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 Tuesday, February 22, 2022 7:00 PM Remote I. Call to Order Village President Scaman called the meeting to order at 7:01 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. Agenda Approval Interim Village Manager Lisa Shelley tabled Item F to the next meeting so staff can provide additional information on the budget amendment requests. Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla requested Item J be moved to the regular agenda. It was moved by Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla, seconded by Village Trustee Buchanan, to approve the agenda as amended. 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 IV. Presentation: Employee Service Awards Interim Village Manager Shelley presented the Employee Service Awards to village staff. V. Minutes Village of Oak Park Page 1 Printed on 3/8/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes February 22, 2022 A. MOT 22-19 Motion to Approve Minutes from Special Remote Meeting of February 3, 2022, Regular Remote Meeting of February 7, 2022, Special Remote Meeting of February 14 of the Village Board. It was moved by Village Trustee Parakkat, seconded by Village Trustee Robinson, to approve the Motion. 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 VI. Non-Agenda Public Comment There were no Non-Agenda Public Comments. VII. Village Manager Reports B. ID 22-60 Community Safety Project Update by Michele Weinzetl, BerryDunn Consulting Interim Village Manager Shelley introduced Item B. She then introduced Michelle Weinzetl, from BerryDunn Consultants, who gave an update on the Community Safety Project. Village Clerk Christina Waters read the following Agenda Public Comment aloud: Alicia Chastain: Alicia Chastain submitted their public comment in opposition to funding the Flock cameras without ever discussing the program with the BerryDunn consultant. They asked that the Village remove funding for the Flock cameras from the agenda and cease any further plans to deploy the Flock system to show that it is committed to improving community safety through open and transparent conversations. C. ID 22-61 Public Health Update by Dr. Theresa Chapple-McGruder, Public Health Director Interim Village Manager Shelley introduced Item C. Village Clerk Christina Waters read the following Agenda Public Comment aloud: Robin Kalish: Robin Kalish submitted their public comment asking the Board to not give in to the people asking for our schools and community to Village of Oak Park Page 2 Printed on 3/8/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes February 22, 2022 take away masks without any metrics, and to not rush to make decisions based on impatience instead of science. Richard Fobes: Richard Fobes submitted their public comment asking the Board to intervene in the current mask mandate and vaccine passport mandate. Paul Clark: Paul Clark submitted their public comment asking the Board to advise the Department of Public Health to lift the indoor mask mandate. Malissa Maldonado: Malissa Maldonado submitted their public comment in support of maintaining the mask mandate to protect the community, especially those who are high-risk, sick, elderly and the immunocompromised students in OP. Michael Sullivan: Michael Sullivan submitted their public comment asking why Oak Park feels it is necessary to have stricter guidelines than those of the neighboring communities, and requests to make masks an individual decision based on their own comfort level. Michael Schiff: Michael Schiff submitted their public comment in support of Oak Park joining the rest of the state and surrounding communities to remove the mask mandates. Lauren Hyde: Lauren Hyde submitted their public comment requesting the Board and the health department adhere to the updated guidelines from the Illinois Department of Public Health and DCFS to adjust the daycare quarantine guidelines. Lauren Arendds: Lauren Arends submitted their public comment encouraging the Village of Oak Park to be wise when discussing Covid mitigations and use both reason and emotion to take a middle path that meets the needs of the whole community. Kevin Gibbons: Kevin Gibbons submitted their public comment requesting Fenwick High School to have a mask optional policy. Kat Tanaka Okopnik: Kat Tanaka Okopnik submitted their public comment expressing their middle schooler not wanting a mast-optional policy. Karen Thomas: Karen Thomas submitted their public comment expressing concerns over the growing intolerance in the community and asked the community to open our ears and hearts and to pledge to respect each other and make a plan together. Village of Oak Park Page 3 Printed on 3/8/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes February 22, 2022 John Metzger: John Metzger submitted their public comment urging the Board to maintain the current Covid mitigations in place to protect the community and the economy so we can thrive as a community. Joanna Ardell: Joanna Ardell submitted their public comment asking the Board to follow Chicago and the rest of the state to lift the mask mandate on February 28, 2022. Jenna Leving Jacobson: Jenna Leving Jacobson submitted their public comment encouraging the Board to continue to make public health policy based on evidence and equity, prioritizing the health and safety of vulnerable community members. They hope Oak Park continues to utilize the necessary mitigation strategies that will keep our schools open and the community safe. Sarah Watson: Sarah Watson submitted their public comment expressing their concern that there is no data to support the choice to extend masking and vaccine passports. Ashley Goulden-Keifer: Ashley Goulden-Kiefer submitted their public comment urging the Board to prioritize the health and safety