Sangamon Sun

The Sauk Village Committee of the Whole met Dec. 6 to authorize highway construction.

Here are the meeting's minutes, as provided by the committee:

MINUTES OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING OF THE MAYOR AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE VILLAGE OF SAUK VILLAGE, HELD IN THE SAUK VILLAGE MUNCIPAL CENTER DECEMBER 6, 2016.

1.Call to Order

A. Roll Call Mayor Hanks called the meeting to order at 7:03 pm.

On roll call: Present: Trustees Burgess, Jones, Myers, Tates, Washington-House and Williams-Baig Absent: None

2. Intergovernmental Agreement to Establish a Joint 9-1-1 Authority

3.Ordinance Approving an Intergovernmental Agreement to E of Sauk Village, the Village of Midlothian and establish a Joint 9-1-1 Authority between the Village of Calumet Park, the Village the Village of Posen (“Joint 9-1-1 Authority IGA”) Odelson and Sterk Attorney Claudia Castro presented an Intergovernmental Agreement to establish a joint 911 Authority and ordinance approving this agreement. These documents were presented and approved previously. The only amendment to these documents is the addition of the Village of Posen. The IGA must include the Village of Posen when it is submitted to the state for approval. The application should be submitted to the state by December 31, 2016 which is well in advance of the January 31, 2017 deadline. The population of Posen is 6,028. This ordinance will appear on the next board meeting agenda for approval.

4. 2016 Tax Levy An ordinance for the levy and assessment of taxes for the 2016/2017 Fiscal Year for the Village of Sauk Village, Counties of Cook and Will, Illinois was submitted for board review. The total amount of appropriations to be collected from the tax levy for the current fiscal year is $2,327,870.36. The formula used to determine the distribution of the levy was discussed. Finance Director Rao will be directed to provide the formula and answer any other questions prior to the ordinance appearing on the next board agenda for approval.

5. WeatherStone Estates Permit Agreement An ordinance authorizing the entry of an agreement with Sauk Trail, LLC regarding permit fees was submitted for board review. The previous agreement is no longer valid. Ownership of WeatherStone Estates has changed a few times since Phase 1 was completed and Phase 2 began. The current owners are interested in completing Phase 2 and starting Phase 3. Board members requested additional information whether the fees were increased or decreased from previous fees. Director Jasinski will be directed to provide this information prior to the ordinance appearing on the next board agenda for approval.

6. Resolution for Construction on State Highway The resolution for construction on State Highways stipulates that permission should be granted and permits must be pulled from the Illinois Department of Transportation prior to work being conducted or special use of state highways otherwise the liability will fall on the municipality, Director JW Fairman was requested to provide additional information from the Illinois Department of Transportation prior to the resolution appearing on the next board agenda for approval.

7. Public Comment All questions and comments must be directed to Mayor Hanks. Each speaker will be given three minutes to comment on the topic(s) of their choice. Each speaker will be allowed one opportunity to speak. Bernice Brewer Houston commented on the agreement between the Village of Sauk Village and the Senior Relaxation Organization (SRO) that was the result of an Illinois Department of Human Rights hearing that took place on December 1, 2016. The SRO will be meeting with a senior committee sponsor for no fee and no insurance required. Discussion was held on the need to send Village Clerk Williams, Senior Committee members Frank Williams and Rose Langston and legal representation to the hearing and past discussions that referred to the Senior Center policy. Mayor Hanks stated attorneys are always present when the village is involved in litigation. Mayor Hanks met with the SRO previously and agreed to the same terms the mediator included in the agreement. SRO and other organizations are allowed the use of the Senior Center by either paying the rental fee for exclusive rights or by being assigned a senior committee member to sponsor their group. Sponsored groups will not be required to pay insurance. All sponsored groups are open the public. Several board members also commented on previous discussions relating to this topic. Beth Zupon asked who the current chair of the Senior Committee is, how often do they meet, is the Mayor looking to replace the current chair and if other committee have bylaws. Mayor Hanks stated he is the chair of the Senior Committee and has no plans of changing that. The Senior Committee meets once a month on the second Thursday of the month at 7:00pm. The Parks and Recreation Committee and Housing Commission have by-laws. Frank Harvey stated the SRO stated someone needed to write a letter to get on the Senior Committee but he was unable to write the letter. Judy Cast asked why a sponsor is needed for senior groups and questioned expenses that may have gotten paid during the holiday break, commented on the need of department heads at the meetings, representation at the hearing and the tax levy distribution. Mayor Hanks stated policies and procedures are in place to pay bills. Trustees can speak with department heads prior to the meeting. Village Clerk Williams was sent to represent the village. The tax levy of 0.7 % is the maximum the village can levy. Mary Klopp stated the residents may want to address the department heads. Mayor Hanks stated all questions asked at a board meeting can be answered at the next meeting.

