[0:02] Good evening and welcome to the special board meeting of the board of trustees

[0:06] of Elkrove Township.

[0:12] » Uh give me one second. So, we are convening tonight for um one issue

[0:19] specifically um and that is to um discuss possible action on resolution 26

[0:27] uh 2026-03, a resolution of the Elkrove Township Board providing the submission

[0:31] to the voters of the township of uh of the township a binding proposition to

[0:37] authorize an annual tax rate not to exceed. 05% for the purposes of

[0:42] providing community mental health facilities at the general election to be

[0:47] held on the 3rd day of November 2026.

[0:51] On Wednesday, August 12th, I advised uh Trustee Wine Coupoop of the objection to

[0:56] the petitions to submit public questions to a referendum in Elkrove Township to

[1:01] be held on November 3rd, 2026. I explained the process and informed him

[1:06] that he had been selected through a lottery conducted and uh recorded by

[1:10] administrator Manzo and township staff. After we discussed the electoral board

[1:15] process, he asked that I call a special board meeting for the board to consider

[1:20] approving a township resolution to submit a public question to a referendum

[1:24] in Elkrove Township again to be held on uh November 3rd, 2026.

[1:30] The following day, I received an email from trustee Luji uh requesting the

[1:35] same. Uh at that time, I directed uh Miss Manzo to take the required steps

[1:40] for calling a special board meeting. These steps include, but are not limited

[1:44] to notification of the board, posting for the public, and contracting our

[1:49] audiovisisual company to record the meeting.

[1:55] Elkrove Township retained Anel Glink to advise us on the process required to

[2:00] place a resolution initiated referendum under the Illinois Community Mental

[2:05] Health Act 405 ILCS201 before voters at the November 3rd, 2026

[2:12] general election. To do so, the township board of trustees must adopt a

[2:17] resolution authorizing the referendum no later than today, Monday, August 17,

[2:23] 2026. And the township m township clerk must certify the referendum question to

[2:30] the election authority no later than Thursday, August 27th.

[2:35] The act authorizes the township board to pass a resolution placing a binding

[2:40] referendum question before township voters at a regularly scheduled election

[2:45] to provide funds for community health facilities and services. Under the act,

[2:50] a resolution initiated referendum may authorize an annual tax not to exceed

[2:56] 0.15% upon all taxable property within the

[3:01] township as requested by township officials. The resolution provided for

[3:06] consideration at the August 17th special meeting of the township board would

[3:11] authorize a tax of 0.05% which is identical to the petition that

[3:17] was circulated. If the resolution initiated referendum is approved by the

[3:22] township voters, the township may annually levy a tasks not to exceed the

[3:27] rate set forth in the approved referendum question. Each year after

[3:32] passage, the township board must appropriate from those funds the sums

[3:36] deemed necessary based on the community health board's budget, annual mental

[3:42] health report, and local mental health plan to defay the necessary expenses and

[3:48] liabilities of providing community mental health facilities and services.

[3:54] The act also authorizes a binding referendum to be initiated by petition.

[3:59] On July 27, 2026, a petition initiated referendum was filed with the township

[4:05] clerk seeking to place a binding referendum question on the November 3rd,

[4:09] 2026 general election ballot authorizing the township to levy attacks and provide

[4:15] community health facilities and services under the act.

[4:19] On August 10th, 2026, Neil Dale nearski filed a petition objecting to the

[4:24] referendum petition. The Elkrove uh Elkrove Township Electoral Board

[4:30] scheduled uh a meeting or scheduled a hearing uh this evening, August 17th, at

[4:36] 6 p.m. to consider the objector's petition. The act provides separate

[4:41] procedures for petition initiated re referendums and resolution referendums.

[4:47] The township board is not required to prove a res a resolution initiating a

[4:51] binding referendum question merely because a petition initiated referendum

[4:56] has been filed with the township clerk. Instead, the township board may

[5:00] independently decide whether to approve a resolution placing a binding

[5:04] referendum question on the ballot under the act. The objection uh proceedings

[5:10] related to the referendum petition will continue separately regardless of

[5:14] whether the township board chooses to present a referendum question by

[5:18] resolution. If the electoral board sustains the

[5:22] objector's petition, the referendum petition question will not appear on the

[5:27] 2026 general election ballot. If the electoral board overrules the objector's

[5:32] petition, the referendum petition question may be certified to the 2026

[5:38] general election ballot by township clerk. If the objection to the

[5:44] referendum petition has not been finally resolved by the August 27, 2026 ballot

[5:49] certification deadline, the township clerk may certify the referendum

[5:54] petition question to the town to the Cook County Clerk with the designation

[5:59] objection pending while the electoral board proceedings or any resulting

[6:05] judicial review remain pending. Following a final decision of the

[6:09] electoral board or a reviewing court, the township clerk may file an amended

[6:15] ballot certification to comply with the decision, including removing the

[6:20] question from certification if the objection is sustained.

[6:25] If the township board of trustees approves a resolution putting a

[6:28] referendum question under the act before township voters, the township clerk must

[6:34] certify the resolution referendum to the Cook County Clerk. The election code

[6:38] allows up to three referendum questions to be put before township voters on the

[6:43] 2026 general election ballot. If duplicative referendum questions are

[6:49] certified to the Cook County Clerk, the Cook County Clerk may need to address

[6:53] any ballot administrative issues presented by the duplicative questions.

[7:01] [clears throat] Anel Glink, our uh electoral

[7:05] our election law attorney, has uh put together the uh 2026-3

[7:13] um resolution. Supervisor reading that. >> May I interrupt you for a moment? You

[7:19] can. I'm gonna call Yeah, go ahead. >> I was wondering if we want to um call do

[7:24] roll call and pledge of allegiance. >> I did. I did. Thank you.

[7:27] » Um will the Why don't we stand for the pledge of allegiance and get started

[7:31] that way? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the

[7:37] United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation

[7:42] under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[7:49] » I will the clerk please call the role. >> Trusty Dukes,

[7:56] » Trusty Luji >> here.

[7:58] » Supervisor Scaletta >> here.

[8:00] » Trusty Stany >> present. Trusty Wine Coupoop

[8:03] » here. >> Assessor Kerouselli

[8:05] » present. >> And I'm Clerk Saturn.

[8:08] [snorts] >> All right. I apologize. So, um the uh uh

[8:14] as I was going through all of it because there's a lot to read and I'm sure you

[8:17] guys are very bored by it, but you need to know what it is that we're going to

[8:20] be discussing tonight. I needed to start getting through it and I got ahead of my

[8:23] skis on that one. So, apologize for that. Um,

[8:28] on the public comment, we've had a lot of people that have said that they want

[8:32] to speak publicly. Is there anyone here that wants to speak on an item that's

[8:35] not on the agenda, which is the referendum?

[8:38] All right. So, now we're going to move on to me reading the resolution. Please

[8:43] bear with me as it is um dry. A resolution of the Elkrove Township

[8:49] Board providing for the submission to the voters of the township a binding

[8:52] proposition to authorize an annual tax at a rate not to exceed 0.05%

[8:59] for the purpose of providing community mental health facilities and services at

[9:02] the general election to be held on the 3rd day of November 2026.

