123 Madison Street

Oak Park, Illinois 60302

www.oak-park.us

Village of Oak Park

Meeting Minutes

President and Board of Trustees

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

7:00 PM

Remote

I. Call to Order

Village President Scaman called the meeting to order at 7:01 P.M. She

authorized a statement be read providing that the meeting is being held

remotely due to COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines and that it is not

prudent to have people present at the Village Board's regular meeting

location due to public health concerns related to that pandemic.

II. Roll Call

7 -

Present:

Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village

Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Taglia, and Village

Trustee Walker-Peddakotla

Absent:

III. Agenda Approval

Interim Village Manager Lisa Shelley tabled Item F to the next meeting so

staff can provide additional information on the budget amendment

requests.

Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla requested Item J be moved to the

regular agenda.

It was moved by Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla, seconded by Village Trustee

Buchanan, to approve the agenda as amended. The motion was approved. The

roll call on the vote was as follows:

7 -

AYES:

Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village

Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Taglia, and Village

Trustee Walker-Peddakotla

NAYS:

ABSENT:

IV. Presentation: Employee Service Awards

Interim Village Manager Shelley presented the Employee Service Awards

to village staff.

V. Minutes

MOT 22-19

Motion to Approve Minutes from Special Remote Meeting of February 3,

2022, Regular Remote Meeting of February 7, 2022, Special Remote

Meeting of February 14 of the Village Board.

It was moved by Village Trustee Parakkat, seconded by Village Trustee

Robinson, to approve the Motion. The motion was approved. The roll call on the

vote was as follows:

7 -

AYES:

Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village

Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Taglia, and Village

Trustee Walker-Peddakotla

NAYS:

ABSENT:

VI. Non-Agenda Public Comment

There were no Non-Agenda Public Comments.

VII. Village Manager Reports

ID 22-60

Community Safety Project Update by Michele Weinzetl, BerryDunn

Consulting

Interim Village Manager Shelley introduced Item B. She then introduced

Michelle Weinzetl, from BerryDunn Consultants, who gave an update on the

Community Safety Project.

Village Clerk Christina Waters read the following Agenda Public Comment

aloud:

Alicia Chastain: Alicia Chastain submitted their public comment in

opposition to funding the Flock cameras without ever discussing the

program with the BerryDunn consultant. They asked that the Village remove

funding for the Flock cameras from the agenda and cease any further plans

to deploy the Flock system to show that it is committed to improving

community safety through open and transparent conversations.

ID 22-61

Public Health Update by Dr. Theresa Chapple-McGruder, Public Health

Director

Interim Village Manager Shelley introduced Item C.

Village Clerk Christina Waters read the following Agenda Public Comment

aloud:

Robin Kalish: Robin Kalish submitted their public comment asking the

Board to not give in to the people asking for our schools and community to

take away masks without any metrics, and to not rush to make decisions

based on impatience instead of science.

Richard Fobes: Richard Fobes submitted their public comment asking

the Board to intervene in the current mask mandate and vaccine passport

mandate.

Paul Clark: Paul Clark submitted their public comment asking the Board

to advise the Department of Public Health to lift the indoor mask mandate.

Malissa Maldonado: Malissa Maldonado submitted their public comment

in support of maintaining the mask mandate to protect the community,

especially those who are high-risk, sick, elderly and the

immunocompromised students in OP.

Michael Sullivan: Michael Sullivan submitted their public comment asking

why Oak Park feels it is necessary to have stricter guidelines than those of

the neighboring communities, and requests to make masks an individual

decision based on their own comfort level.

Michael Schiff: Michael Schiff submitted their public comment in support

of Oak Park joining the rest of the state and surrounding communities to

remove the mask mandates.

Lauren Hyde: Lauren Hyde submitted their public comment requesting

the Board and the health department adhere to the updated guidelines

from the Illinois Department of Public Health and DCFS to adjust the

daycare quarantine guidelines.

Lauren Arendds: Lauren Arends submitted their public comment

encouraging the Village of Oak Park to be wise when discussing Covid

mitigations and use both reason and emotion to take a middle path that

meets the needs of the whole community.

