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, October 16, 2023 7:00 PM Village Hall I. Call to Order Village President Vicki Scaman called the Regular Meeting to order at 7:09 P.M. II. Roll Call 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. Agenda Approval President Scaman called for a sorrowful moment of silence for the collective grief we share surrounding the evolving tragedy occurring in the Middle East. It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Wesley, to approve the Agenda. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. IV. Minutes A. MOT 23-98 Motion to Approve Minutes from the September 11, 2023 Special Meeting and September 14, 2023 Special Meeting of the Village Board It was moved by Trustee Wesley, seconded by Trustee Straw, to approve the Minutes. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. V. Non-Agenda Public Comment Village Clerk Christina Waters read the following public comments into the record: Kenshata Harris: Are we housing migrants in Oak Park? If so, where? Will there be a town hall to voice opinions? Concerned homeowner. A lot of violence and other illegal things going on with the migrants. Brynne Hovde: The handful of tents at the District 15 police station has now become dozens. Oak Park's police station has zero tents. What will it take for Oak Park to step up and meet this moment. Village of Oak Park Page 1 Printed on 11/21/2023 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes October 16, 2023 Liz Lukehart: Calls on the Village to do more to support the asylum seekers in Chicago. Oak Park can and must do more, including setting up a dignified shelter and providing services. Yoko Terretta: Oak Park has enough to share with nearby districts. Please take swift and unified action to grant Village staff with authority to provide dignified and intentional shelter and services for asylum seekers. Lee Hasselbacher: Asks the Village to step up to this moment and do our fair share. Oak Park must set up dignified and intentional shelter and services for asylum seekers and live our Village's values. Amy Butler: Asks Village Board to put on the agenda to discuss a plan of action to support our new neighbors to seek asylum in our community and surrounding neighborhoods. Meghan Carter: Encourages the Village to do its fair share in supporting asylum seekers. Would like to see the Village and Oak Park Housing Authority provide additional housing vouchers immediately. Derek Eder: Urges the Village to step up in supporting asylum seekers in Chicago by setting up a dignified and intentional shelter and services. Oak Park cannot stand by and do nothing. John Bergholz: Asks the Village Board to issue a statement condemning the actions that began on October 7 when Israeli civilians were attacked by Hamas and others. Aya O'Connor: Demands the Village Board mobilize Village resources to provide dignified and intentional shelter and services and demonstrate your commitment to community and inclusion. President Scaman said the Village applied for $7.5M in funding from the U.S. Conference of Mayors and was awarded only $150K. She said she will be seeking answers on how to best move forward. The intention was to use those funds to support the social service agencies and community partners to assist migrants. She said it is a systemic problem that requires a systemic response and her hope is to keep the public informed. VII. Village Manager Reports B. ID 23-478 Review of the Village Board Meeting Calendar for October, November and December 2023 Village Manager Kevin Jackson reviewed the updated Village Board calendars for October, November, and December. Village of Oak Park Page 2 Printed on 11/21/2023 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes October 16, 2023 Chief DEI Officer Dr. Danielle Walker said the Village was awarded $150K and she is meeting with the grant's program managers to gain clarification on expectations and next steps, which she will then be able to share with the Village Board and public. VIII. Village Board Committees Trustee Enyia reported that the Oak Park Area Arts Council (OPAAC) had a ribbon-cutting last Saturday. He thanked the Village, Board, Senator Don Harmon, OPAAC, and artist Tia Etu. The mural represents the OPRF High School students who lost their lives too soon due to violence. IX. Citizen Commission Vacancies C. ID 23-476 Board & Commission Vacancy Report for October 16, 2023. There were no comments. X. Citizen Commission Appointments, Reappointments and Chair Appointments D. ID 23-479 Motion to Consent to the Village President’s Appointment of: Community Design Commission - Daniel Meeker, Appoint as Member Disability Access Commission - John Tuhey, Appoint as Member Housing Programs Advisory Committee - Maggie Santos, Appoint as Member Housing Programs Advisory Committee - Ryan O’malley, Appoint as Member Plan Commission - Paul Beckwith, Reappoint as Member Plan Commission - Jon Hale, Reappoint as Member Clerk Waters read the names into the record. It was moved by Trustee Wesley, seconded by Trustee Buchanan, that these Appointments be approved. 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 Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 XI. Consent Agenda Approval of the Consent Agenda It was moved by Trustee Wesley, seconded by Trustee Straw, to approve the items under the Consent Agenda. