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 11, 2025 6:30 PM Village Hall I. Call to Order Village President Vicki Scaman called the Regular Meeting to order at 6:34 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 Wesley, to approve the Agenda. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. IV. Minutes A. MOT 25-140 A Motion to Approve Minutes from the February 18, 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. V. Non-Agenda Public Comment There was no public comment. VI. Proclamation B. MOT 25-135 A Motion to Approve a Proclamation Celebrating Monarch Butterfly Month May 2025 President Scaman read the Proclamation into the record. It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Robinson to approve the Proclamation. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. C. MOT 25-141 A Motion to Approve a Proclamation Recognizing Holi - Festival of Colors April 5, 2025. Trustee Parakkat read the Proclamation into the record. Village of Oak Park Page 1 Printed on 5/14/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 11, 2025 It was moved by Trustee Wesley, seconded by Trustee Parakkat, to approve the Proclamation. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. VII. Village Manager Reports D. ID 25-245 A presentation by Mark Pruitt of Illinois Community Choice Aggregation Network (ICCAN) and Sharon Alegado of MC Squared on the status of municipal aggregation and community solar programs in Oak Park Village Manager Kevin Jackson introduced new Finance Director Carrie Marckess. Director Marckess shared her background. Deputy Village Manager Ahmad Zayyad introduced Illinois Community Choice Aggregation Network (ICCAN) Principal Mark Pruitt. Principal Pruitt presented the Item. MC Squared Energy Vice President of Sales and Marketing Sharon Alegado presented additional information. Trustee Buchanan asked who decides who is participating in the programs. Principal Pruitt said all consumers are allowed to participate. Opt-out letters go to those consumers that have a low profile indicating they can be served at a rate that is competitive to the Com Ed rate. Trustee Straw inquired about MC Squared's business model. VP Alegado said they review the entire portfolio to determine which accounts are eligible and determine the cost to serve. VP Alegado said the base is $2,500 which equates to a base of 5,000 accounts. Anything over that would be 50 cents per account. He asked what margins MC Squared is seeing per account and if that is a place for negotiation in the future. VP Alegado said she can provide that information to staff. They do outreach twice a year and the number of accounts can increase. Trustee Straw asked how many additional subscribers can be accommodated with the community solar projects. Principal Pruitt said each project is about 2,000 kilowatts in size. The average subscription in Oak Park is about 5kw so they could serve an additional 800 accounts provided that people sign up. Trustee Straw asked if it's possible to opt the old projects into the single billing. VP Alegado said that is in discussion. Principal Pruitt noted that an individual community solar project must be billed entirely on either the dual bill or the Com Ed bill. Trustee Robinson requested to have the contract sent to the Village Board. She clarified that the question is what is their profit margin in this arrangement. She said over the last three years we have seen a significant drop in our municipal contribution which is why there is this focus on municipal contribution. It is the primary funder of our sustainability fund and seeing that significant decrease year over year is concerning as we look forward and try to step into funding some sustainability-type projects. Village of Oak Park Page 2 Printed on 5/14/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 11, 2025 Trustee Robinson asked if there is any reason they don't do cost to serve of served accounts since we are only at about 50% of our total eligible accounts. VP Alegado said they are only charging the Village for the accounts that are participating, not for the entire portfolio. VP Alegado said they are not charging the Village for outreach and she can inquire if it is possible to increase the outreach. Trustee Robinson requested the correlation between Com Ed prices and the Village's contribution. Principal Pruitt said Com Ed's price is based on energy, capacity, and transmission. Each has a different allocation for every account. The capacity charge is allocated to everybody. Those with higher demand will have the greatest burden. That increases the cost to serve for some customers. MC Squared looks at every account to see which they can serve for less than Com Ed. As the Com Ed price goes up, the volume of accounts served and the compensation will go up. ICCAN works directly for the Village to advise on the structure of the program and the selection of the vendor. Trustee Parakkat inquired about the civic payment. Principal Pruitt said the compensation used to be on a pro rata basis and the determination to go to the $2,500 per month base was determined to be preferable by the Village because it gave a better yield municipal contribution. Trustee Parakkat asked if it is possible to go back to the old model. VP Alegado said they can take a look at the time of the re-analysis to determine what makes sense and is agreeable to the Village. Trustee Parakkat asked what our realistic expectation should be for the future. Principal Pruitt said he can run the numbers and report back to staff. Trustee Buchanan said she thought the municipal aggregation changed to opt in rather than opt out. Principal Pruitt