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, July 11, 2022 7:00 PM Remote I. Call to Order Village President Scaman called the meeting to order at 7:03 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 President Scaman called for a moment of silence for the victims of the Highland Park shooting on July 4, 2022 and all those affected by gun violence. Present: 6- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, and Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla Absent: 1- Village Trustee Taglia III. Agenda Approval It was moved by Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla, 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 Walker-Peddakotla NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1- Village Trustee Taglia IV. Non-Agenda Public Comment The following persons spoke their Non-Agenda Public Comments aloud: Brad Ferris: Brad Ferris spoke their public comment regarding the violence at the BP gas station on Chicago Avenue. They feel the owner of the gas station is negligent and does not care about the neighborhood or the governmental pressure regarding the violence at the gas station. They ask the Board to permanently shut down the gas station to protect their neighborhood. Village of Oak Park Page 1 Printed on 7/19/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes July 11, 2022 Tim Mellman: Tim Mellman spoke their public comment requesting the Board to consider adding a referendum question to the November 8th, 2022 ballot asking the Oak Park community if they would like to adopt Ranked Choice Voting in future elections. Village Clerk Waters read the following Non-Agenda Public Comments aloud: Hilarie and David Terebessy: Hilarie and David Terebessy submitted their public comment regarding the alarming number of incidents involving firearms at the BP station at 100 Chicago Avenue. They asked the Board to consider re-zoning this property to limit the hours during which the gas station is permitted to be open. This will promote the safety and well-being of those who live and travel through this primarily residential part of Oak Park. Rhoda Bernstein: Rhoda Bernstein submitted their public comment acknowledging a complete solution to the crime ridden gas station on Chicago and Taylor Avenues will not occur overnight. They suggested several actions the Village can take in the immediate future as this gas station has been festering with appalling and unaddressed serious criminal and other issues for many years. They believe that east Chicago Avenue has been neglected by the Village and it deserves more attention than it has received. Victor Ottati: Victor Ottati submitted their public comment regarding the recent BP murder highlights that overnight gas stations should be eliminated from residential areas in Oak Park. V. Consent Agenda Approval of the Consent Agenda It was moved by Village Trustee Buchanan, seconded by Village Trustee Enyia, 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 Walker-Peddakotla NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1- Village Trustee Taglia A. MOT 22-63 A Motion to Approve the May 2022 Monthly Treasurer’s Report for All Funds This Motion was approved. Village of Oak Park Page 2 Printed on 7/19/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes July 11, 2022 B. RES 22-159 A Resolution Approving a Contract with Unique Plumbing Co., Inc. for Project 22-9 Water Main Valve Replacements, in an Amount Not to Exceed $150,000 and Authorizing its Execution This Resolution was adopted. C. RES 22-160 A Resolution Approving a Contract with M.Q. Sewer & Water Contractors, Inc., d/b/a M.Q. Construction Company for Project 22-1, Sewer Main Improvements, in an Amount Not to Exceed $2,706,728 and Authorizing its Execution This Resolution was adopted. D. RES 22-162 A Resolution Approving a Professional Services Agreement with R.E. Walsh & Associates, Inc. for Latent Fingerprint Examination Services for the Village’s Police Department for a One Year Period and Two Optional One Year Renewals in an Annual Amount Not to Exceed $25,000, Authorizing its Execution and Waiving the Village’s Bid Process This Resolution was adopted. VI. Regular Agenda E. ID 22-216 Presentation on Reparations for Black Americans Village Manager Kevin Jackson introduced the Item. Village Attorney Paul Stephanides and Assistant Village Attorney Rasheda Jackson then gave a presentation overview of the Item. Robin Rue Simmons, founder and Executive Director of FirstRepair, a not-for-profit organization that informs local reparations nationally, then presented on her work with Evanston and their reparations program. Village Trustee Buchanan requested clarification regarding if Evanston came up with the same analysis that Village Attorney Stephanides did regarding the Supreme Court standards and how high the bar was when looking at this from a legal standpoint. Robin Rue Simmons responded it was based on a similar foundation. The commitment was to have a narrowly tailored remedy in direct correlation to the harm it caused for them to have a strong legal position. Village Trustee Buchanan requested clarification from Village Attorney Stephanides if they see the narrow remedy as a requirement, and what is the likelihood of being sued if Oak Park did not follow this narrow remedy. Village Attorney Stephanides responded narrow remedy is always going to be subject to challenge, but