[9:08] Whereas Elkrove Township is an Illinois local government created and existing

[9:13] under the Illinois Township Code 60 ILCS 1-1.

[9:19] And whereas section two of the community health mental health act

[9:24] 405cs 20/2 grants the township the powers to

[9:29] construct, repair, operate, maintain and regulate community mental health

[9:32] facilities to provide mental health services and to create a local community

[9:36] mental health board in connection here with and whereas section five of the act

[9:42] authorizes a township to present to its voters the question of whether the

[9:46] township should levy a property tax for the purpose of providing community

[9:50] mental health facilities and in services including facilities and services for

[9:56] persons with a developmental disability, mental health disorder, or a substance

[10:01] abuse disorder. And whereas the township board hereby

[10:05] finds and determines that it's in its best interest of the township to place a

[10:10] question on the ballot asking the voters of Elkrove Township whether such attacks

[10:14] should be authorized. And whereas pursuant to the Illinois election code

[10:19] and the community mental health act, the township board may submit the

[10:23] proposition approved by this resolution to the voters of the township and the

[10:28] general election to be held on November 3rd, 2026 by timely certifying the

[10:32] proposition to the county clerk. Now therefore, be it resolved by the

[10:37] township board of trustees of Elgroveve Township, Cook County, Illinois, that

[10:41] section one, incorporation of recital, the foregoing recital are hereby

[10:45] incorporated into the resolution by reference as if fully set forth herein.

[10:51] Section two, submission to the county clerk. Upon adoption, this resolution

[10:55] shall be certified and submitted to the Cook count to the clerk of the Cook of

[10:59] Cook County, Illinois by the the township clerk no later than Thursday,

[11:03] August 27, 2026. Section three, submission to voters. The

[11:07] proposition approved by this resolution shall be submitted to the voters of the

[11:11] township in accordance with the general election law at the general election to

[11:16] be held on Tuesday the 3rd of November 2026 known as the election

[11:23] section four election notice. The Cook County Clerk of the County Clerk of Cook

[11:29] County, known as the county clerk, shall give notice of the election, including

[11:34] the Spanish translation thereof, if required by law, um, also referred to

[11:40] now as the notice in accordance with the general election law by um, Roman

[11:45] numeral I, publishing the notice once, not more than 60 days nor less than 10

[11:50] days prior to the date of the election in a local community newspaper, having

[11:54] general circulation in the township. Roman numeral 2, posting a copy of the

[11:59] notice at least 10 days before the date of the election at the clerk's principal

[12:03] office. Section five, local notice. The township clerk shall post a copy of the

[12:08] notice at the principal office of the township. Section six, form of notice.

[12:13] The notice shall appear over the name or title of the Cook County Clerk and shall

[12:17] be substantially in the following form. Notice is hereby given that at the

[12:23] general election to be held on Tuesday the 3rd of November 2026, the following

[12:28] proposition will be submitted to the voters of Elkrove Township, Cook County,

[12:31] Illinois. Shall the Elkrove Township levy an annual tax of not to exceed. 05%

[12:38] for the purpose of providing community mental health facilities and services

[12:43] for the purp for the person with a developmental disability, mental health

[12:47] disorder or a substance substance use disorder.

[12:52] Uh then there's a yes or no question after that with blanks. The polls at the

[12:58] set election will be open at 6:00 p. p.m. or 6:00 a.m. and continue to be

[13:04] open until 700 p.m. on that day dated this

[13:09] 17th day of August 2026. Cook County Clerk County Clerk the

[13:17] county of Cook, Illinois. Section seven, form of ballot. The ballot to be used at

[13:22] the election, including the Spanish translation thereof if not if deemed

[13:26] necessary by the county clerk to be required by law shall be substantially

[13:31] uh so shall be in substanti substantiality. No, that's not right.

[13:36] substantially the following form in accordance with section five of the

[13:40] community mental health act section 18-190 of the property tax code and

[13:45] applicable elect election law >> with such necessary alterations changes

[13:50] deletions and insertions as may be required by articles 24A 24B or 24 C of

[13:57] the election code if an electronic mechanical or electron electric voting

[14:03] system is used at the election Then there is the face of the ballot,

[14:09] the official ballot with the proposition as it was on the petition which says

[14:14] shall outgrove Township loving annual tax of not to exceed 05% for the purpose

[14:19] of providing community mental health facilities and services for the person

[14:24] with a developmental disability, mental health disorder or substance abuse

[14:28] disorder. There's a yes or no option. Um and then under that is uh number one,

[14:34] the total approximate amount of taxes expendable at the most recently extended

[14:39] limiting rate recently for tax year 2024 is currently 4 bill97,716,000.

[14:48] And if this proposition is approved, the total maximum approximate amount of

[14:52] taxes taxes extendable will be 6 bill521,78.

[15:00] Sorry. 6 bill521,78,49

[15:07] » millions, not billions. >> All right. Sorry. Give me one second. We

[15:10] went through this. Four. >> You're in millions, not billions.

[15:12] » All right. Give me one second. >> Billions.

[15:15] » 4,97, $716. >> I went over that and I thought it was

[15:20] all right. 4 million. I apologize. 4,97,716.

[15:27] And if this proposition is approved, the total maximum approximate amount of

[15:32] taxable taxes extendable will be 6,521,78949.

[15:42] Number two, for the 2025 levy year, the approximate tax of the additional tax

[15:47] extendable against property containing a single family residence and having a

[15:51] fair market value at the time of the referendum of $100,000

[15:56] uh to be $15.15. Um it shows the official ballot,

[16:00] precinct number, polling place, and then there's section 8 severability. If any

[16:04] section, paragraph, clause, or provision of this resolution shall be held to be

[16:08] invalid or enforceable for any reason, the in invalidity invalidity or

[16:14] enforcability of such section, paragraph, clause, or provision shall

[16:19] not affect the remaining provisions of the resolution.

[16:25] Section nine is the effective date. The resolution shall be in force and effect

[16:29] following its passage and approval as required by law. And then it shows if uh

[16:34] when if and when we take a vote um the yays, the nays, the absence, the

[16:39] approved and the attestment by the clerk. And then following that there's a

[16:44] certification by the clerk which says that I suen Saturn Township clerk of

[16:49] Elkrove Township County, Illinois, do hereby certify that the foregoing is

[16:53] true, correct, and complete copy of the resolution number 2026-03.

[16:59] uh duly adopted and approved by the township board of Elk Grove Township on

[17:02] August 17th, 2026 as the same appears in the official records of the township. I

[17:07] further certify that a quorum of the township board was present at the

[17:11] meeting at which said resolution was adopted and that the township board

[17:15] complied with all requirements of the open meetings act in connection with

[17:18] such meeting. And then there's a line for her signature. So I've read you the

[17:22] memorandum from our election law attorney. I've read you the resolution.

[17:27] I gave you my opening remarks. Um, since Trusty Wine Coupoop requested this

[17:31] resolution, which uses identical terminology to draft the ballot question

[17:35] be considered by the board, I call on him for his remarks. Following his

[17:39] remarks, the board will have a discussion on the proposed resolution.