Kevin Gibbons: Kevin Gibbons submitted their public comment

requesting Fenwick High School to have a mask optional policy.

Kat Tanaka Okopnik: Kat Tanaka Okopnik submitted their public

comment expressing their middle schooler not wanting a mast-optional

policy.

Karen Thomas: Karen Thomas submitted their public comment

expressing concerns over the growing intolerance in the community and

asked the community to open our ears and hearts and to pledge to respect

each other and make a plan together.

John Metzger: John Metzger submitted their public comment urging the

Board to maintain the current Covid mitigations in place to protect the

community and the economy so we can thrive as a community.

Joanna Ardell: Joanna Ardell submitted their public comment asking the

Board to follow Chicago and the rest of the state to lift the mask mandate

on February 28, 2022.

Jenna Leving Jacobson: Jenna Leving Jacobson submitted their public

comment encouraging the Board to continue to make public health policy

based on evidence and equity, prioritizing the health and safety of

vulnerable community members. They hope Oak Park continues to utilize

the necessary mitigation strategies that will keep our schools open and the

community safe.

Sarah Watson: Sarah Watson submitted their public comment

expressing their concern that there is no data to support the choice to

extend masking and vaccine passports.

Ashley Goulden-Keifer: Ashley Goulden-Kiefer submitted their public

comment urging the Board to prioritize the health and safety of vulnerable

Oak Parkers over the pandemic fatigue of those for whom the risk is not as

high when planning how to approach the next phase of the Covide

pandemic.

Interim Village Manager Shelley then provided an overview of the four

issues to be discussed tonight:

- The school mask mandate: per the governor, the school mask mandate

is still in effect

- The local indoor mask mandate: the state has announced they plan to lift

this mandate.

- The local indoor vaccine requirement: Cook County and Chicago will lift

this requirement on February 28.

- The umbrella of the emergency declaration of the governor: This expires

on March 5. They have not provided an update on this being extended or

expired at this point.

Interim Village Manager Shelley then introduced Dr. Theresa

Chapple-McGrudder, the Director of the Health Department, to provide an

updated on the local village mandates.

Dr. Chapple-McGrudder gave an update on the distribution of free masks

to the community. Within 72 hours of making the announcement there were

1,872 requests for mask. As there are only 2,000 masks available they shut

down the website.

Dr. Chapple-McGrudder indicated they are ready to end the vaccination

requirements as of February 28th. Ending the mask mandate in the village

is based on meeting 4 out of 5 metrics. Currently the village has met 2

metrics, is close to meeting 2 additional metrics, with the fifth metric within

reach.

Village Trustee Parakkat requested clarification that the vaccine mandates

is ended but the mask mandate is still in place.

Dr. Chapple-McGrudder responded in the affirmative.

Village Trustee Parakkat requested clarification on the discrepancy with

following Chicago and Cook County regarding vaccination requirements

but not masking requirements.

Dr. Chapple-McGrudder responded the difference is one is a national

approach versus a local approach. The CDC has defined the guidance

around masking requirements and given structure around that. For a

vaccination mandate, there's no national approach and there's just a

community by community deciding when a vaccination mandate approach

is necessary.

Village Trustee Enyia requested clarification on could the 5 criteria's

currently in place change based on the CDC's guidance.

Dr. Chapple-McGrudder responded in the affirmative.

Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla expressed their concern on the burden

and the blowback that has been placed on local public health directors

causing community contentions. She thanked Dr. Chapple and the health

department for their work and asked the community to allow the public

health professionals do their work.

President Scaman agreed that we need the community to understand why

the decisions are being made and keep the discussion on that topic. She

requested clarification on how each of the mitigations are relevant to the

decision.

Dr. Chapple-McGrudder then gave an overview of the 5 metrics used in

Oak Park and the impact of each.

Village Trustee Taglia request clarification regarding if Oak Park could end

up with a mask mandate after the end of the month if the CDC guidance

does not change or if Oak Park doesn't meet the metrics.

Dr. Chapple-McGrudder responded in the affirmative.