there needs to be compelling evidence. Village of Oak Park Page 3 Printed on 7/19/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes July 11, 2022 Village Trustee Buchanan expressed their support of exploring this program further but has some concerns requiring individuals having documentation to prove their harm in order to be eligible for reparations. Robin Rue Simmons responded every community is going to run their program differently. In regards to Evanston, their eligibility requires individuals to prove their race and place in Evanston between 1919 and 1969, or their relationship as a direct descendent to someone who was in Evanston at that time. The city worked in partnership with the libraries to facilitate researching of documents for residents who were unable to find the documents in their home or on their own. Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla commented just because something is a legal standard does not mean it is 100% of the constraint that we have to back ourselves into, and they would like to allow room for creativity in this. They stressed the importance of having the Board's public record reflect their conversations with Walk the Walk and the Reparations Task Force as they go through the reparation conversation as the legislative record actually helps hold up a law under strict scrutiny. They also recommended that representatives from Walk the Walk and the Community Relations Commission should be part of these Board conversations going forward since they are the groups reaching out to the community to make sure we hear everyone's voice. Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla mentioned the push back the Evanston reparations program received as being seen as a housing program and not a reparations program. They recommend starting this reparations conversation in a broader context rather than falling back into the housing framework Evanston has done; what are all the possibilities we could look at? What does reparations for Oak Park look like? Robin Rue Simmons agreed to ensuring this program is specific to Oak Park and the Black community must be engaged to inform priorities for reparations. There are many ways to think about reparations and you should not necessarily model any other city's program. Village Trustee Robison added their support to the idea of ensuring the framework is one that is broad enough to withstand any kind of legal challenge and ensuring a framework that allows for other reparation-type paradigms aside from cash reparations. They see the next step as making it very clear that the Village has thoroughly verified and vetted whatever harm we are seeking to address so the Village itself can verify and withstand any type of legal challenge. Village Trustee Parakkat expressed their support for this work and stressed the importance of the independent verification of histories in their Village of Oak Park Page 4 Printed on 7/19/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes July 11, 2022 analysis; it cannot be one entity saying this is how things played out - the burden of proof or the validation and verification needs to rest with the village. Village Trustee Enyia commented they would like to see options more robust than just housing as they do not think there is one simple solution. They would like to know what other viable options look like and how we get from point A to point B. President Scaman directed staff that the consensus from the Board is to move forward with research to identify the harm done by the municipality of Oak Park, and work with Walk the Walk and other key stakeholders and members of the Black community in this process. Village Trustee Parakkat requested clarification if staff is envisioning one of two outcomes: that there was discrimination and determining the right remedy for it, or there was no discrimination and closing the conversation there. Village Manager Jackson responded in the affirmative. He reminded everyone that if there is no confirmation of harm, the Board has a goal to affirm and promote racial equity and will continue to advance the Board's interest in developing racial equity and look at the issue holistically. Robin Rue Simmons recommended looking at https://redressnetwork.org/ to see how other communities are looking at reparations. F. ID 22-153 Discussion of the Oak Park Regional Housing Center’s 2022 Funding Grant Agreement which expired on June 30, 2022 Village Manager Jackson introduced the Item. Tammie Grossman, Director of Development Customer Services, then gave a presentation overview of the Item. Village Trustee Parakkat requested clarification on what the goals are for the Housing Center. Director Grossman responded the goal for the Housing Center has always been to increase the diversity of the rental housing market in terms of making sure buildings are integrated. Village Trustee Parakkat would like to see mixed race household statistics or interracial household data which is currently not factored into the analysis, as well as a clearer picture for what the basis is for the contractual numbers to help inform the strategy going forward. Director Grossman responded they hope to have that information once the block group data is released. Village of Oak Park Page 5 Printed on 7/19/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes July 11, 2022 Athena Williams, Executive Director of the Housing Center, and Baxter Swilley, Public Relations Director, then gave a presentation overview of their vision for 2023. Village Trustee Parakkat commented on the affordability of the community now and in the future, and the idea of targeting higher-income minority population as a strategy. Baxter Swillet responded they believe generating interest from affluent minority populations into Oak Park is an important step, as well as having essential cultural attractions that make people of color feel comfortable and confident to moving to communities, without compromising the character of the community. Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla requested clarification if staff had a recommendation for how the 2023 contract should be framed. Village Manager Jackson responded based on the discussion tonight will help to inform the work with the Housing Center on the 2023 contract. Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla recommended for staff and the Housing Center to work together to create a draft contract for the Board to review prior to the final budget discussion to facilitate a more structured conversation on if the contract meets the community's needs and if it is something the village should fund. Village Manager Jackson responded many of the concepts discussed tonight will not necessarily be achievable in a 2023 contract as staff still needs to collect and analyze the data to develop a comprehensive housing strategy that will help to formulate how the Housing Center fits into the overall vision for housing, racial integration, diversity, and all that. What may be seen in the 2023 contract are some elements of tonight's discussion, but not everything, as the study itself would not be completed for the budget process this year. Village Trustee Robinson expressed their support to have staff bring back a contract for the last half of 2022 that nears the funding support given to the Housing Center for the first half of the year with a show of good faith from the HousingCenter in getting the audit done and on time. Going forward, the Board should consider how to leverage the Housing Center and other tools and resources to achieve their diversity goals and consider where best to put their resources to achieve those goals. They also support Village of Oak Park Page 6 Printed on 7/19/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes July 11, 2022 seeing a draft 2023 contract early on in the budget discussion to allow time for any questions the Board may have. Village President Scaman directed staff to bring back a contract for the second half of 2022 for the Board to approve. G. ORD 22-50 An Ordinance Amending Chapter 13 (“Human Rights”) of the Oak Park Village Code by Adding a New Article 8 (“Reproductive Health Rights”) Village Manager Jackson introduced the Item. Village Clerk Waters read the following Agenda Public Comments aloud: Kim Costello: Kim Costello submitted their public comment in support of this Item. They feel it is up to our local government to step in to protect the safety and health of its residents but also the safety and health of those who come to our state to seek safe abortions without punishment. Liz Lukehart: Liz Lukehart submitted their public comment in strong support for the proposed reproductive rights ordinance. They feel the recent Supreme Court decision is a constitutional violation and represents tremendous judicial overreach rooted in religious fundamentalism. They urge the board to send the message that our village stands firmly in support of human rights and bodily autonomy and will protect vulnerable citizens and vote yes on this ordinance. Dot Roche: Dot Roche submitted their public comment in support of adding an article ensuring Reproductive Health Rights in the Oak Park Village Code. Lee Hasselbacher: Lee Hasselbacher submitted their public comment in support for the proposed Reproductive Rights Ordinance. Information about patients seeking abortion care should remain private and protected. No one should face civil or criminal investigations for seeking, supporting or providing abortion care. Donald Nekrosius: Donald Nekrosius submitted their public comment in support of the proposed ordinance before the village board to secure women in Oak Park control of their person. For the health and well-being of every woman, her partner, her family and for the entire community, we need to guarantee her respect and agency. Jenna Leving Jacobson: Jenna Leving Jacobson submitted their public comment in support of the abortion sanctuary ordinance. Anything the Oak Park Village Board can do to protect abortion access must be a priority, Village of Oak Park Page 7 Printed on 7/19/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes July 11, 2022 and failing to act in protection of reproductive health care will be unacceptable. Michelle Major: Michelle Major submitted their public comment in support of adding an article ensuring Reproductive Health Rights in the Oak Park Village Code. Kim Jackewicz: Kim Jackewicz submitted their public comment expressing their strong support of the ordinance that protects the rights of pregnant people to make their own reproductive health decisions in Oak Park. It is imperative that we codify these rights to keep those needing abortions safe. Shobha Mahadev: Shobha Mahadev submitted their public comment expressing their