said it is still an opt out, which was approved through the Village's referendum. She asked if there is still a wait list for the community solar. VP Alegado said any Oak Park resident or small commercial that has been on the wait list has received an offer. Trustee Straw said he thinks getting a share of the profit between the cost they're serving and the price they're charging is reasonable. Trustee Wesley asked if the per kilowatt hour tax can be levied directly. Attorney Smith said the Village has the ability to impose a tax on electric use. He said he is not sure if there is a cap on that tax or if the Village is currently imposing it so staff can take a look at that. Trustee Wesley said he thinks it's a great way to diffuse the responsibility across the entire Village. President Scaman noted C4 is finalizing an agreement to provide energy Village of Oak Park Page 3 Printed on 5/14/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 11, 2025 efficiency upgrades and solar plus battery storage in up to 2,800 low and moderate income homes in Oak Park and our surrounding communities. VIII. Village Board Committees & Trustee Liaison Commission Reports There were no reports. IX. Citizen Commission Vacancies E. ID 25-267 Board and Commission Vacancy Report for March 11, 2025 There were no reports. X. Citizen Commission Appointments, Reappointments and Chair Appointments F. MOT 25-139 A Motion to Consent to the Village President’s Appointment of: Citizens Police Oversight Committee - C. Thor Martin, Appoint as Commissioner It was moved by Trustee Enyia, seconded by Trustee Straw, 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 XI. First Reading G. ORD 25-133 A First Reading of an Ordinance Amending Chapter 8 (“Business Licensing”) of the Oak Park Village Code Prohibiting the Sale of Intoxicating Hemp and Kratom Products to Underage Persons Dr. Janice Makela: Oak Park resident and physician in hospice palliative care geriatrics. She said this is a good idea and urged having an age restriction to ensure kids do not get access to this. Judith Alexander: She recommended the signage warn of dangers. A special license should be required to sell the products and the fee should cover enforcement and background checks. Penalties, enforcement, and performance standards should be stated in the ordinance. Public Health Director Greg Olsen presented the Item. Trustee Straw said he wants to make sure we do the public health notice as soon as possible. He said he thinks the prohibited packaging is somewhat vague and he is concerned about how enforcement of that will take place and be predictable. Director Olsen said staff specified that it Village of Oak Park Page 4 Printed on 5/14/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 11, 2025 was the actual package and not the product itself inside the package. Attorney Smith said the prohibited packaging language concepts were taken in part from Sen. Lightford's bill and Rep. La Shawn Ford's bill. Trustee Straw asked if enforcement will start with a warning. Attorney Smith said it will and the ordinance has a June 1 enforcement commencement date to allow staff to educate the sellers ahead of time. Staff's approach is to seek compliance and then increase the intensity of enforcement. Trustee Straw said he is supportive. Trustee Robinson asked if the language saying penalties are subject to the adjudication process can be strengthened by ordinance. Attorney Smith said in the Village Code, there is a general penalty that applies to a violation of the code where none other is stated. The minimum fine is either $25 or $50 and the maximum fine is $750 per violation which is per act which violates a requirement of the code. She asked if that would be difficult for adjudication to apply. Manager Jackson said he does not think so. She asked if outreach has been done to all businesses. Director Olsen said the Development Services department has reached out to every licensed business within Oak Park. The licensing inspectors also went out and visited each of the establishments that we know sell the product. A few are being followed up with this week to reach the business owner. Trustee Robinson said she is happy to apply the standard penalty structure. Director Olsen said the Public Health department approaches it as an educational moment in the field to gain compliance. She asked if the Village provides the signage. Director Olsen said the Village requires what the signage has to say. Trustee Wesley asked what would happen if a business is found to be selling to a kid. Attorney Smith said the hearing officer would decide on a case-by-case basis given the business' history and severity of the violation. If a licensed business repeatedly violates the code, there is an opportunity to suspend or revoke their business license as an ultimate measure. Trustee Wesley inquired about the profit for the businesses. Director Olsen said he does not know the profit margins off the top of his head. Trustee Wesley said he thinks selling to a minor should be the maximum $750 penalty every time and he is fine with the sliding scale for the rest. Trustee Parakkat asked if enforcement is reactive or proactive. Director Olsen said that will be determined by the June 1 enforcement date. Other municipalities do complaint-based and sting operations similar to underage tobacco sales. Manager Jackson said specific enforcement recommendations will come back to the Board. Village of Oak Park Page 5 Printed on 5/14/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 11, 2025 Trustee Straw said he supports a set fine on the upper end of that range for sales to underage individuals. For