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, March 4, 2025 6:30 PM Village Hall I. Call to Order Village President Vicki Scaman called the Regular Meeting to order at 6:32 P.M. II. Roll Call Trustee Robinson joined the meeting at 6:35 P.M. Present: 6- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley Absent: 1- Village Trustee Robinson III. Consideration of Motion to Adjourn to Executive Session to Discuss Pending Litigation It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Wesley, 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 Enyia, Village Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1- Village Trustee Robinson V. Reconvene to Regular Meeting in Council Chambers and Call to Order The Regular Meeting reconvened at 7:01 P.M. VI. 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 VII. Agenda Approval It was moved by Trustee Wesley, seconded by Trustee Straw, to approve the Agenda. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. VIII. Minutes Village of Oak Park Page 1 Printed on 3/19/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 4, 2025 A. MOT 25-134 A Motion to Approve Minutes from the January 22, 2025 Special Meeting and the February 11, 2025 Regular Meeting of the Village Board. It was moved by Trustee Wesley, seconded by Trustee Robinson, to approve the Minutes. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. IX. Non-Agenda Public Comment There was no public comment. X. Village Manager Reports B. ID 25-263 Review of the Updated Village Board Meeting Calendars for March 2025. Village Manager Kevin Jackson presented the updated Board meeting calendar for March. XI. Village Board Committees & Trustee Liaison Commission Reports Village Clerk Christina Waters announced the digital onboarding system is a go for new commissioners. XII. Citizen Commission Vacancies C. ID 25-244 Board and Commission Vacancy Report for March 4, 2025 There were no comments. XIII. Citizen Commission Appointments, Reappointments and Chair Appointments D. MOT 25-133 A Motion to Consent to the Village President’s Appointment of: Liquor Control Review Board - Todd Kuna, Reappoint as Commissioner Zoning Board of Appeals - Seth Jansen, Appoint as Member Clerk Waters read the names 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: 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 XIV. Consent Agenda Approval of the Consent Agenda Village of Oak Park Page 2 Printed on 3/19/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 4, 2025 It was moved by Trustee Robinson and 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 E. RES 25-110 A Resolution Approving a Second Amendment to a Professional Services Agreement and Software License and Support Agreement Between Passport Labs, Inc., a Division of Passport Parking, and the Village of Oak Park to Provide Payment Merchant Solutions for the Village's Flowbird (Cale) Pay Stations and Authorizing Its Execution. This Resolution was adopted. F. RES 25-151 A Resolution Approving an Extension of an Independent Contractor Agreement with Thrive Counseling Center for an Additional Six-Month Term Through October 31, 2025, in an Amount Not to Exceed $83,000 and Authorizing its Execution. This Resolution was adopted. G. RES 25-156 A Resolution Authorizing the Submission of a Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Green Infrastructure Partnership Program Application for the 2026 Green Alleys Project This Resolution was adopted. H. RES 25-157 A Resolution Approving a Task Order for Professional Engineering Services with Edwin Hancock Engineering Co. for Construction Engineering Services for Alley Improvements in 2025 in an Amount Not to Exceed $198,520 and Authorizing its Execution This Resolution was adopted. I. RES 25-158 A Resolution Authorizing the Execution of a Professional Services Agreement with The Lakota Group, Inc. to prepare an Update to the Roosevelt Road Plan, titled “A Plan for the Redevelopment of Roosevelt Road - A Joint-Municipality Study of the Roosevelt Road Corridor” in Collaboration with the City of Berwyn. This Resolution was adopted. J. RES 25-160 A Resolution Authorizing the Purchase of One 2025 John Deere 320 P Backhoe Loader from West Side Tractor Sales of Lisle, Illinois through the Sourcewell Joint Purchasing Program in an amount not to exceed Village of Oak Park Page 3 Printed on 3/19/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 4, 2025 $122,224.09 and Waiving the Village’s Bid Process for the Purchase This Resolution was adopted. K. RES 25-161 A Resolution Authorizing the Use of Motor Fuel Tax Funds in the amount of $1,811,680.00 for the Maintenance of Streets in the Village of Oak Park for Fiscal Year 2025 This Resolution was adopted. L. RES 25-162 A Resolution Authorizing the Submission of a Fire Station Construction and Rehabilitation Grant Application to the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal to Rehabilitate Station 3 and Approval of any Subsequent Agreements and Authorizing their Execution This Resolution was adopted. M. RES 25-176 A Resolution To Adopt The Update Of The Cook County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan This Resolution was adopted. N. ORD 25-123 An Ordinance Authorizing the Sale of Surplus Vehicles and Equipment Owned by the Village of Oak Park This Ordinance was adopted. XV. Regular Agenda O. ORD 25-110 An Ordinance Amending the Table of Contents for Article 12 (“Ordinance Administrators”), Amending Article 5 (“Commercial Districts”), Amending Article 7 (“Design Standards”) and Amending Article 12 (“Ordinance Administrators”) of the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance Regarding the Community Design Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals Development Services