Village of Riverside Board of Trustees Public Hearing Proposed 2014 Tax Levy Village of Riverside and Riverside Public Library.

Transcription

1 Village of Riverside Board of Trustees Public Hearing Proposed 2014 Tax Levy Village of Riverside and Riverside Public Library Minutes I. Call to Order: The Village Board of Trustees Public Hearing for the proposed 2014 Tax Levy was held in Room 4 of the Township Hall, 27 Riverside Road, on Thursday, November 20, President Sells called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. II. Roll Call: Present: President Sells Trustee, Hamilton Trustee Pollock Trustee Ballerine Trustee Collins Trustee Foley Absent: Also Present: Trustee Sussman Interim Village Manager Frances Village Attorney Malina Village Attorney Marrs Village Clerk Haley Those in attendance recited the Pledge of Allegiance. III. IV. Acknowledgement of Publication of Public Hearing Notice The Public Hearing Notice for the proposed 2014 Tax Levy was published in The Landmark newspaper on November 12, Tax Levy Presentation Village of Riverside and Riverside Public Library Interim Finance Director Salinas provided a recap of the tax levy updated to contemplate the successful referendum. The village will issue new debt for street improvements; however, issuance of the debt will be property tax neutral. The 2014 Tax Levy Ordinance is scheduled for adoption at the December 4, 2014 Regular Meeting of the Village Board of Trustees. V. Questions and Comments by Public: None. VI. Adjournment: With no comments or questions from the Board or the public, President Sells called for a motion and second to adjourn the Public Hearing for the 2014 Tax Levy. Trustee Collins motioned to adjourn. Trustee Hamilton seconded the motion. All in favor by voice vote. President Sells declared the Public Hearing adjourned at 7:05 p.m. 1

2 Village of Riverside Board of Trustees Public Hearing Proposed 2015 Fiscal Year Budget Village of Riverside and Riverside Public Library Minutes I. Call to Order: The Village Board of Trustees Public Hearing for the proposed 2015 Budget was held in Room 4 of the Township Hall, 27 Riverside Road, on Thursday, November 20, 2014, immediately following the Public Hearing for the Proposed 2014 Property Tax Levy. President Sells called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. II. III. IV. Roll Call: See roll call for 2014 Tax Levy Public Hearing. No Changes. Acknowledgement of Publication of Public Hearing Notice The Public Hearing Notice for the proposed 2015 Budget was published in The Landmark newspaper on November 12, Budget Presentation Village of Riverside and Riverside Public Library Interim Finance Director Salinas provided a recap of the budget process that began in May. He outlined the various changes that staff has made in response to direction provided by the Board throughout the process. The 2015 Budget Ordinance is scheduled for adoption at the December 4, 2014 Regular Meeting of the Village Board of Trustees. The 2015 Library Budget has already been approved by the Library Board of Trustees. V. Questions and Comments by Public: None. VI. Adjournment: With no comments or questions from the Board or the public, President Sells called for a motion and second to adjourn the Public Hearing for the proposed 2015 Budget. Trustee Foley motioned to adjourn. Trustee Hamilton seconded the motion. All in favor by voice vote. President Sells declared the Public Hearing adjourned at 7:06 p.m. 2

