VILLAGE OF BARRINGTON HILLS
Minutes of the Regular Meeting April 24, 2006
President Abboud called the Regular Meeting to order at 6:35 pm. Roll Call.
Robert G. Abboud, President Shirley Mitchell, Resident
Fritz H. Gohl, Pro-Tem Peter Wessel, Resident
Steven E. Knoop, Trustee Karan Afseth, Virchow Krause
George L. Schueppert, Trustee Mike Zachar, Resident
Julie McKevitt, Trustee Robert Best, Bell, Boyd & Lloyd
Douglas Wambach, Village Attorney Bill Walsh, Barrington Hills Police
Robert Kosin, Director of Administration Quentin Bull, Focus Development
Michael N. Murphy, Police Chief Jerry Callaghan, Attorney
Elaine M. Ramesh, Village Clerk Marty Robins, Resident
Trustee McKevitt motioned to adjourn to Executive Session to discuss legal matters at 6:37 pm. Trustee Knoop seconded. Roll Call.
Ayes: 5 (Schueppert, Knoop, McKevitt, Gohl, Abboud)
Nays: 0
Absent: 2 (Smithe, Horne)
Meeting Adjourned
EXECUTIVE SESSION
* Trustee Gohl left the meeting at 7:02 pm
PUBLIC SESSION
President Abboud called the Public Session to order at 7:44 pm.
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April 24, 2006 – page 2
MINUTES
Trustee Schueppert motioned to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting of March 27, 2006 with certain corrections. Trustee Knoop seconded. All present said aye, with Trustee McKevitt abstaining.
Motion Approved
Trustee Schueppert motioned to approve the minutes of the Executive Session of March 27, 2006. Trustee McKevitt seconded. All present said aye, with Trustee McKevitt abstaining.
Motion Approved
PUBLIC COMMENTS
President Abboud opened a thirty-five minute session for public comments at 7:49 pm.
Mike Zachar recounted a traffic-related incident on his street wherein contractors in an 18-wheel truck and other large vehicles blocked a portion of the road in an unsafe manner in addition to blocking his driveway. A phone call to the Village Hall did not resolve the issue to his satisfaction. He was encouraged to dial 911 in future for immediate service. The Board requested that the Village Engineer inspect Helm Rd. to see if the contractors did any damage to it.
As there were no further remarks, the public comments session ended at 8:09 pm.
FINANCE – Walter E. Smithe
Treasurer’s Report – In Trustee Smithe’s absence, Trustee Schueppert presented the Treasurer’s report for the month of March 2006. An investment portfolio summary was also provided for consideration. Trustee Schueppert motioned to accept the Treasurer’s report as presented. Trustee Knoop seconded. Roll Call.
Ayes: 4 (Schueppert, Knoop, McKevitt, Abboud)
Nays: 0
Absent: 3 (Smithe, Horne, Gohl)
Motion Approved
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April 24, 2006 – page 3
Police Pension Board Report –Trustee Schueppert motioned to accept the financial report of the Police Pension Board through February 2006 as presented. Trustee Knoop seconded. A summary of activity for the year to date was distributed to the trustees for their consideration. All present said aye.
Motion Approved
Presentation of Bills – Trustee Schueppert motioned to approve the payment of the bills for the month of April to date of $197,970.50. Trustee Knoop seconded. Roll Call.
Ayes: 4 (Schueppert, Knoop, McKevitt, Abboud)
Nays: 0
Absent: 3 (Smithe, Horne, Gohl)
Motion Approved
Presentation of Additional Bills – Trustee Schueppert motioned to approve the payment of the additional bills of $52,582.26. Trustee McKevitt seconded. Roll Call.
Ayes: 4 (Schueppert, Knoop, McKevitt, Abboud)
Nays: 0
Absent: 3 (Smithe, Horne, Gohl)
Motion Approved
Overtime Reports – Trustee Schueppert motioned to approve $3,514.06 in overtime expenses for March 16 through 31, 2006 and $3,818.08 for April 1 through 15, 2006. The reasons for the overtime expenses were discussed. Trustee Knoop seconded. Roll Call.
