[5:03] Good evening everyone. I'd like to call
[5:05] to order the regular meeting of the
[5:06] Elmer City Council for Monday, April 20,
[5:09] 2026. At this point, I'd ask you all to
[5:12] rise and join me for the pledge of
[5:14] allegiance.
[5:16] I aliance to the flag of the United
[5:19] States of America and to the republic
[5:21] for which it stands. One nation under
[5:24] God, indivisible, with liberty and
[5:27] justice for all.
[5:29] >> We're all here.
[5:32] >> Thank you. Clerk Chamer, please call the
[5:34] role.
[5:35] >> Nuda
[5:36] >> here.
[5:36] >> Virgil
[5:37] >> here.
[5:38] >> Nardini
[5:38] >> here.
[5:39] >> Basto
[5:40] >> here.
[5:40] >> Herby
[5:41] >> here.
[5:42] >> Brennan
[5:42] >> here. Vimis
[5:44] >> here.
[5:45] >> Bellinger
[5:45] >> here.
[5:46] >> Shenko
[5:47] >> here.
[5:47] >> Hill
[5:48] >> here.
[5:49] >> Bram
[5:50] >> here.
[5:50] >> Jensen
[5:51] >> here.
[5:52] >> Toudo
[5:52] >> here.
[5:53] >> Baker
[5:54] >> here.
[5:55] >> 14 present, zero absent.
[5:57] We have a
[5:58] quorum. Um, we'll move on to item two,
[6:01] receipt of written communications from
[6:02] the public. Is there anyone in the
[6:04] public that has a written communication
[6:06] that he or she would like to deliver to
[6:08] the council? If so, please raise your
[6:10] hand. See none, we'll move on to public
[6:12] forum. Has anyone signed in for public
[6:14] forum this evening?
[6:16] >> Yes, Mayor. Dr. John Jevitz.
[6:17] >> All right. So, for public forum, we'll
[6:19] use the back microphone. Um, when you
[6:23] approach the microphone, feel free to
[6:24] adjust it. You have three minutes to
[6:26] talk about whatever is of concern to
[6:28] you. Uh, we'll give you a gentle
[6:30] reminder when you get close to 3
[6:32] minutes. Um, and I also want to point
[6:34] out this is your opportunity to tell the
[6:36] council anything that you would like to
[6:39] tell us, but uh, we don't respond. If
[6:41] you state your address, which is
[6:42] optional, we may be able to get back to
[6:44] you. Um, so don't feel offended if we
[6:47] don't engage in debate with you from the
[6:49] dis. Dr. Jevitz,
[6:56] well, you know why Elmer is ranked
[6:57] number one, don't you? Because of you
[6:59] guys. So, uh, character, I'm the
[7:02] president of character counts in
[7:03] Elmharst. Character is doing the right
[7:05] thing when no one is watching. That's
[7:07] the definition of everybody here tonight
[7:08] as well as the mayor and also police
[7:11] chief, fire chief, everyone else. So,
[7:12] thank you all. God bless. This is to
[7:14] honor somebody who used to have black
[7:16] hair from Manuka. So, I'm going to bring
[7:18] this up so you see. So,
[7:21] this is a presidential award from
[7:23] Character Counts. This is for Jim
[7:24] Grabhoffer for his years of assistance.
[7:29] I never thought after Tom Borscher was
[7:31] here, I thought, uhoh, no way could
[7:33] somebody follow Tom's steps. I couldn't
[7:35] be more proud of you, John. This is an
[7:37] award to honor him. Our presidential
[7:39] award for character counts. I'm going to
[7:41] have to pull this out quick, John. I'm
[7:43] sorry. This is for you. So, number one,
[7:46] congratulations on retirement.
[7:48] Congratulations on a great career.
[7:50] Congratulations to all of you for doing
[7:52] a great job. I want to get this real
[7:53] quick for you, Darren.
[7:57] » Very good. Thank you.
[7:58] >> Feel like I'm interfering with the
[8:00] picture here.
[8:02] >> So anyway, congratulations all you. God
[8:04] bless and thank you for the great work
[8:05] you all do.
