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, October 8, 2024 7:00 PM Village Hall I. Call to Order Village President Vicki Scaman called the Regular Meeting to order at 7:14 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 It was moved by Trustee Enyia, seconded by Trustee Robinson, to approve the Agenda. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. V. Non-Agenda Public Comment There was no non-agenda public comment. VI. Proclamation A. MOT 24-248 A Motion to Approve a Proclamation Recognizing Fire Prevention Week - October 6-12, 2024 Trustee Wesley read the Proclamation into the record. Oak Park Fire Marshall Mark Thompson accepted the Proclamation. It was moved by Trustee Wesley, seconded by Trustee Straw, that this Motion be approved. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. B. MOT 24-249 A Motion to Approve a Proclamation Recognizing Ageism Awareness Day - October 9, 2024 Trustee Straw read the Proclamation into the record. Aging in Communities (AIC) Chair Marc Blesoff accepted the Proclamation and made remarks. The AIC is sponsoring a program with Ashton Applewhite at the Nineteenth Century Club on October 9 at 6:00 pm. It was moved by Trustee Enyia, seconded by Trustee Straw, that this Motion be approved. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. Village of Oak Park Page 1 Printed on 12/4/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes October 8, 2024 C. MOT 24-250 A Motion to Approve a Proclamation Recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day - October 14, 2024 President Scaman read the Proclamation in a pre-recorded video on the Village website. It was moved by Village Trustee Wesley, seconded by Village Trustee Enyia, that this Motion be approved. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. VII. Village Manager Reports D. ID 24-485 Presentation by OP-CAN on Climate Coaches Program Chief Sustainability Officer Lindsey Roland Nieratka introduced the Item. Oak Park Climate Action Network (OPCAN) Climate Coaches Pam Tate, Derek Eder, Nick Bridge, Cindy Klein-Banai, Daniel Becker, Mac Robinet, and Amy Rosenthal presented the Item. Trustee Parakkat said the marketing associated with the energy efficiency did not work as well as we would have hoped. He said he wants to make sure the marketing effort takes in some of the learnings so that we have a more effective campaign because Village dollars were spent on it. An OPCAN representative responded that she took advantage of the Com Ed assessments as a homeowner and did not find it helpful so she did not recommend it to others. Trustee Straw said he would be supportive of making sure we are doing more to get the word out. He acknowledged that researching these projects can be overwhelming and may be a reason people aren't doing them. Trustee Enyia expressed his appreciation for the presentation. Trustee Wesley acknowledged the regional leadership. He recommended making the permitting process easier and more straightforward and adding this program to the holiday gift guide and including it in every issue of OP/FYI. He said he would support more funding for this initiative. Trustee Robinson said this program is creating touch points by talking to people, giving them practical suggestions, and showing them what that looks like in homes. President Scaman acknowledged the collaboration and positivity of OPCAN and likes the idea of doing a video to promote on social media. VIII. Village Board Committees & Trustee Liaison Commission Reports There were no comments. IX. Citizen Commission Vacancies Village of Oak Park Page 2 Printed on 12/4/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes October 8, 2024 E. ID 24-491 Board and Commission Vacancy Report for October 8, 2024 There were no comments. X. Citizen Commission Appointments, Reappointments and Chair Appointments F. MOT 24-252 A Motion to Consent to the Village President’s Appointment of: Zoning Board of Appeals - Kimberly Zeiser, Appoint as Member President Scaman read the name into the record. It was moved by Trustee Wesley, seconded by Trustee Straw, that this Motion be approved. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. XI. Consent Agenda Approval of the Consent Agenda It was moved by Trustee Robinson, seconded by Trustee Wesley to approve the items under the Consent Agenda. 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 G. RES 24-291 A Resolution Approving the Renewal of a Professional Services Agreement with Thompson Elevator Inspection Service, Incorporated for a One-Year Term in an Amount not to Exceed $65,000 and Authorizing its Execution. This Resolution was approved. H. RES 24-292 A Resolution Approving the Renewal of the Professional Services Agreement with HR Green, Inc. to Provide Plan Review and Inspection Services in an amount Not to Exceed $1,151,077 in 2025 and Authorizing its Execution. This Resolution was adopted. I. RES 24-297 A Resolution Authorizing a Single-Family Housing Lead Hazard Reduction Grant (SFR-103) This Resolution was adopted. J. RES 24-299 A Resolution Approving a Contract with STF, LLC d/b/a Traffic Control Company for Project 24-15, Bike Boulevard Pavement Marking and Signage