3 VILLAGE OF RIVERSIDE BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING Minutes I. Call to order: The Regular Meeting of the Village of Riverside Board of Trustees was held in Room 4 of the Township Hall, 27 Riverside Road, on Thursday, November 20, 2014, immediately following the Public Hearings for the proposed 2014 Tax Levy and proposed 2015 Budget for the Village of Riverside and Riverside Public Library. President Sells called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. II. III. IV. Roll Call: See roll call for 2014 Tax Levy Public Hearing. No Changes. Pledge of Allegiance: Those in attendance when the recited the 2014 Tax Levy Public Hearing was called to order recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Presentations / Public Comment B. Public Comment - TAKEN OUT OF ORDER - PRIOR TO IV.A. Tom Sisulak, organizer of the 1,000 Tree Planting Project provided a recap of last year s event where volunteers planted 3000 seeds and invited everyone to participate in this year s event which will be held on Saturday, November 22 starting at 10 am at Riverside United Methodist Church, 82 Woodside Road. Volunteers will plant 20 tree varieties, all of which are native to Riverside and Northern Illinois. Mr. Sisulak informed the board that the program has been nominated for national recognition by both the Arbor Day Foundation and the Audubon Society. Jake Shevitz, a volunteer tree planter, also spoke on behalf of the program and urged everyone to participate. Alex Gallegos addressed the board on behalf of the Riverside Chamber of Commerce to promote Small Business Saturday, which will be November 29. He also reminded everyone that the 40th Annual Riverside Chamber of Commerce Holiday Stroll will be held on Friday, December 5. Santa will arrive at the Watertower at 5:45 p.m. Jerry Buttimer made a video presentation on his plan to create a walking path along the river behind the Township Hall and public safety buildings. Steve Campbell questioned whether there should be a walking path in such close proximity to the public safety buildings and raised various concerns regarding the safety of the location and ADA compliance. He questioned Mr. Buttimer s assertion that public ownership equals public access. He also asked if the village had ever received a donation to cover the cost of the fence that had to be installed at the site. Rick Butler, owner of Prehop Cleaners, expressed concern regarding the proposed Burlington Streetscape improvements, specifically, the loss of a parking space in 3

4 front of his business. He thanked President Sells and Interim Village Manager Frances for meeting with him to discuss his concerns. His business has been located in Riverside for 40 years and he loves the community. The following individuals also expressed concern regarding various design elements of the proposed Burlington Streetscape: Tom Lupfer, Tom Jacobs, Aberdeen Marsh-Ozga, Nick Fornier, Jack Buoscio, Don Spatny, Greg Randall and Diana LaMantia. A. Police Chief Tom Weitzel to review Traffic Study conducted at Central and Hauser Schools - TAKEN OUT OF ORDER - AFTER IV.B. Chief Weitzel stated that the Village and District 96 recently partnered to fund a traffic study at the Hauser/Central School campus. The study was completed by a professional traffic engineering firm. The original impetus for the study was parental concern over handicap accessibility at the campus and in front of the buildings on Woodside Road. Almost 90% of the study pertains to traffic on the Hauser/Central campus, not on village streets, but one aspect of the study involving village streets has already been implemented. A new handicap accessible curb and ramp has been installed in front of the main entrance to Hauser. District 96 has also requested, and the traffic study recommends, changing current parking regulations on Akenside Road. An ordinance pertaining to the proposed changes are on tonight s agenda for consideration by the Board. Chief Weitzel is agreeable with the proposed change and believes it will improve safety. Weitzel has spoken to the pastor of St. Paul s parish and he is supportive of the change as well. The village will also need to make some adjustments to existing signage and possibly install some new signs. Trustee Collins asked if the firm that completed the traffic study is the same traffic firm that the village is thinking of using for the village wide traffic study in Chief Weitzel stated that there will be an RFQ for the village wide traffic study, but the firm will likely be one of the contenders. President Sells asked Chief Weitzel to brief the Board on his department s recent enhanced traffic enforcement efforts. Weitzel related that officers conducted enhanced traffic enforcement operations in six locations from 7 am 3 pm and issued 25 citations and made 2 arrests. Operations focused on Fairbank, Barrypoint, Kimbark, Selborne, Longcommon and Northgate. The officers reported that staff members from the Tallgrass Sudbury School on Kimbark came out of the school and applauded the officers for their efforts. V. Reports of Village Officers A. Village President s Report 1. A Motion to reappoint Katherine Leander to the Parks & Recreation Board, term to expire 2019, term as Chairperson to expire 2015 Trustee Ballerine made a motion to confirm the appointment. Trustee Collins seconded the motion. 4

