Village of Antioch Board of Trustees met Dec. 8.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
REGULAR MEETING
I. CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Gartner called the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees to order at 7:18 pm at the Antioch Municipal Building located at 874 Main Street, Antioch, IL and via Zoom.
II. ROLL CALL
Roll call indicated the following Trustees were present: Pierce*, Macek*, Pedersen, Bluthardt*, Burman and Dominiak. Also present were Mayor Gartner, Attorney Muthleb, Administrator Keim* and Clerk Romine.
*indicates attendance via Zoom
III. Absent Trustees Wishing to Attend Remotely
No approval is needed for remote participation pursuant to the Governor’s order.
IV. Mayoral Report
No report.
Citizens Wishing to Address the Board
Mr. Stuart Malsh, Village resident, addressed the Village board regarding the transfer of property to the Antioch Township. He asked about the Village giving away something they purchased for over $400,000. He said this is park land, and asked if the Park Board made a recommendation regarding the property transfer, or if there were any restrictions on its sale. He discussed access points from Netherlands Drive and expressed concern that public parking may clog Netherlands drive. He believes the locations is too far north for the Township. He urged the board to vote no, and opined that the Village could either use the property or sell it for additional funding.
V. Consent Agenda
Trustee Dominiak moved, seconded by Trustee Pedersen to approve the following consent agenda items as presented:
1. Approval of the November 10, 2021 Regular Meeting Minutes as presented.
2. Approval of a Resolution Approving the 2022 Village Board of Trustees Annual Meeting Schedule - Resolution No. 21-82
3. Approval of a Resolution Authorizing Execution of an Escrow Agreement with Station 51 - Resolution No. 21-83
Upon roll call, the vote was:
YES: 5: Pierce, Macek, Pedersen, Burman and Dominiak.
NO: 0.
ABSENT: 0.
ABSTAIN: 1: Bluthardt.
THE MOTION CARRIED.
VI. Regular Business
4. Consideration and approval of payment of accounts payable as prepared by staff – Trustee Pedersen moved, seconded by Trustee Bluthardt, to approve payment of accounts payable in the amount of $496,119.46. Upon roll call, the vote was:
YES: 6: Pierce, Macek, Pedersen, Bluthardt, Burman and Dominiak.
NO: 0.
ABSENT: 0.
THE MOTION CARRIED.
5. Consideration and approval of a Resolution authorizing the Village Administrator to enter into an agreement with Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services, Inc. to provide Property, Casualty, Liability, Workman’s Compensation and related insurances not to include Employee Health Insurance in the amount of $433,373 – Mr. Ethan Salsinger, AJ Gallagher, reviewed the renewal as well as national trends contributing to the increase in insurance costs. He added that other communities are seeing larger increases and they have worked with Village staff to ensure costs can be mitigated.
Trustee Bluthardt moved, seconded by Trustee Burman, to approve Resolution No. 21-84 authorizing the Village Administrator to enter into an agreement with Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services, Inc. to provide Property, Casualty, Liability, Workman’s Compensation and related insurances not to include Employee Health Insurance in the amount of $433,373. Upon roll call, the vote was: \
YES: 5: Pierce, Pedersen, Bluthardt, Burman and Dominiak.
NO: 0.
ABSENT: 0.
ABSTAIN: 1: Macek.
THE MOTION CARRIED.
*Trustee Macek commented that his abstention vote was due to having an insurance license.
6. Consideration and approval of a Resolution Accepting the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Fiscal Year Ending April 30, 2021 as prepared by Lauterbach and Amen, LLP - Trustee Bluthardt moved, seconded by Trustee Pierce, to approve Resolution No. 21-85 accepting the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Fiscal Year Ending April 30, 2021 as prepared by Lauterbach and Amen, LLP
Finance Director Torres introduced Courtney Clemens from Lauterbach and Amen to present the audit report. Ms. Clemens thanked the finance department for their assistance in preparing the audit. She reviewed the task letter, audit letter and management letter. She noted that the Village received a certificate of excellence from GFOA. Ms. Clemens reviewed the independent auditors report, which is a clean opinion, and the highest opinion that can be given. She reviewed revenues and expenses outlined in the report, as well as financial statements for each individual fund. She discussed the management letter which includes a new recommendation regarding GASB 87 coming out in 2023. Trustees thanked Joy and staff for keeping the Village in this position. Upon roll call, the vote was:
YES: 6: Pierce, Macek, Pedersen, Bluthardt, Burman and Dominiak.
