Village of Riverwoods Board of Trustees met November 7.
Here is the minutes provided by the Board:
In Attendance:
Cheryl Chamberlain
Kristine Ford
Eric Goldstein
Henry Hollander
Rick Jamerson
John Norris, Mayor
Absent:
Michael Haber
Also Present:
Bruce Dayno, Police Chief
Patrick Glenn, Village Engineer
Bruce Huvard, Village Attorney
Hal Roseth, Village Treasurer
Call to Order: 7:30 pm
Mayor Norris appointed Jeri Cotton as acting Assistant Clerk for this meeting.
Approval of Minutes:
Trustee Jamerson moved to approve the minutes from the November 7, 2017 Board of Trustees meeting. Trustee Chamberlain seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously on a voice vote with Trustee Ford abstaining.
Treasurer’s Report:
Mr. Roseth reported that the total change in fund balance is $95,000 higher than in September. There were two investments that matured during the month and were renewed last week. One maturity was from an investment from more than six years ago at 2.2%. The other was about a year old and was at 1.6%. They were both renewed at 1.8%. In October, there were two maturities at 1.5%. In order to get a 2% rate, the Village would need to commit to a three year investment. Mr. Roseth and the advisor both felt that it was better to only commit to one year investments.
Engineer’s Report:
Mr. Glenn reported that the water main project continues. The pavement patching was completed. All that remains is connecting the house services which should be complete by the end of the month.
Plan Commission Report:
Plan Commission Chairman David Niedelman reported the Plan Commission will not meet in December. The January meeting will be changed to January 11, 2018. Dogtopia will appear at that meeting.
The Plan Commission and Board are trying to arrange a joint meeting. Ch. Niedelman, the Village’s planner and representatives from Oculus are also trying to meet, but they have not heard from Oculus. Ch. Niedelman and Trustee Hollander do not believe that the joint meeting should take place before the meeting with the developers. Mayor Norris suggested coming up with tentative dates.
Police Report:
Chief Dayno presented highlights from the Police Report since the last Board of Trustees meeting. The police report is attached to the end of the minutes.
Village Attorney Report:
Mr. Huvard reported that he is still working on consolidating the Woodland and Tree Ordinances. He noted that the Tax Levy Ordinance will be on the next agenda.
Mr. Huvard noted that Trustee Goldstein’s wife volunteered to look at the proposal from Tower Capital. She concluded that the Village would be giving up a significant amount if they took the discounted lump sum deal for the cell tower. She indicated that the Village should hold on to the cash unless they get a better deal. Trustee Ford does not believe that the Village needs to jump at the deal and that there needs to be more thought and due diligence. Mr. Huvard does not want the T-Mobile opportunity to slip away by delaying a decision. Trustee Hollander looks at the opportunity of collecting $1 million dollars in a market with changing technology and does not see where the Village will collect that kind of income in the next 30 years. Trustee Ford would like to ask the Village’s investment advisor to look at the proposal. Mayor Norris will contact the Village’s investment advisor. Mr. Roseth will do some of the preliminary analysis as well. Trustee Hollander suggested getting a proposal from other aggregation companies.
Informational Items & Comments from the President:
• Status on LDOT-Deerfield Road Planning - SIG
Trustee Hollander suggested putting this agenda item on hold until the first Board of Trustees meeting in February.
• Report on New Website Development Project
The project is moving forward. The Village has been provided with a basic site map. Trustee Goldstein and Mayor Norris will look at the site map and determine the type of pages they would like for the site. Trustee Goldstein noted that there are some companies that specialize in municipal websites, but he and the Mayor decided to continue with Gamma Partners.
• Joanne DeLoss Hired to Fill Vacant Administrative Assistant Position
Mayor Norris reported that Joanne DeLoss has been retained to fill the open Administrative Assistant position. She will be a part time employee working less than 1,000 hours with no vacation or benefits. Ms. DeLoss will start on Monday.
• Deerfield Parent Network Donation Request - $1,000
Mayor Norris indicated that since this is a request for $1,000 or less and is a recurring request, it does not have to go through a full comp review. This request came in after the agenda was distributed on Friday, but he would like the Board to approve it today. The Board did not object.
Visitors Wishing to Address the Board:
Mike Marshall asked if there is any additional information about a community plan. His family is very interested in helping to start a community garden. Mayor Norris explained that a community garden was not included in the proposed Campus Plan. However, the plan has not yet been approved and there will be a community meeting in the future to discuss the various options.