Ayes: 4 (Schueppert, Knoop, McKevitt, Abboud)
Nays: 0
Absent: 3 (Smithe, Horne, Gohl)
Motion Approved
FY 2007 Budget – Trustee Schueppert presented the proposed budget for the 2007 fiscal year. He indicated that Trustee Smithe had reviewed and endorsed the proposal. Trustee Schueppert motioned acceptance of the fiscal year 2007 budget with re-assignment of the cost of the Village Administrator to the Administration Department. Trustee McKevitt seconded. A tabular comparison of the 2006 budgeted and 2006 actual expenditures with the 2007 budget was provided for the trustee’s consideration. The Board discussed and reviewed various aspects of the budget. In response to a resident’s question, President Abboud indicated that plan was to replenish and increase the reserves of the general fund;
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April 24, 2006 – page 4
and that the improvements in the way the Village utilizes its monetary resources have been made. Roll Call.
Ayes: 4 (Schueppert, Knoop, McKevitt, Abboud)
Nays: 0
Absent: 3 (Smithe, Horne, Gohl)
Motion Approved
Virchow Krause Engagement – Trustee Schueppert motioned approval of a resolution to authorize the acceptance of an engagement letter for audit services with Virchow Krause. Trustee Knoop seconded. Trustee Schueppert discussed the new firm, its experience and anticipated costs of services. The Village’s current audit firm, Lauterbach & Amen will continue to handle the accounting work for the Police Pension Fund, and the new firm will audit Lauterbach & Amen’s work. All present said aye.
Resolution 06-11
ROADS AND BRIDGES – Julie McKevitt
Monthly Report – Trustee McKevitt indicated that action items from the 2005 road work projects are being addressed. Next week, she will hold a snow maintenance wrap up meeting with Cuba Township to discuss the success of the past season’s snow removal program. Trustee McKevitt reported that as of May 1, road weight restrictions will be removed upon the advice of the Village Engineer; and that some potholes have been temporarily patched already. President Abboud mentioned that if the patching had been done on any portions of roads that are the county’s responsibility, the county should be billed for the work. Six bids have been received for the 2006 road maintenance work. A special Village Board meeting will be held in early May to review the bids and accept one of them. The Board also discussed consideration of long term planning to address potential traffic issues created within the Village by the possibility of a new school being construction in District 220.
EJ&E Quiet Corridor Study – A proposed intergovernmental agreement for equally sharing costs associated with initial studies to be done for a project to create a quiet corridor along the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern railway was presented to the trustees. The initial phase of the work will be to identify and provide cost estimates for any improvements that are necessary to qualify crossings as a new Corridor Quiet Zone. President Abboud indicated that he believed crossings in Barrington Hills were compliant, although there are non-qualified crossings in other jurisdictions which make whistle-blowing necessary.
* Trustee Gohl returned to the meeting at 9 pm
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April 24, 2006 – page 5
The trustees expressed strong interested in moving forward quickly with the project, so a resolution will be prepared for presentation at the special Village Board meeting.
Trustee Knoop asked who was responsible for maintenance of the railway overpass over Flint Creek/Hawthorne Lake. President Abboud indicated that it was the responsibility of Union Pacific, and directed that the Village Engineer take a look at the overpass and make inquiries as to when the most recent inspections were carried out.
PLANNING – Steven E. Knoop
Country Creek Subdivision – Attorney Jerry Callaghan presented a request by the owner of the 155 acre parcel at the corner of Haeger’s Bend and Chapel Roads to extend terms of an ordinance currently in force concerning the property. The Board considered the request.
Fox River Bluff Subdivision – A plat of subdivision for a parcel in unincorporated Algonquin Township which is within the Village’s 1.5 mile extra-territorial jurisdiction was presented for review. McHenry County is handling the formal review of plans because the parcel is unincorporated. The property owner, Mr. Bull, was present. President Abboud thanked Mr. Bull for bringing the plans to the Village for consideration. He requested that the Village Engineer make an engineering assessment with respect to environmental impact, and also check for other potential issues including surface water runoff, groundwater depletion, lights, noise or traffic. Any potential problems will be reported to the Plan Commission. Trustee Knoop requested more specific information on the exact location of the parcel. The owner agreed to provide the requested information and engineering plans to the Village promptly.
Monthly Report – Trustee Knoop reported that a resident’s request for pre-application for a subdivision was the topic of the most recent Plan Commission meeting. President Abboud requested that a list of additions for future updates to the Comprehensive Plan be maintained.
Development Committee – The committee has crafted a mission statement, and also has already targeted certain parcels of land for consideration. A brochure pertaining to the Village was created by one of the committee members. Trustee Knoop requested a list of all Village property owners having more than 20 acres of land to assist the committee with their work.
Restoration Project in Cook County Forest Preserve – A resident expressed disapproval of a recent restoration project in the Spring Creek Forest Preserve wherein mature trees were removed. President Abboud indicated that a meeting will be held on May 5 between the Village and the Cook County Forest Preserve which will include discussion of this topic.