[8:14] » Um All right. Any has anyone else signed
[8:17] in for public forum?
[8:18] >> No, mayor.
[8:19] >> All right. Is there anyone who did not
[8:20] have the opportunity to sign in for
[8:22] public comment that would like to do so?
[8:24] If so, please raise your hand. Seeing
[8:26] none, we'll move on. closed public
[8:28] forum. Are there any announcements from
[8:30] the disman?
[8:34] Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um, just a a quick
[8:37] heads up. We all know that uh the spring
[8:41] cleanup is ongoing as of now. Uh, cool.
[8:44] Elmer's cool cities is taken up the task
[8:47] of working with wings, which is about uh
[8:49] preventing domestic violence and
[8:51] supporting those who have uh been in a
[8:54] part of any type of domestic violence.
[8:58] Um, collecting furniture. So, instead of
[9:00] throwing your furniture to the curb, uh,
[9:02] go to the Elmer's Cool City Cities
[9:04] website and they have a link in regards
[9:06] to what the process would be to donate
[9:08] your furniture there instead of having
[9:11] it go to the landfill. Thank you.
[9:13] >> Thank you. Any other announcements? All
[9:15] right, we'll move on to the consent
[9:17] agenda. Clerk Tamer, please read the
[9:18] consent agenda.
[9:24] 5.1 minutes of the regular meeting of
[9:26] the Elmer City Council on March 16th,
[9:28] 2026.
[9:30] 5.2 minutes of the regular meeting of
[9:32] the Elmer City Council on April 6, 2026.
[9:35] 5.3 accounts payable April 20th, 2026.
[9:40] 2,886,431.14
[9:44] 5.4 report case number 26PO6
[9:48] amended plan unit development with site
[9:50] development allowances subdivision and
[9:52] annexation 188 West Butterfield Road 5.5
[9:56] report intergovernmental agreement for
[9:58] school resource officers 5.6 Six report
[10:00] DWP page county ETSB continued PRMS
[10:03] participation letter of intent. 5.7
[10:06] report 2026 explore Elmer's community
[10:09] grant program. 5.8 report Indiana Street
[10:12] sidewalk project construction
[10:13] engineering services. 5.9 report Indiana
[10:16] Street Sidewalk Project construction bids. 5.10 report Plunket
[10:21] Park temporary construction easement
[10:23] agreement. 5.11
[10:26] an ordinance to amend section 14.09 09
[10:29] entitled residential storm water
[10:31] management of chapter 14 entitled storm
[10:33] water and flood planes of the Elmer's
[10:35] municipal code. 5.12 an ordinance waving
[10:37] bid and authorizing the issuance of a
[10:39] notice of award purchase order for the
[10:41] purchase of concrete street light poles.
[10:43] 5.13 an ordinance waving bid and
[10:45] authorizing the execution of an
[10:47] agreement with Deep Walk Research Inc.
[10:48] for ADA sidewalk evaluation software.
[10:51] 5.14 an ordinance reserving and
[10:53] authorizing the transfer of volume cap
[10:55] in connection with private activity bond
[10:57] issues and related matters. 5.15 an
[11:00] ordinance approving and authorizing the
[11:02] execution of a non-exclusive license
[11:04] agreement by between DUP page cycling
[11:06] Foundation and the city of Elmherst
[11:08] DuPage and Cook Counties, Illinois. 5.16
[11:11] a resolution approving an extension of
[11:13] services agreement between Watersmart
[11:15] Software Inc. and the city of Elmerst
[11:16] Illinois. 5.17 a resolution approving
[11:19] and authorizing the purchase and
[11:21] planting of Parkway trees for the 2026
[11:23] tree purchase and planting program in
[11:25] the city of Elmerst Illinois. 5.18 a
[11:27] resolution approving and authorizing
[11:29] execution of a professional engineering
[11:31] services agreement between the city of
[11:33] Elmerst Illinois and Baxter and Woodman
[11:34] Inc. for the 2026 wastewater flow
[11:37] monitoring assistance program project
[11:40] 5.19 a resolution to approve and
[11:42] authorize the execution of a
[11:43] professional engineering services
[11:45] agreement by between Clark deeds Inc. in
[11:47] the city of Elmherst for the Berkeley
[11:48] Adams pump station rehabilitation
[11:50] project. 5.20. A resolution to approve
[11:53] and adopt the classification and
[11:55] compensation study prepared by MG MGT
[11:58] Impact Solutions Inc. 5.21. A resolution
[12:01] authorizing the application for a
[12:03] general working permit for the
[12:04] construction operation maintenance of
[12:05] city infrastructure located within
[12:07] stateowned rights of way within the city
[12:10] of Elmherst, Illinois.