Director Craig Failor presented the Item. President Scaman noted that she spoke to the members of the Community Design Commission about their interests. It was moved by Trustee Wesley, seconded by Trustee Straw, 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 P. ORD 25-111 An Ordinance Amending Chapter 7, Article 7 (“Sign Code”) relative to Eliminating references to the Community Design Commission in the Oak Park Village Code Village of Oak Park Page 4 Printed on 3/19/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 4, 2025 There was no discussion. It was moved by Trustee Robinson, 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 Q. ORD 25-112 An Ordinance Amending Chapter 2 (“Administration”), Article 18 (“Community Design Commission”) of the Oak Park Village Code and Various Other Provisions to Eliminate the Community Design Commission and Reassign its Duties. There was no discussion. It was moved by Trustee Wesley, seconded by Trustee Straw, 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 R. ID 25-243 A Study Session on the Draft Recommendations and Objectives Outlined in the Economic Vitality Strategic Plan Prepared by Consultant Camoin Associates, Inc. Manager Jackson and Economic Vitality Administrator Brandon Crawford introduced the Item and Camoin Associates Senior Vice President Dan Gunderson presented the Item. Trustee Robinson asked if the individuals needing to be hired have a specific skill set. VP Gunderson said you do not need staff to be technology specialists to understand a good customer relationship management (CRM) software. He recommends creating a dashboard. Manager Jackson said the Village uses Power BI and has those capabilities. She asked if the consultants interacted with our Civic Information Systems Commission (CISC). VP Gunderson said they did not. Manager Jackson said CISC can review the Village's applications around technology. The entire organization is interested in CRM to better deliver on customer service and track and report out on all of our business activities, including the open data portal which will be published in the near future. Village of Oak Park Page 5 Printed on 3/19/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 4, 2025 She requested clarification on the role of the Oak Park Economic Development Corporation (OPEDC), OPEDC Board, and Economic Vitality Commission. VP Gunderson said their recommendation is to reinstitute the OPEDC. Manager Jackson said we are discussing a modified version of it. It would be advantageous for us to have a public-private partnership with the operations being managed out of the Village Manager's Office through the economic vitality staff. The Open Meetings Act (OMA) would govern the OPEDC meetings. She requested more information about the formalized regional partnerships. VP Gunderson said they are not recommending formal agreements but rather regular outreach and communications with regional partners. President Scaman asked who would be leading the OPEDC. Manager Jackson said the strategic plan should drive the agenda. Programs and policies are developed at the staff level with input from the commission that then go to the Village Board for adoption. The OPEDC will be guided by Village policy. The appointments will come through the public process and here at the Village Board. Trustee Parakkat inquired about the economic vitality cabinet. VP Gunderson said that is an internal team of department heads. Trustee Parakkat asked if the OPEDC Board can be expanded and combined as a single entity. VP Gunderson said they see the commission as providing a policy perspective and being more broad-based. With the OPEDC, you need board members with technical expertise in finance, real estate, and entrepreneurial ventures and small businesses. Trustee Parakkat expressed concern about the time commitment of the commissions. Manager Jackson said if the Village had an Economic Vitality Commission, we would get their input on the policy before bringing it to the Board. The policy would guide the work of the OPEDC in partnership with the staff. Trustee Parakkat said the quantification of some of the aspects of strategies is missing. It will be good to understand where we are and where we want to go with women and minority-owned businesses. Director Crawford said we can get numbers on those as we continue to collect demographic data on our business composition. Manager Jackson said if the Board adopts the policy, the Village will be in a position to respond more favorably and efficiently to new businesses. Trustee Parakkat asked if the K-12 entrepreneurship training program will Village of Oak Park Page 6 Printed on 3/19/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 4, 2025 be done in partnership with the school districts. Director Crawford said there are opportunities to explore partnerships with D97, D200 and other community youth organizations that are well positioned to take on this work as well. Manager Jackson said the thinking is collaboration and partnerships so there is coordination in providing an easy on-ramp for the young population we are trying to serve. Trustee Parakkat inquired about the costs of getting this off the ground. Manager Jackson said the additional position is already budgeted. Trustee Parakkat inquired about the inspection process. Manager Jackson said the Village has a Business Services liaison who is dedicated to helping our businesses navigate Development Services' processes. Trustee Straw asked what barriers exist in Oak Park to begin attracting nightlife experiences. Camoin Associates Director of Strategic Planning Lindsay Johnson said they heard a real interest in activating different commercial corridors which do not have all equal economic