Will County Republican Caucus Committee met June 16.
Here are the minutes provided by the Committee:
I. CALL TO ORDER
II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
Mr. Pretzel led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
III. ROLL CALL
Minority Leader Mike Fricilone called the meeting to order at 8:45 AM
| Attendee Name | Title | Status | Arrived |
| Mike Fricilone | Minority Leader | Present | |
| Judy Ogalla | Minority Whip | Present | |
| Jim Moustis | Member | Present | |
| Raquel M. Mitchell | Member | Present | |
| Gretchen Fritz | Member | Present | |
| Donald Gould | Member | Present | |
| Steve Balich | Member | Present | |
| Annette Parker | Member | Present | |
| Julie Berkowicz | Member | Present | |
| Frankie Pretzel | Member | Present | |
| Tom Weigel | Member | Present | |
| Debbie Kraulidis | Member | Absent |
State's Attorney's Office: Mary Tatroe
IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
1. WC Republican Caucus - Regular Meeting - Apr 20, 2022 5:30 PM
| RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Jim Moustis, Member SECONDER: Steve Balich, Member AYES: Fricilone, Ogalla, Moustis, Mitchell, Fritz, Gould, Balich, Parker, Berkowicz, Pretzel, Weigel ABSENT: Kraulidis |
VI. NEW BUSINESS
1. Discussion of County Board Agenda
Mr. Fricilone stated we have a number of Proclamations. Mr. Weigel will read the one on the building challenge.
VII. COMMITTEE REPORTS
1. Land Use & Development
Mr. Fricilone stated the first item is going to be pulled but just so everyone knows if it stays the way it does Mr. Balich and I, are going to oppose that because they want to change zoning to I1 right on 159th and Cedar Rd. isn’t appropriate, but the applicant is pulling it.
Mr. Moustis stated if they have that potential industrial area then we need to look at our land plan and say because it’s residential, development does not occur there. That industrial zoning would not be appropriate. So, we need to make the request to the County Executive to review our land plan. Now, that takes the whole County Board agreeing on that, so maybe it’s a subject you can ask to place on the Executive Committee and then maybe it could go through the Executive Committee.
Mr. Palmer commented having something written out formal is always better because people can respond to something in writing and you can say, it was requested on this day and what’s your response. When we talked about a committee some people just said yes, or maybe. Verbal just don’t do it, so I think that’s a better practice.
Ms. Fritz noted we’re having the same problem in Capital Improvement with the old courthouse issue. As far as yes, the RFP is being done for the abatement for the asbestos but nothing going forward as far as any other propositions as far as demolition, alternate uses. Everybody seems to be in agreement as you say the Chairman of the committee is not making sure it’s on the agenda and we’re not voting on it and moving it forward.
Mr. Fricilone said we did vote on it. It’s in the hands of the Executive to get it done. That’s where the problem is.
Ms. Fritz said so it’s basically the same situation. The abatement one way or another has to be done but the fact that we have no plans beyond the abatement is a problem.
Mr. Moustis asked Ms. Tatroe what recourse is there when the County Board gives direction to the Executive, and they just refuse to do it?
Mr. Tatroe answered it might be litigation but that’s kind of nasty in itself. You have the budgetary powers.
Mr. Moustis commented the State’s Attorney is not going to sue her because the State’s Attorney will say, I represent everybody, and we’re not allowed to get outside counsel.
Ms. Tatroe said if County Board voted to do something we would be obligated to petition the court and we have to take one side or maybe, we will stay out entirely and get counsel from outside to represent both of you. There are different ways it could come down.
Mr. Moustis said because all we are saying we need to take action once we’ve given directions and there’s nothing clear cut saying this need to be done. I think what we need to do is we actually put a time on when we give directions. Then if they don’t reply by that date, I think we have recourse. If there’s no date and it’s open ended, I don’t think there’s anything we can do.
Ms. Tatroe commented no, because there’s a lot of discretion there.