NO: 0.
ABSENT: 0.
THE MOTION CARRIED.
7. Consideration and approval of a Resolution Accepting the Municipal Compliance Report for the Fiscal Year Ending April 30, 2021 – Trustee Bluthardt moved, seconded by Trustee Dominiak, to approve Resolution No. 21-86 accepting the Municipal Compliance Report for the Fiscal Year Ending April 30, 2021.
Finance Director Torres introduced Lauterbach and Amen to discuss the municipal compliance report.
Mr. Bob Reitz presented the municipal compliance report for the Village. This report is provided by the Police Pension Fund Board showing where the fund stands today, and what they will be asking for with future contributions. He reviewed the assets where they stand today, the expected contributions and income moving forward, and discussed the recommended contributions vs. the statutory minimum contributions. Mr. Reitz presented demographics of the plan, the performance of the investments, and the unfunded liability on the plan.
Trustee Pierce discussed the funding of the pension, and when it’s required to be fully funded. Mr. Reitz said the statutory minimum is to be 90% funded by 2040.
Those present discussed options for amortization, increased funding, transfers of fund balance, increased contributions, and funding by 2040.
Mayor Gartner commented on the threshold that can be reached when the investment structure can be changed. Finance Director McCarthy responded that when you reach a certain point the portfolio can change. She added that we have reached that point and changed the investment policy after that threshold was met. Upon roll call, the vote was:
YES: 6: Pierce, Macek, Pedersen, Bluthardt, Burman and Dominiak.
NO: 0.
ABSENT: 0.
THE MOTION CARRIED.
8. Consideration and approval of a Resolution accepting the GASB 67 & 68 Actuarial Valuation for Fiscal Year ended April 30, 2021 and the Tax Levy Actuarial Valuation for Fiscal Year Ending April 30, 2021 for the Police Pension Fund– Mr. Bob Reitz, Lauterbach & Amen, discussed the tax levy actuarial report, which increased since last year, but less than expected. Some demographics decreased, salary increased, and asset returns caused more decreases to bring the net expectation lower than the anticipated growth. One risk item is the benefit payment risk, which shows the Village is paying more than 10% out each year in benefit payments, leaving opportunities for investment lost. The ratio will go down as the funding increases. He further reviewed how calculations are made. Finance Director McCarthy asked if Lauterbach and Amen has done any analysis of anticipated investment returns after the pension consolidation is done. Mr. Reitz responded that after the consolidation is complete, a consolidated board actuary will set rates.
Mayor Gartner asked how we got underfunded in the first place. Mr. Reitz responded that underfunding, change of assumptions, or plan provision changes may lead to a pension fund becoming underfunded. He added that a chart depicting a 5-year of history of contributions shows that village contributions were increased just a few years ago. Finance Director McCarthy explained that the pension board previously used the Illinois Department of Insurance recommendation for funding, but then the pension board hired an actuary and contributions were increased.
Trustee Dominiak moved, seconded by Trustee Pedersen, to approve Resolution No. 21-87 accepting the GASB 67 & 68 Actuarial Valuation for Fiscal Year ended April 30, 2021 and the Tax Levy Actuarial Valuation for Fiscal Year Ending April 30, 2021 for the Police Pension Fund. Upon roll call, the vote was:
YES: 6: Pierce, Macek, Pedersen, Bluthardt, Burman and Dominiak.
NO: 0.
ABSENT: 0.
THE MOTION CARRIED.
9. Consideration and approval of a Resolution authorizing the Village Administrator to enter into an agreement with Eder & Casella Co. for financial and accounting services from December 9, 2021 through October 31, 2022 – Trustee Bluthardt moved, seconded by Trustee Burman, to approve Resolution No. 21-88 authorizing the Village Administrator to enter into an agreement with Eder & Casella Co. for financial and accounting services from December 9, 2021 through October 31, 2022.