of vulnerable Oak Parkers over the pandemic fatigue of those for whom the risk is not as high when planning how to approach the next phase of the Covide pandemic. Interim Village Manager Shelley then provided an overview of the four issues to be discussed tonight: - The school mask mandate: per the governor, the school mask mandate is still in effect - The local indoor mask mandate: the state has announced they plan to lift this mandate. - The local indoor vaccine requirement: Cook County and Chicago will lift this requirement on February 28. - The umbrella of the emergency declaration of the governor: This expires on March 5. They have not provided an update on this being extended or expired at this point. Interim Village Manager Shelley then introduced Dr. Theresa Chapple-McGrudder, the Director of the Health Department, to provide an updated on the local village mandates. Dr. Chapple-McGrudder gave an update on the distribution of free masks to the community. Within 72 hours of making the announcement there were 1,872 requests for mask. As there are only 2,000 masks available they shut Village of Oak Park Page 4 Printed on 3/8/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes February 22, 2022 down the website. Dr. Chapple-McGrudder indicated they are ready to end the vaccination requirements as of February 28th. Ending the mask mandate in the village is based on meeting 4 out of 5 metrics. Currently the village has met 2 metrics, is close to meeting 2 additional metrics, with the fifth metric within reach. Village Trustee Parakkat requested clarification that the vaccine mandates is ended but the mask mandate is still in place. Dr. Chapple-McGrudder responded in the affirmative. Village Trustee Parakkat requested clarification on the discrepancy with following Chicago and Cook County regarding vaccination requirements but not masking requirements. Dr. Chapple-McGrudder responded the difference is one is a national approach versus a local approach. The CDC has defined the guidance around masking requirements and given structure around that. For a vaccination mandate, there's no national approach and there's just a community by community deciding when a vaccination mandate approach is necessary. Village Trustee Enyia requested clarification on could the 5 criteria's currently in place change based on the CDC's guidance. Dr. Chapple-McGrudder responded in the affirmative. Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla expressed their concern on the burden and the blowback that has been placed on local public health directors causing community contentions. She thanked Dr. Chapple and the health department for their work and asked the community to allow the public health professionals do their work. President Scaman agreed that we need the community to understand why the decisions are being made and keep the discussion on that topic. She requested clarification on how each of the mitigations are relevant to the decision. Dr. Chapple-McGrudder then gave an overview of the 5 metrics used in Oak Park and the impact of each. Village Trustee Taglia request clarification regarding if Oak Park could end up with a mask mandate after the end of the month if the CDC guidance does not change or if Oak Park doesn't meet the metrics. Dr. Chapple-McGrudder responded in the affirmative. Village Trustee Taglia expressed his concern of having one community in the swath of Chicagoland have a different set of rules. Village of Oak Park Page 5 Printed on 3/8/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes February 22, 2022 Village Trustee Buchanan requested clarification on the role of the Board of Health. Dr. Chapple-McGrudder responded the authority lies with the Health Director to make the mitigation decisions for the community as it relates to Covid. She was looking for input from the Board of Health regarding those mitigations and to have a sounding board as to what others and the field are thinking about these mitigations. The final decision rests with her per the authority of the public health director. D. ID 22-62 Review of the Revised Village Board Meeting Calendars for February, March and April 2022 Interim Village Manager Shelley gave an overview of updates to the Board calendars. VIII. Village Board Committees & Trustee Liaison Commission Reports There was no discussion for this Item. IX. Citizen Commission Vacancies E. ID 22-63 Board & Commission Vacancy Report for February 22, 2022. There was no discussion for this Item. X. Consent Agenda Approval of the Consent Agenda President Scaman mentioned Item F was tabled and Item J was moved to the Regular Agenda. Village Clerk Waters read the following Consent Agenda-Public Comments aloud: Laura Derks: Laura Derks submitted their public comment expressing their concern with the Flock cameras authorized in the budget with no community process or engagement. Khadine Bennett: Khadine Bennet, on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, submitted their public comment expressing concern about the village's plan to purchase and deploy automatic license plate readers across the village without public input and without addressing basic concerns about privacy raised by the cameras. They encourage the Board to slow down the rush and engage the residents of Oak Park in this process. Village of Oak Park Page 6 Printed on 3/8/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes February 22, 2022 Kat Tanaka Okopnik: Kat Tanaka Okopnik submitted their public comment expressing their concern on the purchase of Flock cameras and the impact on the vulnerable members of the community. Charity Anne Caldwell: Charity Anne Caldwell submitted their public comment expressing concern regarding Flock cameras as a threat to public safety. They see public cameras and GPS data as large scale types of stalkerware and suggest this opens the door to police harassment of residents and an increase in racially disparate police interactions. Brynne Hovde: Brynne Hovde submitted their public comment in regards to Flock cameras, and asked the Board to engage in a full and robust discussion using the racial equity tools they have committed to leveraging, adding surveillance tactics are not a proven, nor community-minded, solution. It was moved by Village Trustee Robinsonand seconded by Village Trustee Buchanan to approve the items under the Consent Agenda as ammended. 