July 27, 2021 Approved Minutes
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE OAK PARK TOWNSHIP BOARD OF TRUSTEES CONDUCTED HYBRID TUESDAY, JULY 27, 2021.
CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
Supervisor Keenan called the meeting to order at 7:01pm. On the call of the roll the following participated in the meeting: Trustees Margaret Trybus, Ade Onayemi, Tim Thomas, and Eric Davis and Supervisor Clarmarie Keenan. Township Manager Gavin Morgan, Operations Manager Kim Henry and Attorney John Garofalo were also present. General Assistance Administrator April Dugal, and Director of Senior Services Pamela Mahn attended virtually.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
There were no public comments
APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA
Trustee Davis moved Approval of Minutes from the meeting of June 22, 2021, with corrections. Trustee Thomas seconded. The minutes were approved unanimously.
Trustee Davis moved Approval of Bills of July 17, 2021. Trustee Thomas seconded. The bills list was approved unanimously.
BUSINESS ITEMS:
Consideration and Approval of Public Comment Rules tabled for consideration at next meeting.
Consideration and Approval of Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with River Forest Township for General Assistance Case Management. Trustee Davis moved approval of the IGA as presented. Trustee Onayemi second the motion, which was approved unanimously.
DISCUSSION ITEMS:
Manager Morgan presented a Community Needs Assessment proposal from Northern Illinois University’s Center for Governmental Studies (CGS). The Board discussed the proposal and directed Mr. Morgan to discuss their questions with CGS staff and bring back for consideration.
The Board discussed Supervisor’s recommendation for an analysis of impact of any consolidation of the Township. The Board referred the question, “What should the cost savings of consolidation be?” to the Financial Advisory Committee, to begin discussing at the Committee’s September meeting.
Manager Morgan recommended joining the Metropolitan Township Association MTA, an organization of Townships in Cook County and the surrounding counties. The Board discussed the benefits, and the focus of MTA on legislation, education, and networking. The Board directed the Manager to join Oak Park Township to the MTA.
BRIEF REPORTS
The Township is very saddened by the loss of our beloved Township Clerk, Greg White. We will be having a memorial plaque and tree planted in his honor in Scoville Park. We will also have a proclamation which will be displayed in our Board room.
Township Attorney Garofalo clarified that the Board has until September 17th to appoint a new Clerk by. If the Board does not appoint someone within 60 days of the vacancy, they must hold a Special Town Meeting for the electors present to select a Clerk to complete the term.
The Board recommended having a PSA on what the Township does and additional press through YouTube or a podcast.
Pam gave an update with regards to receiving a $550,000 grant from AgedOptions. Will be used for various Social Services, Nutrition and Transportation services as well as technology and special equipment (new tables for the dining area to accommodate more residents). Senior Services is also applying for additional funds through different sources. Still closed to the public and hoping to open by September 1st.
Wendy and outside consultant Nancy Morris are working on new website and a new logo as part of the overall branding project in collaboration with Team Leaders for advice, updates and recommendations.
Manager Morgan alerted the Board that elected official training course from Township Officials of Illinois is taking placed on August 12th and 26th: https://www.toi.org/tgen-network/
SEOPCO Barrie Fest will take place on Saturday, September 11th, 2021, from 12:00-5:00. We will have representation from each dept sharing various information the Township offers to the community.
The Board discussed a need to be more pro-active in the community with outreach for vaccinations for the age group of 12 and older and asked for greater collaboration from our partners to make a harder push for this. The Board directed the Manager to work with the Village and see how we can be of more service to them, similar to when we assisted with getting the seniors vaccinated.
Food Truck Rally in River Forest at Keystone Park on Saturday, August 28th: https://rfparks.com/food-truck-rally
CMHB is in the final stages of selecting the next Executive Director to take Lisa Devivo’s place when she retires at the end of October. They had 33 applicants and have narrowed their search down to 4 candidates who will be interviewed in the coming weeks.
Marge met on July 20th with CMHB regarding the HUB. It is a great marketing tool and has received great usage. More people are accessing but not sure how many are utilizing the services. Mental health care is the most viewed.
Clarmarie mentioned she would like to see more synergy between staff and Trustees. Would like more involvement, knowledge and understanding between everyone. She thanked everyone for their continued hard work especially during the past challenging year and a half.
ADJOURNMENT
Trustee Onayemi moved to adjourn at 9:07pm. Trustee Thomas seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting of Oak Park Township will be the regular Board of Trustees Meeting at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, August 24, 2021, at Township Hall, 105 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL.
Respectfully submitted by
And recorded in the office of the Township Clerk.
_________________________________
Kim Henry, Operations Manager
Approved: August 24, 2021