Approval of Bills:
Trustee Jamerson moved to approve the Bills. Trustee Chamberlain seconded the motion. The motion passed by the following vote:
Ayes: Chamberlain, Ford, Goldstein, Hollander, Jamerson (5)
Nays: None (0)
New Business
• Approval of Insurance Proposal Renewing Coverage with ICRMT, Illinois Counties Risk Management Trust, on All Lines of Coverage for 2018 at a Cost of $117,046
Kathy Juricic, with Mesirow Services, discussed the insurance proposal for the Village. She explained that there was a 4% premium change due largely to the increase in property value for the new Village Hall in addition to law enforcement liability and auto insurance increases. Trustee Hollander questioned the $2,500 increase in cyber insurance. He asked what the Village’s risk exposure was. Ms. Juricic explained that it not only covered personal information theft for both employees and residents, but also expenses related to getting hacked. Mayor Norris explained this would cover the cost of defense if there were a lawsuit due to identity theft. It seemed like a small price to pay for the coverage.
Trustee Jamerson moved to approve the insurance proposal for renewing coverage with ICRMT at a cost of $117,046. Trustee Chamberlain seconded the motion. The motion passed by the following vote:
Ayes: Chamberlain, Ford, Goldstein, Hollander, Jamerson (5)
Nays: None (0)
• Approval of a Contract with Mauro Sewer of Des Plaines, Illinois Based on Submitted Bid of $138,635
Mr. Glenn reported that the bid opening for the Portwine Road sewer extension took place last Thursday. He expressed concern about the low bidder due to problems that occurred with this bidder in another municipality. Mr. Glenn is confident that the second lowest bidder, Mauro Sewer, a well-established underground sewer contractor, will get the work done correctly and well.
Trustee Chamberlain moved to approve the contract with Mauro Sewer of Des Plaines in an amount not to exceed $138,635. Trustee Jamerson seconded the motion. The motion passed by the following vote:
Ayes: Chamberlain, Ford, Goldstein, Hollander, Jamerson (5)
Nays: None (0)
• Resolution 17-11-05 Approving Revisions to Personnel Manual
Mayor Norris explained that the Village needs to pass a resolution due to the most recent Act passed by the State. Mr. Huvard distributed a draft that added provisions just signed into law regarding sexual harassment training. The same legislation requires that every municipality adopt a policy prohibiting sexual harassment either by resolution or ordinance. Lastly, the act requires that the complaining employee must be notified that they are protected from retaliation by whistle blower protection.
He also added information regarding personal days, salary ranges including benefits and the salary budget. Mr. Huvard gave a brief summary of the changes he made since the last iteration of the policy. He explained that full time employment was set at 35 hours or more per week. Only full time employees accrue vacation or sick leave. Vacation will be based on the number of hours worked. Banking of sick or vacation days will no longer be allowed, but up to five days may be carried over to the first quarter of the next year.
After some discussion and clarifications of the various sections of the manual, the Trustees then discussed the urgency of passing this manual tonight. Trustee Ford would like to adopt the manual then make amendments at future meetings so that the Board can get to a budget.
Trustee Ford moved to adopt the Personnel Manual. Trustee Goldstein seconded the motion. Trustee Chamberlain moved to amend the vacation policy so that employees must use their vacation days or lose them while allowing employees to carry over up to five days to be used during the first quarter of the year. Previously accrued time must be used in the first quarter of 2018 or it goes away. Trustee Jamerson seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously on a voice vote.
Trustee Jamerson moved to amend the sick time policy to use it in the year it is accrued or lose it. For previously accrued sick time, it can be used throughout 2018. At end of 2018, any unused accrued sick time will be paid out according to current policy which is 50% up to a maximum of 960 hours. Trustee Chamberlain seconded. The motion passed unanimously on a voice vote. Chief Dayno noted that non-union sworn officers would not be affected by this rule.
Trustee Jamerson moved to adopt the resolution to approve the Personnel Manual. Trustee Chamberlain seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously on a voice vote.
• Approval of Village Salary Ranges
Mayor Norris explained that the Village needs to put together a salary budget for next year.
Trustee Ford moved to approve the Village salary ranges. Trustee Goldstein seconded the motion.
The Trustees discussed the salary range report provided by Judy Kennedy. Trustee Chamberlain and Trustee Jamerson expressed concern about both the job descriptions and the salary ranges for some of the positions. Trustee Jamerson expressed concern that, although it may not affect this year, it could affect things for years to come. He believes the Trustees are setting a policy and should be as accurate as possible. Mayor Norris stated that he would be happy to sit down with them and try to resolve the concerns. Mr. Huvard added that the policy could be reviewed annually. 2018 will not dramatically change and the Trustees can make adjustments to job descriptions and salary ranges as needed throughout the year.
The motion passed by the following vote:
Ayes: Ford, Goldstein, Hollander (3)
Nays: Chamberlain, Jamerson (2)
Old Business
• Tree Ordinance – Second Reading
These two Ordinances will be held for another meeting.
• Woodland Ordinance – Second Reading
Adjournment
There being no further business or discussion, Trustee Chamberlain moved to adjourn the meeting. Trustee Jamerson seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 10:03 pm.
The next regular meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for December 5, 2017 at 7:30 pm at Village Hall.
http://www.villageofriverwoods.com/pdfs/BOT-minutes-2017.pdf
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