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: Village of Oak Park Page 3 Printed on 11/21/2023 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes October 16, 2023 AYES: 7- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 E. MOT 23-88 A Motion to Concur with the Transportation Commission’s Recommendations for Traffic Calming on the 1100 Block of Home Avenue F. RES 23-302 A Resolution Approving an Independent Contractor Agreement with Pavement Systems, Inc. for the 2023 Parking Lot Improvements Project in an Amount Not to Exceed $146,799.00 and Authorizing Its Execution This Resolution was adopted. G. RES 23-289 A Resolution Approving an Independent Contractor Agreement with J.L. Adler Roofing & Sheet Metal, Inc. for the South Fire Station Roof Replacement Project in an Amount Not to Exceed $185,720.00 and Authorizing its Execution This Resolution was adopted. H. RES 23-290 A Resolution Authorizing the Purchase of a Brine Xtreme Maker and a Brine X Truck Fill Station from Henderson Products, Inc. through the Sourcewell Joint Purchasing Program in an Amount Not to Exceed $115,000.00 and Waiving the Village’s Bid Process for the Purchase This Resolution was adopted. I. RES 23-310 A Resolution Approving an Intergovernmental Mutual Aid Box Alarm System Master Agreement for Participation in the MABAS System and Authorizing Its Execution This Resolution was adopted. J. RES 23-292 A Resolution Approving an Independent Contractor Agreement with A & B Landscaping & Tree Service, Inc. for Snow Plowing and Salting of Village Leased/Owned Parking Lots and Sidewalk Snow Shoveling for Fiscal Year 2024 in an Amount Not to Exceed $75,000.00 and Authorizing Its Execution This Resolution was adopted. K. RES 23-293 A Resolution Approving an Independent Contractor Agreement with G. A. Paving, LLC for Snow Plowing and Salting of Village Leased/Owned Parking Lots for Fiscal Year 2024 in an Amount Not to Exceed $75,000.00 and Authorizing Its Execution This Resolution was adopted. Village of Oak Park Page 4 Printed on 11/21/2023 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes October 16, 2023 L. RES 23-295 A Resolution Approving the Renewal of a Professional Services Agreement with Securitas Security Services USA, Inc. in an Amount Not to Exceed $819,000.00 for Security and Support Staff Services at Village Parking Structures and in an Amount Not to Exceed $78,000.00 for Security and Support Staff Services Provided at Village Hall from November 1, 2023 through December 31, 2024 and Authorizing Its Execution This Resolution was adopted. M. RES 23-291 A Resolution Approving a Contract with Marking Specialists Corporation for Project 23-15, Bike Boulevard Pavement Marking and Signage Improvements, in an Amount Not to Exceed $135,548 and Authorizing its Execution This Resolution was adopted. N. RES 23-296 A Resolution Approving an Amendment to the Independent Contractor Agreement with Oak Brook Mechanical Services, Inc. to Provide Emergency Mechanical System Repair and Maintenance Services at Village Owned Buildings to Change the Not to Exceed Amount From $15,000.00 to $35,000.00, Authorizing its Execution and Directing Staff to Prepare the Necessary Budget Amendment This Resolution was adopted. O. RES 23-297 A Resolution Authorizing the Execution of a Settlement Agreement in Workers’ Compensation Case Number 2023 WC 01442 This Resolution was adopted. P. ORD 23-92 An Ordinance Authorizing the Sale of Surplus Vehicles and Equipment Owned by the Village of Oak Park ..End Overview This Ordinance was adopted. Q. ORD 23-93 Concur with the Plan Commission and Adopt an Ordinance Amending Article 2 (“Definitions & Rules of Measurement”), Article 8 (“Uses”) and Article 10 (“Off- Street Parking & Loading”) of the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance regarding Electric Vehicle Charging Station Regulations This Ordinance was adopted. R. RES 23-299 A Resolution Approving an Amendment to the Contractor Services Agreement with ADO Professional Solutions, Inc., DBA Lee Hecht Harrison Recruitment Solutions, to Change the Not to Exceed Amount from $10,000.00 to $60,000.00, and to Extend the Agreement to January 19, 2024 and Authorizing its Execution This Resolution was adopted. Village of Oak Park Page 5 Printed on 11/21/2023 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes October 16, 2023 S. RES 23-300 A Resolution Approving an Amendment to Section VII (“Leave of Absences”) of the Village of Oak Park Personnel Manual to Adopt a New Military Leave Policy This Resolution was adopted. T. MOT 23-91 A Motion to Approve the Bills in the Amount of $11,593,089.49 from August 25, 2023, through September 29, 2023 This Motion was approved. U. MOT 23-93 A Motion to Approve the August 2023 Monthly Treasurer’s Report for All Funds This Motion was approved. V. RES 23-303 A Resolution Approving the 2024 Employee Health, Dental, Vision, Life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment, Accident, and Critical Illness Insurance Providers’ Plan Designs and Premiums and Authorizing Their Execution This Resolution was adopted. XII. Regular Agenda W. ID 23-439 An Overview by Metropolitan Mayors Caucus regarding Housing-Related Data Collected during Phase I of the Comprehensive Housing Study Update to the Homes for a Changing Region Report