[17:42] Trusty Wine Coupoop. >> Thank you. Supervisor Scalleta, would

[17:46] you like us to make a motion uh and before we discuss this or shall we

[17:50] discuss it and then make a motion? I'm always a fan of letting us discuss in

[17:53] case we make any changes because then there's amendments to the motion which

[17:58] then confuses the board and the audience.

[18:00] » And just to be clear, whoever makes this motion does not need to reread that.

[18:04] [laughter] >> Correct.

[18:05] I would say that the >> need to reread it

[18:08] » that since we are going to have a discussion about it, I thought it was

[18:11] best that we read it aloud. Um but then it would just be concur with resolution

[18:15] 2026-3.

[18:18] » Thank you. as a member of the electoral board um because I won the lottery um I

[18:24] have yet to form a full opinion about this. We'll be briefed next week um but

[18:28] I have been moved by the number of signatures and the organizing done as

[18:31] well as the attendance here tonight indicating that it's really important

[18:34] that the voters in Elkrove Township get to make a decision on this uh directly

[18:40] and that they should be presented with that question and that anybody's opposed

[18:43] to the question uh should be uh encouraged to campaign against it. Um

[18:48] because that's how democracy works. Um this is what democracy looks like. All

[18:53] of this tonight. So if you were here at six o'clock, that was democracy 2. Uh

[18:57] next week, if you're so fortunate uh to have your Thursday evening open, you

[19:01] wish to come back, democracy looks like that, too. Um all of this is what it

[19:06] looks like and we're going to work it through. And ultimately where this idea

[19:10] comes from about democracy is that the people who are governed get to do the

[19:14] governing. So, if we have if we as a board set up a system where uh this

[19:20] question is on the November 3rd ballot, then I think we've done our due

[19:24] diligence and our work uh to support the community in uh giving it the

[19:28] opportunity to weigh in on this. Uh I was moved to ask for this special

[19:34] meeting because uh I recognize that it's a lot of work to knock on doors. Um all

[19:40] of us up here have done that. And if you have done that and you've

[19:45] asked people, are you willing to have a question on the ballot about raising

[19:49] your taxes? And you got 895 people to sign on and say yes, then there's a

[19:55] substantial number of people that are interested in at least weighing in. Um,

[19:59] so I was moved by that and I will be in favor of this motion this evening. Um,

[20:05] and I want to give uh credit to people who also chose the other path. So

[20:10] there's these two paths of board initiated or petition initiated. Uh it's

[20:16] my hope that the petition initiated um path will play itself out uh following

[20:22] the statute entirely and that um regardless that the um voters in Elkrove

[20:27] Township get to weigh in on this particular uh topic uh in direct manner

[20:33] if they so choose to show up on November 3rd. and my uh my esteemed colleague,

[20:38] the assessor here, I'm sure, would stress to everybody the importance of

[20:42] voting and that if you have complaints and concerns about your taxes or your

[20:47] services, you have an opportunity to participate.

[20:51] So, that's all I think that the board is giving tonight is an opportunity to

[20:54] participate and I'm done for now.

[20:58] » Thank you. >> Great, Trusty Lai.

[21:01] » Thank you. uh echoing my esteemed trustee as well. You know, as US history

[21:06] teacher, I have a deep appreciation for the power of the ballot and the

[21:10] fundamental idea that our residents should have a voice in the decisions

[21:14] that affect their community. This is a relatively new idea in American history

[21:19] dating back to the early 20th century. Now, I certainly recognize that an

[21:23] objection has been filed regarding the petition submitted for this proposal,

[21:27] and I respect that process that is playing out currently. But tonight, we

[21:31] have an opportunity as a township board to ensure that regardless of the outcome

[21:35] of that objection, our residents still have the opportunity to make their

[21:40] voices heard. Our vote tonight is not a vote to decide this question for them.

[21:45] It is a vote to allow the residents of Elkrove Township to decide that question

[21:50] for themselves. Mental health services have a real impact on individuals and

[21:55] families throughout our community. and whether this proposal ultimately passes

[21:59] or fails should be determined by the voters. I believe in giving our

[22:04] residents that choice and I believe their voices deserve to be heard. For

[22:08] those reasons, I too will be voting yes to place this question on the ballot.

[22:16] [laughter] >> Yep.

[22:19] » All right. Stanak

[22:21] » as most of you or some of you know I come uh with experience in the field of

[22:26] social services uh going on almost a decade uh working with uh used to work

[22:33] for nonprofits in the area in Manrospect boots on the ground every single day. I

[22:38] still to this day I run a community organization that serves residents that

[22:44] come through that door. We get phone calls. We get emails.

[22:49] People have challenges with food insecurity. People have challenges with

[22:54] housing insecurity. All of them have one thing in common.

[22:59] All of them to some degree have mental health challenges, know someone who have

[23:04] mental health challenges or lost someone lost their lod because help came too

[23:11] late. When I got elected, I felt obligated

[23:18] to bring the help that is needed especially in this area for mental

[23:23] health services as elected official and I continue and I plan on continue doing

[23:29] this moving forward. Thank you. >> Thank you.

[23:36] So, um,

[23:40] you know, nearly every program and service that is provided by Elgroveve

[23:43] Township is tied to mental health. Um, and we take that responsib

[23:47] responsibility seriously, the board, the staff.

[23:51] And I when when I met with the petitioner of

[23:58] uh of the referendum um and I explained all of the things

[24:03] that the township does um she wasn't aware of all of them. And so I want to

[24:08] just take this opportunity to kind of educate everyone while we're here

[24:12] because the township is doing the work and we're spending the money. So let me

[24:18] tell you a little bit about it. Elkrove Township received

[24:23] $710,000 in grant requests um this past year and

[24:28] the mental health and wellness committee recommended funding $640,000

[24:33] to 29 independent uh agency contracts. The board approved

[24:38] the $640,000 resulting in just over 90%

[24:43] of all requests being funded. The board also approved $500,000 for adult and

[24:49] family counseling and $300,000 for youth services.

[24:54] All total, the Elkrove bud Elkrove Township budgeted $1.44 million

[25:00] specifically designated for mental health and wellness.

[25:04] Wheeling Township, which now has a 708 board, budgeted $1.5 million for this

[25:10] fiscal year. And actually, I have these for the for the board if you could p

[25:18] So those down that way those down you can take one of those as

[25:23] well. So that that way I gave you two. So, if you want to read,

[25:31] » so Wheeling Township budgeted uh budget is $1.5 million for this fiscal year for

[25:37] their 708 mental health board, funding a total of 22 independent agencies,

[25:42] including a 15% uh administrative costs, not to mention a $275,000 line item for

[25:50] other projects. Elgroveve Township funds 29 independent agencies, has its own

[25:56] adult and family counseling department with four full-time and one part-time

[26:00] therapist who conducted 3,000 sessions last fiscal year. Outgrove Tim Township

[26:06] has a youth services to provide uh department providing programs in

[26:10] district 57 and 59 in addition to the on-site services and programs provided

[26:16] at the township. We're doing more with less. So, this board and this township

[26:22] believes in supporting mental health and we're doing it. I'm not sure.

[26:29] [applause] I agree with you. I don't know why we

[26:33] need a referendum that will create a new tax that could generate another $2.4

[26:41] million if you tax it at the 0.05% which is in the entire township levy.