Improvements, in an Amount Not to Exceed $191,979 and Authorizing its Execution Village of Oak Park Page 3 Printed on 12/4/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes October 8, 2024 This Resolution was adopted. K. RES 24-301 A Resolution Approving a Task Order for Professional Engineering Services with V3 Companies, Ltd. for Design Engineering Services for the 2025 and 2026 Bike Boulevards Project in an Amount not to exceed $145,442 and Authorizing its Execution This Resolution was adopted. L. RES 24-302 A Resolution Approving a Contract with Alliance Contractors, Inc. for Project 24-20, Bike Boulevard Concrete and Electrical Improvements, in an Amount Not to Exceed $436,458 and Authorizing its Execution This Resolution was adopted. M. MOT 24-241 A Motion to Approve the Bills in the Amount of $5,410,075.32 from September 9, 2024, through September 26, 2024 This Motion was approved. XII. Regular Agenda N. MOT 24-253 Discussion and Motion to Accept the Board of Health’s Recommendation to Ban Unregulated THC in Oak Park and Direct Staff to Prepare the Necessary Documents Deputy Village Manager Lisa Shelley introduced the Item. Board of Health Chair Dr. Christina Welter and Public Health Nurse Kitty Monty presented the Item. Trustee Enyia thanked the Health Department for bringing this to the Village Board and said he hopes we can act accordingly. Trustee Buchanan said it is appalling and she is strongly in favor of the ban. Trustee Wesley asked how many of the exposure cases and hospitalizations were in Illinois. Nurse Monty said the numbers provided are national but she can see if statewide numbers are available. He asked about staff's recommendation to ban instead of regulate. Nurse Monty said unlike alcohol, when consumers purchase a Delta-8 product, they do not know the concentration or synthesis. Once labeling is provided, regulation could be considered. Dr. Welter added there is no known research around the impact of the synthesized Delta-8. Trustee Wesley noted that we do know the effects of alcohol and tobacco and we do not ban them. It also sends a mixed signal that we legalized weed but not this weed. He said he supports a ban for anyone under 21. The state of Illinois has declined to regulate and ban thus far. He inquired Village of Oak Park Page 4 Printed on 12/4/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes October 8, 2024 about enforcement. Manager Jackson said the Village does enforcement on a complaint basis and the ordinance would include the staff resources required. Development Services Director Emily Egan said the Village would work with our business license officers who do routine commercial inspections and education and work closely with the Police Department. President Scaman asked how we know who is selling if it is not an illegal product. Director Egan said Development Services would work with the Health Department to identify the substances that would not be allowed. Dr. Welter made the distinction that unlike alcohol or tobacco, we are at the beginning of this journey and adults do not know what is in it. Because we are unsure, we can do something about it. Trustee Wesley responded what we do know about alcohol and tobacco is that they kill people and we do not know if this substance kills anyone. If we just ban it in Oak Park, no one will find it difficult to find it somewhere else. He said he thinks adults can make their own decisions. Trustee Robinson agreed with Trustee Wesley about the inefficacy of a ban. If we don't have enforcement down solid, the ban is essentially useless. The purpose of a home rule municipality is to create local solutions for local problems and this is not a local problem. The right perspective is to see what our higher level government authorities are doing, which is attempting to regulate. She said Rep. LaShawn Ford pointed out that a ban reverses the social and criminal justice goals sought by legalizing cannabis in Illinois. If we regulate from the licensing perspective, that actually addresses the enforcement piece as well. Trustee Robinson asked if there has been any engagement with those retailers in the past year. Director Egan said she is not aware of any engagement with those retailers. She said this presentation was given recently at the Business Association Council and we got feedback from a lot of the business community leaders. Trustee Robinson emphasized the importance of partnership and the Village should definitely engage with these retailers. If we are looking for compliance, that is the way to do it. Trustee Straw said he thinks the way we handle the sale of cannabis products might be a reasonable approach and the sales taxes and licensing fees to sell Delta-8 products can support the enforcement. He said he is concerned about the public health impact of people using these products though he noted that if you are getting carded, it reduces the likelihood of buying it without knowledge that it has a psychoactive effect. He said we can take measures to have an impact on the public health issues with Delta-8. Village of Oak Park Page 5 Printed on 12/4/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes October 8, 2024 