Village Planner Craig Failor introduced the Item. Ben Schnelle and Brad Winick of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus presented the Phase 1 Report. Trustee Parakkat inquired about the community input and taxation impact which he did not see in the report. Presenter Schnelle said property taxes were included in the analysis about home ownership affordability. It was identified as more of a challenge than a goal and is something they can explore more in the next phase. Trustee Parakkat said he would like to see that flushed out more. Trustee Parakkat referenced the age progression data and said it would be good to have a similar comparison on income distribution and get into the strategies of how to create housing supply for a landlocked community. Presenter Schnelle agreed this first phase is the "what" and the next phase will be the "how." Trustee Straw referenced the homeowner vacancy rate which has fallen to 1% since 2020 and wondered how that compares regionally and nationally. Village of Oak Park Page 6 Printed on 11/21/2023 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes October 16, 2023 Presenter Schnelle responded that it indicates high demand and its comparison to the city of Chicago is worth adding in the next version of this report. It is not uncommon to see a rate below 1% but not usually for that long a time period. A healthy rate is closer to 3% or 4%. Trustee Straw referenced the goal of minimizing future losses of moderately-priced homeowner housing and wondered why that should be the goal as opposed to increasing supply. Presenter Schnelle said it is thinking about the cost of new construction and the difficulty of creating new affordable or even moderately-priced housing. There are fewer state and federal resources to build affordable homeowner housing as opposed to rental housing. Trustee Straw said he hopes we are exploring all policy options to create opportunities for developing moderately-priced homeowner housing. He asked what constraints will be put on what is being proposed. Manager Jackson added the next phase will be deliberate and exhaustive to bring back information on strategies and identify gaps on what we should be doing to address the current and future needs. Trustee Robinson asked if an analysis of the current ordinance structure will be included in Phase 2. Presenter Schnelle responded that the inclusionary housing ordinance will be reviewed. Trustee Robinson noted the survey results are quite low. Presenter Schnelle responded that survey was advertised through the Village's newsletter and social media and it will be increased in the next phase with help from the Village's DEI office. Planner Failor added it was also on the Village website and focus group participants were asked to supply the information to their tenants, friends, and family. The commissioners also received information about it. The next phase will include a focus group for just renters and the DEI office will work to increase renter participation. Trustee Robinson suggested sending the survey to specific groups, which Presenter Schnelle said they will look into. Trustee Robinson referenced the percentage of renters who are cost burdened and wondered if they are already receiving Village assistance. Presenter Schnelle said the information from the census bureau includes everyone. Trustee Robinson said she wants to know whether the Village's efforts to provide assistance are hitting the mark or not. Manager Jackson said part of Phase 2 will evaluate the current policies and programs and how they are working and if new programs need to be created. Trustee Robinson noted the recommendation to continue with Climate Ready Oak Park (CROP). Presenter Schnelle said references to energy align with reducing greenhouse gas emissions and resiliency is aligning with adapting to climate impacts. He said both of these actions are considered within that goal. Village of Oak Park Page 7 Printed on 11/21/2023 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes October 16, 2023 Trustee Wesley requested to get data broken down by family size correlated with age, which Presenter Schnelle said he can look into. Trustee Wesley wondered why the 65+ age group increased but the 50-64 age group decreased. Presenter Schnelle said these are percentages of the community as a whole and there were fewer people in 2010 than in 2020 so the 50-64 group did not necessarily get smaller, it just didn't grow as fast as the 65+ group. Trustee Wesley inquired about a family needing to make two times the median income to afford a house that sells for the median sales price in Oak Park. Presenter Schnelle confirmed that is correct. Trustee Wesley asked if it includes the cost of property taxes. Presenter Schnelle confirmed the analysis did factor in property taxes. Trustee Buchanan said this is a very progressive community and she hopes they can be bold with their recommendations in Phase 2. President Scaman noted the housing vouchers are currently only 538 people which tells us we do not have enough assistance. She noted reducing utility costs can assist with affordability. X. RES 23-270 A Resolution Approving an Independent Contractor Agreement with Simple Recycling Illinois for the Implementation of a Residential Textile Recycling Pickup Program and Authorizing its Execution