Will County Gazette

Crest Hill City Council met May 14.

Here is the minutes provided by the Council:

The City Council work session was called to order by Mayor Raymond R. Soliman at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 1610 Plainfield Road Crest Hill, Will County, Illinois.

The following Council members were present: Mayor Raymond Soliman, City Clerk Vicki Hackney, City Treasurer Glen Conklin, Alderman Scott Dyke, Alderman John Vershay, Alderwoman Barbara Sklare, Alderwoman Claudia Gazal, Alderwoman Tina Oberlin, Alderman Marco Coladipietro, Alderman Nate Albert, Alderman Tom Inman.

Also present were: City Administrator Heather McGuire, Assistant Administrator H/R Director Megan Fulara, Economic Development Manager Scott McMaster, Interim Public Works Director Jim Eggen.

Topic: Village Pub of Crest Hill 20631-20635 Renwick Road Liquor License

Mayor Soliman informed the Council that there is a request for a liquor license for the property located at 20631-20635 Renwick Road. The liquor board met with Mr. Frank Porro, who will be the owner of the Village Pub. All of the necessary paperwork and background check is in order. Because there are no available Class A liquor license the Council would have to increase the number from 8 to 9. Mr. Porro would be on a six month probationary period. He is working with the State to secure a video gaming license. This establishment will have outdoor seating Mr. Porro went over his background in the restaurant and bar business. The establishment in the city will serve food, drinks and will offer video gaming. The dining area and bar area will be separated by a short wall. Mr. Porro informed the Council that they cater more towards an older crowd and are more family oriented. He went over the business hours. The Mayor went over the rules and regulations for the liquor license. Mr. Porro explained how the liquor pouring system works for the bar. He can monitor how much is poured in each drink by computer, tablet, etc. Mayor Soliman went over the repercussions for serving under age patrons. The Mayor asked for questions from the Council. Alderwoman Gazal asked what type of outdoor enclosure would they have. Discussion followed. Alderwoman Gazal asked what type of live entertainment would be in the establishment. Mr. Porro explained there would be small bands and DJ's. There would be no music outside. Alderwoman Sklare asked how big the outdoor area would be. Mr. Porro estimated it to be 30' by 40'. Alderwoman Gazal asked what the plans are to attract an older crowd versus 20 year olds. Mr. Porro explained that they try to make it more upscale and less desirable to the younger crowd. Further discussion followed on the business. Economic Development Manager McMaster gave an update on the work that has been done on the property.

Mayor Soliman asked for an informal vote. All were in favor to raise the number of Class A liquor license from 8 to 9 with the additional going to Village Pub. Mayor Soliman announced that the official vote will be on May 21, 2018 at the regular Council meeting.

Topic: Larkin Avenue Car Wash

Manager McMaster presented the proposed site plan and renderings for Fuller's Car Wash to be located at 1804 Larkin Avenue. The current structure will be torn down and a new facility will be built at the location. Chris Kalischefski and Larry Fuller were in attendance. Mr. Kalischefski went over the site plan with the Council. The car wash would replace the existing Giovan's Restaurant on Larkin Avenue. He went over the car wash process and how their technology works. They will be seeking a zoning change from B-2 to B-3 for the car wash use. The business will meet the sign requirements, setbacks and green space. Mr. Fuller gave a brief speech regarding the car wash process. Discussion followed on run off and detention areas. Mayor Soliman asked if they would be adding an oil change facility to the car wash. They would not. Alderwoman Sklare asked if there is a plan in case they get an extreme amount of cars at the business. She is concerned about a traffic back up on Larkin Avenue. Mr. Fuller explained that you can stack roughly 38 cars in the lines. Discussion followed on the size of the existing sign. Discussion then followed on the vacant property to the east of this parcel. Alderman Albert asked what would they do to prevent ice on the roadway. Mr. Fuller explained with the process they use, there is very little run off.

Mayor Soliman asked for an informal vote. All were in favor of the car wash.

Topic: NIMEC Residential Electricity Bids

Administrator McGuire went over the background of the electrical aggregation program. Dave Hoover from NIMEC was in attendance. Mr. Hoover explained how the electrical program works. NIMEC has approached the suppliers regarding rates. The average rate is 7.7 cents. They have a supplier that can offer a rate of 7.3 cents. They are looking into 1 to 3 year agreements. Discussion followed on the rates and the number of years to lock into the rate. Administrator McGuire explained that they are looking into the 2-year rate. She would like to see this voted on at the next Council meeting. Alderman Coladipietro asked what would happen if the rates go down. Mr. Hoover explained that you are locked into a rate. The residents have a choice to opt out and go with the lower rate.

Discussion followed.

Mayor Soliman asked for an informal vote. All were in favor of the NIMEC rates.