a certain number of violations in a set period of time, it would make sense for there to be a suspension of the business license until the business owner can demonstrate they have taken appropriate steps to resolve that issue. He said he would love to see the enforcement be proactive with sting operations. Trustee Robinson said she would like to know staff's thoughts about creating a bespoke set of penalties for one ordinance. She said she can see the benefit in uniformity and still have an ordinance that has teeth. She said she would not want to see a different set of penalties which would make it harder for business owners to follow. Manager Jackson said staff can address those questions when they come back to the Board. Trustee Enyia recommended partnering with Oak Park Township and said this is an opportunity for business owners to take that first step forward. The penalties need to be there so people understand the severity of doing this. This is a step in the right direction and enforcement needs to be addressed. We are not here to make money off of people, this is to make sure that we are keeping our community safe. President Scaman agreed with partnering with the Township and D200. Attorney Smith clarified the ordinance does not apply to underage persons who purchase products. It is only a regulation on the sale of products. XII. Consent Agenda Approval of the Consent Agenda It was moved by Village Trustee Robinsonand seconded by Village Trustee Enyia 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 H. MOT 25-131 A Motion to Approve the Bills in the Amount of $4,202,745.46 from February 1, 2025, through February 28, 2025. This Motion was approved. I. RES 25-159 A Resolution Approving a Professional Services Agreement with T.Y. Lin International Great Lakes Inc. for the Completion of an Electric Shuttle Feasibility Assessment in an Amount Not to Exceed $58,114 and Authorizing Its Execution. Village of Oak Park Page 6 Printed on 5/14/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 11, 2025 This Resolution was adopted. J. RES 25-163 A Resolution Approving an Intergovernmental Agreement between the Village of Oak Park and the Illinois Public Works Mutual Aid Network (IPWMAN) for Mutual Aid Network Participation and Authorizing Its Execution This Resolution was adopted. K. RES 25-165 A Resolution Approving an Employee Leasing Agreement with MGT of America Consulting, LLC for an Interim Chief Financial Officer In an Amount Not-to-Exceed $225,000 and Authorizing Its Execution This Resolution was adopted. L. RES 25-166 A Resolution Approving a Retainer Agreement for Village Attorney Services and Authorizing its Execution and Directing Staff to Prepare the Necessary Budget Amendment. This Resolution was adopted. M. RES 25-168 A Resolution Approving a Professional Services Agreement with RJN Group, Inc. for Sewer Manhole Inspections and Condition Assessments in an Amount Not to Exceed $99,700, Authorizing its Execution, and Waiving the Village’s Bid Process for the Agreement This Resolution was adopted. N. RES 25-170 A Resolution Approving a Contract with ERA-Valdivia Contractors, Inc. for Project No. 24-14, Bridge Rehabilitation Program, in an Amount not to Exceed $995,668 and Authorizing its Execution This Resolution was adopted. O. RES 25-171 A Resolution Approving a First Amendment to the Limited Environmental Indemnity Agreement Between 427 Madison, LLC. and the Village of Oak Park for the Property located at 427 Madison Street and Authorizing its Execution This Resolution was adopted. P. RES 25-172 A Resolution Approving A Lease Agreement Between The Village Of Oak Park And Pilgrim Church Of Oak Park And Authorizing Its Execution This Resolution was adopted. Q. RES 25-173 A Resolution Authorizing the Submission of an Invest in Cook Grant Application for the 2026 Neighborhood Greenway Construction Project This Resolution was adopted. Village of Oak Park Page 7 Printed on 5/14/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 11, 2025 R. RES 25-174 A Resolution Authorizing the Purchase of Three 2025 Ford Hybrid Maverick Pick-Ups from Currie Motors of Frankfort, Illinois, in an Amount not to exceed $94,635.00 and Waiving the Village’s Bid Process for the Purchase This Resolution was adopted. S. RES 25-175 A Resolution Approving an Amendment to the Renewal of an Independent Contractor Agreement with Cerniglia, Co. for 2025 Emergency Water and Sewer Repair Work to Increase the Not to Exceed Amount from $40,000.00 to $95,826.33.00, Authorizing its Execution and Directing Staff to Prepare the Necessary Budget Amendment This Resolution was adopted. T. RES 25-177 A Resolution Authorizing the Rebuilding of one Tandem Axle Dump Truck Through the Purchase and Installation of Certain Equipment from Lindco Equipment Sales, a Division of Viking-Cives in an Amount Not to Exceed $102,665.00 and Waiving the Village’s Bid Process for the Rebuilding This Resolution was adopted. U. RES 25-178 A Resolution to Authorize the Execution of a Purchase and Sales Agreement with the Cook County Land Bank Authority to Acquire the Property at 6336-38 Roosevelt Road This Resolution was adopted. XIII. Regular Agenda for Items Pursuant to Village Code Chapter 3 Alcoholic Liquor Dealers or Related V. ORD 25-132 Concur with the Liquor Control Review Board and Adopt an Ordinance Amending Chapter 3 (“Alcoholic Liquor Dealers”), Article 8 (“List of Licenses for Each License Class”), Section 3-8-1 (“Number of Licenses Permitted to be Issued Per License Class”) and Section 3-8-2 (“Licenses by Name and Address Per License”) of the Oak Park Village Code for the Issuance of a Restaurant Class B-1 Liquor License to Seoul Ave Corporation dba Seoul Ave Trustee Parakkat recused himself from voting on this Item. Attorney Smith presented the Item. Seoul Ave owner Minha Sung provided additional information. 