkat, seconded by Village Trustee Robinson, to approve this Motion. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 6- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, and Village Trustee Taglia NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1- Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla B. MOT 22-6 A Motion to Approve a Proclamation for proclaiming Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday on January 17, 2022. Village Trustee Enyia read aloud the Proclamation proclaiming Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday on January 17, 2022. It was moved by Village Trustee Parakkat, seconded by Village Trustee Taglia, to approve this Motion. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 6- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, and Village Trustee Taglia NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1- Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla X. Consent Agenda Approval of the Consent Agenda It was moved by Village Trustee Robinson, seconded by Village Trustee Taglia, to approve the items under the Consent Agenda. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 6- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, and Village Trustee Taglia NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1- Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla C. RES 22-4 A Resolution Approving a Professional Services Agreement with Brian R. Porter to Act as an Administrative Law Judge for the Village of Oak Park for a One-Year Period and Authorizing Its Execution Village of Oak Park Page 3 Printed on 1/20/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes January 10, 2022 This Resolution was adopted. D. RES 22-5 A Resolution Approving a Professional Services Agreement with Carrie B. Washington to Act as an Administrative Law Judge for the Village of Oak Park for a One-Year Period and Authorizing Its Execution This Resolution was adopted. E. RES 22-6 A Resolution Approving a Professional Services Agreement with Susan Davis Brunner to Act as an Administrative Law Judge for the Village of Oak Park for a One-Year Period and Authorizing Its Execution This Resolution was adopted. F. RES 22-7 A Resolution Approving a Professional Services Agreement with Rhonda Sallee Ramos to Act as an Administrative Law Judge for the Village of Oak Park for a One-Year Period and Authorizing Its Execution This Resolution was adopted. G. RES 22-8 A Resolution Approving a Professional Services Agreement with Gilbert Grossi to Act as an Administrative Law Judge for the Village of Oak Park for a One Year Period and Authorizing Its Execution This Resolution was adopted. H. RES 22-9 A Resolution Approving a Bailiff Services Agreement with Joseph Giammona to Act as a Bailiff for the Village of Oak Park for a One-Year Period and Authorizing its Execution d Overview This is an annual agreement to provide security during administrative adjudication hearings. This Resolution was adopted. XI. Regular Agenda There was one additional Non-Agenda Public Comment prior to the Regular Agenda discussion. Gail Galivan: Gail Galivan spoke their non-agenda public comment aloud. They expressed their concern regarding the apparent coercion of the village regarding vaccine mandates as unconstitutional and asked the Board to override the Health Department. I. ORD 22-1 Concur with the Plan Commission’s Recommendation and Adopt an Ordinance Amending Article 2 (“Definitions & Rules of Measurement”) and Article 9 (“Site Development Standards”) of the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance Regarding Accessory Dwelling Units for Single Family Properties Village of Oak Park Page 4 Printed on 1/20/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes January 10, 2022 Interim Village Manager Shelley introduced the Item. Development Customer Services Director Tammie Grossman provided the background and the current status of the Item. Village Clerk Waters then read the following Agenda Public Comment aloud: Brian Straw: Brian Straw submitted their public comment in support of the staff recommended Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) ordinance which allows attic and basement units (interior ADUs), as opposed to the detached and exterior ADUs proposed by the Plan Commission. They feel it will often be more affordable for a homeowner to create a basement or attic apartment than it would be for that same homeowner to pay for either an addition or entirely new construction on their property. Iris Sims, Chair of the Plan Commission, then walked through how the Plan Commission came to their recommendation for ADUs. The commission reviewed the research presented from staff regarding ADUs throughout the country. The commission then had multiple meetings in the fall, including public meetings, and came to the recommended ordinance presented. Additional information came to the commission after the fact in regards to the impact on taxes, specifically on residential taxes, which gave some concern that it would somehow be creating multi-family out of single-family housing and negatively affecting the tax base. Chair Sims added that she is in support of the staff recommended Ordinance as it allows the owner more freedom to adapt their houses based on their own personal needs. The following person then read their Agenda Public Comment