[12:11] >> Thank you. Is there any item on the
[12:13] consent agenda that any alderman would
[12:15] like to remove either for further
[12:17] discussion or to vote against? Alman
[12:19] Brennan
[12:20] >> 5.9
[12:33] was just going to
[12:34] >> so 5.9.
[12:35] >> Yeah.
[12:35] >> All right.
[12:37] Any Alderman Hill?
[12:40] >> Thank you. Uh just I don't know if it
[12:41] needs to be pulled. I guess it does.
[12:43] There's a my name is wrong in 5.1
[12:48] » in several places.
[12:49] >> I think that's a scrier error that we
[12:51] can fix. What's your name?
[12:53] >> All right.
[12:55] Dera.
[12:56] >> All right. We have a motion. Do we have
[12:58] a motion to pass?
[12:59] >> What part on 5.1? And is it on the where
[13:02] is it on?
[13:02] >> I just every time it's mentioned it's
[13:04] under the dimminative and not
[13:06] >> Jacob Jacob. Yeah.
[13:08] >> I'm sorry.
[13:09] >> Okay. Okay.
[13:10] >> It's only been that way for three years,
[13:12] but we're going to we're going to fix
[13:13] it. All right.
[13:14] >> Uh so I'd ask for a motion to approve
[13:17] the consent agenda minus item 5.9.
[13:20] >> Alman Shank with a motion. Alderman Bran
[13:22] with a second. Clerk Tammer, please call
[13:24] the role.
[13:26] >> Nera,
[13:27] >> I
[13:28] >> Virgil
[13:29] >> I.
[13:29] >> Nardini.
[13:30] >> I
[13:33] » Brennan.
[13:34] >> I
[13:35] >> Vere.
[13:36] >> Hi.
[13:36] >> Bellinger.
[13:37] >> I
[13:38] >> Hill. I
[13:39] >> Shenko
[13:40] >> I
[13:40] >> Bram
[13:41] >> I
[13:42] >> Jensen
[13:43] >> I
[13:43] >> Toledo
[13:44] >> I
[13:45] >> Baker
[13:46] >> I
[13:46] >> 14 I's zero nays the consent agenda minus 5.9 passes clammer please
[13:54] read the report on 5.9
[13:56] >> it is therefore the recommendation of
[13:57] the public works and buildings committee
[13:59] to accept the unit price bid from the
[14:01] low bidder Nardulli construction company
[14:04] Inc. of Chicago, Illinois for the
[14:06] Indiana Street sidewalk project in the
[14:08] amount not to exceed $343,993.35.
[14:13] Additionally, the city attorney is
[14:14] authorized to prepare the appropriate
[14:16] documentation for city council approval.
[14:18] Signed, Alderman Emily Bastto, chair,
[14:20] Alderman Michael J. Bram, vice chair,
[14:22] and Alderman Mike Baker, and Alderman
[14:24] Rex Irby.
[14:25] >> Have a motion to put 5.94 before the
[14:28] council for approval. Motion, Alderman
[14:29] Bastto, second, Alderman Bram. Alderman
[14:31] Bastto. Uh, no. I have no further
[14:34] comment. I'll give the floor to Chair
[14:36] Brennan.
[14:36] >> Well, we'll see. Alman Brennan.
