06/20/2005MINUTES
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
June 20, 2005
The Village Board met at 8:34 p.m. (following the regular board meeting) as a
committee of the whole in the conference room of the village hall on Monday, June 20,
2005. In attendance were:
Village Board Staff
Steven Harris, Mayor Robert D. Franz, Village Manager
Robert Benton, Trustee Robert Fialkowski, Director of Finance
Michelle Feldman, Trustee Philip Kiraly, Asst. to the Village Manager
William Seiden, Trustee John Sliozis, Chief of Police
Barbara Struthers, Trustee John Welch, Assistant Village Engineer
Matthew Wylie, Trustee James Bernahl, Assistant Village Engineer
St. Gregory’s Sidewalk Project
Staff reviewed with the Board the May 20th letter from St. Gregory Church regarding
donation of land in order to relocate the sidewalk along its property on Deerfield Road.
They responded with a set of conditions for donating 926 square feet so that the sidewalk
can be relocated further away from the street.
Of the conditions listed, the Board agreed with the following:
➢ Based on advice from the village attorney, the property should be offered in the form
of an easement. In doing so, there would be no zoning rights lost to the church, and
the use of the property could be restricted for sidewalk use only.
➢ The Village should reconfigure the driveway entrance off of Deerfield Road and
preserve the existing handicapped parking. Also, the Village would contribute to
basic parking lot improvements needed as a result of the donation.
➢ The church will be reimbursed the cost for planning consultant services ($1,937.45) it
incurred in order to measure the impact of the donation.
The Board did not agree to:
➢ Grandfather the old sign on the corner of the church property which should have been
removed when the two new signs were installed.
➢ Relocate the signal control box to another corner of the intersection. This is not
feasible given the technical and financial implications involved.
The attorney will draft an agreement which will be reviewed with the church and then
placed on a Village Board agenda.
Extension of Water Main Contract
At the May 16th Board meeting, a contract was approved for a water main improvement
on Ambleside and Dimmeydale. At the time, the consulting engineer recommended that,
in light of the low bid from Bolder Contractors, the Village should consider replacing
another section of water main in the area. Staff was directed to evaluate the proposal and
report back to the Board.
It is estimated that approximately $25,000 could be saved by extending the current
contract with Bolder. The savings would be fewer valves and valve vaults and in staging
costs. It was noted that no one can predict whether bid prices will be even better a year
from now; however, staff does believe there are benefits to doing additional work this
year.
The Board directed staff to get a firm proposal from Bolder to extend the work to include
Alternate C. This item will be added to the July 5th Village Board agenda.
Onyx Contract Extension
The Board reviewed issues relating to a proposed contract extension with Onyx Waste
Systems for residential scavenger service. There was consensus on changing to twice a
week curb service with an option for residents to pay for back door pick up. There was
also agreement on switching from the 18 gallon recycling bin to the 35 or 65 gallon cart
which can be wheeled to the curb.
Some believed that the proposed rates were still high and that future rate increases during
the five year contract should be reduced. While it was acknowledged that bundled brush
should require a sticker, the increase for stickers should be phased in over the five year
period.
Staff was directed to negotiate further with Onyx and report back at the July 5th Board
meeting. At the very least, the change to curbside service should be noted at the meeting
so as to allow for public input before a new contract is executed.
Treatment Plant/Sanitary Sewer Privatization
The Board discussed the information submitted by American Water in response to staff’s
basic questions regarding their operations. They agreed that it is difficult to evaluate
their privatization proposal without a firm, detailed offer.
Discussion ensued regarding the pros and cons of selling the system to a private entity
and its potential impact on rates and customer service. The village attorney advised that,
because of its home rule status, the Village can deal exclusively with American Water.
Staff emphasized that the collection system and treatment plant ought to be treated as one
entity. To separate them could result in unwanted operational conflicts, which should be
avoided.
Mayor Harris commented that the threshold issue is whether the Village is willing to give
up control of this service to a private company. After discussing it, there was agreement
to pursue the matter further by requesting a formal offer from American Water.
Staffing Issues
Bob Fialkowski described possible personnel changes as a result of two employees
leaving the police department. David Lemmer, a patrol officer, has served for several
years as the computer specialist for the department. Chief Sliozis would like to fill that
sworn position and return it to the patrol division.
With the impending departure of a community service officer, it is recommended that the
position not be filled and, in its place, another IT person be hired who would work
primarily with the police computer system but operate out of the finance department
under the supervision of Rich Kramer. This would result in a slight increase in salary
cost but no increase in personnel.
The Board agreed to the recommended changes. A revised position/salary ordinance will
be prepared for Board action.
Centennial Sculpture
Phil Kiraly briefed the Board on the status of the sculpture and advised that it will be
necessary to store the components for over a year until the village hall project is
completed. Pictures of the sculpture were circulated for the Board to see what progress
has been made to date.
The meeting adjourned at 9:36 p.m.
Minutes prepared by:
____________________________________
ROBERT D. FRANZ, Village Manager