Topic: 1919 Cora Street

Administrator McGuire presented a request in regards to 1919 Cora Street. Mr. Evans has approached the City in regards to purchasing the property. The property is vacant and has fallen into disrepair. This is similar to another property in the City where the owner was unable to keep the property up to City codes. The heirs turned the property over to the City in lieu of liens that were placed on the property. Mr. Evans has tried to find the owner of the property at 1919 Cora, but has been unable to locate them. Administrator McGuire went over the procedure that the City would have to follow to obtain the property. Mr. Evans explained that he lives across the street from 1919 Cora. He went over the background of the property. He would like to purchase the property and build a single family home on it. The existing garage, concrete, and trees will have to be removed from the property before it can be built on. Mr. Evans explained that the company that does the auction for taxes for the County would take possession of the property after July 1, 2018 and can do as they see fit with it. Discussion followed. Alderwoman Gazal asked what guarantee do we have that Mr. Evans is going to build on the property. She does not want to see the property remain vacant if we go through with this. Mr. Evans said that he would build on it within 2 years. Alderwon if this situation was similar to what happened on Caton Farm. Mayor Soliman explained that the property on Caton Farm was deeded over to the City. Administrator McGuire explained that we would have to go to court on this property. Mr. Evans indicated that he would hire a private investigator to find the current owner of the property. The property would most likely be valued between $10,000.00 and $12,000.00. Alderman Albert asked what we normally do in these types of circumstances. Administrator McGuire explained that we have never done a foreclosure on a property since she has been with the City. She explained what would be involved in taking possession of this property. Alderwoman Gazal felt that this case is similar to the Caton Farm Road property because we do not know the condition of the existing garage structure. Alderman Albert would like to see the City start a program to deal with vacant properties. Administrator McGuire explained that we would have to increase our legal budget if we are going to start dealing with vacant properties. Mayor Soliman is concerned that we could set a precedence with this property. Other people could come to the City and ask that liens and back taxes be waived also. Alderwoman Oberlin asked if this were to go through then Mr. Evans would be required to demolish the garage, remove the foundation, clean up the lot and maintain it. This could be put into an agreement. Discussion followed on the liens that are currently on the property. Alderwoman Oberlin felt that we should look into this property and what our options would be. Administrator McGuire explained that we could sell the property for the existing liens and court costs if we chose to do so. Mr. Evans explained that some of the residents park their cars on this vacant lot to get them off of the street. Manager McMaster asked if anyone else is interested in this property. Administrator McGuire was not aware of it. The property has been vacant for roughly 12 years. Treasurer Conklin asked if the City takes possession of the property do we have an obligation to sell it to Mr. Evans. Administrator McGuire thought that we would have to put it up for sale. Alderwoman Oberlin thought that we would have to takes bids on it and have a starting bid that would at least recoup the City's expenditure. Mr. Evans asked if the City could do a "deed in lieu of' on the property. Administrator McGuire explained that the property owner would have to be the one to turn the deed over to the City. The Mayor asked if the Council would like to move forward on this. Alderwoman Oberlin would like more information before a decision is made. She would like to see the City start to clean up the abandoned property's. Alderman Dyke would like to see something done to clean up this property. Administrator McGuire said that we can do a skip trace on the property owner and try to get ahold of them. If they would deed the property over to us it would change the situation.

Mayor Soliman asked for an informal vote. All were in favor of starting the process on 1919 Cora Street.

Mr. Evans explained that in the older section of the City, there is a problem with the line of site at various intersections due to the height of hedges, bushes, etc. Alderman Vershay thought that we had an ordinance that governs how tall the vegetation at a corner can be.

Topic: Siegel Annexation

Administrator McGuire announced that Mr. Siegel requested that the annexation request be taken off of tonight's agenda. Alderman Albert said that if we don't annex the property we will have no control over it. The County can do their inspections, and make sure everything is up to their standards, but feels that we could have better control if it is brought into the City. Alderman Albert is concerned that with the liquor license, patrons are going to be able to drink "outside" the City limits. Mayor Soliman explained that Mr. Siegel was told numerous times that the alcohol was to stay on the property that is a part of the City, not the property that is still in the County. They were told that a fence had to be put up during the fall festival to separate the properties. The Mayor informed the Council that the County is demanding the same restrictions that we are. Discussion followed.

Topic: Wayfinding Signs

Manager McMaster presented a proposal from Wayfinding Signs for signage to be placed in the City. These signs would indicate where the municipal building, library, golf course, retailers and restaurants are located. Alderman Albert asked if we are going to include businesses on the signs, could we require them to pay for a portion of the sign. Manager McMaster explained that we could charge them. Alderman Albert felt that it might not be a good idea to include the businesses. If a business wants to add their name to a sign and there's no room, it could cause a problem. Manager McMaster felt that these signs would be a benefit to visitors who are trying to find the businesses. Alderwoman Gazal and Alderman Dyke explained that years ago we had a business that wanted to erect signs at no charge and the City did not want to do it. Manager McMaster presented this proposal to several sign companies and they had no interest in the project. Clerk Hackney informed the Council that she spoke with a company and they indicated that there are hooks on the poles along Plainfield Road that flags could be affixed to. Alderwoman Oberlin explained that they were put up for the 50th anniversary of the city. Members of the Council felt that we should check with the businesses and see who might be interested. Discussion followed. Alderwoman Gazal would like to see the City entrance sign project completed. Manager McMaster explained that all but two of those signs have been placed. Discussion followed on the placement of the city signs. Discussion then followed on temporary signs, flags, banners and pennants.