[14:39] >> Thank you, Mayor. Uh, I pulled this
[14:41] report uh to highlight a couple of what
[14:44] I think are are pretty great uh things
[14:46] going on with uh with the city. Um the
[14:49] public works and building committee did
[14:52] uh a great job with with this report and
[14:55] future reports, I'm sure, will come our
[14:57] direction. Uh Elmherst staff has done a
[15:00] fabulous job. As most of you know, uh
[15:03] last year we approved a 40-year uh
[15:06] sidewalk master plan. Uh first up was Crest View and uh from from York to the the park. Um next up is this
[15:18] report Indiana Street. um project
[15:22] construction bids as the report states,
[15:24] you know, uh this project is came in
[15:27] bid-wise lower than expected. Um in
[15:31] addition to that, staff has secured and
[15:33] aligned $650, uh dollars, yeah, $650,000
[15:39] of state grants, you know, to the
[15:41] Indiana street and and van sidewalk
[15:44] projects. uh the combination of both
[15:47] these, you know, uh favorable the
[15:50] favorable construction bid as as well as
[15:52] the grants will allow the city to
[15:54] complete the Indiana street project and
[15:57] accelerate the Van Hawken project. Um,
[16:00] so I simply pulled it to to share, you
[16:03] know, kudos with with the the city
[16:06] staff, the public works and building
[16:08] committee and congratulate, you know,
[16:11] all the kids in Northeast Elmherst uh
[16:13] that will have a safer uh walk to school
[16:17] uh going to Conrad Fiser andor uh Church
[16:21] Churchville schools. Um, this report
[16:24] clearly has my full support and I I want
[16:27] to thank again everybody that was behind
[16:30] it and look forward to the projects to
[16:32] be completed in the near future. Thank
[16:34] you. Thank you. You know, I do want to
[16:36] add one thing. Um, these things the
[16:38] grants just don't happen. Uh, if you go
[16:40] back to when we were doing our sidewalk
[16:43] plan um and people are saying where are
[16:45] we going to get the funds? Uh, our
[16:47] former state rep. Jen Ladish Douglas
[16:51] contacted me and said and city manager
[16:54] and said, "What projects do do you have
[16:57] that you might want some assistance
[16:58] for?" And because the sidewalk program
[17:01] was a hot topic and there was a concern
[17:03] of where would the funds come from and I
[17:06] think Senator Gloria Hilton may have had
[17:08] a piece of that too. So we identified
[17:10] those um from my office to say these are
[17:13] the ones that would be a priority if we
[17:14] can get funding. And so even though
[17:16] she's no longer our state rep, Senator
[17:19] Glowak is still our senator. They came
[17:20] through these with these funds that will
[17:22] help advance this very important
[17:25] project. Any other comments?
[17:29] All right. Call the RO on 5.9, please.
[17:32] >> Nuda,
[17:33] >> I.
[17:34] >> Virgil,
[17:35] >> I.
[17:35] >> Nardini,
[17:36] >> I
[17:39] » Brennan,
[17:40] >> I
[17:42] >> Bellinger.
[17:42] >> Hi,
[17:43] >> Hill. I
[17:44] >> Shenko
[17:45] >> I
[17:46] >> Bram
[17:46] >> I
[17:47] >> Jensen
[17:48] >> I
[17:48] >> Toledo
[17:49] >> I
[17:50] >> Baker
[17:50] >> I
[17:51] >> 14 I's zero nays 5.9 passes on to
[17:56] reports and recommendations of appointed
[17:58] and elect officials mayor 11 um there's
[18:02] a topic I want to cover for a few
[18:04] minutes this evening um
[18:07] uh with starting with the governor's
[18:10] address back in January he proposed a
[18:13] piece piece of legislation called build
[18:14] which stands for build up Illinois
[18:17] development and um it's uh I wasn't
[18:21] quite sure if it was going to advance
[18:23] but it is moving along handily. there's
[18:26] one House bill uh and then on the Senate
[18:29] size there are five bills that say in
[18:32] total exactly the same thing as the
[18:34] House bill and I think it's kind of
[18:37] radical and I think our residents and
[18:39] you need to be aware of what this bill
[18:42] provides. Um the goal is laudable. It's
[18:46] to address affordability of housing and
[18:49] affordability is probably the biggest
[18:51] political buzzword we have today in
[18:53] 2026.