Finance Director Torres reviewed the discussion in November regarding challenges facing the finance department with staffing. She discussed her assessment of the department, and how the decision was made to hire an accounting firm to provide accounting services to the Village. Upon roll call, the vote was:
YES: 6: Pierce, Macek, Pedersen, Bluthardt, Burman and Dominiak.
NO: 0.
ABSENT: 0.
THE MOTION CARRIED.
10. Consideration and approval of a Resolution authorizing the Village Administrator to execute an agreement with Strand Associates, Inc. for Civil Engineering Services - Trustee Dominiak moved, seconded by Trustee Pierce, to approve Resolution No. 21-89 authorizing the Village Administrator to execute an agreement with Strand Associates, Inc. for Civil Engineering Services.
Administrator Keim discussed the recent approval of the concept plan for the property located at Depot and Orchard. He said staff published an RFQ for engineering services in order to engineer the project. Of the proposals received, 3 were interviewed, and staff is recommending the contract be awarded to Strand Associates. He introduced Mr. Mike Jansen of Strand Associates to present their proposal.
Mr. Jansen thanked the board for their consideration in using Strand for a pivotal project in the Village of Antioch. He commended the Village on the processes used so far in obtaining the final concept and vision for the development. They have assembled a team with extensive and specific experience on similar projects, and have worked with the Lakota Group in the past on various projects.
Trustee Pierce clarified costs for the project. Administrator Keim discussed the engagement letter which reduced the scope of service to approximately $330,000. Trustee Macek asked about the possibility of the amount increasing. Administrator Keim said he is confident in the number, and will try very hard not to exceed the contracted amount for the scope of services in this contract, adding that any substantial changes will come back to the board. Mr. Jansen put together the proposal based on their experience and the scope of the project, with clarifications from staff. He added that these fees aren’t arbitrary, and he assigned hours to certain staff members to really arrive at a number. Throughout the course of the project, he will be working with staff to do a value analysis to see how the project is going, and that they are not going outside of their scope of work.
Trustee Dominiak asked what the costs with Deigan and Lakota will be. Administrator Keim said he is working with them now on those amounts, which will come back to the board for approval. Trustee Dominiak asked when will it be done, with Administrator Keim responding he hopes to get work started in 2022 with permitting being the longest part of the process. Administrator Keim said this work is for the final design, what will be built, where and how it will be done. The approved concept will be turned into a design that will be permitted and built. He added that he will come back to the board at 30% with how the project will look. Trustee Dominiak asked staff to consider how we will be able to show people there is progress going on.
Trustee Pierce asked what Lakota and Diegan are doing during this phase. Administrator Keim responded that the Lakota Group will continue to be on the project team and will do the landscape architecture, and assist with the selection of materials. Trustee Pierce noted the possibility that Strand could not be included in the construction phase of the project, however, Administrator Keim stated that would be an unlikely situation. Upon roll call, the vote was:
YES: 6: Pierce, Macek, Pedersen, Bluthardt, Burman and Dominiak.
NO: 0.
ABSENT: 0.
THE MOTION CARRIED.
11. Consideration and approval of a Resolution authorizing and approving the transfer of certain real property from the Village of Antioch to the Township of Antioch, County of Lake, State of Illinois – Trustee Bluthardt moved, seconded by Trustee Pedersen, to approve Resolution No. 21-90 authorizing and approving the transfer of certain real property from the Village of Antioch to the Township of Antioch, County of Lake, State of Illinois.
Administrator Keim reviewed the proposed property transfer, and said he is unaware of any restrictions the Village would have in transferring the property. The original intention was for an aqua and rec center, but there has been no identified use in recent times for this property. He advised the board could put the property on the market and get money for it, but in looking at the big picture, and how services are delivered, a transfer may be appropriate. He commented that some offerings at the proposed facility would relieve the village of certain costs by consolidating certain services with the Township. Administrator Keim discussed the proposed location for the township facility, which is more central than its current location, and added that the plans have no direct access into Windmill Creek, and there is landscaping expected to screen from the Arbors of Windmill Creek.