[26:49] We provide all of these with our existing levy. So creating a new tax to

[26:55] create a new board doesn't seem like the best route for us.

[27:01] This board had a strategic plan that was that we all went through as as a board

[27:07] together that we all signed off on and our priority was to evaluate and monitor

[27:15] the outcomes of the 708 board referendum.

[27:19] And now we're putting the referendum on the ballot.

[27:24] When I started talking earlier about the I was using billions instead of

[27:30] millions, that's because I was reviewing um some EAV data that I'm going to share

[27:36] with you just so that we're all on the same page because remember this is tied

[27:41] to the EAV. Okay, the EAV is the equalized uh

[27:46] assessed value and since 2016

[27:52] it has increased by 64%. So if the EAV goes up, so will that

[27:58] amount that can be levied um to the homeowners.

[28:04] The EAV as of 2025 is 5 billion766,854

[28:14] uh,656 right 5 bill766,854,656.

[28:21] It's a lot of money which our EAV and all I'm saying is that if we're doing it

[28:28] why are we creating another level? Why are we creating more bureaucracy? We're

[28:32] doing more than other people are doing with it. We're taking care of people. I

[28:38] mean, if we funded 90% of the grant requests that we have, what is it that

[28:44] we're not doing? And that's the question I have for the board and if the uh I

[28:50] when you look at all of the other referendums because, you know, like

[28:53] everybody else that's up here on the board, we all are involved and are out

[28:58] there circulating uh uh petitions for signatures. the district 57 people that,

[29:04] you know, if their house is worth $400,000, their taxes went up $715.

[29:08] That's if it's only $400,000. There's people out there with homes that are

[29:11] worth more. And we have people that are coming to the township and they're

[29:16] crying because their taxes are so high. >> I'm not sure why you don't trust this

[29:21] board to be able to manage the mental health and wellness of the township um

[29:26] since we've been doing it so far. And so, you know, I don't want to belver

[29:30] the the the point. I think that everybody understands that when you look

[29:34] at what we're doing with uh with the money that has been allocated to us by

[29:40] the taxpayers through our tax levy that we are really doing it. We're walking

[29:46] the walk. We're talking the talk. Um and I would now open it up to public

[29:52] comments. And the first person that I'm going to call on is Lori Gennawi. allow

[29:58] hold on one second. Okay, >> I I'll open it back up to the board. I

[30:01] apologize. >> Lj,

[30:03] » thank you so much. Uh, and I do appreciate the numbers and facts. Uh,

[30:06] Supervisor Scalleta, uh, we are doing more with less, but that should never be

[30:13] good enough, particularly when it comes to our mental health. [applause]

[30:18] We had last year $710,000 that were requested and we were able to

[30:23] grant $620,000. That's $90,000 that we were not able to grant to places that

[30:28] deal with domestic violence, sexual abuse, mental health of teenagers. $6 a

[30:34] month for a $400,000 home. Let me do some other math. A lot of these mental

[30:39] people that are suffering from either mental health or other disabilities are

[30:42] going to hospitals, they're going to ERS. That increases our overall rate. If

[30:46] we are able for $6 a month to fully fund these programs, double triple than how

[30:52] we are, overall costs in our community are going down. So yes, we are doing a

[30:58] lot, but we can be doing more, particularly when it comes to the

[31:01] residents that are felt that need our help more than ever. We are doing it,

[31:06] but we can and we should be doing more. $6 a month for a $400,000 home. I will

[31:14] gladly write that check every day of the week to help my neighbors more than we

[31:19] are currently right now.

[31:24] » Supervisor Stallet, Trusty Wine Coupoop. Thank you. I

[31:28] appreciate everybody's passion for the mental health board issue on both sides.

[31:33] I want to remind um my fellow trustees and the supervisor that we're not

[31:37] debating the merits of the mental health board tonight or we shouldn't be. We're

[31:40] talking about We're discussing whether or not the

[31:45] residents of Elkrove, the voters of Elkrove Township should decide whether

[31:50] or not the board's uh efforts with the money we have is sufficient or not. And

[31:55] if they decide it's not sufficient, then they're going to be electing to raise

[32:00] their own taxes. And then they're going to be entrusting us to faithfully follow

[32:04] the law to implement a mental health board. And if we're going to talk about

[32:08] the facts of this process, the mental health board doesn't just simply tax at

[32:12] the 05 level, it does an assessment and it

[32:16] determines what the unmet need is in Elkrove Township and then it makes a

[32:21] recommendation and a request for the level of taxes required to fund that

[32:26] unmet need. So the we're not voting tonight on whether or not we should

[32:30] raise people's taxes. That's not a vote that we're making tonight. We're not

[32:34] voting tonight on whether or not the township does a good job. I believe the

[32:38] previous township board as well as this one has done a good job with mental

[32:40] health with the resources available. There is unmet need. It's up to the

[32:45] residents. I would like it to be up to the residents and voters of Elkrove

[32:48] Township to decide whether the unmet need is substantial and if it's

[32:53] substantial enough to raise their own taxes. That's the opportunity I

[32:57] [applause] want to give. So, if it if it pleases my fellow board members, I'd

[33:02] really love for us to not debate the merits of the mental health board

[33:05] referendum tonight, of the mental health board itself tonight, but rather whether

[33:10] or not the voters should decide, which is what the resolution asks. So, if we

[33:14] could stick to that public comment, you all do what you're going to do. But

[33:19] amongst us, I'd really like it if we could stick to whether or not we think

[33:22] it's okay, whether or not we trust the voters to make this decision. and the

[33:28] the points that both uh trustee Luji made and uh board president Scalleta

[33:33] made about the pros and cons to whether or not those taxes should go up. Those

[33:39] are great things for us to be discussing out in the community uh in the

[33:43] subsequent uh 8 weeks or 12 weeks or whatever it is before the the election.

[33:51] » So what and and I'm >> Thank you.

[33:53] » and I appreciate the comments. I agree with you on most of it, but I also agree

[33:57] on what is it that we're not doing and that's what the board should be

[34:01] discussing. What is it? >> If you would like, if you would like, I

[34:04] can further discuss this point. However, I think it's in the best interest. We do

[34:08] have another board meeting next Monday night. We can discuss

[34:12] what we are and are not doing. I appreciate your reference to the

[34:16] strategic plan. I think the strategic plan is ultimately uh approved and

[34:21] vetoed by the voters and the voters get to say. We often talk about how township

[34:26] is the closest form of government to the people. This is our opportunity as the

[34:31] township board to allow the people to make a decision.

[34:36] I

[34:39] I have a very difficult time as somebody who votes in every election,

[34:47] very difficult time not trusting my neighbors and and fellow voters to make

[34:52] these decisions. I don't feel like I'm al I am alone empowered to make those

[34:56] decisions. I feel like they've empowered me to represent their their views and

[35:03] you know that we're not doing a lot of legislating up here. This is our third

[35:07] potential resolution of the year. So you know that we're not an activist board by

[35:12] any means. This is just providing a pathway. If we're not in favor of

[35:16] trusting the voters, then vote no. And if we're in favor of trusting the

[35:19] voters, then we'll vote yes. It's not hard.