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 G. ORD 22-10 Concur with the Zoning Board of Appeals’ Recommendation and Adopt an Ordinance Granting a Special Use Permit to Operate a Day Care Center at 1125-1105 Garfield Street This Ordinance was adopted. H. ORD 22-11 Concur with the Zoning Board of Appeals’ Recommendation and Adopt an Ordinance Granting a Special Use Permit to Operate a Massage Service Establishment at 101 N. Marion Street This Ordinance was adopted. I. ORD 22-12 An Ordinance Waiving and Suspending the Right of Way Obstruction Permit Fee and Parking Obstruction Fee for the Planned Development Located at 261 Washington Boulevard This Ordinance was adopted. K. RES 22-42 A Resolution Authorizing the Purchase of One 2022 Ford Transit Connect Cargo Van from Currie Motors of Frankfort, Illinois through the Suburban Purchasing Cooperative Joint Purchasing Program in an Amount Not to Exceed $26,831.00 and Waiving the Village’s Bid Process for the Purchase Village of Oak Park Page 7 Printed on 3/8/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes February 22, 2022 This Resolution was adopted. L. RES 22-43 A Resolution Authorizing the Purchase of Two 2022 Ford Hybrid Escapes, from Currie Motors of Frankfort, Illinois through the Suburban Purchasing Cooperative Joint Purchasing Program in an Amount Not to Exceed $53,887.00 and Waiving the Village’s Bid Process for the Purchase This Resolution was adopted. M. RES 22-44 A Resolution Authorizing the Use of Motor Fuel Tax Funds in the amount of $1,413,491.00 for the Maintenance of Streets in the Village of Oak Park for Fiscal Year 2022 This Resolution was adopted. N. RES 22-45 A Resolution Authorizing the Submission of an Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Sustained Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) Grant Application that Focuses on High Visibility Traffic Enforcement During Specific Dates and Times of the Year, Primarily Around National Holidays This Resolution was adopted. O. RES 22-46 A Resolution Approving an Amendment to the Independent Contractor Agreement with A & B Landscaping & Tree Service, Inc, for Snow Plowing and Salting of Village Leased/Owned Parking Lots, Back-up Snow Removal for Public Streets and Sidewalk Snow Shoveling for Fiscal Year 2022 to Change the Not to Exceed Amount from $175,000 to $275,000 and Authorizing its Execution. This Resolution was adopted. P. RES 22-48 A Resolution Authorizing the Submission of a Federal Surface Transportation Program Grant Application for the Ridgeland Avenue Resurfacing Project This Resolution was adopted. R. MOT 22-10 A Motion to Approve the January 2022 Monthly Treasurer’s Report for All Funds This Motion was approved. S. MOT 22-11 A Motion to Approve the Bills in the Amount of $3,281,971.15 from January 7, 2022, through February 3, 2022 This Motion was approved. T. MOT 22-15 A Motion to Approve an Updated Organizational Chart for the Public Works Department This Motion was approved. Village of Oak Park Page 8 Printed on 3/8/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes February 22, 2022 U. MOT 22-18 A Motion to Amend the Community Development Citizen Advisory Commission (CDCAC) 2022 Work Plan to Review Community Requests for ARPA Funds Received by the Village Board During 4th Quarter 2021 and Make A Recommendation This Motion was approved. XI. Regular Agenda F. ORD 22-9 An Ordinance Amending the Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Budget This Ordinance was tabled. J. RES 22-27 A Resolution Approving an Annual Subscription Agreement with Lexipol LLC for Law Enforcement Policy Manual Services for a Three-Year Term for a Total Not to Exceed Amount of $72,736.11 and Authorizing Its Execution Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla commented on their reasons for voting against this Item. Interim Village Manager Shelley then introduced the Item. Village Trustee Buchanan requested clarification on if the Community Safety Consultant, BerryDunn, would be reviewing the policies and how that affects the contract with Lexipol. Interim Village Manager Shelley responded if the consultant recommends a change in policy or an ordinance the Board will still have the ability to discuss that recommendation and make changes. Lexipol is just a database on how policies are created; it's up to the organization and the community to tailor the database to their needs. Village Trustee Taglia noted a key part of this platform is a training and assessment tool which allows staff to learn about the general orders and how they apply in certain circumstances. The platform will also afford some monitoring and assessment of officer's comprehension of general orders which was not available prior to Lexipol. Interim Village Manager Shelley added clarification that Lexipol does not direct how an organization writes their policies; it is more of a resource of policies that the organization could use, but it is up to the organization itself to direct what the final policy will look like. It was moved by Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla, seconded by Village Trustee Parakkat, to adopt the Resolution. 