[18:54] But I want to give you a few pieces of
[18:57] how this legislation would work if
[19:01] passed. And um I would say the
[19:03] legislation has legs. It has the
[19:06] potential u to go through. So the first
[19:09] one is that it provides that a
[19:12] municipality shall um and by the way
[19:15] when I say shall we're home rule but
[19:17] this would uh overrule home rule
[19:19] provisions on any lot located in the
[19:22] zoning districts that has single family
[19:25] dwellings if and it has you know there's
[19:28] four different sizes but I'm just going
[19:30] to pick the one that is um 7500 square
[19:34] ft. So, if a lot is 7,500 square ft,
[19:37] which is 50 by 150, not particularly out
[19:40] of line with what there is in Elmherst,
[19:43] it would permit uh someone to build an 8
[19:47] unit
[19:49] development
[19:51] uh on the property. Um, so if you think
[19:54] about that, if my lot uh is 50x 150 and
[19:57] I sell it, it's right in the middle of a
[19:59] residential block, it would allow the
[20:01] purchaser to then put up an 8-unit
[20:06] apartment building right in the middle
[20:07] of the block. Um, and as you'll see,
[20:10] part of the theme I'm developing here is
[20:12] part of the essence of local government,
[20:14] local control is controlling the
[20:15] development of your municipality and how
[20:19] things are laid out and what your
[20:20] municipality design is. Um,
[20:25] so um
[20:27] you can't impose additional uh
[20:30] requirements for lot sizes, setbacks or
[20:32] aesthetic requirements on this. Um so
[20:36] it's a it's a big change. So if you
[20:38] think about this on your own block, it
[20:41] would be kind of a interesting
[20:42] development. Um it further provides that
[20:45] if we fail or any municipality fails to
[20:48] complete our plan review within a
[20:50] deadline established by this act that
[20:54] the um applicant can retain a qualified
[20:58] third-party appraise uh um um plan
[21:01] reviewer to go out and do it. uh and
[21:04] that it would be at our cost I believe
[21:06] but so we kind of lose the control which
[21:09] is so important to us to know that when
[21:12] development occurs in Elmer's that's
[21:14] done with the review of our building
[21:17] officials. Um same thing if we don't
[21:20] conduct a required inspection within uh
[21:23] two business days then the applicant can
[21:26] go out and hire their own qualified
[21:28] third party inspector. qualified meaning
[21:30] with credentials but it doesn't mean
[21:32] they understand what's happening in
[21:34] Elmharst. Um
[21:38] so any impact fees have to be calculated
[21:41] for any project using a formula that
[21:43] would be approved by the department of
[21:45] commerce and economic development. Uh so
[21:48] again taking away the local control. Um
[21:53] it also provides that uh municipality
[21:55] shall not establish minimum automobile
[21:57] parking requirements for and we have a
[22:00] number of these uh you know in our
[22:02] downtown developments um but for
[22:05] residential developments of less than
[22:07] 1500 square ft you know if you're
[22:08] talking about condos or apartments
[22:10] affordable housing projects um and a
[22:13] number of other areas
[22:15] um and I don't know if it's directly
[22:18] responsible but one of the key
[22:20] provisions is that uh no building code
[22:23] may prohibit a residential building from
[22:25] having a single stairway serving as an
[22:28] exit for all units in the bu in the
[22:30] building. Meaning like you could have a
[22:33] six-unit apartment and instead of having
[22:36] a main entrance in some required
[22:38] secondary exit, which seems important
[22:41] for safety purposes, you can no longer
[22:44] impose those requirements. Um, and I
[22:48] don't see it in here, but my
[22:49] recollection is the bill also says that
[22:51] instead of having your municipal
[22:54] building code that the state will
[22:55] provide a statewide building code and
[22:58] everyone will adhere to that building
[23:00] code. Um, we have very few structure
[23:02] fires in Elmherst. Um, we have very few
[23:06] problems with our buildings because we
[23:07] are stringent in making sure that our
[23:09] buildings are up to a code that requires
[23:12] a lot of the building to make sure it's
[23:15] safe both from the structure itself and
[23:17] from fire problems. So, this is a
[23:21] complete usurppation of local control.
