MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE OAK PARK TOWNSHIP BOARD OF TRUSTEES HELD TUESDAY, December 21, 2021, CONDUCTED ELECTRONICALLY.
CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
Clerk DaToya Burtin-Cox called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. and the meeting was conducted electronically. On the call of the roll the following participated: Supervisor Clarmarie Keenan; Trustees Margaret Trybus, Ade Onayemi, Tim Thomas, Eric Davis; Clerk, DaToya Burtin-Cox; Township Manager, Gavin Morgan, Wendy Senger, Oak Park Township Communication Specialist, and Township Attorney, John Garofalo. April Dugal of General Assistance; Kelly O’Connor of Youth Services also participated in the meeting electronically.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
None available
APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA
Trustee Eric Davis moved to approve the Township Bills for the period of November 6, 2021 through December 10, 2021. Trustee Tim Thomas seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
November 16, 2021, Board Meeting minutes were requested to be modified/corrected and would be approved at the January 11, 2022, Board meeting.
Branding Budget
- Branding budget part of the 2022 and 2023 fiscal year budgets
- the website is most of the cost
-$8,000 to be expended in FY22
- $11,000 will be included in the FY23 budget
- also includes additional expenditures to be fleshed out in the FY23 budget proposal
- Printing
- Signage [awnings]
- Publicity [kick-off]
- Document management system
Document Retention
- Clerk and Township Manager had mtg with Secretary of State Regional Archives Representative
o Indicated that 2004 Application/Plan needed to be updated
o Clerk taking steps to update
Whistleblower Policy
- Attorney Garofalo brought IL Whistleblower Act to attention of Board and the need to create policy
o M Trybus motioned to accept policy
o E Davis seconded motion
o Unanimously accepted with request that cover ltr accompany policy when disbursed to employees
Resolutions
- Presentation of Resolutions acknowledging retired Township employees
o Stearns
o Devivo
- T Thomas motioned to accept Resolutions
- A. Onayemi seconded
- Unanimously accepted
Advisory Board Policy
- Current policy presented to Board
o Does not set a minimum age
o Policy requires members are registered OP voters which suggest members must be 18 yrs
o Suggest that youth member not have full voting privileges
o T Thomas believes the requirement that members be registered voters sets minimum age
o A Onayemi suggests that youth participant allows for youth voice on committee
o M Trybus suggest the Youth Committee be a pilot for youth involvement and liaison report back to the Board as to how the Committee was incorporating the youth voice.
o Board referred this item to the Senior Services and Youth Services committees for consideration
Tax Levy Adjustment
- Public Act from the General Assembly added to Township Levy
o Have until April 1 to file abatement
- T Thomas believe this adjustment could cause problem for Township. Could be viewed as a money grab.
o Asked to check to verify if there was a consequence for not taking the money
- Township Morgan stated that the intent is to account for money not collected through the last tax levy.
o The adjustment increase does not change the tax levy base amount. There is not a separate line item.
- Board would like a better explanation of the adjustment from the Township Assessor at a future meeting.
Township Manager Update
- Audit
o Township to set up internal controls/process for usage of Credit Cards
- Culture and Climate
o Action Pan to be established by first half of next year
- General Assistance
o Requests are up
§ 6 new applications
· Cause – unemployment is running out
· Referred from Housing Forward
- Township Finances
o Finances are on target
§ Down in revenue [2nd property tax disbursement in March or later]
o CMH expenditures
§ 74% used for toward allotment for Rec. Center made expenditures for year look bigger than it was
- Vacation Payout (1 time)
o 10 employees with excessive vacation [pandemic caused people to have more than a 2-week carryover]
o Need to remove liability/bring time down
§ 1 time buy back to bring people down a portion
§ Require employee to use excess time by June 2022
o A Onayemi – suggest that there are carryover/buy backs with caps
§ Bring down excessive vacation time by June
§ Adamant that employees utilize their vacation time
§ Encourage taking time off
- Township weighing whether to mandate booster- COVID vaccine
- M Trybus inquired about the Governor Pritzker press release re” R3 funding [funding released from cannabis revenue]
o Township manager will investigate revenue stream
- Youth Services hired new interventionist
- M Trybus inquired about Intergovernmental Task Force
o Township Manager indicated that last mtg was in early December
§ Health Department presentation
- Senior Services
o T Thomas indicate that there is an increase in usage of Home Repair initiative
§ New clients
o Increase in COVID cases
§ Numbers need to go down before opening congregant lunch
o $150,000 – funding [supplemental] from IDOA/AGE OPTION
§ Use for meals, staff, equipment
Supervisor Update
- Thank you to Township employees and Happy Holiday
- Youth Services inquiry/complaint resolved
o T Thomas – old business
LIASON REPORT
CMHB [M Trybus]
- The board replacement to be approved soon
- Compliments on the Township Holiday party
- Will be doing visits agencies
Youth Services [A Onayemi]
- No mtg this month
- RFP went out to potential contractors in November
- Contract night Jan. 5 [virtual]
- Girls on the Rise
o At full capacity
§ Due to staffing
- Increase in referrals
o Mental health concerns
IGOV [E Davis]
- April Forum
o Asking CMHB Executive Director, C. Potts, to be keynote speaker
ADJOURNMENT
- Trustee Margaret Trybus moved to adjourn at 9:04 p.m. Trustee Eric Davis seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting of the Oak Park Township Board of Trustees will be a Regular Board of Trustees Meeting conducted electronically among Board members at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at 7 pm at the Township Office locate at 105 S. Oak Park, Ave, Oak Park, IL.
Respectfully submitted by
and recorded in the office of
___________________________________
DaToya Burtin-Cox, Township Clerk
Approved: January 11, 2022