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, May 21, 2024 6:00 PM Village Hall I. Call to Order Village President Vicki Scaman called the Regular Meeting to order at 6:05 P.M. II. Roll Call Trustee Wesley joined the Meeting at 6:51 P.M. Present: 5- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley Absent: 2- Village Trustee Buchanan, and Village Trustee Robinson III. Agenda Approval It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Enyia, to approve the Agenda. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. IV. Minutes A. MOT 24-173 A Motion to Approve Minutes from the May 7, 2024 Regular Meeting of the Village Board It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Enyia, to approve the Minutes. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. V. Non-Agenda Public Comment Chris Donovan: Shared a handout of recent public notices including the car wash at Austin and Roosevelt. Expressed concerns about who makes public comments and both sides not being represented. VI. Proclamation B. MOT 24-162 A Motion to Approve a Proclamation Recognizing May 2024 as Monarch Butterfly Month Trustee Straw read the Proclamation into the record. Civil Engineer Abby Zielinski presented on the Item. It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Parakkat, that this Motion be approved. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. Village of Oak Park Page 1 Printed on 6/5/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes May 21, 2024 C. MOT 24-174 A Motion to Approve a Proclamation Recognizing National Foster Care Month in Honor of Merry Beth Sheets and Hephzibah Home President Scaman read the Proclamation into the record. CEO Nancy Dorfman Schwartz accepted the Proclamation. It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Enyia, that this Motion be approved. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. D. MOT 24-175 A Motion to Approve a Proclamation Recognizing June 7, 2024 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day Village Clerk Christina Waters read the Proclamation into the record. Susan Parks, representing Oak Park/Austin Area Moms Demand Action, accepted the Proclamation and made remarks. Celine Woznica also made remarks. Jenna Leving Jacobson joined the Meeting via Zoom. It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Enyia, that this Motion be approved. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. VIII. Village Board Committees Trustee Enyia reported the Citizens Police Oversight Committee voted 4-3 in favor of cancelling Flock cameras. Their recommendation will be presented at the June 4 Village Board meeting. Village Manager Kevin Jackson noted the May 28 Board meeting is a follow-up work session for the Board to engage with the staff, facilitator, and financial experts to further evaluate the options for building a police station and/or redeveloping Village Hall. Two firms will provide presentations in response to an RFP for long-term financial planning. The meeting will take place in Room 101 at Village Hall. XI. Consent Agenda President Scaman called for a short recess from 6:41 P.M. to 6:50 P.M. Approval of the Consent Agenda It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Enyia to approve the Items under the Consent Agenda. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 4- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, and Village Trustee Straw NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 3- Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Robinson, and Village Trustee Wesley E. RES 24-206 A Resolution Authorizing the Submission of an Application with the Illinois Department of Public Health for a Respiratory Surveillance and Outbreak Response Grant with a Requested Funding Amount of $250,000 to Support Village of Oak Park Page 2 Printed on 6/5/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes May 21, 2024 the Continuation of Surveillance and Outbreak Responses for Respiratory Diseases This Resolution was adopted. F. RES 24-209 Resolutions to Approve Intergovernmental Agreements for the Purchase of Fuel at the Village’s Fueling Facility and Authorizing Their Execution 1. A Resolution Approving an Intergovernmental Agreement with Oak Park Elementary School for the Purchase of Fuel 2. A Resolution Approving an Intergovernmental Agreement with Oak Park and River Forest High School for the Purchase of Fuel 3. A Resolution Approving an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Oak Park Public Library for the Purchase of Fuel 4. A Resolution Approving an Intergovernmental Agreement with Oak Park Township for the Purchase of Fuel 5. A Resolution Approving an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Park District of Oak Park for the Purchase of Fuel This Resolution was adopted. G. RES 24-210 A Resolution Approving an Intergovernmental Agreement between the Village of Oak Park and the Park District of Oak Park for Vehicle Repairs and Maintenance and Authorizing its Execution This Resolution was adopted. H. RES 24-211 A Resolution Approving a Purchase Price Agreement with Ferguson Enterprises, LLC, d/b/a Ferguson Waterworks for Water Meter Reading Equipment in an Amount not to Exceed $110,000.00, Authorizing its Execution and Waiving the Village’s Bid Process for the Agreement This Resolution was adopted. I. RES 24-212 A Resolution Approving a Professional Services Agreement with Fresh Coast Capital LLC., d/b/a GreenPrint Partners, LLC. for Program Design for the Village’s RainReady Program in an Amount Not to Exceed $60,500 and Authorizing Its Execution This Resolution was adopted. J. RES 24-213 A Resolution Approving a Contract with Trine Construction Corp. for Project 24-1, Sewer and Water Improvements, in an Amount Not to Exceed $3,986,000 and Authorizing its Execution This Resolution was adopted. K. RES 24-214 A Resolution Approving a Task Order with Baxter & Woodman, Inc. for Construction Engineering Services for Project 24-1, Sewer and Water Village of Oak Park Page 3 Printed on 6/5/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes May 21, 2024 Improvements, in an Amount Not to Exceed $319,800 and Authorizing its Execution This Resolution was adopted. L. RES 24-216 A Resolution Approving a Task Order with Baxter & Woodman, Inc. for Design Engineering for Project 25-13, South Pump Station Emergency Generator, in an Amount Not to Exceed $73,000 and Authorizing its Execution This Resolution was adopted. XII. Regular Agenda M. ID 24-283 A Presentation on Becoming a Certified Welcoming City Manager Jackson introduced the Item. Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer Dr. Danielle Walker presented the Item. Trustee Straw noted the audit process and working with other experts will help us to identify what we are doing well, where we have weaknesses, and what we can improve. This is about establishing an iterative process towards improvement. He inquired about the associated costs and staff time. Dr. Walker said it was a $9K cost to participate but our community was awarded a scholarship for this process. Welcoming America has designated staff that are working directly with the DEI office. Trustee Straw said he is happy to be supportive. Trustee Parakkat noted that he is an immigrant and said he likes that it is ongoing incremental progress. He inquired if schools are involved. Dr. Walker said the DEI office has reached out to D97 and D200 to get started in this process and identify key individuals. Trustee Parakkat requested definitions for the terms "immigrant" and "inclusive." Dr. Walker said it is important to be intentional about the language we are using. "Immigrant" and "non-U.S. citizen" are not synonymous and can be different for first generation, second generation, and third generation. Trustee Parakkat expressed concern that we have a broken immigration system at the national level and wondered what will be our responsibility versus a state or federal responsibility. Dr. Walker said it is about expanding the spectrum of how we are defining immigrants. She said this process will look at our current policies, broaden our understanding, and how are we being intentional when thinking about marginalized communities and what it means to be an immigrant. Trustee Parakkat said when we make it broad, we will be in the place we were in Fall 2023 when we have a certain segment of that broad definition Village of Oak Park Page 4 Printed on 6/5/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes May 21, 2024 that is a byproduct of our broken national system that comes to our community and we spend local tax dollars in a very inequitable and inefficient manner. He said he does not want this to set the stage for something like that to happen. He prefers we think through those scenarios and be clear that there are exclusions there as well in order to protect us as a local government so can manage the scope of what we can take on. He said he would like to see the term "immigrant" defined more clearly. Manager Jackson said this process is an opportunity to determine what type of community we want to be and will not put us in a situation where we are everything to everyone. We will be able to focus on who we want to be and how we define immigrant inclusion and creating a space for people who are here to feel like they belong. Trustee Parakkat said the Village needs to determine this scope, not Welcoming America. Dr. Walker agreed for the need to define what it means to be an immigrant here and continue to receive feedback. She said she is hopeful this process will increase our efficiencies in how we are being responsive to immigrant needs in our community. Trustee Parakkat noted the Village does not have the ability to provide work permits. President Scaman acknowledged the hard work of the staff and community members and disagreed with the comment that the funds were used inefficiently or inequitably. She said the state and federal dollars we used were committed by other elected officials for the purpose of migrant services so they were not misused. Trustee Parakkat said even if the tax dollars are coming from the state or federal level, what we spent was $20K per immigrant. If those same dollars were spent in a different context, they would have been spent more efficiently. President Scaman said Housing Forward spends between $18K and $35K to house everyone they assist. Trustee Wesley requested clarification if we are talking about undocumented immigration or inclusive immigration including undocumented immigration. Dr. Walker said the Welcoming America standard is not something that is specifically focused on undocumented immigrants but rather looking at expanding our understanding of the immigrant story. The process of the program is tailored to the community which is important to having an equitable approach. Trustee Wesley asked if the framework is solely focused on immigration or if it is designed to be inclusive from a welcoming standpoint. Dr. Walker said the genesis around Welcoming America is thinking about being intentional in how we are defining it, what it means to our community, and what that looks like. Trustee Wesley said he believes there are a lot of things in here that apply to communities in Oak Park that are not immigrants and would be beneficial, particularly to the black community. He said he would like to see Village of Oak Park Page 5 Printed on 6/5/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes May 21, 2024 this star rating lens applied to all of the major demographic communities here in Oak Park. Dr. Walker agreed that this is a gateway to how this can be applied to other community groups. Manager Jackson said this also applies to economic development assistance programs. Trustee Enyia said he likes the direction of trying to be more intentional and put a blueprint around how we become more efficient and answer the questions and take a holistic approach to