Trustee Parakkat said he is not a big fan of a ban or regulation and we have commissions and experts in health to inform us of that perspective. He requested more clarity on where the federal and state regulation processes are and how we can be more aligned with that. He said he would also like to know the costs associated with the enforcement the next time this is brought back to the Board. Trustee Enyia said he is glad to hear there will be conversations with stakeholders and he would want to know how this impacts business owners. The Village does not have a way of enforcing it. He asked if the Village is able to use our same home rule authority to take people who are using this similar method of working around THC barriers as dispensaries. Village Attorney Marcus Martinez said unregulated THC by its nature is unregulated. A home rule municipality is not preempted from instituting a tax. Trustee Enyia said he would recommend looking at that as an option. Trustee Buchanan said she completely supports marijuana legalization and adults choosing to do whatever they want with it. This is about food products that are landing people in emergency rooms and companies that are purposely marketing these products to fool people. She noted the state of Illinois requires motorcyclists to wear helmets. That is public health. It is passing regulations to protect people's own health sometimes against their will in order to have a healthier society. This is the prevention of an unknown substance from making our residents ill. She said she remains supportive of the ban. President Scaman referenced language from the state bill written by Senator Lightford. She noted that the state is not proposing an all-out ban. She said she would like to see how close Oak Park can get to what the state is presenting. Dispensaries can only sell regulated but gas stations can sell unregulated. She asked if we can ban for under 21 and put warnings in these locations. Manager Jackson said the Board would have to enact a ban and a requirement that allows the Village to do that. Right now all we can do is provide education. Trustee Straw said he is in favor of licensing 21 and under and taxing the sale of THC products with the fees funding the enforcement. He said all of the ban and enforcement would be with regards to the sale rather than possession. Trustee Wesley said he agreed with that. Trustee Parakkat said he would need additional information and has not yet reviewed Senator Lightford's proposal. President Scaman said a friendly amendment is needed to consider regulating THC products in Oak Park for the sale of under 21 with research Village of Oak Park Page 6 Printed on 12/4/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes October 8, 2024 on where the state is with their bills and the possibility of taxing and what enforcement looks like. Manager Jackson said the friendly amendment is to not accept the recommendation of the Board of Health and to direct staff to return to the Board with an ordinance to regulate Delta THC products for anyone 21 and over, research federal and state legislation on the topic and the possibility of a tax on these products and cost of enforcement. This ordinance is to regulate the sale and not penalize possession of Delta THC products. Trustee Straw made the friendly amendment, which was seconded by Trustee Enyia. It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Enyia, that this Motion be approved as amended. The motion was approved as amended. The roll call on the vote was as follows: AYES: 6- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley NAYS: 1- Village Trustee Buchanan ABSENT: 0 O. RES 24-298 A Resolution to Approve a Community Development and Housing Loan Forgiveness Policy Trustee Wesley recused himself from this Item because he has one of the home loans that will be discussed. Assistant Village Manager/Neighborhood Services Director Jonathan Burch presented the Item. Trustee Robinson said she thinks this is an excellent idea and inquired about CDBG dollars. Director Burch said two-thirds of the funds come from CDBG dollars and that has been increasing over time. The CDBG money has an expiration date though the revolving loan fund doesn't have timeliness requirements associated with it. The intention is for all of the $4M to be eligible for this loan forgiveness program. She said she thinks the guidelines should be stricter and there should be a dollar amount threshold for a loan that is available for loan forgiveness. She said she would like to look at the source of funding more closely. She said she would be more comfortable having grant dollars forgiven assuming the guidelines are met. Director Burch said the loans extended through the general fund are primarily related to those older housing bonds. She said she has hesitation with doing it with taxpayer dollars because the loans were not initially extended with the understanding that forgiveness Village of Oak Park Page 7 Printed on 12/4/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes October 8, 2024 would be a possibility. She said there should be a consequence for forgiven loans to preclude the recipient from either applying