Village of Buffalo Grove Village Board met April 20.
Here is the minutes provided by the board:
CALL TO ORDER
President Sussman called the meeting to order at 7:30 P.M. This meeting is being conducted via audio and video conferencing.
ROLL CALL
Roll call indicated the following present via audio/video: President Sussman; Trustees Stein, Ottenheimer, Weidenfeld, Johnson, Smith and Pike.
Also present via audio/video were: Dane Bragg, Village Manager; Patrick Brankin, Village Attorney; Jenny Maltas, Deputy Village Manager; Chris Stilling, Deputy Village Manager; Chris Black, Director of Finance; Art Malinowski, Director of Human Resources; Katie Golbach, Human Resource Analyst; Brett Robinson, Director of Purchasing; Fire Chief Baker; and Police Chief Casstevens.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Moved by Ottenheimer, seconded by Stein to approve the minutes of the March 16, 2020 Regular Meeting.
Upon roll call, Trustees voted as follows:
AYES: 4 – Stein, Ottenheimer, Smith, Pike
NAYS: 0 – None
ABSTAIN: 2 – Weidenfeld, Johnson
Motion declared carried.
Moved by Johnson, seconded by Weidenfeld, to approve the minutes of the March 24, 2020 Special Meeting.
Upon roll call, Trustees voted as follows:
AYES: 6 – Stein, Ottenheimer, Weidenfeld, Johnson, Smith, Pike
NAYS: 0 – None
Motion declared carried.
WARRANT #1313
Mr. Robinson read Warrant #1313. Moved by Johnson, seconded by Smith, to approve Warrant #1313 in the amount of $5,725,551.59 authorizing payment of bills listed. Upon roll call, Trustees voted as follows:
AYES: 6 – Stein, Ottenheimer, Weidenfeld, Johnson, Smith, Pike
NAYS: 0 – None
Motion declared carried.
RESOLUTION NO. 2020-16 – EXECUTIVE ORDER EXTENSION
President Sussman read Resolution No. 2020-16, extending Executive Order 2020-01, issued on March 17, 2020.
Moved by Ottenheimer, seconded by Pike, to pass Resolution No. 2020-16, extending Executive Order 2020-01 issued on March 17, 2020. Upon roll call, Trustees voted as follows:
AYES: 6 – Stein, Ottenheimer, Weidenfeld, Johnson, Smith, Pike
NAYS: 0 – None
Motion declared carried.
VILLAGE MANAGER’S REPORT
There is no Village Manager’s report at this meeting.
SPECIAL BUSINESS
There is no Special Business at this meeting.
REPORTS FROM TRUSTEES
Trustee Stein stated that he believes that the Village should make face coverings mandatory throughout the Village in order to make residents feel safer
Chief Baker commented that the CDC does recommend face coverings, but the WHO does not recommend face coverings, therefore, there is conflicting evidence as to whether or not face coverings are a protection. One school of thought is that face coverings are more of a reminder to maintain social distancing and refrain from touching one’s face. Another school of thought is that, when people are wearing face coverings, they believe they are protected and do not need to be vigilant in maintaining social distancing, touching one’s face and washing one’s hands. Chief Baker said that there is not sufficient evidence to show that there is an advantage to wearing a face covering, but neither is there evidence to prove that there is not an advantage. People are currently free to wear masks if they wish, but people need to realize that there are limitations to the cloth masks. Proper care of the masks is crucial to their effectiveness.
Trustee Weidenfeld stated that it seems reasonable for the Village do what we can to protect the people that live in this community to the best of our ability, and it would seem that would be to put in place an ordinance that mandates the wearing of face coverings, whether or not the state also initiates a mandate.
Trustee Ottenheimer stated that he believes that enacting an ordinance clearly outweighs not doing so, and it is a “no-brainer” from his perspective.
Trustee Johnson asked about enforcement and penalties; she has heard from residents that most people want there to be a mandate.
Mr. Brankin stated that it would have to be an ordinance to be enforceable and would have tickets issued that would be handled through our adjudication system. Mr. Brankin stated that he believes that it could be drafted so that it is a condition of one of the essential business licenses that a face covering must be worn by anyone entering the business, and he concurred that enforcement will be difficult.
Mr. Brankin confirmed to Trustee Smith that a business could have their own store rule that you could not enter their facility without a face covering. Trustee Smith has also heard from residents and business owners and employees that they want the Village to mandate face coverings in public places.
Trustee Pike has heard the same from residents; he also questioned whether or not there should be a time frame placed on the mandate. It was noted that the time frame could be extended if necessary.