5 AYES: Trustees Hamilton, Pollock, Ballerine, Collins and Foley. Motion passed. President Sells reported that he and Interim Manager Frances participated in a meeting this morning between various taxing bodies within Riverside and in neighboring communities to discuss the possibility of sharing services. He said the meeting was productive and the group has identified several areas for potential collaboration. President Sells also reported that a link to last week s Streetscape Town Hall Meeting has been posted on the village website. He encouraged interested parties to provide feedback. Comments and suggestions will be forwarded to the design team. B. Village Manager s Report 1. Construction Update: 1 st Avenue & Forest Avenue/Ridgewood Road IDOT has pushed back the estimated project completion date to mid- December. VI. VII. Approval of Consent Agenda A. Approval of Bills November 20, 2014 B. Approve Village Board of Trustees Executive Session Meeting Minutes November 6, 2014 C. Approve Village Board of Trustees Regular Meeting Minutes November 6, 2014 D. File and review October Interim Finance Director s Report E. File and review Board of Fire & Police Commissioners Meeting Minutes August 12, 2014 F. File and review Landscape Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes October 14, 2014 G. File and review Landscape Advisory Commission Special Meeting Minutes October 30, 2014 H. Resolution Authorizing the disposal of property owned by the Village of Riverside that has been deemed as surplus President Sells asked if any of the Trustees required an item to be removed from the Consent Agenda for discussion. Hearing no requests, he called for a motion and second to approve the Consent Agenda. Trustee Foley made a motion to approve. Trustee Collins seconded the motion. AYES: Trustees Hamilton, Pollock, Ballerine, Collins and Foley. Reports of Departments, Commissions and Trustee Liaisons Trustee Ballerine reported that the Cable Commission has finished filming of A Day in the Life of a Riverside Police Officer. The footage is now being edited and will soon be broadcast on Riverside TV. VIII. Ordinances and Resolutions 5

6 A. An Ordinance Amending the Village Code of the Village of Riverside, Illinois, relative to prohibited parking in certain places and School Zone Permit Parking Areas Chief Weitzel stated that proposed change pertains to Akenside Road and changes the area from Hauser/Central School staff parking to no parking on school days from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Trustee Foley made a motion to approve the Ordinance. Trustee Hamilton seconded the motion. AYES: Trustees Hamilton, Pollock, Ballerine, Collins and Foley. Motion passed. B. A Resolution approving a Coyote Management Plan Chief Weitzel stated that the Humane Society of the United States contacted him several months ago and asked the Village to partner with HSUS to implement the village s coyote management plan as a national model for communities and law enforcement agencies. He stated that many law enforcement agencies do not want to partner with the Humane Society because their preferred method of dealing with coyotes is shooting them. Weitzel stated that Riverside s coyote policy was updated to be in full compliance with HSUS guidelines and will serve as the model for other communities. Riverside is the 1st community in the nation to implement a policy advocating for the humane treatment of coyotes. President Sells congratulated Chief Weitzel for taking the lead on this issue and asked for a motion and second to approve the Resolution. Trustee Hamilton made a motion to approve the Resolution. Trustee Pollock seconded the motion. AYES: Trustees Hamilton, Pollock, Ballerine, Collins and Foley. Motion passed. IX. Considerations None. X. New Business Trustee Pollock asked if it would be appropriate for the Board to respond to the public comments on the streetscape. He inquired about the possibility of doing an RFP or RFQ, whatever is appropriate. He asked if it would be feasible or even desirable to move in this direction or whether doing so would threaten the viability of or add expense to the project. He requested that staff prepare a report on the possible outcomes of delaying the project so the Board can make an informed decision on how to move forward. Trustee Hamilton inquired as to whether it would be possible to do an RFP for only the design portion of the project and retain Christopher Burke to handle the engineering aspects of the project. Trustee Foley noted that everyone sees the design, but no one sees the engineering and this is primarily an engineering project. He agreed that the board should consider the comments that were made during public comment, but should not get bogged down by a design committee. He stated that improving Riverside s downtown business district has 6