aloud: Ed Solan: Ed Solan, a retired president of the Oak Park Residence Corporation and Oak Park Housing Authority, spoke his agenda public comment on behalf of the Advocacy Committee of Arbor West Neighbors. They expressed concerns over the limited availability of affordable housing for older adults in the village. They are in support of the village's changes to the zoning code to support ADU's to facilitate aging in place. Village Trustee Enyia expressed his gratitude for the work that has gone into this Ordinance and is in support of ADUs in the village. Village Trustee Robinson commented we are actually looking at the affordability issue sort of as a double sided issue; the affordability of the provider of the ADU in terms of being able to afford the necessary renovations to make the space code and regulation compliant, and, in the Village of Oak Park Page 5 Printed on 1/20/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes January 10, 2022 sense of the consumer of those units, making sure that they're priced at rental points that are in fact affordable and competitive with similarly situated units. She requested some data or metrics to get an understanding of what types of ADUs we would be seeing under this amendment and whether or not existing services are taxed in a way that we separately need to address. Trustee Robinson requested a commitment from the Board to revisit these metrics and data in the future to ensure they are making informed decisions from the data. Village Trustee Parakkat requested clarification on if there was any analysis done regarding the impact to village services (waste management, parking, etc...). He supports a commitment to a time frame for review of the data to enable the Board to course-correct if need be. Village Trustee Enyia requested clarification if the village assessor had given any reference of time for how long it would take to see the impact on taxes. President Scaman commented that many on the Board are aligned and requested staff to be ready to help the Board understand how it is that we could collect this data and proceed in an efficient way. Village Trustee Taglia is in general support of the Ordinance but requested clarification, from this standpoint, what specifically is the Board talking about when we talk about "affordable". He added that the data collection piece will be important to show the positive impacts of this but also may reveal unintended consequences; the data will be important in the future to help understand and assess what the effects and impacts are to the community. Village Trustee Buchanan is in support of the staff's version of the Ordinance and does not have as strong of a concern as her colleagues. Chair Sims responded that the Board's concerns are not inconsistent with discussions on the Plan Commission over the last six months. In order to get a feel for how this will impact things like taxes services and services, the village will have to track it on a going forward basis. It is not something that is going to happen in six months. If over time there are changes in the neighborhood with respect to parking or demands on services, there can be have another text amendment to the Ordinance to address the concern. Village Trustee Parakkat requested clarification regarding the thought that there will not be a lot of these units being built if there is a need for this Ordinance. Chair Sims responded it is cost prohibitive to the home owner to do this. Village of Oak Park Page 6 Printed on 1/20/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes January 10, 2022 Village Trustee Parakkat requested clarification between the correlation of ADUs and short-term rentals. Chair Sims responded generally you don't build ADUs for short term rentals. They are not the same thing. Director Grossman added every month the village has to report to the township assessor's office all of the permits issued in the Village and what the permit was for and what the value of the permit was. Staff will be able to pull that data, and also look at the other concerns, and be able to put together a metrics of it, although it may take a year before the data is meaningful in any way. Director Grossman added in terms of short term rentals, staff will be able to track that data will be able to tell which were short term rentals under the AirBNB Ordinance versus if they're not being used as short term rentals. Responding to Village Trustee Taglia's question on affordability, Director Grossman responded when we talk about affordability, we're talking about it from that perspective of sharing the cost of living in the home, even if there is an additional upfront cost to create the ADU; sharing the combined cost of the housing between two families or living with an elderly parent makes the housing more affordable. President Scaman requested staff to create a consistent schedule for staff to provide the feedback to the Board to hold ourselves accountable to that follow-up. Village Trustee Parakkat requested clarification on the correlation of the collected data for specific services to better measure the impact. Director Grossman responded village services are tracked through the GIS systems so tracking the pieces of information will not be a problem. President Scaman then called for an amended motion to concur with staff's recommendation in adopting an Ordinance in article 2 and article 9 of the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance regarding accessory dwelling units for single-family properties which would then include the options of basement and attic. Village Trustee Robinson reissue her motion with the amended language and information that President Scaman outlined. Village Trustee Buchanan concurred with the amended motion. It was moved by Village Trustee Robinson, seconded by Village Trustee Buchanan, to adopt this Ordinance as amended. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 6- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, and Village Trustee Taglia Village of Oak Park Page 7 Printed on 1/20/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes January 10, 2022 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1- Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla J. ORD 22-2 Concur with the Zoning Board of Appeals’ Recommendation and Adopt an Ordinance Granting a Special Use Permit to Operate a Hotel/Motel at 1140 Lake Street Interim Village Manager Shelley introduced the Item. The following persons read their Agenda Public Comments aloud: Lori Gery: Lori Gery read a statement on behalf of the 1120 Condominium Association, located at1140 lake street above the Fitness Formula Club. They expressed concerns over traffic congestions, parking, and alley blockage with the proposed hotel development that will adversely impact the condominium owners. They believe the hotel's presence will compound issues related to parking and traffic flow caused by the lack of convenient parking for patrons of nearby establishments. They request specific traffic mitigations if the hotel is approved including increasing the cutout in front of the hotel, requiring the hotel to have onsite valet services, and limiting the number of hours delivery trucks can park in the alley among other suggestions. Todd Hewell: Todd Hewell is a resident of the 1120 Condominium Association and requested a commitment from the board, if they were to approve this hotel, some assurances to help mitigate the parking issues that have been ongoing since their building was built back in 2004. They do not see these issues getting any better without any assistance from the Village and the Police Department. John O'Rourke: John O'Rourke is a resident of 1124 Lake Street. They requested the board to table any vote on this particular ordinance until the issues that have been raised by Lori and Todd are addressed in some comprehensive way so they don't have these horrendous parking and traffic issues that surround their building currently. Marcia Lehman: Marcia Lehman is a resident of the 1120 Condominium and expressed their concerns over traffic and parking regarding the hotel development. They stated the need to ensure that the hotel, being a major contributor to traffic and parking, will also be a major contributor to address the issue. They added their association granted an easement to the Village for the public passage for vehicles and pedestrians, not for parking, not truck unloading, not vehicles going in the wrong direction. The Village is in violation of the easement agreement. Village of Oak Park Page 8 Printed on 1/20/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes January 10, 2022 Misty Short: Misty Short is a resident of the 1120 Condominium Association and their Board member. While excited for a new business in Oak Park, they request all parties work together to ensure that things are set up for success by making any necessary adjustments to the development plan ahead of time. They expressed safety and congestion concerns over the cutout on Lake Street and offered suggestions for alternative entrances from Harlem or the back of the building. Development Customer Services Tammie Grossman then gave background and an overview of this Item. Director Grossman addressed the cutout concern, responding initially the cutout was designed so guests who are arriving via Uber or taxi would be able to have a drop-off location in front of the hotel. Director Grossman spoke to conversations the Village has had with the condo association, some of whom spoke tonight, about creating a private parking enforcement easement for the north/south alley that is between Chipotle and what had previously been Bar Louis. While the conversations did not move forward due to the Covid pandemic, Director Grossman believes it is worth while to continue the conversation and work with the condo association to figure out how to do public enforcement of parking regulations on that alley since it is private property and the Village does not have a right to enforce any parking restrictions. Jim Lencioni, Chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals, then gave an overview of the Zoning Board of Appeals review for this development. The Hotel owner then addressed the areas of concern from the condo association regarding traffic congestion and parking. Village Trustee Robinson requested clarification regarding parking and congestion and the one space cutout. Director Grossman responded parking staff is continually exploring the idea of designated Uber spots. Staff would have to work with the Village Engineer for information on the cutout on Harlem. Village Trustee Enyia asked if the Board could defer this decision until after the concerns