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PUBLIC SAFETY – Fritz H. Gohl
Monthly Report – Trustee Gohl deferred to Chief Murphy who presented the Police Report for activity in the month of March 2006. Members of the police department completed numerous hours of training during the past month. The Chief discussed the results of the survey sent to the residents from the police department. Traffic concerns ranked very high, especially concerns about drivers traveling over the speed limit on Village roads. Concerns about cell phone coverage were also expressed by the residents surveyed. Increased directed patrols and other techniques will be used to reduce speeding. It is also expected that the new camera system for automatic ticketing will deter speeding. A letter was received from a Bartlett resident thanking the police department for roadside assistance when her vehicle became disabled in the Village.
BUILDING AND ZONING – George L. Schueppert
Building Permit Report – Trustee Schueppert reported that seven building permits had been issued during the month of March 2006. They included permits for one residence, one alteration, one stable, two demolitions and two site developments. The low number of permits may be of interest to the McHenry County Zoning Board of Appeals in their consideration of the Barrington Farms matter.
ZBA Report – Trustee Schueppert reported that at the most recent meeting, the ZBA continued to work on a potential amendment to the zoning ordinance to further define acceptable home occupations and also considered the Kline artificial lake special permit request
Special Use Permit for Kline Artificial Lake – Trustee Gohl motioned acceptance of a resolution granting a special use permit for an artificial lake on the Kline property. Trustee Schueppert seconded. Attorney Robert Best (representing the Klines) described the project, which had been already approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals. The Board asked questions about the size of the lake. All present said aye.
Resolution 06-12
Home Occupation – Public Hearing – Trustee Schueppert motioned that the Board direct the Zoning Board of Appeals to hold a public hearing to discuss the language for an amendment to the Zoning code concerning home occupation. Trustee McKevitt seconded. All present said aye.
Motion Approved
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April 24, 2006 – page 7
President Abboud requested that Trustee Schueppert inform the Zoning Board of Appeals that if negotiations are successful, the Village border will expand to include more of the Forest Preserve, necessitating amendment of the Village map.
INSURANCE – George L. Schueppert
Monthly Report – Trustee Schueppert reported that the Village’s liability policies have been renewed. Next week the committee charged with exploring solutions to controlling health care costs will meet. In the interim, the existing health care coverage will be renewed.
HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT, BUILDINGS & GROUNDS – Theodore L. Horne
Monthly Report – In Trustee Horne’s absence, Bob Kosin provided the report. He indicated that the 14-ton rock for the Kempe monument had been delivered to the Village Hall site.
ATTORNEY – Douglas Wambach
Attorney Wambach stated that matters of litigation had been addressed in Executive Session.
ADMINISTRATION – Robert G. Abboud
Committee Re-appointments - Various appointees’ terms in the Plan Commission, Development Commission, Equestrian Commission and Communications Committee expire in May. Trustee Schueppert motioned acceptance of the re-appointment of David Buckley, Charles Prettyman, Betsy Bramsen, Bill Mattran, Eve Perry and Greg Samata to the Development Commission; acceptance of the re-appointment of Dan Lundmark, Dara Valin and John Hart to the Equestrian Commission and the re-appointment of Beth Mallen, Lucinda Hanover, Victoria Kelly, Barbara Kemp, Dan Mjolsness, Nikki Panos and Maureen Prettyman to the Communications Committee. Trustee McKevitt seconded. All present said aye.
Motion Approved
Trustee McKevitt motioned acceptance of the re-appointment of Alan Hoffman as Chairman of the Legal Committee, and appointment of Charles Meroni to the Legal Committee. Trustee Gohl seconded. All present said aye.
Motion Approved
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April 24, 2006 – page 8
Re-appointment of the members of the Plan Commission will take place at the next Board meeting, after President Abboud confirms their willingness to continue to serve.
In addition, President Abboud may announce a new committee, the Technology Committee at the next Board meeting. He is also considering whether the one year appointments should be revised to longer terms.
Deputy Clerk – Trustee Gohl motioned acceptance of the consideration of Dolores Trandel for the position of Deputy Clerk for the Village of Barrington Hills. Trustee McKevitt seconded. The Board discussed the candidate’s qualifications and experience. All present said aye.
Motion Approved
Trustee Gohl motioned to adjourn the Public Session at 11:21 pm. Trustee McKevitt seconded. All present said aye.
Meeting Adjourned
Approved ________________