At a recent meeting, the Antioch Committee of the Whole discussed the proposed traffic-calming policy.
The Village of Antioch Board of Trustees consists of six members, all of whom are elected for four-year staggered terms. The board is the legislative body of the village government. Board meetings are held at 7:30 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of each month at Village Hall, 874 Main St.
Below are the minutes from this meeting, as provided by the board.
APPROVED MINUTES
Page 1 of 3 – June 15, 2016 Village Board of Trustees – Committee of the Whole
VILLAGE OF ANTIOCH
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
Municipal Building: 874 Main Street, Antioch, IL
June 15, 2016
I. CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Hanson called the June 15, 2016 Committee of the Whole meeting of the Board of
Trustees to order at 7:02 pm in the Municipal Building: 874 Main Street, Antioch, IL.
II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
The Mayor and Board of Trustees led the Pledge of Allegiance.
III. ROLL CALL
Roll call indicated the following Trustees were present: Macek, Poulos, Jozwiak, Dominiak,Pierce and Johnson. Also present were Mayor Hanson, Attorney Long, Administrator Keim and Clerk
Romine.
IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Trustee Jozwiak moved, seconded by Trustee Macek, to approve the April 13, 2016
Committee of the Whole meeting minutes as presented. Upon roll call, the vote was:
YES: 6: Macek, Poulos, Jozwiak, Dominiak, Pierce and Johnson.
NO: 0.
ABSENT: 0.
THE MOTION CARRIED.
Cheryl Henning, Village resident and Vision Committee Chairman, reminded the board of thesurvey that was done during the visioning process. She suggested façade improvements in town begin with the Village Hall by painting it a similar color to the recently renovated movie theater. Shefurther suggested the logo be placed on the north wall of the Community Building.
V. REGULAR BUSINESS
1. Traffic Calming Techniques – Administrator Keim reviewed the traffic counts on Hillside
and Harden, and discussed the proposed policy for traffic calming. The policy establishes a committeeand procedure to hear requests made by residents bringing traffic concerns to the Village. Hediscussed with trustees how to determine 75% of the affected area. He also presented the trafficcounts on Hillside and Harden. Administrator Keim asked the board for comments relating to the policyso he can present a final draft to the board for approval. Chief Huffman discussed “Operation TrafficWatch”, stating that it is an expansion of neighborhood watch which provides pre-printed forms toresidents, and potential rental of radar guns to track violations. Violators are then sent a warning noticeby the Police Department. This item will be placed on a future agenda for consideration. TrusteeDominiak discussed left turns southbound onto Route 59 from Hillside and asked Administrator Keim todiscuss that option with the engineer. Administrator Keim suggested moving forward with the policybefore making any additional considerations.
2. Discussion regarding Community and Economic Development related to:
a. Main Street – Director Garrigan recognized the Mayor and Board for their
commitment to Antioch and it’s downtown. He made a presentation relating to the Main Street programinitiative. He discussed the main street conference attended by him and Trustee Dominiak recently.
The program focuses on economic development and provides a national network of resources. The
APPROVED MINUTES
Page 2 of 3 – June 15, 2016 Village Board of Trustees – Committee of the Whole
Main Street initiative is not driven by village board or staff, but by business owners, and residents of thecommunity. He discussed the 4 different aspects contained in the main street approach includingdesign, economic vitality, promotion and organization. He asked if the board would support thecreation of a main street program.
Trustees discussed the benefits and downfalls of the Main Street program including state
involvement. Director Garrigan said Illinois does accept new main street communities, and agrees thatllinois program is active but does not provide adequate funding for the program, which has beencommon historically. He advised that there would be no cost to the taxpayers other than contributionsagreed upon by the Village Board. Trustee Dominiak clarified that the committee does fundraising.