Village Trustee Taglia expressed his concern of having one community in

the swath of Chicagoland have a different set of rules.

Village Trustee Buchanan requested clarification on the role of the Board of

Health.

Dr. Chapple-McGrudder responded the authority lies with the Health

Director to make the mitigation decisions for the community as it relates to

Covid. She was looking for input from the Board of Health regarding those

mitigations and to have a sounding board as to what others and the field

are thinking about these mitigations. The final decision rests with her per

the authority of the public health director.

ID 22-62

Review of the Revised Village Board Meeting Calendars for February, March

and April 2022

Interim Village Manager Shelley gave an overview of updates to the Board

calendars.

VIII. Village Board Committees & Trustee Liaison Commission Reports

There was no discussion for this Item.

IX. Citizen Commission Vacancies

ID 22-63

Board & Commission Vacancy Report for February 22, 2022.

There was no discussion for this Item.

X. Consent Agenda

Approval of the Consent Agenda

President Scaman mentioned Item F was tabled and Item J was moved to

the Regular Agenda.

Village Clerk Waters read the following Consent Agenda-Public

Comments aloud:

Laura Derks: Laura Derks submitted their public comment expressing

their concern with the Flock cameras authorized in the budget with no

community process or engagement.

Khadine Bennett: Khadine Bennet, on behalf of the American Civil

Liberties Union of Illinois, submitted their public comment expressing

concern about the village's plan to purchase and deploy automatic license

plate readers across the village without public input and without addressing

basic concerns about privacy raised by the cameras. They encourage the

Board to slow down the rush and engage the residents of Oak Park in this

process.

Kat Tanaka Okopnik: Kat Tanaka Okopnik submitted their public

comment expressing their concern on the purchase of Flock cameras and

the impact on the vulnerable members of the community.

Charity Anne Caldwell: Charity Anne Caldwell submitted their public

comment expressing concern regarding Flock cameras as a threat to

public safety. They see public cameras and GPS data as large scale types

of stalkerware and suggest this opens the door to police harassment of

residents and an increase in racially disparate police interactions.

Brynne Hovde: Brynne Hovde submitted their public comment in regards

to Flock cameras, and asked the Board to engage in a full and robust

discussion using the racial equity tools they have committed to leveraging,

adding surveillance tactics are not a proven, nor community-minded,

solution.

It was moved by Village Trustee Robinsonand seconded by Village Trustee

Buchanan to approve the items under the Consent Agenda as ammended. The

motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows:

7 -

AYES:

Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village

Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Taglia, and Village

Trustee Walker-Peddakotla

NAYS:

ABSENT:

ORD 22-10

Concur with the Zoning Board of Appeals’ Recommendation and Adopt an

Ordinance Granting a Special Use Permit to Operate a Day Care Center at

1125-1105 Garfield Street

This Ordinance was adopted.

ORD 22-11

ORD 22-12

RES 22-42

Concur with the Zoning Board of Appeals’ Recommendation and Adopt an

Ordinance Granting a Special Use Permit to Operate a Massage Service

Establishment at 101 N. Marion Street

This Ordinance was adopted.

An Ordinance Waiving and Suspending the Right of Way Obstruction

Permit Fee and Parking Obstruction Fee for the Planned Development

Located at 261 Washington Boulevard

This Ordinance was adopted.

A Resolution Authorizing the Purchase of One 2022 Ford Transit Connect

Cargo Van from Currie Motors of Frankfort, Illinois through the Suburban

Purchasing Cooperative Joint Purchasing Program in an Amount Not to

Exceed $26,831.00 and Waiving the Village’s Bid Process for the Purchase

This Resolution was adopted.

RES 22-43

A Resolution Authorizing the Purchase of Two 2022 Ford Hybrid Escapes,

from Currie Motors of Frankfort, Illinois through the Suburban Purchasing

Cooperative Joint Purchasing Program in an Amount Not to Exceed

$53,887.00 and Waiving the Village’s Bid Process for the Purchase

This Resolution was adopted.