8. Miscellaneous Business Comments from the Trustees Trustee Williams-Baig made additional comments on the use of the Senior Center. Shop with a Cop will take place December 15th. Four students from every grade level from kindergarten to 8th grade will receive a $50.00 gift card to Shop with a Cop. Trustee Williams-Baig thanked Enbridge for their donation to Shop with a Cop and other Christmas events. Carols. Cocoa and more has been restructured this year. Families will get a family ticket to get the food basket, toys, mugs with cocoa and cookies and books from the library. All donations for the food basket and toys are due Tuesday, December 12th. Trustee Williams-Baig commented on the success of the Veteran’s Pre- Thanksgiving Dinner that included over 75 guests and 19 volunteers. Thanks to Village Clerk Williams, Barb Dorman (Southland Voice), and Thrivent Financial, Republic Disposal, the volunteers and everyone who donated food for the event. Thanks also to Mayor Hanks for providing a slide show that included the veterans. Trustee Burgess stated board materials are not always presented ahead of time in order to ask questions. Trustee Burgess commented on the success of the Parks and Recreation Santa Parade and the great gifts that were passed out. Trustee Burgess also commented on the success of another Pre- Thanksgiving Dinner that a family donated all of the food and worked with the Parks and Recreation Committee. The young man involved chose to host this dinner on his birthday. Trustee Burgess asked that everyone respect each other going into the new year. Trustee Tates commented on his involvement with the SRO obtaining the Senior Center. Trustee Tates also commented on a recent Veteran’s Day event. Additional discussion was held.

Trustee Jones commented on the success of the collaboration between the “Robert No Excuses Foundation” and the Parks and Recreation Committee. Robert and his family provided plenty of food for the event. Robert and his family help the home in many ways. Trustee Jones stated Robert is a selfless young man who should go far in life. Trustee Jones commented on the success of the Santa Parade and Tree Lighting and thanked the Parks and Recreation Committee, SVCPA, Sauk Village Police, Fire and Homeland Security Departments, PLAN Group and Trustee Ed Myers. The kids were thrilled to see Santa and to get their gifts. Santa was very patient with the kids. Trustee Jones looks forward to collaborating with this and other groups. Uno Night is Friday in the Community Center from 6-8 pm. The Parks and Recreation Committee is working on a four year calendar that will include rentals and events electronically. Trustee Jones stated the information for the packets needs to be distributed earlier than Sunday night. Trustee Williams-Baig asked if there is a set route for Santa to follow. Some kids missed Santa. Trustee Myers stated the usual route was not followed but that all streets were hit. Trustee Williams- Baig suggested posting the route on the website so parents know approximately when Santa will be visiting their street. Trustee Myers stated he could visit the home of the children that may have missed Santa. Trustee Washington-House suggested Santa be present at Carols, Cocoa and More on December 15th. Trustee Williams-Baig stated Santa is present at Carols, Cocoa and More. Trustee Washington -House is hosting a Deputy Registrar Class for new and recommissioning deputy registrars on Saturday, December 17th in the Community Center from 10am-11am. Voter registration will also be available. The class is conducted by Cook County Clerk David Orr’s office and is open to everyone. The Neighborhood Watch Committee is hosting their Annual Christmas Party Potluck for the block club captains and their guests on Monday, December 12th from 6:30- 8:30 pm in the Fire Station. Trustee Washington commented on a memo from Director Jasinski that referred to the traffic problems at Wagoner School including a recent incident that involved a weapon, Trustee Washington is glad the Police Department is looking into the situation. Trustee Washington had additional comments on the use of the Senior Center, the December 1st hearing and the Senior Committee. Trustee Myers commented on the success of the Santa Parade and how excited the kids were. Trustee Myers also commented on a recent major power outage that shut down Sauk Trail. The Police, Fire and ESDA Departments had their hands full. Be careful when using candles; do not place them near curtains or in the reach of children. Open the window if you are using your stove to heat your house. The Fire Station is used as a warming center as needed. Mayor Hanks stated Santa will be appearing at Carols, Cocoa and More and at the Breakfast with Santa on December 11th. Mayor Hanks stated the board approved a Travel and Expense policy a couple of years ago. The Illinois Municipal League just passed out a model ordinance that goes into effect January 1, 2017.The attorneys are reviewing out current policy. If the model ordinance needs to be adopted it will be placed on next week’s agenda for approval. Community Health Solutions of America Inc. is completely shutting down their operations with the Cook County Health and Hospitals Systems. Sauk Village residents will be affected. Mayor Hanks commented on attending the Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner. A video of the veterans was presented. Information on the branch, rank, years of service and a special quote was included for the veterans. There is still time to include other veteran’s information in the video before it is placed on the village’s website. Mayor Hanks commented on the discussions held regarding the Senior Center. The SRO group was offered a sponsor previously or the ability to rent the center without a sponsor. Multiple meetings were held on this matter. This ended up in litigation downtown with the same result. Attorneys must represent the village during litigation.

Mayor Hanks asked to keep the personal and political attacks out of the board room during the remainder of the election year.

8. Adjournment Mayor Hanks asked for a motion to adjourn. The motion was made by Trustee Burgess and seconded by Trustee Washington-House.