[35:23] » [applause]

[35:27] » All right. If there's no Oh, Trusty uh Steinak,

[35:30] » Supervisor Scalleta, you ask a question, what is that we doing or not doing when

[35:34] it comes to mental health services? On two different occasions. Um the last

[35:38] couple months, I asked the question, what type of support the mental health

[35:43] department needs? And the answer both time times was we need to hire more. The

[35:50] second answer was we might run out of space when we do get more therapists.

[35:55] With more money, we can do more. You [snorts] also ask why? Why is it that we

[36:00] need it? The referendum itself is about giving residents the choice and not

[36:05] assuming that everyone has that opinion, the same opinion. And this is why we're

[36:10] doing it. We talking about I know we we went through numbers. $161

[36:17] per household per house. that is worth $100,000.

[36:22] I was not the best with math when I was in high school, but it's $64 a year on a

[36:28] house that is worth $400,000. Compare this to phone calls to the

[36:33] emergency room, phone calls that are being placed to uh the police

[36:37] department, 911. I can guarantee you that we all pay for it one way or

[36:43] another.

[36:48] Well, and and and I'll leave with this comment and we can go into um into

[36:52] public comments is that this year all all of the people that are running for

[36:57] election are running on affordability and affordability comes down to taxes.

[37:02] And while there is a there are affordable homes in our area, what's not

[37:06] affordable are the taxes. When taxes are as much as your mortgage, there's a

[37:12] problem. And all I'm saying is that I I think that there's something to be

[37:17] discussed here. And apparently I I think that because of the objection, um the

[37:23] board has decided that they just want to put the referendum on there and leave it

[37:26] up to the voters, which is fine, but I want to make sure that we at least

[37:30] address that this township is doing something. And you know, if if there was

[37:35] anybody that was unhappy with the um 90% funding and wanted to see it be 100%

[37:40] that could have be taken care of at the budget, but it wasn't. Um and so I'm

[37:45] going to stop talking and let some other people talk from the audience. And I'm

[37:49] opening it up. Uh first person on the um on the signup sheet is Lori Gennawi.

[38:02] Lori, if you give give us your address and township for the record.

[38:05] » Sure. My name is Lori Grayi. Address 227 South Vale, Arlington Heights. I'm in

[38:11] Wheeling Township. Um, I'm also on the mental health board for Wheeling

[38:17] Township. I'm speaking tonight representing myself, not the mental

[38:22] health board. And let me make that really clear. Uh, part of what I did was

[38:27] to a big part of what I did was to help create the mental health board in

[38:31] Wheeling Township. I worked with Mike Murray to create that advocate for 708

[38:36] group and uh we were so thrilled when it passed in Wheeling Township and as many

[38:42] of you know where people really got involved was when the township for

[38:48] various reasons wouldn't fund the mental health board. So yes, people get upset

[38:54] about t higher taxes, but the people that attended the meetings and that were

[38:58] most vocal were the ones that wanted the mental health board. They were the ones

[39:03] that were there speaking up and they were the ones that were fighting for it

[39:07] to be funded. So this is an important issue. That's my only point to a lot of

[39:12] people and I really appreciate you considering putting this on the ballot

[39:17] so that everyone does have that choice that they get to decide if this is

[39:22] important to them because I've collected a lot of signatures for this. I've

[39:26] spoken to a lot of people and I can tell you that when you talk to people it

[39:31] covers those three tiers. Mental health, substance use, intellectual and

[39:36] developmental disabilities. It is hard to find someone who isn't personally

[39:42] affected knows or knows someone who is whether it's in their family or it's a

[39:47] neighbor. It's someone in their community and there is overwhelming

[39:51] community support which if you put this on the ballot I'm I'm hopeful that you

[39:55] will find out. So, thank you for your time.

[39:58] » Thank you.

[40:03] » Next up, Jamie Clark.

[40:12] address in township for the record, please.

[40:14] » Um, my address is 204 North School Street. I'm in Mount Prospect and I am

[40:19] in Wheeling Township. Um, I am a Wheeling Township mental health board

[40:23] member. Um, I'm also a 30-year uh, professional clinical person who works

[40:29] with adults with intellectual disabilities and mental health problems.

[40:34] Um I'm a business owner and that is my primary focus. Um I am here just as a

[40:39] person. I'm not speaking for anyone. Um I can tell you that in the years that

[40:46] I've worked started in 1997 working with severe autism

[40:51] um there's always a need whether it's a a

[40:57] 10% gap but how many people are affected in that 10% gap? Okay. Is it your

[41:02] cousin's kid? Would that make it feel better?

[41:06] Is it an immigrant kid? Would that make it feel better? Is it the person down

[41:12] the road whose parents are alcoholics and need a tremendous amount of help and

[41:18] they have a child with developmental disabilities and there's still a huge

[41:23] need. So, this isn't something

[41:28] this isn't something that's ever going to be like a a Disney World idealistic

[41:33] situation, right? We're always going to have a big area of need. But the areas

[41:38] that the areas that a mental health board can fund are situations of life

[41:43] and death. There's situations of you're barely making it and you have to get

[41:48] out, you have to have a child placed out of the state for services because we

[41:53] can't do anything about it. So these are things that are destructive [snorts] and

[41:57] detrimental to families when a child has severe mental health problems. It

[42:02] doesn't just affect the people down the street that we don't

[42:06] really talk to. It can affect any one of us. And I think what? Six bucks a month.

[42:13] That's cheaper than a Starbucks. So yeah. And I pay a ton of taxes, too.

[42:19] I'm D57. Like, I get it. I'm D214. I get it. Okay. The schools cost a lot

[42:26] of money. That was a big hit. I was a single mom for 10 years. That's a big

[42:30] hit. However, my kid attends those schools. My nieces attend those schools.

[42:35] And my neighbors kids attend those schools. and my retired grandparents,

[42:40] their kids attended the schools and when they sell their house, some other young

[42:44] family is going to come there and those kids are going to go to those schools. I

[42:47] want those schools to be good. I want them to be fantastic. The agencies that

[42:53] these can that these mental health boards can fund go into schools right

[42:57] now because our schools don't even have enough funding to counsel kids.

[43:02] These are agencies that can do an enormous amount of health help in our

[43:07] communities. So in if there's an area that you're like, we don't think that

[43:11] this is could we applied, it applies everywhere. So I would very much

[43:16] encourage you continue. Let the people of this township decide what they want

[43:19] to do with their money. It seems like they they think it's a good idea.

[43:23] » Wrap it out. >> Thank you for your time.

[43:25] » Thank you. [applause]

[43:30] Jill Hoff >> buying services.

[43:37] » Hi Jill. Address in township for the record.

[43:39] » Jill Hoff 21 South George Elkrove Township.