RES 22-44

RES 22-45

A Resolution Authorizing the Use of Motor Fuel Tax Funds in the amount of

$1,413,491.00 for the Maintenance of Streets in the Village of Oak Park for

Fiscal Year 2022

This Resolution was adopted.

A Resolution Authorizing the Submission of an Illinois Department of

Transportation (IDOT) Sustained Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) Grant

Application that Focuses on High Visibility Traffic Enforcement During

Specific Dates and Times of the Year, Primarily Around National Holidays

This Resolution was adopted.

RES 22-46

A Resolution Approving an Amendment to the Independent Contractor

Agreement with A & B Landscaping & Tree Service, Inc, for Snow Plowing

and Salting of Village Leased/Owned Parking Lots, Back-up Snow Removal

for Public Streets and Sidewalk Snow Shoveling for Fiscal Year 2022 to

Change the Not to Exceed Amount from $175,000 to $275,000 and

Authorizing its Execution.

This Resolution was adopted.

RES 22-48

A Resolution Authorizing the Submission of a Federal Surface

Transportation Program Grant Application for the Ridgeland Avenue

Resurfacing Project

This Resolution was adopted.

A Motion to Approve the January 2022 Monthly Treasurer’s Report for All

Funds

This Motion was approved.

A Motion to Approve the Bills in the Amount of $3,281,971.15 from

January 7, 2022, through February 3, 2022

This Motion was approved.

A Motion to Approve an Updated Organizational Chart for the Public

Works Department

This Motion was approved.

A Motion to Amend the Community Development Citizen Advisory

Commission (CDCAC) 2022 Work Plan to Review Community Requests for

ARPA Funds Received by the Village Board During 4th Quarter 2021 and

Make A Recommendation

This Motion was approved.

XI. Regular Agenda

ORD 22-9

An Ordinance Amending the Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Budget

This Ordinance was tabled.

RES 22-27

A Resolution Approving an Annual Subscription Agreement with Lexipol

LLC for Law Enforcement Policy Manual Services for a Three-Year Term for

a Total Not to Exceed Amount of $72,736.11 and Authorizing Its Execution

Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla commented on their reasons for voting

against this Item.

Interim Village Manager Shelley then introduced the Item.

Village Trustee Buchanan requested clarification on if the Community

Safety Consultant, BerryDunn, would be reviewing the policies and how that

affects the contract with Lexipol.

Interim Village Manager Shelley responded if the consultant recommends a

change in policy or an ordinance the Board will still have the ability to

discuss that recommendation and make changes. Lexipol is just a

database on how policies are created; it's up to the organization and the

community to tailor the database to their needs.

Village Trustee Taglia noted a key part of this platform is a training and

assessment tool which allows staff to learn about the general orders and

how they apply in certain circumstances. The platform will also afford some

monitoring and assessment of officer's comprehension of general orders

which was not available prior to Lexipol.

Interim Village Manager Shelley added clarification that Lexipol does not

direct how an organization writes their policies; it is more of a resource of

policies that the organization could use, but it is up to the organization itself

to direct what the final policy will look like.

It was moved by Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla, seconded by Village Trustee

Parakkat, to adopt the Resolution. The motion was approved. The roll call on the

vote was as follows:

6 -

AYES:

Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village

Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, and Village Trustee Taglia

1 - Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla

NAYS:

ABSENT:

RES 22-30

A Resolution Approving the 2022 Citizen Commission Work Plans

Interim Village Manager Shelley gave an overview of the Item.

Village Trustee Buchanan requested clarification regarding the Housing

Authority Work Plan - is the Housing Plan project is the same as the

Housing Trust fund and questioned if the Housing Programs Advisory

Committee should be weighing in on the use of the housing fund.

President Scaman responded the Chair of the advisory committee could

be a part of those discussions.

Village Trustee Parakkat requested clarification on the approximately

$15,000 request for the Community Relations Commission.

Interim Village Manager responded there is a fund that covers commission

costs which should have enough allocation of funding to cover these

requests. The requests still need to follow the village's purcahsing policies.