Environmental Services Manager Erica Helms presented the Item. Trustee Straw inquired about community outreach. Manager Helms shared a flyer and is working with the Communications department. The contractor is an engaged partner and handles marketing and customer service. Trustee Robinson inquired about the grading system for the clothing. Manager Helms said 10-20% of the materials collected are higher quality and re-sold and the remaining 80% can be recycled into clothing, industrial rags, or insulation or carpet padding. Trustee Robinson noted the mid-grade option is exported to international markets. Manager Helms said the contractor partners with an organization that works to employ people in recycling industries in other countries. Trustee Robinson said she is in support of this but expressed concerns about the U.S. giving its hand-me-downs to other countries with less capacity for waste management and environmental efforts. Manager Helms said she can provide more information about that specific tier. Manager Jackson said this decision can be delayed if the Village Board desires more information. Trustee Straw said he is in favor of moving forward now and monitoring and getting more information. Village of Oak Park Page 8 Printed on 11/21/2023 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes October 16, 2023 Trustee Buchanan inquired about the origin of this idea. Manager Helms said it came from residents who call the Village and ask what to do with their textiles. Trustee Buchanan said she would prefer to pause until we find out more from this for-profit company. Manager Helms noted they pay the Village 5 cents per pick-up and they provide community-specific data reports. The Village looked at other companies as well. Residents can use any container and print out a label. Trustee Parakkat said he would like to see it move forward and monitor it. Manager Jackson said it was put on the regular agenda because it is a new program. President Scaman said she will go with the will of the Board. Trustee Wesley said he is in favor of conditionally pushing this through. Trustee Straw noted that the termination provision allows the Village to terminate the agreement for its convenience. It was moved by Trustee Enyia, seconded by Trustee Buchanan, that this Resolution be adopted. 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 Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 Y. RES 23-285 A Resolution Approving an Amendment to an Independent Contractor Agreement with South West Industries, Inc. d/b/a Anderson Elevator Co. to Provide Elevator Maintenance and Repair Services to Increase the Not to Exceed Amount for FY 2023 from $39,000.00 to $50,020.00 to Provide for Mandatory Inspection and Testing Services Parking and Mobility Services Manager Sean Keane presented the Item. Trustee Wesley said he is in favor. Trustee Parakkat inquired if this will be for future years and if the cost differential will be the same, which Manager Keane confirmed it will. It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Wesley, that this Resolution be adopted. 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 Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley NAYS: 0 Village of Oak Park Page 9 Printed on 11/21/2023 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes October 16, 2023 ABSENT: 0 Z. ORD 23-95 An Ordinance Amending the Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Budget Interim Finance Director Donna Gayden presented the Item. Trustee Parakkat requested the year-to-date budget amendment amount and a comparison to previous years. Director Gayden said she will provide that information. President Scaman requested a distinction between carryovers and new amendments. Director Gayden said the $375K were carryovers of capital projects that span over more than one year. President Scaman said if this is approved by the Village Board, then the expenditures move forward. Manager Jackson noted that nearly all of the new funding requests are related to grants. Trustee Parakkat inquired about the $204K building improvement. Public Works Director Rob Sproule said it is associated with the Main Fire Station bunk room construction project which the Village Board approved. Trustee Robinson noted temp positions are being taken from salaries but firefighter overtime is not. Budget Management Analyst Arlene Pedraza said the salary ones are requested by the Human Resources department. Overtime is new funding that draws down on the fund balance. Trustee Robinson inquired if the overtime can come from the salary savings from the vacant positions. Analyst Pedraza said the expectation is there is still the process of hiring. There is a payroll savings account for vacancies that budgets for full staffing throughout the year. Trustee Robinson asked if the salary monies become a carryover into 2024 if the positions are not filled in 2023. Analyst Pedraza said the Village uses year-end projections and carries the payroll turnover savings account so we are properly budgeting for staffing for the year. Manager Jackson explained the quarterly amendment process is a standard feature and routine practice of municipal budgeting. It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Wesley, that this Ordinance be adopted. 