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: 6- Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Wesley NAYS: 0 Village of Oak Park Page 8 Printed on 5/14/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 11, 2025 ABSENT: 0 RECUSED: 1- Village Trustee Parakkat XIV. Regular Agenda W. ID 25-271 A Study Session on Updating the Village’s International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) from the 2009 Edition to the 2024 Edition, and Proposed Changes to Chapter 22 (“Streets and Sidewalks”) to Adopt Regulations for Maintenance of Parkways Fronting or Abutting Parcels or Lots Manager Jackson and Assistant Village Manager/Neighborhood Services Director Jonathan Burch introduced the Item. Code Compliance Manager Tina Brown presented the Item. Chief Sustainability Officer Lindsey Nieratka provided additional information. Trustee Buchanan asked if the West Cook Wild Ones agreed with the 36" height, which Director Nieratka confirmed. Trustee Buchanan said she has a problem with the turf grass having to be maintained so it does not have any bare spots. Building Codes Advisory Commission Chair Tim Kelly said the commission discussed weeds. When grass reaches 8" it becomes prairie landscaping which they thought would look better. Trustee Buchanan said she disagreed and would like that to be struck from these amendments because she does not want to require people to have their turf grass look better because it will probably require fertilizer and pesticides and she does not want to promote pristine turf grass for our village because it is not natural. Chair Kelly said he thinks these would be extreme examples. Trustee Straw provided examples of vehicles driving over grass and leaving large ruts versus kids riding their bikes over grass. Manager Brown said it is typically due to abandoned construction sites. Trustee Buchanan requested to move the language about bare areas of soil. Turf grass lawns are biologic dead zones. Trustee Wesley questioned if this should be called turf maintenance. We should be regulating the safety caused by ruts rather than the appearance. Trustee Straw said many residents participate in No Mow May. While the Village was participating in it, we were issuing citations to others who were participating in it and he wants to ensure that does not happen again. He wondered if it should be included in the ordinance that the Village will not enforce the 8" height limitation during the month of May. Manager Brown said her understanding is that was a temporary ordinance that has not gone into effect anymore. She said during that time the Village did not issue any citations. Village of Oak Park Page 9 Printed on 5/14/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 11, 2025 Trustee Straw said the definition of native garden references the definition of cultivated garden which refers to weeds having been removed. He said he sees some enforcement difficulty because some native gardens may look like weeds. CSO Nieratka said the definition of weeds excludes cultivated gardens. The native garden definition is meant to expand what could be considered a cultivated garden. He said the cultivated garden references the removal of weeds from the cultivated garden which is the disconnect. President Scaman said we do get complaints about homes that are not well maintained and it can turn into a wellness check. Trustee Straw asked if the sightlines at street intersections provision has been tied into the Vision Zero plan. CSO Nieratka confirmed that Public Works was heavily involved in the drafting of this ordinance and reference to the clear sight areas is in the existing forestry code. Trustee Wesley said it feels like we are trying to accomplish safety and we are overdoing it. He wondered if there is a way to say at our discretion, if we don't like what you did on a parkway we can ask you to remove it and we will give you due process. Manager Brown said the goal is compliance and they issue two courtesy notices before issuing citations. He said it would be helpful to see some of that empathy here in the ordinance. Manager Jackson noted the division was intentionally named code compliance rather than code enforcement. President Scaman suggested to attach information on programs and tutorials to the citation. Trustee Straw inquired about the pavement design standards with regard to permeable surfaces. Chair Kelly said they are already code. XV. Call to Board and Clerk Clerk Waters said early voting starts March 17 through March 31 for the April 1 consolidated election. She read a statement honoring community leader Juanta Griffin at the Uniquely You Tea Party. Trustee Enyia said he had the opportunity to attend the Hephzibah Children's Association gala and the Housing Forward gala. He expressed his appreciation to both organizations for their work in our community. Trustee Parakkat wished everyone who observes a happy Ramadan and a happy Holi which he looks forward to celebrating on April 5. President Scaman said she and her granddaughter had an amazing time at the tea party. XVI. Adjourn It was moved by Trustee Wesley, seconded by Trustee Straw, to Adjourn. A voice Village of Oak Park Page 10 Printed on 5/14/2025 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 11, 2025 vote was taken and the motion was approved. Meeting adjourned at 9:21 P.M., Tuesday, March 11, 2024. Respectfully submitted, Deputy Clerk Hansen Village of Oak Park Page 11 Printed on 5/14/2025