Mayor Soliman asked for an informal vote on Wayfinding Signs. Alderman Albert and Alderman Inman would be in favor of just City information. Alderman Coladipietro agreed and would also like to wait until we get the marketing. Alderwoman Oberlin concurred, but would like to wait to see where the future City buildings will be. Alderwoman Gazal and Alderwoman Sklare concurred with the previous comments Alderman Dyke and Alderman Vershay were not in favor of the signs.

Topic: Personnel Policy

Assistant Administrator H/R Director Megan Fulara presented the updates to the proposed employee handbook.

Sec 1.6, the handbook shall be reviewed and updated by the Personnel Officer subject to Council approval.

Sec 4.3, Compensation and Salary Increase, non- union employees' compensation may be increased annually at a rate dictated by either the CPI or 2% whichever is lower. Increases are subject to budget availability and Council approval. Merit based salary increases are subject availability of funds dedicated for such increases in the annual budget.

Sec 8.18, Workers Compensation, the language regarding the employee checking in while on leave for a work-related injury, does not violate any HIPAA or privacy laws as long as the term "checking in" does not include any requirement to report a specific medical condition. Discussion followed on the term reporting in.

Sec 4.8, Overtime Payment, the City has determined to define the term "hours worked” to include all paid leave, including sick leave. Some employers will include paid leave with the exception of sick leave as hours worked for the calculation of overtime payments. Page 18 reflects the inclusion of paid leave (vacation) in the hours worked used to calculate the applicable overtime payment (7 hours) in the example. A lot of Union contracts will contain language defining "time worked” to include the use of paid leave time. Many employers choose to treat their non-union employees in the same manner as the collective bargaining employees. It is up to the Council to determine if the City would like to continue the practice or to change it. Administrator McGuire explained that we currently treat the non-union employees the same as union employees to calculate overtime. If this were to change, you would have to physically work a 40 hour week in order to get overtime. If you took an hour off or were sick during a 40 hour work week, but worked an hour over you would not get the overtime pay, you would get regular pay. This would affect the non-union hourly employees. Discussion followed on what defines a 40-hour work week. Alderman Vershay suggested that we continue as we have in the past.

Mayor Soliman asked for an informal vote. All were in favor of the changes to the employee handbook.

Alderman Albert was concerned about the wording in the handbook in regards to outside employment for City employees. Administrator McGuire explained that we need to make sure that employees are available after hours in case of emergencies such as water main breaks or a Police emergency. We also have to make sure that the outside employment is not a conflict of interest with the employees City position. Discussion followed. Alderman Albert asked if we can re-word the policy. Administrator McGuire explained that this will be before Council for a vote on May 21, 2018.

Topic: Virtek Server Upgrade

Administrator McGuire informed the Council that we are looking to upgrade the servers at the East Treatment Plant. The four existing servers have reached the end of the useful life and would be condensed into two servers. There is also a need for a new firewall for the network at the East Treatment Plant. the second phase of the project will be the replacement of the SCADA system. Discussion followed.

All were in favor of the upgrade of the

Mayor Soliman asked for an informal vote. servers at the East Treatment Plant.

Public Comments: There were no public comments.

Mayors Updates: Mayor Soliman announced that the owners of Tiffany's Bistro will be here on May 21, 2018 to promote their business. Mayor Soliman informed the Council that the City received $14,300.00 in one month from gaming revenues. We are looking at bringing in $130,000.00 to $170,000.00 per year.

Mayor Soliman announced that there is a request from Will County Center for Community Concerns for a donation. Last year we donated $100.00. We currently have $1,241.00 left in the Touch of Summer fund for donations.

Mayor Soliman asked for an informal vote. All were in favor of the donation to the Will County Center for Community Concerns.

Committee/Liaison Updates: There were no committee/liaison updates.

City Administrator Updates: Administrator McGuire announced that the Plan Commission approved the updates to the zoning ordinance on May 9, 2018. This will come before the Council for a vote on Monday May 21, 2018. Alderman Albert asked if we can address food trucks at the next work session. He informed the Council that the Forest Preserve and Park District currently have food trucks serving at locations in the City. Administrator McGuire has already spoken with Park District in regards to this matter.

Mayor Soliman announced that there is a need for an executive session on SILCS 120/2(c)(1) personnel.

(#1) Motion by Alderwoman Oberlin, seconded by Alderwoman Gazal, to go into an executive session on SILCS 120/2(c)(1) personnel

On roll call, the vote was:

Ayes: Ald. Coladipietro, Albert, Inman, Dyke, Vershay, Sklare, Gazal, Oberlin.

Nayes: None.

Absent: None. There being eight (8) affirmative votes, the Motion Carried.

Executive session 9:07 p.m.

Return from executive session 9:38 p.m.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:39 p.m.

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