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 Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 Village of Oak Park Page 10 Printed on 11/21/2023 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes October 16, 2023 AA. MOT 23-99 A Motion to Adopt the Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for FY 2024-2028 as Reviewed and Discussed by the Village Board’s Finance Committee on September 11, 2023 and September 26, 2023 Director Gayden presented the Item. Trustee Parakkat requested to approve the CIP at the next meeting. Manager Jackson said it can be put on the October 30 agenda. Director Gayden clarified the transfer was $6M--$3M from ARPA and $3M from reserves. Trustee Parakkat inquired about drawing $6.5M from the fund balance through the course of the year. Net we are spending $12M-$13M over and above the revenues we have for this year. Director Gayden clarified the $3M from ARPA goes into the general fund and then is transferred to the CIP. Manager Jackson said the Village has used a combination of ARPA lost revenue and fund balance to address capital improvement needs. Last year was $6M and this year proposes $6M again. Trustee Parakkat noted the fund balance last year was $6.5M which is extra expenditure. Next year we will not have ARPA and it will be a big impact come 2025. Manager Jackson agreed the Village will not have ARPA and will use what is customary using dedicated revenue and/or issuing debt. Trustee Parakkat said he is not comfortable voting on it just yet and wondered if there is a way to conserve so we go into next year with some capital improvement fund balance. Manager Jackson said more time can be spent to understand the difference between the capital improvement budget and the operating budget and this illustrates the need for the Village to do financial planning. President Scaman noted these are investments and also basic services to residents. Trustee Parakkat said he understands it is difficult to cut in certain areas but he thinks staff can be asked what they would de-prioritize for each fund. Manager Jackson said staff went through a review process and did reduce many outstanding items and made a recommendation that was consistent with previous years to avoid issuing debt until we can work together on a long-term financial strategy. Trustee Parakkat said he is not saying to cut $3M but to have some high, medium, and low options to consider. President Scaman asked if he wants the Village Board to go through the same process as the Finance Committee. Trustee Parakkat said no. Manager Jackson said the Village Board approves appropriations one year at a time and approves a five-year plan each year. Staff presented the changes that were reflected based on the Village Board's direction in previous discussions. Trustee Village of Oak Park Page 11 Printed on 11/21/2023 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes October 16, 2023 Parakkat said he would like to go through those discussions, see something like this, and then figure out the implications and have a conversation about what works and does not work. Manager Jackson said we are talking about $5M in dedicated revenue, projects that are carrying forward reflected in these numbers, and additional funding via ARPA lost revenue and $3M from the fund balance to advance the projects we've discussed. Trustee Parakkat said also depleting the CIP fund balance from $6M to $6K. Director Gayden said that is a carryover. When you have a high-ending balance in a CIP, the largest portion are projects that keep carrying over from one year to the next. Trustee Parakkat said it would be good to understand the split between the $6M and $5.2M and how that is moving around from year to year. Manager Jackson said the $6.5M is obligated and is not fund balance. Director Gayden noted some of the $6.5M is savings. Trustee Robinson said her concern is so many of the CIP projects are construction-related and dependent on raw materials. She said it would be helpful to understand to what extent reducing or delaying projects may increase costs later. Director Gayden predicted costs will increase because there is a presidential election next year. Trustee Straw said a CIP is never going to be budget neutral and this seems like a responsible approach. He inquired whether the three years of budgeted amounts are what the Village expects would be required to fully implement the neighborhood greenways plan and whether it is possible to accelerate its implementation. He said he is consistently hearing from residents that they do not feel safe walking and biking around the Village. Village Engineer Bill McKenna said the five-year CIP is showing $165K annually for construction of the bike boulevard network. The Village does not have a complete construction cost for that network. If there is a desire to accelerate its implementation, staff would recommend designing out the system to understand what costs would be. Trustee Straw said this Village Board needs to take transportation safety seriously and accelerate the rate of planning and funding. He noted the budgeted number for traffic calming next year is lower than the amount spent this year and it seems likely the Village will process more petitions in 2024 with assistance from the outside consultants. Engineer McKenna said the number is a placeholder and will depend on what the Transportation Commission is considering. The Village Board will be engaged on each item and budget amendments may be needed. Trustee Straw said he would like to see that number increased to what we expect it to be rather than coming back with budget amendments. He said he would also like to prioritize putting funds into high-impact climate items now. Village of Oak Park Page 12 Printed on 11/21/2023 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes October 16, 2023 President Scaman said she would like the meeting to end by 10:30 P.M. It was moved by Trustee Buchanan, seconded by Trustee Straw, to continue the meeting past 10:00 P.M. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. Trustee Buchanan said she noticed the protected bike lane exploration on Ridgeland, which she is happy to see. The bikeways plan is separate and not necessarily harmonized with the protected bike lanes. She recommended having a study session on biking to come up with a plan we can all agree on. engineer McKenna said the Village did add an item for updating the bike plan. Trustee Robinson said she supports having a study session to understand and mitigate drawbacks. She said she recently heard a lot of discontentment with protected bike lanes in Ann Arbor, MI and Providence, RI. Engineer McKenna said the bike plan update would involve the Village procuring consultant services to lead that effort. President Scaman asked if the Vision Zero consultant could assist with the bikeways plan. Engineer McKenna said the consultant Sam Schwartz does a lot of bike planning and would likely submit a proposal to update the bike plan. President Scaman asked if it could be added to their current contract. Engineer McKenna said the Village can ask Sam Schwartz about their capacity and expertise to do it. President Scaman said we do not want to invest and then have to make changes a year later. Trustee Straw said the value for protected bike lanes does not detract from the value of having neighborhood throughways. He said his big concern is slowing this down again instead of doing the thing. He said he might vote no if he does not see it at the October 30th meeting. Manager Jackson asked if the greenways plan should be the focus instead of the discussion about an updated vision around what this Board wants to see. Trustee Straw and President Scaman said they are fine with both. President Scaman said staff are being asked to evaluate whether the budget in the greenways plan is enough to see something significant and doable in this next year and staff will schedule a study session to have a deeper assessment of protected bike lanes. Engineer McKenna said the Village would need to hire a consultant for the study session so Q2 may be more realistic. He said the Village can look at increased funding levels for implementation of the neighborhood greenways plan. Trustee Wesley said he supports the most aggressive thing the Village can do around bike, traffic, and pedestrian safety. He said we should use our streets better. He said the main capital fund dedicated reserves is Village of Oak Park Page 13 Printed on 11/21/2023 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes October 16, 2023 consistently $5.5M every year, which is not nearly enough and alternate revenue sources need to be identified. He said we need to invest in capital improvements which benefit residents. Manager Jackson noted that the Police are a part of bike, traffic, and pedestrian safety. It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Wesley, to table the motion to the October 30th meeting. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 7 - Trustees Straw, Wesley, Buchanan, Enyia, Parakkat, Robinson, and President Scaman NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 XIII. Call to Board and Clerk Trustee Straw said he talked to four fourth grade classes about local government and they showed passion and asked insightful questions. Trustee Robinson acknowledged the end of Hispanic Heritage Month and thanked the organizers and participants. There were phenomenal events including the language access listening session which highlighted the need for services. Trustee Parakkat said in this meeting, the Village Board first discussed affordability being the key community input and in the spending discussion all he heard was more money is needed to spend. He said he doesn't see those two things reconciling. The need for service and the lack of affordability is always going to be a tension and we have to be judicious in terms of how we spend our money. He acknowledged there are horrible things happening around the world. We are entering a season of celebrations and he wants to be sure we take the kindness and love from these festivals into the community and show restraint. President Scaman said it is difficult to balance needs, wants, and service. She thanked Trustee Enyia, Camille Wilson White, the artists, and supporters for the beautiful and thoughtful memorial mural. She thanked Trustee Robinson and others' efforts for the Hispanic Heritage Month activities. XIV. Adjourn It was moved by Trustee Wesley, seconded by Trustee Straw, to Adjourn. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. Meeting adjourned at 10:46 P.M., Monday, October 16, 2023. Respectfully submitted, Deputy Clerk Hansen Village of Oak Park Page 14 Printed on 11/21/2023