VILLAGE OF NORTH AURORA
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
MARCH 16, 2009
CALL TO ORDER
Village President Hansen called the meeting to order.
ROLL CALL
In attendance: Village President John Hansen, Trustee Dale Berman, Trustee Mike Herlihy, Trustee Bob Strusz, Trustee Mark Gaffino, Trustee Linda Mitchell, Trustee Max Herwig, Village Clerk Lori Murray.
Staff in attendance: Village Attorney Kevin Drendel, Village Administrator Sue McLaughlin, Assistant to the Village Administrator Wes Kornowske, Community Development Director Scott Buening, Public Works Superintendent Mike Glock, Water Superintendent Paul Young, Police Chief Tom Fetzer, Bureau Fire Chief Mark Bozik.
AUDIENCE COMMENTS – None
TRUSTEE COMMENTS
Trustee Herwig read the resolution for Earth Day, recognizing earth hour on Saturday, March 28, 2009 from 8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Earth Day will recognize global warming, around the globe, and people will turn off their lights to express their commitment in reducing the quantity of energy consumed and reduce the green house gases.
Village President Hansen said he would be pulling Items 5 and 8 off of the agenda, as well as threatened litigation under the Executive Session meeting.
DISCUSSION
1. Discussion of Fireworks contract for North Aurora Days and Fourth of July
Trustee Gaffino said he received two bids for fireworks and that prices have increased by 30%. The cost for July 3rd would be 20% cheaper or $5,000 more this year if held on the 4th of July. Trustee Herlihy asked what the response would be if the Village did not have the fireworks this year since there is a display in Aurora and in Batavia. Gaffino said this made sense, adding that a lot of residents this year are doing without and maybe the Village can do without the fireworks on the 4th of July this year. Trustee Herlihy said that additional funds could be added to North Aurora Days. Trustee Berman said that there is some thought to doing this on North Aurora Days because of all of the surrounding fireworks that are held on the 4th of July. Gaffino noted that the Village would get a much better value for fireworks for North Aurora Days. McLaughlin said the Village could also tie the fireworks into the 175th Anniversary celebration. The Board was in favor of the concept of having the fireworks for NA Days and watching other community fireworks for the fourth of July. Tabled to the next meeting.
2. Discussion of an IDOT Resolution for Maintenance of Streets and Highway – Consent Agenda.
3. Discussion of a Resolution Authorizing Support for the Illinois Vacant and Abandoned Properties Act – Consent Agenda.
4. Discussion of a Zoning Ordinance Amendment – Plan Commission Changes – Community Development Director Scott Buening said that there will be two vacancies on the Plan Commission and due to state law the Village needs to reduce the size of the Plan Commission from nine to seven members. There would be a level of cost savings seen with the reduction in terms of pay and reduction in the number of packets and other information that is provided to commissioners. It would also assist in quorum in reducing the number of members required for a quorum from five to four. The ordinance also states that a commissioner is required to be a village resident. This will put the Village in line with all the other communities except for Batavia.
Trustee Berman said he always felt it was wrong that the person on the Plan Commission who is trying to assure the village does the best planning has to also make a judgment on something special that comes before them for the zoning board of appeals. Berman said he likes the idea of having two boards. Berman said that the Plan Commission is a training ground for the Village Board and the more opportunities to get people involved in the Village the better. Buening said the statute says that if there is a combined plan commission/zoning board of appeals, the zoning board of appeals, under state law, can be no more than seven members. If they are split into two separate boards, would be able to have a nine member plan commission, but no more than a seven member zoning board of appeals. Buening said that based on the number of petitions the Village sees, the zoning board of appeals might only meet every 4 to 6 months. Trustee Herlihy said that is why both Boards were merged in the past, since the board did not meet enough. Trustee Berman said that if there are 7 members on the board of appeals that there be 7 or 9 members on the plan commission. Trustee Herlihy asked if there is any state statute that recognizes that both elements may be populated by the same people. Atty. Drendel said it doesn’t prohibit or authorize it. Buening said that most towns have a combined plan commission/zoning board of appeals. Trustee Mitchell said that since the zoning board only met when necessary, there were a number of times that the meetings had to be rescheduled because there was no quorum. Herlihy said the nine person plan commission provides a more diverse pool of input, and would like to stay at a nine member plan commission. Herlihy said that if the Village has to designate 7 people as being members of the zoning board of appeals then it would be the 7 elders of the plan commission that would make up the zoning board of appeals. Atty. Drendel said the municipal code does not specify a number for the plan commission and the zoning board is seven so it could be done the way Trustee Herlihy suggested. Trustee Gaffino said that diversity is key with 9 members. Trustee Mitchell suggested laying out a plan and having specifics as to how it would be handled. Buening said he would give some thought on how the procedures would occur, discuss this with the village attorney and bring this back to a future meeting.
5. Discussion of a Class A Liquor License Request – 4:00 A.M. License – removed from the agenda per Village President Hansen.
6. Discussion of an Annexation – 2501 River Road – Buening said this property was surrounded by the Village and the river. The Village sent a letter to the property owner asking them to annex to the Village. The property owner has agreed and has asked that the address remain the same. Herlihy asked if it is a North Aurora address. Buening said it is a Batavia address. Herlihy said the address should be North Aurora. Buening said when the property changes hands, the Village can change the address to North Aurora. New Business.
7. Review and discussion of proposed Riverfront Tax Exempt Organization bylaws and Articles of Incorporation – New Business.
8. Review and discussion of proposed Responsible Bidder Ordinance – removed from the agenda per Village President Hansen.
TRUSTEE COMMENTS
Trustee Herwig said that the Southwest Fox Valley Cable and Telecommunication Consortium is in the process of converting channel 10 over to North Aurora’s consortium government access which would cover Sandwich, Plano, Yorkville and North Aurora. Any governmental programming currently on Channel 17 will move to Channel 10. The candidates forum was taped by Channel 17 and will be shown on March 21st. There is also a new program called “Fox Valley In Focus” and will air beginning next Wednesday.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
1. Review of the approval of the 2/23/09 Executive Session Minutes and the 3/2/2009 Executive Session Minutes I, II, III – Consent Agenda.
2. Threatened Litigation – Removed from the agenda per Village President Hansen.
ADJOURNMENT – 8:30 p.m.
Motion made by Trustee Mitchell and seconded by Trustee Gaffino to adjourn the meeting. All in favor. Motion approved.
Respectfully Submitted,
Lori J. Murray
Village Clerk