[43:44] I agree with the statement that this is not about whether or not the mental

[43:50] health board referendum is a good idea. I'm concerned because when we talk about

[43:58] stewardship of our township resources, we now have we had the hearing at 6, we

[44:04] have the meeting at 7, and we have two additional meetings all

[44:09] all scheduled to answer one question. An opponent came up with an alternative

[44:16] fact. It seems to me like a pretty easy

[44:20] question to answer. Is he right or is he wrong? We don't need to spend

[44:27] on attorneys, on AV, on our whole board meeting five times for the same

[44:33] question. The petitions have been done. The questions have been asked and

[44:38] answered and let the voters decide. I don't see a we

[44:45] never even heard really what the objection was from the objector at the

[44:50] hearing that was designed to figure that out. So that is my objection to this

[44:56] whole discussion that we need five meetings to decide one question and to

[45:02] me it's a waste of township resources that could always be better spent on the

[45:08] residents of the township. So I am in full agreement that the referendum

[45:13] should go forward as petitions have been collected from almost a thousand

[45:18] residents and as the rules as they were defined were followed correctly similar

[45:25] to many of our surrounding communities. So this seems like a very very clear

[45:30] question. Let the voters decide. [applause]

[45:38] » Thank you Miss Hoff. Next up, uh, Rice Reed.

[45:41] » Reys. >> Reys. Sorry, Ree.

[45:43] » No worries. [laughter]

[46:01] » Dressing Township for the record. >> Yes. Reese Reed, 175 Lancaster Lane,

[46:05] Displayplains, Outgrowth Township. Uh, I appreciate the need for improving our

[46:12] mental health treatment in our communities. I appreciate the good work

[46:18] you do. I appreciate the effort that you're in put through to get these

[46:23] hundreds of petitions through. Uh, I would like if we're going to spend an

[46:28] extra couple hundred dollars, you know, millions of dollars for the entire

[46:32] township on some unspecified extra dollars to have at least know what

[46:38] those dollars are for. But that's not why I'm up here. The petition rules, the

[46:44] laws in Illinois are very strict and very clear. To get a petition in the

[46:52] general election, you need 8% of the amount of votes that the governor got in

[46:58] the prior election. You cannot use the municipal elections. That means it's

[47:04] wonderful. You got almost a thousand petitions,

[47:07] » but you need almost 3,000 petitions to be valid. That's what the objection is.

[47:12] » This Excuse me, sir. This is not the hearing for that comment.

[47:17] » It is. This the objection is that there are not sufficient signatures on the

[47:22] petition to bring this question to the ballot on this election. So I would ask

[47:29] this board to follow Illinois law and not allow a question with insufficient

[47:37] signatures to be placed on the ballot. Thank you.

[47:40] » Okay. Thank you.

[47:46] Ne next next up is Fe Costa.

[47:51] How many are on this? >> Hello again.

[47:53] » Hi again. Uh first of all, I bet you we could find a township in Illinois that

[47:59] has fewer people than the number they're shooting for uh residing in that

[48:04] township. So, I think that would be a pretty ridiculous interpretation of the

[48:07] law, but that is not why I came up here. Um the reason I came up here is to thank

[48:11] you all for your comments earlier. Um, and let me get my thoughts back together

[48:16] on what else I wanted to say. >> Start out with your address.

[48:19] » Oh, sorry. I live in Mont Prospect. Uh, and I live in Elgrove Township.

[48:24] » Thank you. >> Um, so um, what services are we lacking

[48:29] um, in Elgrove Township? This is a pretty minor example, but you know, I

[48:32] when I take my kids to the school um, you know, they have these great resource

[48:36] fairs and they show us what's available um, from Elrove Township. And there was

[48:40] a flyer with some services that would have been great for my daughter. Some,

[48:44] you know, groups for the kids to get together. Um, but for whatever, for one

[48:48] reason or another, they weren't really accessible to us. Um,

[48:52] uh, so that's one, you know, one thing. Um, and

[48:57] my family is pretty privileged, so, you know, that's all right. Um, you know, we

[49:01] can find these resources in other ways from private means. We have private

[49:04] insurance. Um, but if we can't access those those groups for kids, I'm sure

[49:10] there are other people who also cannot access them. Um, and what was the other

[49:15] question? I'm forgetting now. [laughter] I'm sorry. Um,

[49:20] » ah, shoot. >> Take your time. You got two more

[49:22] minutes. >> Okay, [laughter]

[49:23] » we're not going anywhere. [gasps] Um

[49:38] [laughter]

[49:41] yeah, thank you. Um this should this should go to a vote. Um, a lot of people

[49:48] did a lot of work um to collect all these signatures and I

[49:53] wanted to amplify the voices of the folks who spoke at the last meeting um

[49:59] who um really did all that work, especially the gentleman who uh spoke

[50:04] last who said that um these mental health resources go to folks who need

[50:11] them um who have these illnesses, but it's not just the people who have the

[50:17] illnesses because it impacts the people's families and it impacts their

[50:21] neighbors. Um so thank you very much.

[50:25] » Thank you.

[50:29] » Next up, Ed Leinsky.

[50:37] » Johnson Township for the record. >> Sure thing. Ed Leinsky. I live at 905

[50:42] Wilson Drive in Dusk Plains in Elkrove Township. If the trustees sitting before

[50:47] me on the dis can get well over 4,800 votes last consolidated election, yet

[50:51] the referendum before us was unable to secure 3,200 legitimate signatures for a

[50:56] popular referendum. It begs the question, by holding a special session

[51:00] to print a question on the ballot anyway, are you really carrying out the

[51:03] will of your constituents? Approximately 36 pages, nearly onethird of those

[51:09] circulated for the referendum were done so by an individual from outside of our

[51:13] own township. If this referendum is so popular amongst the constituents of

[51:17] Elgrove Township, why did it take the work of several circulators from outside

[51:21] of our district to still fall short of the minimum? It is hard to believe that

[51:26] the submitted referendum petition organically man manifested from the

[51:29] citizens of our township. Otherwise, the minimum signatures required should have

[51:33] been easily met. I believe the fiduciary responsibility a trustee has is not only

[51:38] to the township, the corporate ent entity, but even more so a fiduciary of

[51:42] the people who elected you. In 2024, George Busy received the supervisor of

[51:47] the year award for social services. Since then, the township has approved

[51:51] spending to supplement two additional bilingual staff. Why is it then that the

[51:55] existing services are not enough? What is the datim, the baseline? How high is

[52:00] the bar set? Are we falling behind what neighboring townships are achieving?

[52:04] I've attended our township board meetings regularly. Not once have I

[52:08] heard concern for Elkrove Township services falling behind less than

[52:12] anything but amazing. And I believe that is because we have some exceptionally

[52:16] amazing staff and administrators. However, without seeing any furtherance

[52:20] of an established need, without metrics, without showing us a why additional

[52:25] funding is necessary or what it will be spent on, we cannot justify some

[52:30] arbitrary need. With $640,000 already spent on social services each year, plus

[52:36] the improvements already made this year with hiring new employees. One one might

[52:40] presume such a 708 board will only serve as a budget appropriation for the

[52:44] Democratic Socialist of America or some other

[52:50] or or some otherwise rogue element not truly of the will of the people of this

[52:56] township. Look around us at this meeting. If we had the genuine organic

[53:00] interest of even 900 electors wanting to see this petition uh question on the

[53:05] ballot and yet less than 5% of that number from our own township are even

[53:09] willing to show up in support of it here tonight. All I can say is I have lots of

[53:13] questions. The most important question being by holding a special session to

[53:17] pass a resolution to print the question for a 708 mental health board on the

[53:21] upcoming general election ballot. Anyway, are you really carrying out the

[53:24] will of your constituents? And with that, I have nothing more to offer.