Mr. Palmer stated that topic last night was at the Democratic Caucus too about what’s the plan and there’s different ideas among the Democratic Caucus. That abatement stuff has been talked about for many, many, many months, and we’ve been told on that issue and other issues it’s ready to go out by the end of the week, but the end of the month and three months later. By not putting it out we haven’t made any formal progress. We can put a tracking sheet together and just say, here’s when it was requested. The Board has been nice and not beating people up but at some point, you have to say, we asked for this in March and now it’s June, and nothing is happening. Or just tell people we delayed this because we have all these other projects we had to deal with. I mean that to me makes, as a person when people tell me they didn’t get to it because at least I know why it’s not like you’re just ignoring me, so we can do that.
Ms. Fritz stated with the courthouse; the bigger issue is once the abatements done there’s no plan after that. There’s no plan for demolition, there’s no plan for repurposing and if we do demo it, we still need a plan. If you’re going to turn it into green space temporarily then there has to be a plan for that.
Mr. Palmer noted there are plans on the physical old courthouse side of doing auxiliary buildings support. There’s been lots of plans, but nothing was formally agreed too. Frankly, if you want to get this done it has to be the Executive Office, County Board, City of Joliet leadership.
Mr. Fricilone said I did talk to Mitch about putting together some vision option that we already did with so; they were going to work on it. I’ll ask again and see where were as I just talked to him about a week ago on that.
Ms. Fritz said I think it’s best to give Joliet some parameters, so they don’t just come up with some crazy plan.
2. Finance
Mr. Fricilone stated we’re allocating funds from the 5th Amendment to the Garden Program
3. Public Works & Transportation
Mr. Fricilone asked does anyone have issues with anything in Public Works?
4. Diversity & Inclusion
5. Public Health & Safety
Mr. Fricilone asked if everyone is aware of this certifying the question on levying a tax for a community mental health ward? I think the Democrats are going to try to push this through today; we can try to postpone this. I don’t have enough information to even get into it.
Mrs. Ogalla stated we have a packet from the Health Department tells you what they do with mental health, and they do a lot, plus they make sure their other places in the County that has this. This is just going to cost us more. We have this group which is the Will/Grundy group.
Mr. Fricilone said plus we have millions of dollars in ARPA which we still haven’t given out; it’s been a year and a half.
Mr. Moustis said it is a tax. If I looked and interpreted it correctly in my district this will cost the average house $300 to $400 dollars a year. We need to talk about this in terms of a tax. The state totally got out of mental health and that’s why we have a crisis. The state defunded mental health. That’s what they did. This was a couple of years ago. Then they said, they were going to throw money down to the health departments, so the health departments can do it and they did send money from mental health; the health department through different grants and programs. What is clearly stated by the state we think the Health Department should do this. Creating this is nothing more than creating another tax levy. We as a caucus I think should talk in terms of this is all about creating a new tax because that’s what I think it is. That’s the strategy we use. This is about levying a tax increase.
Mr. Fricilone said we have $15 to $20 million dollars that we’re giving to mental health from the federal funds, we don’t need another tax.
6. Legislative & Judicial
7. Capital Improvements
8. Executive
Mr. Fricilone stated the agreement with the SCS is on there. Take a look at it. Take a look at the budget. I have some questions on the budget; how hard and fast that budget is. I want to know how we are going to be able to monitor this budget and who’s monitoring it. We are taking the ARPA off the agenda, the park, and the municipal park. We had a leadership meeting yesterday and they presented the numbers we said we were going to refigure the numbers to make them better.
Mr. Moustis commented on special rec districts. I do help the Lincoln Way with donations. The special rec districts in my opinion they are part of the park districts, but they don’t really fund them. I think the rec district is very important to our special needs folks and they could be anyone from 5 years old to adults and they’re always looking for money. They are always fund raising to do things. We should include them in that funding.
Mr. Fricilone stated there are three special recs in our county. Tinley has a south suburban special rec association it serves a little piece of Will County there. Then we have Lincoln Way special rec association and that’s all Will County association. The we have Romeoville which is the northern Will County special rec association. They have about 85 to 90 percent of the people that are from Will County, in total Lincoln Way serves 400 to 500 people.
