VILLAGE OF NORTH AURORA
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING MINUTES
APRIL 16, 2018
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Berman called the meeting to order.
ROLL CALL
In attendance: Mayor Dale Berman, Trustee Mark Gaffino, Trustee Mike Lowery, Trustee Laura Curtis, Village Clerk Lori Murray. Not in attendance: Trustee Mark Guethle, Trustee Mark Carroll, Trustee Tao Martinez.
Staff in attendance: Village Administrator Steve Bosco, Finance Director Bill Hannah, Community & Economic Development Director Mike Toth, Public Works Director John Laskowski, Police Chief David Fisher, Village Attorney Kevin Drendel.
AUDIENCE COMMENTS – None
TRUSTEE COMMENTS – None
DISCUSSION
1. 511 Sharon Lane Variance Request
The property owner at 511 Sharon Lane is requesting a variance to allow a 6-foot fence in their rear yard. This was before the Plan Commission at a public hearing on April 3rd and they voted unanimously to approve subject to the plan which has the fence on the inside of the landscaping adjacent to the cul-de-sac. The Village Board was in favor of the variance request. Trustee Gaffino noted that his only concern was if someone decides to remove the arborvitae, the fence would then be visible. Toth noted that the variance would be subject to the plan presented.
The Board was in favor of moving forward.
2. Business District Design Standards
Chapter 8.4 of the Zoning Ordinance establishes design standards and guidelines for commercial development. These standards were adopted when the new ordinance was adopted in January 2013. They did not previously exist in the zoning ordinance. Community & Economic Development Director Mike Toth said he wants to change this from a rigid standard to a design guideline. Toth noted that the only apprehension on behalf of the Plan Commission was that the Village would not have enough teeth through the ordinance to require developers to comply with certain standards. Toth said he believes the ordinance has merit to require certain building standards through such processes as the site plan approval process and the special use process. Village Administrator Steve Bosco said that the standards will allow the village to be less bureaucratic and work with the developers in a more productive way. The Board was in favor of moving forward.
3. FY 2018-19 Budget Discussion
Finance Director Bill Hannah noted a couple of changes to the budget: carry over of some water fund maintenance projects and the backwash sludge cleanup projects. Those will need to be done before May 31st and will have to be re-budgeted into the next budget year in the amount of $215,000.
Hannah said that there is some uncertainty on what one of the 6-wheelers may cost due to the price of steel. It may increase the budget by $15,000 at this point, but it is still under discussion.
A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for the first meeting in May and then for Village Board approval the second meeting of May.
EXECUTIVE SESSION – None
ADJOURNMENT
Motion to adjourn made by Trustee Gaffino and seconded by Trustee Lowery. All in favor. Motion approved.
Respectfully Submitted,
Lori J. Murray
Village Clerk