this and continue the conversations so we are more inclusive, understanding, and educated. Trustee Straw said he likes that any program would be applicable to others in our community and noted we are concurrently conducting a racial equity assessment with UIC. We need to celebrate the diversity of the immigrant experience and not be exclusive about what that definition looks like as we go through this process. Trustee Wesley said the key to feeling welcome is to be intentionally addressed. He questioned how welcoming is the average home sale price of $500K in Oak Park. President Scaman said she is fully supportive and said it would be wonderful to embrace all cultures. She agreed with the importance of intentionality and not limiting our definitions so that we can welcome as many cultures as possible. N. ID 24-291 Options for Honoring and Memorializing the Distinguished Life, Achievements, and Legacy of Former Oak Park Resident, Dr. Percy L. Julian & Presentation on Preliminary Policy Framework for Future Candidates Manager Jackson introduced the Item. Development Services Deputy Director Brandon Crawford presented the Item. Trustee Wesley noted that Trustee Robinson brought this motion forward and was very happy with the work when she reviewed the presentation. He acknowledged Trustee Enyia has been doing a lot of work to help on this issue as well. Trustee Wesley said he wants everything that was outlined for Dr. Percy Julian and he thinks it is well overdue. He wants the walk of fame, the branded corridor and focus around the house. He suggested renaming Chicago/Austin the Dr. Percy Julian business district. Trustee Enyia said it is called the Soul Corridor on the Chicago side and they are using it as a redevelopment strategy. Trustee Wesley said he would also love to add an economic incentive for minority businesses established in that corridor. We should get a historic plaque for his house from the OPRF Museum. He said he thinks the peer review and the CRR review could be condensed one step. Director Crawford said the thought process was to have the CRR review Village of Oak Park Page 6 Printed on 6/5/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes May 21, 2024 incorporate any comments from the peer review. Trustee Wesley said he would like to see an expedited process where something can come directly to the Board to be voted on. Trustee Enyia thanked Faith Julian and said she wants to see anything this Board can do for the memory of her parents. He acknowledged the efforts of Trustee Robinson and former Trustee Taglia. He said he agrees with everything and wants to get D97 and D200 involved. He said he likes the ideas of the walk of fame and property improvement assistance. He noted Dr. Percy Julian loved tulips and suggested a way to honor that annually. Trustee Wesley said feeling welcome is about seeing yourself in the space. There are a lot of black folks who can see themselves in Dr. Percy Julian if we elevate him. This is what we are talking about in building a welcoming, diverse, and inclusive community. Trustee Parakkat said he is in favor of the walk of fame which can build a community and the Chicago corridor which can fuel the future from a business perspective. He said he likes that we have a structured process in place and said it is a great starting point. Trustee Straw said he would like to move forward with the walk of fame near Scoville Park. He suggested something more uniquely Oak Park than a star. He said he likes the business district and the broader branded corridor and he loves the pedestrian crosswalk design. He said the framework approach makes sense. He said before we officially give recognition to an individual, it makes sense to ask if this is someone who signifies the ethos of this Village, which Dr. Percy Julian certainly does. Just because someone is historically significant does not mean they are someone who we want to lift up and endorse. President Scaman said she likes the idea of coming up with something other than a star to make it uniquely Oak Park. She said she wants to be sensitive to our relationship with the city of Chicago and be culturally competent and reflective in how we engage there. She said she supports minority-business incentive programs, art in the crosswalk, and the branded district around the home. She said she wants to work with the family to address the home's needs. She said she is fining with naming districts and facilities but expressed concern with naming streets because there are so many people to recognize that it would dilute their importance and the Village would be flooded with requests. Trustee Wesley said he is fine with excluding the naming of a street in favor of naming a corridor. Trustee Enyia agreed. XIII. Call to Board and Clerk Village of Oak Park Page 7 Printed on 6/5/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes May 21, 2024 Clerk Waters sent her deepest condolences to the family of Harriet Gillem Robinet. She was the first black female author Clerk Waters had ever seen when Harriet visited Longfellow Elementary. Trustee Enyia expressed his condolences to the Robinet family and for Kevin McCole who was a treasurer in River Forest for many organizations. He thanked Trustee Buchanan and Assistant to the Village Manager Erin Baynes for coordinating the bike ride during National Bike Month. Trustees Wesley and Parakkat and Manager Jackson also extended their condolences to the Robinet family. President Scaman expressed her condolences and noted Harriet Robinet was a microbiologist before becoming an author. She also thanked Trustees Buchanan and Wesley and Assistant Baynes. XIV. Adjourn It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Wesley, to Adjourn. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. Meeting adjourned at 9:03 P.M., Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Respectfully submitted, Deputy Clerk Hansen Village of Oak Park Page 8 Printed on 6/5/2024