Will County Democratic Caucus met September 20.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
I. Call To Order / Roll Call
Minority Leader Herbert Brooks Jr. called the meeting to order at 8:50 am
Attendee Name; Title; Status; Arrived:
Herbert Brooks Jr. Minority Leader Present
Lauren Staley-Ferry Minority Whip Present
Mark Ferry Member Present
Kenneth E. Harris Member Absent
Tyler Marcum Member Present
Donald A. Moran Member Absent
Beth Rice Member Present
Laurie Summers Member Present
Jacqueline Traynere Member Present
Denise E. Winfrey Member Present
II. Pledge Of Allegiance To The Flag
Mr. Ferry led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
III. Approval Of Minutes
1. WC Democratic Caucus - Special Meeting - Aug 12, 2018 6:00 pm
Result: Approved [Unanimous]
Mover: Denise E. Winfrey, Member
Seconder: Tyler Marcum, Member
Ayes: Brooks Jr., Staley-Ferry, Ferry, Marcum, Rice, Summers, Traynere, Winfrey
Absent: Harris, Moran
2. WC Democratic Caucus - Regular Meeting - Aug 16, 2018 8:45 am
Result: Approved [Unanimous]
Mover: Mark Ferry, Member
Seconder: Tyler Marcum, Member
Ayes: Brooks Jr., Staley-Ferry, Ferry, Marcum, Rice, Summers, Traynere, Winfrey
Absent: Harris, Moran
IV. Old Business
V. New Business
1. Discussion of County Board Agenda
Mr. Brooks reviewed the Proclamations and announced the County Executive will present his budget. Last week he indicated it was balanced.
Land Use & Development Committee:
Ms. Winfrey reviewed the zoning cases and Resolutions.
Mrs. Traynere asked for clarification on the auto salvage; what is changing?
Ms. Janine Farrell replied auto salvage is a new category within our zoning ordinance. We are adding this because people come in and ask for this use and it has a different license under the Secretary of State we are asked to sign off on. We need to put in the different zoning districts; A is agricultural, E through R are residential, I is industrial and C is commercial. This new category is going in an industrial zoning district, where it will be permitted with a special use.
Mrs. Traynere stated the Resolution states auto rebuilder, completely enclosed building and auto rebuilder with outdoor storage. Are you saying the only way to get auto rebuilder with outdoor storage is with a SUP in the I-3 area? What is I-3 zoning?
Ms. Farrell answered it goes by level of intensity; I-1 is the least intensive industrial district and I-3 would be the most intensive. I-1 is light industrial district and I-3 are oil refineries.
Mrs. Traynere clarified we are allowing auto salvage in an I-3 only through a SUP.
Ms. Farrell responded yes, it allows regulation for outdoor storage, do they need to screen the parts? How can tall can they stack autos on the property?
Mrs. Traynere expressed concerns the Ordinance targets a specific individual.
Mr. Brooks asked were there any concerns at Land Use of this Ordinance.
Ms. Summers indicated there were no questions or comments.
Mrs. Traynere indicated she would be voting no. A person should not have to own property in an I-3 zoning to store car parts.
Ms. Farrell stated the Resolution regarding beekeeping there were some amendments not in the language, it will be sent back to Committee because it is not ready to go.
Mrs. Rice stated for home occupation parking language change; what is the intended change in the parking situation?
Ms. Farrell replied we do not want to see volumes of traffic associated with a home business not normally seen in a residential area. Parking on public streets, is not under our jurisdiction and we cannot regulate. The intent is to not have a home business with 10 people visiting.
Mrs. Traynere asked what is a home occupation?
Ms. Farrell replied a person doing taxes has someone comes to their home and discuss their taxes.
Mrs. Rice asked what type of home occupations generates complaints?
Ms. Farrell responded we have complaints when neighbors feel too many people are coming to the site. Usually it is the vehicles of the home occupation operator and they feel too many vehicles are parked in the drive or street.
Mr. Brooks stated Mr. Weigel has brought this up due to an issue in New Lenox.
Finance Committee:
Mr. Palmer explained the tax abatement Resolutions.
Mrs. Jakaitis announced the dates for the budget workshop and October Finance meetings.
Mrs. Rice asked to have the budget workshop taped for Board Members unable to attend. I cannot attend the meeting, but am very interested in the content.
Mr. Palmer stated the budget workshop is not a committee meeting, it is a high level overview meeting by Ms. ReShawn Howard. Everyone is welcome to participate and ask questions. Ms. Howard will meet with Board Members to go over specific questions at any time. Our office may request to focus on departments before the last meeting. Some years when we get to the meeting the budget goes to the Board there are cuts and adjustments to line items and no opportunity for the department respond. A department is told we are cutting $50,000 out of your budget from this line item. If the department was involved they could say this is critical and explain why a line item should not be cut and where cuts could be made. Let’s have a detail discussion about the departments always focused on; Land Use, Sunny Hill and the Health Department. Let’s allow them to make a presentation on the key points of their budget. It is not fair to the departments to say we made cuts at 7:30 this morning and we are going to approve the budget. It is not fair to you because you don’t have time to understand the cuts. I hope that does not happen this year, but it has happened in the past. We present the budget in September so you have two months to approve it.