strong support in favor of Proposed ORD 22-50. They feel Oak Park has a responsibility to its residents to care for and protect them from threats to their freedom, health, welfare, reproductive decisions, privacy, and simply, their ability to make choices for their lives and futures. This ordinance will take a strong step to ensuring that. Village Trustee Parakkat requested clarification on the difference for the additional provisions between state versus local. Village Attorney Stephanides responded the Ordinance is a supplement to state law that is more explicit. Village Trustee Robinson expressed their concerns with section 13-8-5: (Objection to Subpoena or Requests for Information).They are not comfortable directing the Village Law Department to summarily object to every subpoena the village may receive, and questioned the effectiveness in putting forth legislation to do so. They have spoken with Village Attorney Stephanides that during his tenure the village has received one out-of-state subpoena. They are also concerned that this Ordinance sets precedent in terms of enacting legislation that essentially usurps the authority of future Boards by taking away their power and authority to direct the Law Department on litigation-related issues which includes responses to subpoenas. They recommended removing the section all together, or amending the language to preserve the right to an objection. Village Attorney Stephanides added it is difficult to predict if the village would receive a subpoena - the village would object through the legal process on the basis of this Ordinance, but sometimes receiving direction from the Board is difficult as some subpoenas require immediate action. Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla expressed their comfort with the Village of Oak Park Page 8 Printed on 7/19/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes July 11, 2022 language as-is as it gives the Law Department the tool it needs to immediately object to subpoena requests for purposes of criminalizing abortion or reproductive rights specifically. It is very specific to what subpoena requests can be objected to. Village Trustee Buchanan expressed their support with leaving the language in as-is to ensure that there will not be a Board in the future that can decide to do otherwise because it is wrong. Village President Scaman clarified that any future Board can change the language in the Ordinance. Village Trustee Robinson agreed with President Scaman, adding this would not permanently take away the Board's authority, but it would make it more difficult for a future Board to change the Ordinance. They expressed the importance of this issue to them, but as a legal professional they have to support legislation that is effective and that makes sense. Village President Scaman commented objecting to a subpoena whose purpose is for investigating a law criminalizing abortion or reproductive health care is the reason why they would want to make it as difficult as possible for future Boards to be able to not object to a subpoena. Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla expressed her thanks to the Law Department for their quick action to get this to the Board. It is important that we use the language of reproductive health as this is not just about abortions - this will also impact access to contraceptive care and all the things enshrined under the right to privacy. Village Trustee Robinson added a clarification that this only allows the Law Department to object to the subpoena, it does not mean the village will not have to answer the subpoena based on the presiding court's order. Village Trustee Robinson, while voting to approve this Ordinance, is still in objection to section 13-8-5 of the Ordinance and wanted that noted in the official record. It was moved by Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla, seconded by Village Trustee Buchanan, to adopt the 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 Walker-Peddakotla NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1- Village Trustee Taglia H. RES 22-173 A Resolution to Support and Advocate for the Codification of Roe v. Wade Village of Oak Park Page 9 Printed on 7/19/2022 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes July 11, 2022 and for the Adoption into Federal Law of the “My Body, My Data Act of 2022” Village Trustee Buchanan read a statement of her support for this Resolution. This Resolution is not overreacting or performative; it supports abortion as a basic aspect of health care for sexually active women. Twenty five percent of women in the United States will have had an abortion by the age of 45 and is simply part of the reproductive life of one quarter of American women. 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: 6- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, and Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1- Village Trustee Taglia VII. Adjourn It was moved by Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla, seconded by Village Trustee Robinson, to Adjourn. The motion was approved. The Meeting adjourned at 10:02 P.M., Monday, July 11, 2022. Respectfully Submitted, Deputy Clerk DeViller AYES: 6- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, and Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1- Village Trustee Taglia Village of Oak Park Page 10 Printed on 7/19/2022