Village Trustee Robinson requested clarification on the Citizen Involvement

Commission's (CIC) request for $400, up from $80 from the previous year,

for volunteer outreach and the TransportationCommission's request for

$1,000 for printing the agenda.

President Scaman responded the CIC request probably increased in the

hopes to be able to do more significant volunteer outreach in 2022 since

last year we were in the pandemic with little opportunity for volunteer

outreach.

Bill McKenna, the staff laiason to the Transportation Commission,

responded the $1,000 printing costs are general costs incurred preparing

agenda items related to petitions, mailings for notification to residents,

traffic counts, webinars and other resources to stay current with topics.

It was moved by Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla, seconded by Village Trustee

Buchanan, to adopt the Resolution. The motion was approved. The roll call on

the vote was as follows:

7 -

AYES:

Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village

Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Taglia, and Village

Trustee Walker-Peddakotla

NAYS:

ABSENT:

RES 22-50

A Resolution Approving a Village Manager Employment Agreement with

Kevin J. Jackson and Authorizing Its Execution

Kira Tchang, Human Resource Director and Assistant Village Manager,

introduced the Item and the sole candidate for Village Manager, Kevin

Jackson.

Kevin Jackson then said a few introductory words and expressed his

gratefulness for the opportunity to work with the village.

Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla expressed her thanks to Lisa Shelley

for filling in as Interim Village Manager.

Village Trustee Taglia expressed his thanks to the volunteer panels and

village staff who participated in the interview process. He also thanked Lisa

Shelley for her work as Interim Village Manager, and HR Director Kira

Tchang for her tireless work during this process. He expressed his support

for Kevin Johnson as the incoming Village Manager.

Village Trustee Parakkat expressed his thanks to the Personnel

Committee for their hard work. He also expressed his thanks to Lisa

Shelley for stepping in as Interim Village Manager especially during the

budget process. He wished every success to Kevin Jackson as he steps

into this role.

Village Trustee Enyia appreciates all the hard work that went into this

process. He found it a humbling experience going through the interview

process to find the best candidate and thanked all of the candidates who

applied. He thanked Lisa Shelley for all she has done, and continues to do,

on a daily basis.

It was moved by Village Trustee Walker-Peddakotla, seconded by Village Trustee

Buchanan, to adopt the Resolution. The motion was approved. The roll call on

the vote was as follows:

7 -

AYES:

Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Buchanan, Village Trustee Enyia, Village

Trustee Parakkat, Village Trustee Robinson, Village Trustee Taglia, and Village

Trustee Walker-Peddakotla

NAYS:

ABSENT:

XII. Call to Board and Clerk

Village Clerk Waters expressed her thanks to Race Conscious Dialogues

and RGW Consulting for curating their journey together. It solidified how

much of an honor it is to serve the community.

Village Trustee Enyia sent his condolences to the family of E.J. Wilson who

lost his life to gun violence this past week. He also thanks Juanta Griffin

and the Oak Park Public Library for the amazing display they set up

commemorating Black History Month.

Village Trustee Parakkat commented on the situation in Ukraine and sends

his thoughts and prayers to the folks in the region that are affected by it.

Village Trustee Robinson wanted to recognize overall the Oak Park

community during the village manager search. As a community we

attracted really qualified candidates who wanted to come here and serve

the community which is a credit to the kind of community Oak Park is.

Village Trustee Buchanan had no comment.

Village Trustee Taglia had no comment.

Village President Scaman expressed her appreciation for working with her

colleagues who put the needs of the community first. She also thanked the

residents who participated in the manager search, Director Tchang for her

hard work during the manager search process, and Interim Village

Manager Lisa Shelley for demonstrating consistent, true leadership during

this time. She congratulated local Oak Parker Emery Lehman on his

Bronze Olympic medal, and congratulated all the employees on their

service awards. She also thanked the community for their civic

engagement and reminded the community to be kind and respect one

another.

XIII. Adjourn

It was moved by Village Trustee Parakkat, seconded by Village Trustee

Robinson, to adjourn. The motion was approved. The meeting adjourned at 9:54

P.M., Tuesday, February 22, 2022.

Respectfully Submitted,