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 9 Printed on 3/8/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes February 22, 2022 NAYS: 1- Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla ABSENT: 0 V. RES 22-30 A Resolution Approving the 2022 Citizen Commission Work Plans Interim Village Manager Shelley gave an overview of the Item. Village Trustee Buchanan requested clarification regarding the Housing Authority Work Plan - is the Housing Plan project is the same as the Housing Trust fund and questioned if the Housing Programs Advisory Committee should be weighing in on the use of the housing fund. President Scaman responded the Chair of the advisory committee could be a part of those discussions. Village Trustee Parakkat requested clarification on the approximately $15,000 request for the Community Relations Commission. Interim Village Manager responded there is a fund that covers commission costs which should have enough allocation of funding to cover these requests. The requests still need to follow the village's purcahsing policies. Village Trustee Robinson requested clarification on the Citizen Involvement Commission's (CIC) request for $400, up from $80 from the previous year, for volunteer outreach and the TransportationCommission's request for $1,000 for printing the agenda. President Scaman responded the CIC request probably increased in the hopes to be able to do more significant volunteer outreach in 2022 since last year we were in the pandemic with little opportunity for volunteer outreach. Bill McKenna, the staff laiason to the Transportation Commission, responded the $1,000 printing costs are general costs incurred preparing agenda items related to petitions, mailings for notification to residents, traffic counts, webinars and other resources to stay current with topics. It was moved by Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla, seconded by Village Trustee Buchanan, to adopt the Resolution. 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 Q. RES 22-50 A Resolution Approving a Village Manager Employment Agreement with Kevin J. Jackson and Authorizing Its Execution Village of Oak Park Page 10 Printed on 3/8/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes February 22, 2022 Kira Tchang, Human Resource Director and Assistant Village Manager, introduced the Item and the sole candidate for Village Manager, Kevin Jackson. Kevin Jackson then said a few introductory words and expressed his gratefulness for the opportunity to work with the village. Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla expressed her thanks to Lisa Shelley for filling in as Interim Village Manager. Village Trustee Taglia expressed his thanks to the volunteer panels and village staff who participated in the interview process. He also thanked Lisa Shelley for her work as Interim Village Manager, and HR Director Kira Tchang for her tireless work during this process. He expressed his support for Kevin Johnson as the incoming Village Manager. Village Trustee Parakkat expressed his thanks to the Personnel Committee for their hard work. He also expressed his thanks to Lisa Shelley for stepping in as Interim Village Manager especially during the budget process. He wished every success to Kevin Jackson as he steps into this role. Village Trustee Enyia appreciates all the hard work that went into this process. He found it a humbling experience going through the interview process to find the best candidate and thanked all of the candidates who applied. He thanked Lisa Shelley for all she has done, and continues to do, on a daily basis. It was moved by Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla, seconded by Village Trustee Buchanan, to adopt the Resolution. 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 XII. Call to Board and Clerk Village Clerk Waters expressed her thanks to Race Conscious Dialogues and RGW Consulting for curating their journey together. It solidified how much of an honor it is to serve the community. Village Trustee Enyia sent his condolences to the family of E.J. Wilson who lost his life to gun violence this past week. He also thanks Juanta Griffin Village of Oak Park Page 11 Printed on 3/8/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes February 22, 2022 and the Oak Park Public Library for the amazing display they set up commemorating Black History Month. Village Trustee Parakkat commented on the situation in Ukraine and sends his thoughts and prayers to the folks in the region that are affected by it. Village Trustee Robinson wanted to recognize overall the Oak Park community during the village manager search. As a community we attracted really qualified candidates who wanted to come here and serve the community which is a credit to the kind of community Oak Park is. Village Trustee Buchanan had no comment. Village Trustee Taglia had no comment. Village President Scaman expressed her appreciation for working with her colleagues who put the needs of the community first. She also thanked the residents who participated in the manager search, Director Tchang for her hard work during the manager search process, and Interim Village Manager Lisa Shelley for demonstrating consistent, true leadership during this time. She congratulated local Oak Parker Emery Lehman on his Bronze Olympic medal, and congratulated all the employees on their service awards. She also thanked the community for their civic engagement and reminded the community to be kind and respect one another. XIII. Adjourn It was moved by Village Trustee Parakkat, seconded by Village Trustee Robinson, to adjourn. The motion was approved. The meeting adjourned at 9:54 P.M., Tuesday, February 22, 2022. Respectfully Submitted, Deputy Clerk DeViller 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 Village of Oak Park Page 12 Printed on 3/8/2022