Mr. Bragg stated that staff will work on a draft and, if necessary, may convene a Special Meeting with 48 hours notice.
In answer to a question from Trustee Johnson, Mr. Bragg stated that staff is in contact with state legislators to be aware of what is being done at the state level.
Chief Casstevens stated that this would be unenforceable by the Police Department unless there were an ordinance in place; and he would suggest specific definition as to “mask” and/or “face covering” as there are many different interpretations; he would also suggest that part of the burden be placed on the business owners to post signage that there is an ordinance in place and no entrance would be permitted without compliance.
CONSENT AGENDA
President Sussman explained the Consent Agenda, stating that any member of the audience or the Board could request that an item be removed for full discussion. The Village Clerk read a brief synopsis of each of the items on the Consent Agenda.
Resolution No. 2020-16 – Federal Surplus Program
Motion to pass Resolution No. 2020-16, State of Illinois Federal Surplus Program.
Resolution No. 2020-18 – Natural Gas Supply
Motion to pass Resolution No. 2020-18, ratifying execution of an Extension to an Agreement for Natural Gas Supply and Service.
Proclamation - Safe Digging Month
Motion to approve a Proclamation recognizing April as Safe Digging Month.
Proclamation – Arbor Day
Motion to approve a Proclamation recognizing April 24, 2020 as Arbor Day.
Proclamation – Municipal Clerks Week
Motion to approve a Proclamation recognizing the week of May 3-9, 2020 as Municipal Clerks Week.
Proclamation - Building Safety Month
Motion to approve a Proclamation recognizing May as Building Safety Month.
Proclamation – National Police Week
Motion to approve a Proclamation recognizing National Police Week 2020.
Moved by Weidenfeld, seconded by Johnson, to approve the Consent Agenda. Upon roll call, Trustees voted as follows:
AYES: 6 – Stein, Ottenheimer, Weidenfeld, Johnson, Smith, Pike
NAYS: 0 – None
Motion declared carried.
ORDINANCE NO. 2020-28 – AGREEMENT
Moved by Johnson, seconded by Smith, to approve a Letter of Agreement between the Village of Buffalo Grove and the Buffalo Grove Professional Firefighter/Paramedic Association.
Mr. Malinowski reviewed the proposed ordinance and agreement, details of which are contained in the Village Board Meeting Agenda Item Overview the he prepared.
Brian Costin, resident, called in to comment, and noted that, while he would love to give raises to the firefighter/paramedics, the Village does not currently have the funds to do that, and he would prefer to see the proposed funds put into a contribution to the pension fund rather than into raises. Mr. Costin does not believe large raises should be given to employees when many residents are losing their jobs or taking a reduction in pay. Let residents know that the government is sharing in the economic pain caused by this crisis.
In answer to a question from a resident, Mr. Malinowski confirmed that first responders receive their regular salary during this crisis, and do not receive any hazardous duty stipend.
Mr. Malinowski clarified the budget impact of the proposed agreement, after which he answered questions from the Board. Mr. Bragg also answered questions from the Board regarding the financial impact.
Trustee Johnson noted that 78% pension funding is perfectly acceptable, since the entire fire department will not be retiring at the same time. Trustee Johnson also believes that these employees are putting their lives on the line to protect all of our residents, and she will be supporting the proposed ordinance.
Trustee Smith stated that the sacrifice needs to be shared, but he is not willing to sacrifice at the expense of our first responders at this time, and he will be supporting the proposed ordinance.
Trustee Stein agrees with Trustee Smith and is also in favor of supporting the proposed ordinance.
Upon roll call, Trustees voted as follows:
AYES: 6 – Stein, Ottenheimer, Weidenfeld, Johnson, Smith, Pike
NAYS: 0 – None
Motion declared carried.
QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE
President Sussman reviewed the parameters to be followed by speakers and asked if there were any questions from the audience on items not on tonight’s agenda; there were no such questions.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Moved by Weidenfeld, seconded by Pike, to move to Executive Session to discuss Section 2(C)(1) of the Illinois Open Meetings Act: the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the Public Body or Legal Counsel for the Public Body, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee of the Public Body or against Legal Counsel for the Public Body to determine its validity. Upon roll call, Trustees voted as follows:
AYES: 6 – Stein, Ottenheimer, Weidenfeld, Johnson, Smith, Pike
NAYS: 0 – None
Motion declared carried.
The Board moved to Executive Session from 8:30 P.M. until 9:28 P.M.
ADJOURNMENT
Moved by Stein, seconded by Weidenfeld, to adjourn the meeting. Upon voice vote, the motion was unanimously declared carried. The meeting was adjourned at 9:28 P.M
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