7 been discussed many times previously and asked how much longer the village can talk about doing something without acting. He stated that a capital improvement project of this scope is a major undertaking and needs to be done right. Trustee Hamilton concurred with Trustee Foley. Trustee Foley stated that a simpler design may reduce the cost of the project and suggested that the Board either push CBBEL harder or look for a firm that has more expertise in design. Trustee Ballerine stated that he does not disagree with Trustees Foley or Hamilton, but he does not want to embark on a course of action that will result in the village losing funding for the project. He agrees with Trustee Pollock that the Board needs to make an informed decision about how to proceed. President Sells stated that comments made alleging that Chistopher Burke does not have landscape design experience are simply false. The firm has completed over 70 streetscape projects and Mr. Gotham is a highly respected landscape architect. CBBEL also has extensive experience and expertise interacting with IDOT. The political reality of the situation is that funding for either portion of the grant can be withdrawn at any time, especially if the project is not underway. President Sells noted that many plans have been put forward to revitalize the downtown previously and they have all been picked apart and ultimately shelved. The funding is available now. Now is the time to get the project done. Trustee Collins stated she is not in favor of delaying the project. She is concerned that delaying the project will result in a loss of funding. She likes the plan and noted that many elements cannot be changed anyway, because they are required in order to receive the funding. Not everyone will agree on all of the design elements. President Sells also addressed the allegation that there has been insufficient public input. He noted that the plan that was presented last week is the 4th draft of the plan and the plan is still evolving. He also stated that the software program cannot capture the true colors of the materials that have been selected. He is opposed to starting over at the 11 th hour. He urged everyone to take a step back and let the professionals work. President Sells also noted that Olmsted s General Plan does not include a Central Business District so attempting to attach Olmsted s legacy to the downtown a red herring. He is not in favor of creating a design review committee. The Board understands what residents want for the CBD. The goal is to create a space that is welcoming, fresh but historical, attractive to retail businesses, a place people will be proud to bring family and friends. The Board heard from 9 people tonight who do not like the design and want the Board to turn back now. He urged the Board not to do that and possibly lose the $1.2 million in grants the village has received for the project. He also stated that no one should be surprised that there are disagreements regarding design. Trustee Pollock stated that he is not in favor of a complete redesign, but he still believes the board should explore the possibility of doing an RFP. 7

8 President Sells stated that Conservation Design Forum was part of the early work on the project, but the village s grant application would not have been successful without the leadership of Christopher Burke. Gibbs Planning Group has also reviewed and approved the plan. He asked how many times the Board should go out and get feedback. President Sells reminded the Board that they themselves bring many skill sets to the table and are capable of making a decision on the best course of action. He also referenced an that was circulated prior to the meeting and subsequently forwarded to the Board and village staff urging people to attend the meeting tonight to stick it to the man. He urged the Board not to let a few vocal opponents derail the progress of the project. Trustee Collins stated that there may be some confusion regarding the process because many people do not understand IDOT requirements. President Sells stated that he has spoken to many people who like the plan. Trustee Collins does not support an RFP or RFQ. Trustee Ballerine noted that construction costs go up every year. The longer the process takes, the more expensive it gets. President Sells noted that he, Interim Manager Frances and Community Development Director Abt interact daily with Doug Gotham and Orion Galey at Burke and they have all been impressed with the level of integrity, professionalism and open mindedness shown by both men. He also reminded everyone that the Village Code does not give any commission plan review over projects in the Central Business District. Trustee Pollock acknowledged that the consensus of the Board was to move forward with Christopher Burke. Trustee Foley agreed that everyone has concerns, but not everyone s concerns are the same. He also suggested that the Board should not stop moving forward with the project, but rather should continue to make modifications as needed. Trustee Collins wanted to make it clear that the Board is not dismissing the comments that were made earlier during the meeting. She believes the common thread in the comments is the desire for a simpler plan. She noted that the board is also in favor of a simpler plan and each iteration of the plan has been simpler. She believes everyone is looking for the same thing. Village Attorney Malina commented that it is very difficult to convey the true look and feel of the streetscape with simplistic computer generated images. XI. Adjournment President Sells stated that there was no need for Executive Session. He wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, encouraged everyone to attend the Holiday Stroll and called for a motion and second to adjourn the Regular Meeting. 8

9 Trustee Foley motioned to adjourn. Trustee Collins seconded the motion. AYES: Trustees Hamilton, Pollock, Ballerine, Collins and Foley. Motion passed. President Sells declared the meeting adjourned at 9:18 p.m. Respectfully submitted: Village Clerk Haley Date Approved XII. Executive Session None. A. To discuss Collective Negotiating Matters between public employers and their employees or representatives 9