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, June 12, 2023 6:30 PM Village Hall I. Call to Order Village President Vicki Scaman called the Special Meeting to order at 6:32 P.M. II. Roll Call Trustee Enyia joined the Meeting at 6:40 P.M. Present: 7- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley Absent: 0 III. Consideration of Motion to Adjourn to Executive Session to Discuss Minutes, Property Acquisition and Pending Litigation It was moved by Trustee Wesley, seconded by Trustee Straw, to Adjourn into Executive Session. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 6- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1- Village Trustee Enyia V. Reconvene to Special Meeting in Council Chambers and Call to Order The Special Meeting reconvened at 7:10 P.M. VI. Roll Call President Scaman left the Meeting during Executive Session. Trustee Buchanan served as President Pro Tempore. Trustee Straw joined the Meeting at 7:12 P.M. Present: 6- Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley Absent: 1- Village President Scaman Village of Oak Park Page 1 Printed on 7/6/2023 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes June 12, 2023 VII. Agenda Approval It was moved by Trustee Wesley, seconded by Trustee Robinson, to approve the Agenda. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 5- Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, and Village Trustee Wesley NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 2- Village President Scaman, and Village Trustee Straw VIII. Non-Agenda Public Comment Village Clerk Christina Waters read the following public comments into the Record: Anonymous: Two shootings in the past week. Trustees have failed their basic duty of protecting residents. Climate change, DEI, and proclamations is work for social justice activists and must end. Trustees should tender their resignation if they doubt or debate this. Paul Clark: Funeral processions through Oak Park have cars swerving and driving the wrong way. Has almost been hit twice. Tries to avoid Madison and Jackson on Saturday afternoons which is impractical. If the Village can't do anything about it, it should make a statement that we are on our own. Todd Martin: Jesus is the answer. Rich Fobes: Has lived in Oak Park since 2015 and is moving to another community. DEI and wokeness hurts everyone. Village hiring policies based on race is a bad idea. Spoke to fathers whose children couldn't to attend Longfellow during COVID-19. Julian has 25 teachers leaving, largely due to DEI policies. IX. Proclamation A. MOT 23-66 A Motion to Approve a Proclamation for Proclaiming Juneteenth Annually on the 19th of June. Trustee Buchanan read the Proclamation into the Record. It was moved by Trustee Wesley, seconded by Trustee Enyia, that this Motion be approved. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 6- Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1- Village President Scaman Village of Oak Park Page 2 Printed on 7/6/2023 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes June 12, 2023 X. Regular Agenda B. ID 23-207 Review and Discussion of the Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), Single Audit, Board Communication Letters, and all Other Supporting Documents CFO Steve Drazner introduced the Item. Sikich LLP Partner Jim Savio presented the Item. Trustee Robinson inquired about the risk of the manual journal entry deficiency. Partner Savio explained the concern that anyone can post an adjustment to perpetrate or cover up a fraud. CFO Drazner said there is always the possibility of fraud or errors. He does not feel there is cost benefit to have a second person approve every journal entry in-depth. Trustee Robinson asked if some entries could be prioritized to have a double check. CFO Drazner said that feature in the software can only be on or off. Trustee Robinson said she thinks even a preliminary review would be beneficial. Trustee Parakkat asked what will happen next year. CFO Drazner said it would be a repeat comment if the Village does not enact it. Trustee Buchanan inquired if this is the first year the deficiency has appeared. CFO Drazner confirmed that is correct, though it is not a new practice. Village Manager Kevin Jackson said he is taking this input and will work with staff accordingly. C. ID 23-208 Review and Discussion of the Police and Fire Pension Actuarial Reports in Preparation for the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget and Property Tax Levy CFO Drazner introduced the Item. Lauterbach & Amen Principal Bob Reitz presented the Item. Trustee Parakkat asked if the police and fire pension obligations were always this different. Principal Reitz said there has been a variability for a few years. Police has always been better funded than fire and he does not know the reason. They use the same assumptions for both. Trustee Robinson inquired why the valuation is changing from last year to this year. Principal Reitz said the Village's boards previously managed their own assets. They are now consolidated under the Pension Consolidation Act for all pension funds in the state so we no longer get that Village of Oak Park Page 3 Printed on 7/6/2023 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes June 12, 2023 same level of detail. Trustee Buchanan inquired about the funded ratio for pension liability. Principal Reitz said that is market value assets divided by actual accrued liability. The years deferring gains will have a lower funded percentage; the years deferring losses will have a higher funded percentage. Trustee Buchanan noted that the Village is trying to get to 100% by 2040 and it has not increased since 2014. Principal Reitz said the reason is the amortization payment towards unfunded liability, which will grow with time. Trustee Parakkat asked about the levy. CFO Drazner said there is a $1.3M increase to pension contributions plus $300K toward the debt service fund for next year. If the board increases the levy 3%, $600K would still have to come out of the general fund. Trustee Parakkat asked if that includes the sales tax revenue increase. CFO Drazner said other taxes could come in very strong in the general fund. Manager Jackson added that he thinks the 3% would nearly cover the increase in the actuarial valuation. The Village will do the budget kick-off in July as usual. D. ID 23-294 Presentation on the Alternative Calls for Service Response Taskforce Report Manager Jackson and Deputy Village Manager Ahmad Zayyad introduced the Item. Riveredge Hospital CEO Allison Davenport and Community Mental Health Board (CMHB) Executive Director Cheryl Potts presented the Item. Trustee Robinson said she wanted to elevate the language