[53:28] » Thank you, [applause]

[53:33] » Matthew Pazanka.

[53:38] Crowd. >> Good evening. My name is Matthew

[53:43] Pachchanka. I live at 2125 West Haven Street in Mount Prospect, which is

[53:48] within Elkrove Township, and I appreciate the chance to speak tonight.

[53:52] Over the last few weeks, I actually foyed the referendum petition signatures

[53:56] and looked over closely at who was involved with the ballot in question.

[54:00] And what stood out to me, which should stand out to the board, is how much push

[54:04] and support for this referendum came from outside of Elkrove Township. The

[54:09] community mental health project the group emailed multiple residents urging

[54:12] them to attend tonight isn't even based in Elkrove Township. It's based out of

[54:16] Palletine and numerous circulators on those petitions you had reviewed

[54:20] yourself is over one-third of them were based out of townships outside of

[54:26] Elkrove Township as well at which at some point you have to ask yourself is

[54:31] this really a community initiative or another way for top individuals and

[54:34] mental health organizations and groups to grow their influ influences salaries

[54:38] and their budgets because when so much energy comes from outside of the

[54:42] township it's hard to call this organic in any Okay,

[54:47] which brings me to something a little bit more serious. We have trustees here

[54:50] tonight who directly work with NOS's and nonprofits that would financially

[54:53] benefit from a 708 board here today, which is a clear conflict of interest.

[54:58] And now, and if this board wants to maintain trust, those trustees should

[55:03] recuse themselves from tonight's proceeding, which is not personal. It's

[55:07] responsible governance. Now, I would like to go back to the community support

[55:11] or the lack of it. This board earned thousands of votes in the last

[55:16] consolidated election. Real measurable support from the people who actually

[55:19] live here. While this meanwhile, this popular referendum supposedly backed by

[55:25] the same community couldn't even break 900 signatures in an entire 12-month

[55:29] window they had. That's roughly three signatures a day they had collected.

[55:35] And when something has genuine grassroots momentum, you feel it. You

[55:39] don't have to drag it across the finish line. So, we have to be honest. If this

[55:43] referendum truly came from the community, meaning the minimum wouldn't

[55:47] meaning the minimum, which they didn't, wouldn't have been a struggle,

[55:50] especially with the amount of outside help they had. Yet, here we are in a

[55:55] special session debating whether to print a ballot question the community

[55:59] didn't organically demand. So, tonight, I'm going to ask you to do something

[56:02] simple. Don't vote for what's comfortable. Vote for what's right and

[56:06] what's lawful. The election law is clear, which you understand, and they

[56:10] did not beat the real threshold. This should not be allowed on the ballot. Our

[56:15] community deserves better than a rushed referendum built on outside influence,

[56:19] conflict of interest, and a lack of authentic community support. Make your

[56:23] decision with the people, the law in mind, and the organizations waiting to

[56:29] profit. Thank you. Before

[56:35] I before I call our final speaker, I just want to clarify a couple things. Um

[56:41] there's only one trustee on this board that works for a nonforprofit at this

[56:44] time and that nonprofit is not receiving any um direct funding from this

[56:50] township. And so I just want to clarify that for the record. Uh final speaker is

[56:55] Amy Austerman. Amy

[57:04] Hi, my name is Amy Austerman. Um, I reside at 905 Wilson Avenue in uh

[57:09] Displayplains. I'm in Elgroveve Township. I also uh serve as the uh

[57:14] deputy committee woman for the Republicans of Elgroveve Township as

[57:17] well. Um I'm here to speak against the

[57:21] referendum for the mental health board, not because I don't care about people

[57:24] dealing with mental health issues. Um I'm actually extremely empathetic. Um

[57:29] but because Elkrove Township already handles uh the residents it serves and

[57:33] expands services on an as needed basis. Um so they're doing everything just

[57:39] fine. Just because other townships have done it doesn't mean we knew we need to.

[57:43] And um also not all mental health services are created equal. Um I'll give

[57:49] you an example how mental health services can go wrong. uh D214 uh gives

[57:55] uh its students an assessment for suicide that is uh would not pass an

[58:00] institutional review board uh for meeting its objective. It gives yes no

[58:05] questions um asking youth largely self-image questions which again is not

[58:12] something that you want to use and there's only seven of them. Anybody

[58:16] taking this test would walk away saying, "I must be suicidal."

[58:23] I was, this was brought to my attention because my daughter, who I had opted out

[58:26] of taking the test, but she actually was able to um access the test and was

[58:33] called me crying wanting to get her her students away from it. Um but anyway,

[58:37] the the bottom line is this nonprofit organization that put that that puts

[58:42] this out for D214 is actually funded by big pharma. So, um when I called the

[58:48] school psychologist, they were like, "Oh, no. I don't have anything to do

[58:50] with that. That's the that's the um that's the assistant principal who

[58:55] handles that." Um and also, um um I'd like to talk about some

[59:03] hypocrisy. when Illinois residents are discussing new laws allowing people to

[59:07] end their lives when they have no terminal diagnosis.

[59:11] um

[59:15] in Canada. Well, a person in this room actually actually said um so be it to

[59:23] somebody who actually was in the hypothetical situation of somebody

[59:28] wanting to commit suicide with no terminal illness just because they

[59:34] wanted to, a person advocating for this mental health board responded with, "So

[59:39] be it." Obviously, the person is in crisis if they're if they're looking to

[59:44] commit suicide. That's a mental health. So, if if this mental health board is

[59:49] going to be advocating for and allowing um assisted suicides, I don't want to

[59:54] have anything to do with it. Rarely throw and and I think it's vile and

[59:57] disgusting that the person in this room would say so.

[1:00:01] » Let's all be respectful of each other, please.

[1:00:03] » But throwing money at problems rarely helps the issues. The money intends to

[1:00:07] the money act. it actually intends to help. Um, and and

[1:00:13] you guys are doing a great job and keep it up.

[1:00:17] » Thank you. [applause]

[1:00:22] » That end that ends public comments. I'll now return it to the board for

[1:00:26] conversation and consideration of the motion.

[1:00:34] » You know, actually, can I I just have one thing. So,

[1:00:38] today the EAV numbers I mean um as you can imagine um we don't have our tax

[1:00:46] bills for the for the second um part of this year but today the EAV numbers came

[1:00:53] out um and so with working with our attorney there's just a two things that

[1:01:00] we would like to amend um on the resolution

[1:01:07] um for clarity. And so if you look at number two

[1:01:15] » and I'm sorry, page three of five here. Uh do you have another one? I'm sure we

[1:01:20] have another one. Hold on. >> Do you want me to help explain

[1:01:24] that? >> Hold on. I'm sure I have another copy. I

[1:01:28] have so many copies of everything. >> I have that.

[1:01:34] » I just gave her my copy. So, >> I can explain it.