vitality. The barrier is intentional design and investment and marketing around these different corridors and how we can bring them alive. President Scaman said you cannot have just one venue, you have to create a corridor to create an experience. Trustee Straw inquired about the timeline for outcomes. Manager Jackson said the quicker we adopt the plan, the better so we can go on offense and be aggressive. Staffing recruitments are underway and we can move quickly into implementation. Trustee Enyia said you have to be intentional. Creating a nightlife doesn't just happen unless you build the surrounding pieces around it. Trustee Buchanan said she is happy with how thorough and informative this is and she feels really positive about it. She asked if the Village Manager agrees with everything in this consultant's report. Manager Jackson said he spent a lot of time with the consultants and he does support it and is excited about this position we are evolving to. Trustee Wesley said building the operational foundation is important and will serve the Village well. He said the "why" is lacking, particularly the challenges minority-owned businesses face. VP Gunderson said black homeownership drives every housing recommendation in this report and it needs to be corrected. Camoin Associates Economic Data and Research Analyst Connor Allen said 35% of the black population in Oak Park are homeowners which is below the rates of the county, state, and nation. That trend continues across other racial categories as well. Village of Oak Park Page 7 Printed on 3/19/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 4, 2025 Trustee Wesley inquired about the retail leakage at gas and convenience stores. VP Gunderson said if someone wants to make a fast buck, they'll go where the fast cars are. Residents may be fine with that. You could also capture limited service restaurants. President Scaman said you want to look at where the traffic is going, particularly during the commute toward I-290. Trustee Wesley said there is no differentiation between the things that are potentially too expensive or inconvenient versus the things that are not present like nightlife and he would like to see that analysis. He inquired about attracting remote workers and younger folks. VP Gunderson said the population is very well educated and professional. A lot more work can be done locally and home-based. Then businesses are spending their dollars within the community. To do that, you need to fill some of these gaps. Some can be done through messaging that the building is open for this type of business. Director Johnson said there was an interest in modernizing the co-working spaces available which the Village would play a supporting role. President Scaman said you also need a gym, coffee shop, and places to eat lunch they can walk to. She said we could try to solicit the Micro Brew Review vendors to bring a microbrewery here. Trustee Wesley said he does not see any ROI here. VP Gunderson said economic impact analysis wasn't part of the scope, though they do a lot of that as a firm. He said they wouldn't have put these strategies in here if they weren't going to be revenue generators. This will have a difference and it will be significant and seen within five years. Trustee Wesley said it would be helpful to have an estimate. He questioned the recommendation for outdoor dining on Roosevelt Road which he doesn't think people will want to do. VP Gunderson said the point is to get some on-street vibrancy. He asked about enabling enhanced transit for the medical corridors. Both the green and blue CTA lines and #12 Bus go to the medical districts. VP Gunderson said you really want to make sure that those in the medical profession could get back and forth easily and safely and comfortably. He said he appreciates the recommendation to bring back the OPEDC as he did not want to get rid of them. He expressed concern about how it would function as an extended entity of staff but somehow independent and setting up a complicated structure of the cabinet, commission, and the OPEDC. Manager Jackson said the only thing that is new is the commission and we are bringing the OPEDC closer to the staff and Board to make the system more efficient. He added that we need to be looking at how we can strategically connect minority entrepreneurs to flexible capital. Village of Oak Park Page 8 Printed on 3/19/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 4, 2025 President Scaman said it's fair to be cautious as we flesh out the scope and purpose of a commission. She said she thinks the finance piece and the cultural relevancy piece are separate. She said she is happy to see a place for the talented members of the OPEDC Board. She said she is looking for something that is able to adjust easily with the changing landscape of opportunity. This is making something systemic and hopefully long-lasting and intentional with our goals of what we want to see happen. It will take time and investment. XVI. Call to Board and Clerk Clerk Waters wished a happy birthday to Trustee Straw. Early voting starts Monday, March 17 through March 31. If anyone has questions, feel free to contact the Clerk's Office at 708-358-5670. Trustee Enyia sent condolences to the Good family. Jackie was a longtime TA at Hatch. Trustee Wesley noted the report doubles down on the fact that our housing strategy is in need of change and we need more housing, more missing middle, and more next increment housing. He congratulated Craig Failor on his promotion to Director of Development Services. XVII. 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 9:43 P.M., Tuesday, March 4, 2025. Respectfully submitted, Deputy Clerk Hansen Village of Oak Park Page 9 Printed on 3/19/2025