Mrs. Rice stated I still would like to see this taped. I would like to benefit from the presentation and the questions asked. I would also like to see it offered when we are at the County for regularly scheduled meetings.
Public Works & Transportation Committee:
Ms. Summers asked where is the speed limit was being lowered?
Mrs. Jakaitis replied near the Amazon distribution center.
Judicial Committee - No discussion.
Public Health & Safety Committee-
Ms. Summers reviewed the Resolution.
Mr. Palmer stated Channel 5 news did a story on a Will County resident who used Narcan to save a life.
Ms. Summers stated some good laws got passed in Springfield regarding mental health and drug abuse.
Mr. Brooks asked was there any discussion on the press releases about the bats?
Ms. Summers responded no.
Mr. Brooks stated so far this year in Will County more bats have been discovered than in the past.
Legislative & Policy Committee:
Mr. Palmer stated we will begin working on the State and Federal agendas soon. If anyone has ideas or comments, please forward them to the Executive’s Office or the Board Office.
Mr. Brooks stated our Federal and State lobbyist attended the meeting this month and gave updates. I found interesting that one-third of the House of Representatives would not be returning.
Capital Improvements Committee:
Ms. Winfrey stated the bid opening for Animal Control and EMA was yesterday. On September 27th the Health Department will host a community meeting. Door hangers were put throughout the area inviting residents to see the impacts during the construction and parking. Kluber has been very helpful.
Mr. Brooks stated Mr. Moran, Mrs. Dollinger and I attended the pre-bid meeting here. The turnout was very low. They will be doing others, but 3:30 p.m. is not a good time.
Ms. Winfrey stated the first workshop for the courthouse was at 3:30 p.m. and it was suggested that was too early for contractors. Two other workshops were held in the evenings, one on the east end and one on the west. I expect they will do the same with this project.
Mr. Brooks stated Mr. Tuminello and I did a commercial to talk about the progress and safety at the new courthouse.
Mr. Palmer stated we signed an agreement with OSHA this week. It is a big deal, because they don’t usually get people to sign on. OSHA is partnering with Gilbane since OSHA is responsible for inspecting onsite safety. This is an active partnership, signed by everyone who signed the PLA. The project is moving forward and moving along quickly.
Mr. Brooks asked was the PLA a ten year agreement?
Mr. Palmer replied a PLA is specific to the project and the length is determined by each project.
Mr. Brooks asked is there a PLA for every project?
Mr. Palmer answered yes, it is done in the private and public sector. It is a mutual agreement committing the parties to work together to resolve any problems and not have work stoppage. When you see a PLA it usually means the project will move forward positively.
Executive Committee:
Mr. Palmer explained the liquor licenses process.
Mr. Palmer reviewed items #3 and #4, the case management system. This has been on-going since 2010/2011 laying out a blueprint for the electronic court system for the State’s Attorney, Public Defender and Probation Departments. We budgeted a bigger number and due to the bidding process, it should be 50% of what we expected. This will be a tool for cases as they move through the court system. It will be much more efficient and support the operations.
Mrs. Rice asked what does Probation coming on depend on?
Mr. Palmer replied Probation has their own system that works. The vendor is developing a Probation system and part of their bid was they would design a new, free system for Probation. Our Probation department will help develop the system. The vendor is getting the benefit of having a test department. If the new system is not significantly better than the current system, we don’t have to take it. We are hoping they put a lot of effort into it and make it top notch.
Mrs. Rice asked if the new system doesn’t work and they continue using their current system, are they able to be integrated?
Mr. Palmer answered the goal is to connect. The ultimate goal is for a system that will work from the time the officer puts the information into the system, uploads it into the court system and goes to all the relevant departments. If everything works as expected, the old system from Probation will work with the new system. The biggest challenge with these systems is getting all the current information converted. It is a very forward thinking system.
Ms. Winfrey stated this avoids delays since everyone will have access to the files.
Mr. Palmer explained the accountability processes.
VI. Other New Business
VII. Public Comment
VIII. Executive Session
IX. Adjournment
1. Motion to Adjourn at 9:22 am
Result: Approved [Unanimous]
Mover: Lauren Staley-Ferry, Minority Whip
Seconder: Mark Ferry, Member
Ayes: Brooks Jr., Staley-Ferry, Ferry, Marcum, Rice, Summers, Traynere, Winfrey
Absent: Harris, Moran
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