VILLAGE OF NORTH AURORA
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING MINUTES
Monday, June 5, 2023
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Village Board meeting was conducted live remotely
via telecommunications.
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Gaffino called the meeting to order.
ROLL CALL
In attendance: Mayor Mark Gaffino, Trustee Jason Christiansen, Trustee Laura Curtis, Trustee Mark Guethle, Trustee Mike Lowery, Trustee Todd Niedzwiedz, Trustee Carolyn Salazar
Staff in attendance: Village Administrator Steve Bosco, Finance Director Jason Paprocki, Village Attorney Kevin Drendel, Public Works Director Brian Richter, Police Chief Joe DeLeo.
AUDIENCE COMMENTS – None
TRUSTEE COMMENTS – None
DISCUSSION
1. Special Event Code
Administrator Bosco explained that on occasion the Village Staff reviews the Municipal Code for any regulations that may be outdated or are no longer practical. He stated that the Board was going to be discussing suggested updates to Outdoor Special Event Permits. Bosco stated that the discussion would be focused on aspects of the Code that have been challenging from an administrative perspective, which were time and parking.
Bosco said that there are times that the Staff need to make discretionary decisions regarding the time and parking requirements within the Code.
Currently, the Code stated that a Special Event Permit was required when:
o The use of any Village property is requested
o The closure of any public street or blocking of any parking on public streets
o The use of any commercial parking lot that reduces the number of required parking spaces
o The use of mobile food vendors:
More than one vendor in a day
More than one vendor at a time
More than two hours at a time on any property, unless catering a private event
o The sale of alcoholic liquor
o Any event at which sound amplification will be used:
Sunday through Thursday before 10:00 am and/or after 9:00 pm; or
Friday and Saturday before 10:00 am and/or after 10:00 pm
Bosco explained the difference between a Special Event Liquor License which can be obtained by a civic groups, charitable organization, and government entities which the Mayor can sign off on. A Special Use Liquor License can be obtained by a business who does not normally sell liquor but would like to utilize a business that has a valid Illinois State Retail Liquor License to sell liquor at an event. The Special Use Liquor License currently must go before the Village Board before the Mayor can sign off on the License. The difficulty with this is that if the business applies too late for the item to be on a Board Meeting agenda, they cannot have their event.
There was discussion regarding the sound amplification portion of the code, however no changes were discussed.
The discussion turned to the parking space requirements for businesses and the nuance that makes the requirement challenging. Bosco stated that the challenge with the parking requirement comes up often. He suggested adding a provision to the Code stating that if after internal review, the event as planned is deemed to create an adverse effect on parking it will require a permit.
In regard to food trucks, the suggestion was to remove the food truck portion from the Outdoor Special Event Permits because there is a section of the Municipal Code dedicated to Mobile Food Vendors which encompasses all of the provisions required by the Special Event Permit.
The Staff created two lists regarding the approval process for Outdoor Special Event Permits. Each list suggested who they thought should have the authority to approve the permits.
o Village Board Approval
The closure of any public street, posting of “no parking” signs on public streets or blocking of any parking on public streets
Any event at Which sound amplification equipment will be used:
• Sunday through Thursday before 10:00 am and/or after 9:00 pm; or
• Friday and Saturday before 10:00 am and/or after 10:00 pm
*The ability to serve alcohol outside would still be required per code
o Village Administrator Approval
The use of any Village property in a manner other than its intended use
Any event held on a non-residential property consisting of more than one tenant where:
• The use of drive aisles would be used for purposes other than vehicle access
• Parking spaces needed to accommodate special event guests at a proportional rate that would impact the amount of available parking for adjacent tenants
In summary, the Staff was suggesting to remove the food truck provisions from the permit process, make the parking requirements more of a discretionary review by Staff, Liquor License goes directly to the mayor and everything else goes to the Village Board for approval.
The Village Board was in agreement, however Trustee Lowery expressed his unease in giving authority to future Village Administrators. Attorney Drendel stated that the Village Board is the governing body and can delegate discretion to Staff with parameters. There was discussion regarding this, ultimately the Village Board was in agreement with the suggested changes.
EXECUTIVE SESSION – None
ADJOURNMENT
Motion to adjourn made by Trustee Guethle and seconded by Trustee Niedzwiedz. All in favor. Motion approved.
Respectfully Submitted,
Jessi Watkins
Village Clerk