Mr. Fricilone said I asked yesterday to make an allocation from our set number maybe it’s $50,000, but Mimi said, no. She said, because the park districts fund them, we shouldn’t be giving them money the park district should be funding them. So, I said we must continue talking on this. The Executive was more positive that we should. These are special needs kids. We can give them a little something so they can run. Most of their donations come from donations.
Mr. Pretzel said you want to do something to help mental health and suicide preventions, they need to fund these programs. These are people who have spinal cord injuries, these are children with spinal bifada and recreation and sports give them purpose. My whole career has been with these people. They need as much funding as we can.
Mr. Moustis said they shouldn’t have to always have to be asking for money.
Mr. Fricilone stated there’s nothing else on the Executive agenda.
VIII. OTHER NEW BUSINESS
Mr. Fricilone stated I did want to mention on the appointments, Is everybody aware what’s happening on the Board of Review? It’s a little different what their doing. Sue McMillan is resigning her position on the Board of Review, and she only has a year left on her term. She’s being appointed to the vacated position that will be a two-year term. I didn’t like the way it was happening with the resigning and reappointing to the longer term, but it kind of makes sense to the congruity of the Board of Review and there’s another person being appointed to take the place of Sue McMillan. I’m okay with it after I heard the whole explanation. Questions?
IX. PUBLIC COMMENTS
Mr. Weigel said I got a call from a resident that has a brewery in New Lenox, and they want to put another one in an unincorporated industrial park on a school bus route and they need a liquor license. I just wanted to throw that out. I want to know if it would be amendable to increase the liquor license for the facility like this. We had similar ones in Plainfield in the past.
Mr. Fricilone stated they have to go through the process.
Ms. Novak stated I just wanted to let the Republican Caucus know that I’m retiring on September 30, after 35 years at the Supervisor of Assessment Office. It’s bittersweet for me it’s time for me to go. We have been the model assessment office in the State of Illinois, and I don’t say that lightly, that is the case. It is vital that this office continue and go forward as it always has as part of the job cycle. I have spoke to the County Executive and had a meeting with she and Mitch. I have recommended Cindy Harris she is my Chief Deputy. When I get up out of the seat she can sit in the seat and do every single thing that I can do. I did express that to the County Executive and Mrs. Harris spoke with the County Executive, yesterday and they indicated that they were going to post the position. That is up to them to post the position but I’m asking for your support to continue to keep the assessment process and tax cycle in Will County the way that it has been for 20 years under my leadership. Mrs. Harris has 22 years in the office and has been working with me side-by-side for at least 4 or 5 years. There is nothing that she can’t do that I have been able to do. I want to thank all of you for your support and your trust in me of running the office. I’ve been able to come to any one of you and you been nothing but helpful. I think when you come to me with a constituent, I handle that. We do a lot of things here in Will County that they don’t do anywhere else. We have a market that has gone through the roof that will be part of the increase assessment, so the people will not be happy. Will County has 1300 appeals, but we are in perfect shape thought to keep moving forward with the inhouse team that has already been established and trained. So, I respectfully request that you support Cindy Harris. Thank you very much.
Mr. Moustis said you should understand that it’s an independent appointed official. Independent does not work under the County Executive Office, doesn’t take directions from the County Executive, they do take direction from the County Board. The SA brings their hires to the County Board for advice and consent and so forth. It’s an independent official, the reason is because the office is not supposed to be slated against political influence. We have a responsibility. The County Executive has to bring a name forward; we don’t have to say yes, but we don’t have to say no either. It really needs to be a professional who understands the taxing cycle and how it works here. We have agreements with big taxpayers. We have to make sure we put a real professional in there and not somebody who’s a political person or who can be politically influenced. Once they are there they can’t be fired, they have a contract. The only time you can get rid of them is when the contract is up.
Ms. Tatroe said I have always recommended that you don’t do a contract because the statute specifically sets forth their duties and you cannot get rid of them except for cause. If you want to remove someone, we have to hold a public hearing to do so. There have been contracts for years, but I recommended against it in the past and I will continue to recommend it.
X. ANNOUNCEMENTS/REPORTS BY CHAIR
XI. ADJOURNMENT
https://willcountyil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=12&ID=4323&Inline=True
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