There is no funding requirement by the Board if they support the program. Trustee Pierce suggestedlearning from any issues Libertyville may have experienced with their program. He further expressedconcern with the downtown matters statement and fostering engagement from the community. Trustee
Dominiak said retailers are interested, but the process will not happen overnight. Trustee Pierce askedthat the percentage of building owners vs. business owners be realized because they may havedifferent ideas on what they would like to happen. Trustees discussed potential incentives for buildingowners that have nothing to gain by putting more money into their building and the effect of otherbuilding improvements on those owners. Mayor Hanson discussed past initiatives by local businessowners to improve the downtown area.
b. Façade Program – Director Garrigan reviewed his proposed program for façade
improvements. He discussed the history of Antioch and the budgeted amount for façade grants in thisyears approved budget. He reviewed the proposed guidelines to be used when considering grantingfaçade improvements. He discussed applicant requirements to receive grants, and what may beconsidered for improvement in the program. He discussed potential affected properties that may beincluded during the first phase of the program. Trustees discussed requirements to participate in theprogram and the involvement of the building owner to repair the entire façade in order to benefit fromthe program. Trustee Poulos discussed the budget amount for the item and accounting standards thatwould require the work to be completed by the end of the fiscal year. Director Garrigan said it may notbe possible this year. Trustee Pierce discussed the previous façade program and expressed concernwith the perception of the facade program and how it works. He further discussed the possibility of atax abatement program for property taxes of participants in the program and asked for creative ways tofinance the program. Trustee Poulos commented that a tax abatement would decrease revenues bythe same amount already budgeted, so it would be a wash. Trustees discussed tax abatement forrelief over a period of time, restoring the rear of the buildings, particularly on Main Street, and beingproactive with the program. Director Garrigan will refine the standards and bring it back to the board forconsideration.
c. Downtown District and user restrictions – Director Garrigan discussed adowntown sign district, which is still being considered at the Planning and Zoning Board. He discussedthe overall boundaries included in the downtown district that would be subject to the sign requirementsand will bring it to the board after Planning and Zoning makes their recommendation. He alsodiscussed wayfinding signage and a proposed plan to recreate the signage. Options for wayfindingsignage will be presented to the village board at a future date for approval. Trustees discussed fundingwayfinding signage at Metra with those restricted funds.
Director Garrigan asked the board for their opinions on restricting the first floor of businesses torestaurant and retail rather than service based businesses. Trustee Macek does not agree withrestrictions. Trustee Poulos agreed to limiting users to a fair percentage. Trustee Jozwiak does nothave a problem with restricting use based on percentages. Trustee Dominiak asked staff to investigatewhat other communities have done and thinks to grandfather existing business and put a cap on users
APPROVED MINUTES
Page 3 of 3 – June 15, 2016 Village Board of Trustees – Committee of the Whole
after getting a sense of what other communities are doing. Trustee Pierce does not agree withrestricting users or dictating to business owners on what uses they may have. Trustee Johnson agreeswith both sides that restrictions may cause problems for building owners, and but also sees the needfor less service based businesses in order to revitalize the downtown. Staff will research othercommunities.
3. Discussion regarding RV Parking – Trustee Jozwiak discussed RV parking and
storage on property, and asked for a solution to the problem of RV campers and boats on the street.Chief Huffman reviewed the RV ordinance, which is fairly standard and comparable to othercommunities. He discussed inoperable RVs and asked for direction on enforcement and what thetolerance of the Village should be. He said the ordinance in place is a strong ordinance. Trustee
Pierce discussed Antioch as a resort community, requirements already in place, and homeownersassociations that may use the ordinance to their advantage. Chief Huffman said their approach iscompliance through communication. He said if they started a strict enforcement complaints will comethrough. Administrator Keim asked to be informed when ordinances are not enforced and he will directstaff to enforce.
VI. OTHER BUSINESS
No report.
VII. EXECUTIVE SESSION – Personnel and Pending Litigation, Lease of Village Property,
Collective Bargaining – The Mayor and Board of Trustees did not go into executive session.Ann Hitschell, Village resident, suggested using the $50,000 budgeted for the first year of thefaçade program to help subsidize village signage, and said she agrees with user percentages for abalanced downtown.
VII. ADJOURNMENT
There being no further discussion, the Village Board of Trustees Committee of the Whole meetingadjourned at 9:28 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
________________________
Lori K. Romine, RMC/CMC
Village Clerk
Alerts Sign-up