diversity and encouraged staff to engage bilingual resources. She noted the inclusion of mental health support for police officers and encouraged staff to engage with Thrive or other resources to help our police force. Trustee Wesley highlighted the branding aspect which he thinks would help with visibility. He said he liked the monitor and improve section and having the metrics for success baked into the program to be able to know if this is working. Trustee Straw asked if they would prefer contracting out or creating a group within the Village. Director Potts said they looked at a few models nationally and one in McHenry County. There are pros and cons to both models and Village Staff might be able to drill down further and see what would work best here in Oak Park. Trustee Straw asked if Oak Park can coordinate with the 988 provider. Director Potts responded that Thrive only has its 10-digit phone number. When someone calls 988, they are connected with a licensed clinician in Village of Oak Park Page 4 Printed on 7/6/2023 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes June 12, 2023 the state. 80% of calls are resolved and stabilized on the phone and calls average 22 minutes. If a caller from Oak Park needs in-person care, they will be connected with a Thrive crisis worker. Efforts are being made at the state level to link 911 and 988 so a 911 dispatcher can transfer to 988. Currently 988 is able to transfer to 911. CEO Davenport added that she and Director Potts want to remain collaborative partners as adjustments are made at the state level. Trustee Enyia inquired about the response from the group that did not agree with the recommendations. CEO Davenport responded that the communication discussion was robust and it was a safe space for differing opinions. They'd like to continue having community feedback sessions as the plan is rolled out. Trustee Enyia inquired about the follow-up collaboration with law enforcement. CEO Davenport said they are thankful for their continued participation. Director Potts added that the level of commitment from OPPD and others who attended the meetings is impressive. Police Chief Shatonya Johnson expressed her appreciation for the taskforce members and collaboration. Fire Chief Ron Kobyleski added that it has been a great learning experience and he looks forward to working together to guide this forward. Trustee Parakkat asked what is the problem we are trying to solve. Director Potts responded that 150 calls annually to the police involve a mental health crisis. 400 calls annually go to the Thrive crisis line. The Fire Department receives 800 calls annually. We do not currently have a good assessment system at the dispatch level. The goal is to have better data and consistency as we get better systems in place. Post-COVID-19 we're seeing increased suicidal ideation and lack of resources. CMHB is focused on prevention and early intervention. Manager Jackson added that the proposal will include how we will measure accountability and monitor activities to determine success. Trustee Parakkat asked how to recruit for lived experience. Director Potts responded that the state-certified recovery support specialist includes training and an internship. Trustee Parakkat asked if the number of recurrences will be measured. CEO Davenport responded that piece of work needs to be organized and communicated and there is immense opportunity. Trustee Parakkat noted there are a lot of hand-offs and asked if it will be streamlined. Manager Jackson said we are trying to make sure the system is responsive and determine the best way to operationalize its oversight and coordination. CEO Davenport added that debriefing is a critical part of the process. Village of Oak Park Page 5 Printed on 7/6/2023 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes June 12, 2023 Director Potts said the 83% recommendation was around baking in DEI goals into first responders' annual performance reviews. Village staff, OPPD, and OPFD did not vote on the recommendations; only taskforce members voted. The 86% was about including education about 988 in addition to 911 for preschoolers. Trustee Straw inquired about the vision for where the hand-off occurs from the Village to another partner. CEO Davenport said that is why it is critical to have an individual who oversees that process and stays connected to the organizations. Trustee Buchanan inquired about next steps. Manager Jackson said the next step is for the internal staff team to continue to analyze the recommendations over the summer and operationalize a proposal for the Village Board to consider during the FY24 budget process. E. ID 23-298 Presentation on the Community Relations Commission’s 2023 Mini-Grant Program Process Chief DEI Officer Dr. Danielle Walker introduced the Item. Community Relations Commission Chair Jacquelyn Rodriguez presented the Item. Trustee Buchanan asked when the program started. Chair Rodriguez responded this is not the first year. The Commission took a hiatus and are now coming back. Trustee Parakkat asked if the $10K was always the same. Chair Rodriguez responded that it started at $2K in the first year and has grown. Trustee Robinson asked how the opening of the application process will be advertised. Dr. Walker responded that the Village will use its multiple communication channels including the Engage Oak Park website and building a network of outreach opportunities. Trustee Robinson requested specificity on the post-event progress report on whether that is 30 calendar days or business days. She wondered if there is any flexibility with ADA compliance. Dr. Walker responded that the staff liaison will have insight about event locations and ensure accessibility. Trustee Robinson asked if receipts would be required. Chair Rodriguez said the CRC would not request them if their follow-up documentation is sufficient. The application will state that they may be required. Manager Jackson said the grantee awards will continue to be included in the Village Manager's Report. Trustee Wesley wondered if the Village can do more to get more visibility for these projects once approved, like including them in OP/FYI, sending an email blast, and getting them on the website. Dr. Walker agreed with Village of Oak Park Page 6 Printed on 7/6/2023 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes June 12, 2023 elevating the CRC and grantees to build excitement. XI. Adjourn It was moved by Trustee Parakkat, seconded by Trustee Wesley, to Adjourn. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. Meeting adjourned at 9:45 P.M., Monday, June 12, 2023. Respectfully Submitted, Deputy Clerk Hansen Village of Oak Park Page 7 Printed on 7/6/2023