for another loan or for loan forgiveness for another loan. She said verifiable documentation from a third party should be also worked into the guidelines. She expressed concern that there is not enough in the Housing Trust Fund right now to fall under the loan forgiveness program. She recommended building in forgiveness criteria into the loan documentation. Director Burch said staff have been thinking about including that at the front end of the process. She said her priority is to benefit as many residents as possible. Trustee Parakkat asked if this Item is time sensitive. Director Burch said the Village has an open request right now from the Oak Park Residence Corporation (OPRC) and wants to ensure a comprehensive an equitable approach to address this overall. Manager Jackson said it is to have appropriate management protocols in place and criteria to evaluate those equity decisions revolving around our goals of advancing and preserving affordable housing. Trustee Parakkat asked if there is a way in applicable situations to make it a grant instead of a loan. He said he finds the terminology misleading because we are getting CDBG funding which is grant funding. Director Burch said the Village does that already through some of its programs. For example, the emergency rehab program is given as a grant to a homeowner. Neighborhood Services staff have a plan to go back and revisit the structure of our single-family rehab program. Manager Jackson said it is a common practice in community development to advance affordable housing and it can get complex to defer forgivable loans as opposed to a grant. Trustee Parakkat noted that having the long-term commitment is the reason it is given as a loan and not a grant. He asked if that same logic is applicable to an entity like OPRC. Manager Jackson said it could be and depends on the situation. Trustee Parakkat said he is definitely not in favor of taxpayer dollars being part of the forgiving aspect. He asked if there is any way to link these to the Climate Ready Oak Park (CROP) goals. Director Burch said that is possible and the criteria offers that flexibility if that is the will of the Board. Trustee Parakkat said he would support that to use grant dollars to improve our housing stock. Trustee Straw said creating a process will make it more equitable. He recommended creating a simple application form in multiple languages on the Village website that is a straightforward process for a homeowner to apply. If the intent is to give a grant, we should give a grant. If the intent is for it to be a forgivable loan, it should be a forgivable loan with clear Village of Oak Park Page 8 Printed on 12/4/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes October 8, 2024 criteria. It should be harder for organizational loan recipients to receive loan forgiveness than for individuals. He said he is supportive of this policy. Trustee Buchanan asked who makes the loan forgiveness decisions now. Director Burch said the Village Board decides. She expressed concern is that these parameters for the governing committee are pretty nebulous. It is giving a lot of responsibility for commissions about their willingness to take on this responsibility. She asked if the Village Board has ever said no. Director Burch said he does not believe so. She said she is supportive. Manager Jackson said he does not feel comfortable putting staff in a position to make decisions without any defining criteria that is supported by the Board. The way it is currently designed, all decisions would go to the Village Board, including those within the Village Manager's spending authority which is okay with him. President Scaman said CDBG and HUD funds were intended to make a difference in low and middle-income households in our Village so loan forgiveness is completely in line for why we have them. It is not taxpayer dollars. She said she is very much in favor of this. It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Robinson, to extend the meeting past 10:00 P.M. A roll call vote was taken and the motion was approved. The roll call was as follows: AYES: 6 - Trustees Buchanan, Enyia, Parakkat, Robinson, Straw, President Scaman NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1 - Trustee Wesley It was moved by Trustee Robinson, seconded by Trustee Straw, that this Resolution be adopted. 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 Straw NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 RECUSED: 1- Village Trustee Wesley P. ID 24-471 Study Session on Homeownership Programs Manager Jackson said staff are comfortable tabling this Item at the request of the Village Board. It is not time sensitive and will be rescheduled. XIII. Call to Board and Clerk There were no comments. Village of Oak Park Page 9 Printed on 12/4/2024 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes October 8, 2024 XIV. Adjourn It was moved by Trustee Enyia, seconded by Trustee Robinson, to Adjourn. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. Meeting adjourned Tuesday, October 8, 2024 at 10:03 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Deputy Clerk Hansen Village of Oak Park Page 10 Printed on 12/4/2024