Trustee Pierce discussed the acquisition of the property, and the opportunity to consolidate services and provide more for the seniors, kids, youth and residents of Antioch. He commented that if they are unable to move forward with the project, the property will revert back to the Village.
Trustee Macek commented on revenue that may be gained by selling the senior center once services are consolidated and provided at the new location. He also discussed costs for senior services, and said it makes sense to give everything to the township.
Trustee Pedersen discussed the duplication of services, and said the Township has come up with a great idea that will service all residents and is all in favor of this project.
Trustee Bluthardt said he wants to make sure government agencies cooperate and work together. His biggest concern is if something happens where this can’t be built, but said that has been addressed. He stated that this is such a great benefit to the residents, and if something doesn’t happen the Village will get the property back.
Trustee Burman is in favor of the property transfer.
Trustee Dominiak asked if the Village Board will still have an opportunity to review the site plan since the property is within the Village Administrator Keim responded that the board will have the opportunity to review the site plan. Trustee Dominiak asked if there were any thoughts on putting something in there about developing the property together. Administrator Keim responded that an intergovernmental agreement may follow if we play a role in programming at the new site. Trustee Dominiak commented on the time frame to pass a referendum, and asked if we should look at a shorter time frame, or a clause that it may be extended. Mayor Gartner made recommendations on possible language regarding the timeframe.
Trustees Bluthardt and Pedersen amended their motion and second, to authorize the mayor to add an additional clause for an 8-year term with 8-year option to extend, plus a caveat that if they determine the project is not feasible, the property immediately reverts back to the Village.
Upon roll call, the vote was:
YES: 6: Pierce, Macek, Pedersen, Bluthardt, Burman and Dominiak.
NO: 0.
ABSENT: 0.
THE MOTION CARRIED.
12. Consideration and approval of an Emergency Ordinance ratifying the Mayoral Declaration of Emergency relating to Coronavirus - Trustee Pedersen moved, seconded by Trustee Dominiak to approve Ordinance No. 21-12-44 ratifying the Mayoral Declaration of Emergency relating to Coronavirus, waiving the second reading. Upon roll call, the vote was:
YES: 6: Pierce, Macek, Pedersen, Bluthardt, Burman and Dominiak.
NO: 0.
ABSENT: 0.
THE MOTION CARRIED.
13. Consideration and approval of an Ordinance providing for the Levy of Taxes for the fiscal year beginning May 1, 2021 and ending April 30, 2022 – Trustee Bluthardt moved, seconded by Trustee Dominiak, to approve Ordinance No. 21-12-45 providing for the Levy of Taxes for the fiscal year beginning May 1, 2021 and ending April 30, 2022, waiving the second reading. Director McCarthy reviewed the upcoming agenda items providing an explanation for the levy and abatements, stating there is no increase in SSA taxes. Upon roll call, the vote was:
YES: 6: Pierce, Macek, Pedersen, Bluthardt, Burman and Dominiak.
NO: 0.
ABSENT: 0.
THE MOTION CARRIED.
14. Consideration and approval of an Ordinance abating the tax levied for the year 2021 to pay the principal of and interest on $1,830,000 General Obligation Refunding Bonds (Utility Tax Alternate Revenue Source) Series 2019 – Trustee Dominiak moved, seconded by Trustee Pedersen, to approve Ordinance No. 21-12-46 abating the tax levied for the year 2021 to pay the principal of and interest on $1,830,000 General Obligation Refunding Bonds (Utility Tax Alternate Revenue Source) Series 2019, waiving the second reading. Upon roll call, the vote was:
YES: 6: Pierce, Macek, Pedersen, Bluthardt, Burman and Dominiak.
NO: 0.
ABSENT: 0.
THE MOTION CARRIED.