[1:01:38] » So, I'm going to turn it over to uh I hand out my uh my resolution to somebody

[1:01:43] else. So, I'm going to have um Isabella Manzo explain the differences. They're

[1:01:48] minor um but they are for transparency. So,

[1:01:52] » hello. Um so, we drafted this resolution identical to what was circulated in the

[1:01:58] petition. And um by statute there are a couple of requirements that the question

[1:02:04] has to have on the referendum. So you have to have the actual question which

[1:02:08] is the yes no um with the cap and then we also have supplemental information

[1:02:14] under paragraph 1 and two. So it is my thought that when the petition was

[1:02:19] circulating those numbers were not yet available but as we are now looking at

[1:02:24] it um as a board as you are all looking at it as a board and again you don't

[1:02:28] have to make this amendment but because we're passing it as a board resolution

[1:02:34] you could or you could totally disregard the information I just want to provide

[1:02:38] it to you. So, because the new AV and the limiting rates and things like that

[1:02:42] had come out earlier um today actually, we received an uh a potential amendment

[1:02:48] from our attorney and it says paragraph 2 should read for the 2026 levy year,

[1:02:55] the approximate amount of additional tax expendable against property containing a

[1:03:00] single family residence and having a fair market value at the time of the

[1:03:05] referendum of $100,000 is estimated to be 1550. So we do not change the cap. It

[1:03:14] is still 0.05. You are using the new EAV to get to that

[1:03:20] calculation. And so instead of change in instead of it being

[1:03:26] the 2025 levy year, you're changing it to the

[1:03:29] 2026 levy year, which is more accurate and timely. and it actually lowers what

[1:03:35] you would see per $100,000 on your tax bill. Um, remember this is supplemental

[1:03:40] information, so it does not change the ceiling. Um, it still remains at that

[1:03:45] 0.05. Um, so you're not changing anything in the actual referendum. Um,

[1:03:50] you are just changing the supplemental information at is as it is available to

[1:03:54] us at this time. It may not have been available to the petitioners at the time

[1:03:59] of drafting the original petition. Um, so that you know, if you guys go back to

[1:04:05] this uh60ome dollars a year, it actually is $60.60

[1:04:11] um at this calculation. If you would like to amend it, you would

[1:04:16] have to amend it with that wording and I can give that to you.

[1:04:22] » Or you don't have to amend it. Remember, this is just information for your

[1:04:26] benefit. I I move to amend uh to make the uh

[1:04:30] figure more accurate uh based on the 2026.

[1:04:33] » Can can you make a motion to approve the resolution with the amendments as

[1:04:39] described by or as you read? >> Um sorry, supervisor. Can I I would like

[1:04:46] to make another comment quickly before um

[1:04:49] » Sure. >> Um

[1:04:51] » Trusty uh St. >> Thank you.

[1:04:53] um some of the comments um that came through the public speaking we are we

[1:05:00] are good enough we are not good enough there's no such a thing as a good enough

[1:05:06] um when you enter each and every town that we uh cover in uh Elgrove Township

[1:05:14] it says welcome welcome to man prospect it tells you what the man prospect

[1:05:18] stands for I can't tell you what the man prospect stands for I should know this

[1:05:21] is my new hometown but My own hometown was Elgrove Village and it says

[1:05:26] exceptional community. You need to do more than we are just

[1:05:32] fine. If you want to stand up, if you want to meet those standards, you need

[1:05:37] to be exceptional. Um, if all we have during those

[1:05:43] arguments from our opponents are the numbers, then let's make it simple.

[1:05:50] Let's community decide. And lastly, I get compensated to sit here. I would

[1:05:59] love to opt out from receiving a check from tonight's meeting and send this

[1:06:03] back to the township, towards the social services, towards the food pantry

[1:06:06] because I know our residents can use it. Thank you.

[1:06:11] [applause]

[1:06:14] » I'll connect you with Erica on that. Trusty Wine Coupoop. I'd like to move

[1:06:20] the resolution as read previously by um Supervisor Scalleta and we'll skip that

[1:06:25] part. Uh and um with the amending of paragraph 2 in the supplemental

[1:06:31] information to read for the 2026 levy year, the approximate amount of the

[1:06:36] additional tax extendable against property containing a single family

[1:06:39] residence and having a fair market value at the time of the referendum of

[1:06:42] $100,000 is estimated to be $15.15.

[1:06:49] Trusty Luji seconds. >> Just for clarity, 1550 or 15

[1:06:54] » 151515. >> Thank you.

[1:06:57] » I will send that out to the entire board.

[1:07:00] » Thank you. >> We re we received it at 5:18 and I read

[1:07:04] it at uh in between the two meetings [laughter]

[1:07:07] » and I'm going to leave off the thanks Dan part. But since since we're aware of

[1:07:10] it, I wanted to make sure that we were drafting something that was as accurate

[1:07:14] as the information was provided by legal counsel.

[1:07:17] » Thank you. >> So we have a motion and a second. Roll

[1:07:21] call. >> Trusty Wine Coupoop

[1:07:24] » I. >> Trusty Lujay

[1:07:25] » I. >> Trusty Stanyek

[1:07:27] » I. >> Supervisor Scalleta

[1:07:29] » I. I am leaving it up to the voters. I agree with everybody in this room that

[1:07:33] we should leave it up to the voters. I hope that you will go out there and

[1:07:36] spread the good news of what we do because we do so much more with less

[1:07:41] than many other townships in our area. We have an adult and family counseling

[1:07:46] department that is very, very rare. We have a youth services department that is

[1:07:51] very, very rare. And so, I just want to make sure that that message gets out

[1:07:55] there because it sounds like, you know, like we're new to the game and we're

[1:07:59] not. We're not new to the game. And you know, we're very, very proud of what we

[1:08:04] do. And I hope that you take that message with you as you go out there to

[1:08:09] campaign um for the mental health board and let them know all the things that we

[1:08:14] do. Um because we are trying to do everything we can to increase the

[1:08:17] awareness of what we provide here at the township. Um and let everybody know that

[1:08:22] we exist and that's why we show up at different events and and and you know,

[1:08:26] and try and make it possible. and and you know I am very very proud of our

[1:08:31] director and her entire department in the adult and family counseling

[1:08:34] department because they are doing work um that you know is is not just going to

[1:08:42] work um and hearing other people's problems. You take those with you when

[1:08:46] you leave at the end of the day. So thank you Lan and please share that with

[1:08:49] your department. [applause]

[1:08:57] All right. If there's nothing else, I would ask the board to consider or uh

[1:09:02] make a motion to go into executive session per 5CS120/2C21,

[1:09:08] discussion of minutes of meetings lawfully closed under the open meetings

[1:09:12] act and 5ilcs 120/2

[1:09:16] C11 litigation when an action against affecting or on behalf of the township

[1:09:21] has been filed and is pending before a court or administrative jun tribunal or

[1:09:26] when the township finds an action is probable or imminent in which case the

[1:09:29] basis of where the finding shall be recorded and entered into the minutes of

[1:09:33] the closed meeting. I don't expect us to come out and report out after the

[1:09:37] meeting. >> Trusty Luji moves to move into executive

[1:09:41] session. >> Second. We have a motion to second. Roll

[1:09:44] call. >> Trusty Luji.

[1:09:46] » I. >> Trusty Wine Coupoop.

[1:09:48] » I. >> Trusty Stany.

[1:09:49] » I. >> Supervisor Scalleta

[1:09:51] » I. >> Thank you for joining us tonight. Hope

[1:09:54] to see you again next Monday.

August 17, 2026 - Special Board of Trustees Meeting - Elk Grove Township

Transcript