are worked out. Director Grossman responded typically once the Village Board approves something, that allows the developer to get the financing that they need, work with the hotel to start working on the franchise agreement and things like that. If we have to wait, then it will delay the actual project and impact the timing. Village of Oak Park Page 9 Printed on 1/20/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes January 10, 2022 Village Trustee Taglia is sensitive to the residents of 1120 Lake Street. He is confidence that the Village has made a commitment to work through some of these issues, and given that commitment he is comfortable moving forward with the vote tonight on this application. Village Trustee Parakkat understands the concerns but they should not hold up on the development because it has positives and would give certainty on a business perspective. At the same time, we should be able to address the concerns and frustrations that the residents raised. President Scaman hears the benefits that the hotel could bring to the downtown area and to some of the small business but wants to ensure, as much as possible, to work on the challenges of the residents. It was moved by Village Trustee Buchanan, seconded by Village Trustee Robinson, to adopt this Ordinance. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 6- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, and Village Trustee Taglia NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1- Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla K. ID 22-15 Overview of Board Goals for FY 22, 1st Quarter 2022 Topics, Protocols, Draft Calendars Interim Village Manager Shelley gave an overview of this Item. Interim Village Manager then presented an updated status on the Village Board's goals and calendars. Village Trustee Buchanan requested clarification regarding why the reparations discussions are not in the first quarter. Interim Village Manager Shelley responded the calendars were populated based on previous Board conversations, and reparations should be happening in the second quarter. Village Trustee Parakkat requested clarification as to the process of how future quarter calendars will be scheduled. President Scaman responded conversations will be forthcoming. Village Trustee Robinson requested clarification on when the next Personnel Committee would be since it is not on the calendar. President Scaman responded this would be coordinated with the Human Resource Director and Assistant Village Manager Kira Tchang. Interim Village Manager Shelley then introduced Dr. Theresa Village of Oak Park Page 10 Printed on 1/20/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes January 10, 2022 Chapple-McGrudder, the Health Director, to give a Covid update. Dr. Chapple-McGrudder stated Covid cases have increased about 500% since a month ago, and 55% from last week. There have been 7 deaths in our community since we started to see this uptick happen around Thanksgiving. There has been extremely high numbers in the schools causing disruption in the schools with sick students and staff. There are issues with testing, contact tracing, and concerns with close contacts and an inability to ensure the proper mitigations are there for them. Dr. Chapple-McGrudder spoke to the need from the community to help keep our children in school and go back to the mitigations measures that were in place at the start of the pandemic, adding if we don't change our behaviors we will not have staff to staff our schools. Interim Village Manager Shelley commented the goal is to keep our children in school. She knows that Dr. Chapple is in contact with the Illinois Department of Health who are trying to offer as many mitigation strategies as possible to keep the kids in school. Village Trustee Parakkat requested clarification on the demographics of the 7 deaths due to Covid. Dr. Chapple-McGrudder responded. Village Trustee Parakkat asked Dr. Chapple's thoughts on what she sees the next four quarters looking like. Dr. Chapple-McGrudder reponded we are in the midst of the pandemic and to see four quarters out is difficult. We need to understand the definition of endemic - it is a term that means we are in a stable steady state of disease - and we are not there. President Scaman asked the community to stay diligent, to proactively. have their vaccination cards ready for our small business community with the mitigations that we have in place, be kind and cooperate, to mask up, and if you don't have a need to go out, then don't go out. We will buckle down and get through this together as one community. Village Trustee Buchanan commented in response to the public comment by Gail Galavan comparing the pandemic to Nazi Germany is unacceptable and offensive. XII. Adjourn It was moved by Village Trustee Parakkat, seconded by Village Trustee Robinson, to adjourn. The motion was approved. The Meeting adjourned at 10:12 P.M., Monday, January 10, 2022. Respectfully Submitted, Village of Oak Park Page 11 Printed on 1/20/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes January 10, 2022 Deputy Clerk DeViller AYES: 6- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, and Village Trustee Taglia NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1- Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla Village of Oak Park Page 12 Printed on 1/20/2022