15. Consideration and approval of an Ordinance abating the tax levied for the year 2021 to pay the principal of and interest on $4,095,000 General Obligation Bonds (Alternate Revenue Source) Series 2017 - Trustee Pedersen moved, seconded by Trustee Bluthardt, to approve Ordinance No. 21-12-47 abating the tax levied for the year 2021 to pay the principal of and interest on $4,095,000 General Obligation Bonds (Alternate Revenue Source) Series 2017, waiving the second reading. Upon roll call, the vote was:
YES: 6: Pierce, Macek, Pedersen, Bluthardt, Burman and Dominiak.
NO: 0.
ABSENT: 0.
THE MOTION CARRIED.
16. Consideration and approval of an Ordinance abating the taxes heretofore levied for the year 2021 to pay debt service on General Obligation Refunding Bonds (Alternate Revenue Source), Series 2021 of the Village of Antioch, Lake County, Illinois - Trustee Dominiak moved, seconded by Trustee Pedersen, to approve Ordinance No. 21-12-48 abating the taxes heretofore levied for the year 2021 to pay debt service on General Obligation Refunding Bonds (Alternate Revenue Source), Series 2021 of the Village of Antioch, Lake County, Illinois, waiving the second reading. Upon roll call, the vote was:
YES: 6: Pierce, Macek, Pedersen, Bluthardt, Burman and Dominiak.
NO: 0.
ABSENT: 0.
THE MOTION CARRIED.
17. Consideration and approval of an ordinance for Village of Antioch, Illinois Special Service Area Number One Approving Administrative Report and Special Tax Roll for Levy Year 2021 and Abating Special Service Area Taxes - Trustee Dominiak moved, seconded by Trustee Pedersen, to approve Ordinance No. 21-12-49 for Village of Antioch, Illinois Special Service Area Number One Approving Administrative Report and Special Tax Roll for Levy Year 2021 and Abating Special Service Area Taxes, waiving the second reading. Upon roll call, the vote was:
YES: 6: Pierce, Macek, Pedersen, Bluthardt, Burman and Dominiak.
NO: 0.
ABSENT: 0.
THE MOTION CARRIED.
18. Consideration and approval of an ordinance for Village of Antioch, Illinois Special Service Area Number Two Approving Administrative Report and Special Tax Roll for Levy Year 2021 and Abating Special Service Area Taxes - Trustee Pedersen moved, seconded by Trustee Burman, to approve Ordinance No. 21-12-50 for Village of Antioch, Illinois Special Service Area Number Two Approving Administrative Report and Special Tax Roll for Levy Year 2021 and Abating Special Service Area Taxes, waiving the second reading. Upon roll call, the vote was:
YES: 6: Pierce, Macek, Pedersen, Bluthardt, Burman and Dominiak.
NO: 0.
ABSENT: 0.
THE MOTION CARRIED.
VII. Administrator’s Report
No report.
VIII. Village Clerk’s Report
No report.
IX. Trustee Reports
Trustee Pierce recognized the passing of a former police chief. He also thanked everyone that has donated and volunteered to help with the Sailor Dinner at the VFW.
Trustee Dominiak asked if Lakota could present recommendations for the rest of downtown while engineering is being finalized.
X. EXECUTIVE SESSION – Personnel and Pending Litigation, Lease of Village Property, Collective Bargaining – Property Disposition/Acquisition and Personnel and Consultants - Trustee Dominiak moved, seconded by Trustee Pedersen, to enter executive session at 9:03 pm for property acquisition. Upon roll call, the vote was:
YES: 6: Pierce, Macek, Pedersen, Bluthardt, Burman and Dominiak.
NO: 0.
ABSENT: 0.
THE MOTION CARRIED.
Trustee Dominiak moved, seconded by Trustee Pedersen, to exit executive session 9:26 pm with no action taken. Upon roll call, the vote was:
YES: 6: Pierce, Macek, Pedersen, Bluthardt, Burman and Dominiak.
NO: 0.
ABSENT: 0.
THE MOTION CARRIED.
XI. ADJOURNMENT
There being no further discussion, the Village Board of Trustees regular meeting adjourned 9:26 pm.
https://www.antioch.il.gov/download/village_board/Minutes/2021/12-08-21-VB-Minutes.pdf
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