[23:24] Um, something that's very important to
[23:26] us. Um, there are other factors which I
[23:28] don't know if they're if they're
[23:30] important, but they might be. So, um,
[23:31] and I should say, by the way, one of the
[23:33] things that's a topic of our, uh, new
[23:37] zoning code is whether we're going to
[23:38] allow accessory dwelling units or ADUs.
[23:42] Um, and it was specifically left out of
[23:45] this current version because people on
[23:47] the our committee felt that it needs
[23:49] more time to talk about that specific
[23:52] topic. under this state law, the Build
[23:54] Act, um you're required to have AD use
[23:57] with granny flats units behind the main
[24:00] structure. Um which may be a good idea,
[24:04] it may not be, but my my issue is it's
[24:06] not us deciding what we want in
[24:08] Elmharst, it's the state telling you you
[24:11] have to allow them. Um it doesn't this
[24:15] act doesn't address things such as um
[24:18] what if and maybe it's not a problem for
[24:20] Elmer, maybe it is. if you start putting
[24:21] up these additional units, do we have
[24:23] the water and sewer service to uh
[24:27] provide what these buildings need? And
[24:30] if it's not there, are we paying for it?
[24:33] Uh or the state's not paying for it. I
[24:35] can pretty much assure you that. So,
[24:38] there's a lot here. Um and um I think
[24:41] it's very dangerous. And the reason I'm
[24:43] talking about this publicly is um I
[24:46] don't think in my time as mayor I've
[24:49] ever said, you know, here's something
[24:50] happening on the state level that's so
[24:53] drastic, so radical that we need to let
[24:56] you know, for those of you who are
[24:58] social media hounds, unlike me, but this
[25:00] might be one where I'll actually post
[25:02] now to let people in Elmer's know what's
[25:04] being proposed because, and I say this
[25:08] with a little caution because I don't
[25:09] know this to be true, but I don't want
[25:12] our elected representatives who may feel
[25:15] entirely as I have just spoken but feel
[25:19] that they're under some political
[25:20] pressure to do otherwise and they need
[25:22] to know that this is not what we want in
[25:25] Elmer's and we're not the only
[25:27] municipality who's ringing this alarm
[25:30] from my role in on DMMC the DUP page
[25:33] mayors and managers a lot of other
[25:35] mayors are ringing the same alarm but
[25:37] our state elected officials reps and
[25:41] senators must know that and hear from
[25:44] our residents that this is not what they
[25:46] want so that they can respond to any
[25:48] pressure from the governor's office
[25:50] saying I'm sorry I just can't back this.
[25:53] There are other ways to
[25:56] uh you address affordability. If you
[25:58] want to provide incentives, if the state
[26:00] wants to give us money and say we will
[26:03] as and do page county has offered some
[26:05] incentives, financial incentives if you
[26:07] build some affordable housing. Um maybe
[26:10] that's a good way to do it. Um the
[26:12] problem with these proposals, it's to me
[26:15] I liken it to the grocery tax. Um the
[26:18] governor said a year ago uh in 25 we're
[26:22] eliminating the grocery tax. Um no one
[26:25] heard about it. It came on fast and it
[26:27] went through fast and I think because it
[26:29] was his signature bill and uh it looked
[26:34] great. I'd say 90% of the municipalities
[26:37] who uh well was eliminated for everyone
[26:40] but uh the option was there to impose a
[26:45] local grocery tax which we did as 90% of
[26:48] the municipalities did because it would
[26:50] have been a a shortfall for our uh
[26:53] municipal revenues of a million and a
[26:55] half or $2 million. So, it sounds great,
[26:58] eliminate the statewide grocery tax
[27:00] statewide, but then we had to just plug
[27:02] the hole anyway. Uh, this is another
[27:05] kind of kind of radical present uh
[27:09] proposal that came out of nowhere and
[27:11] you know, things go fast in the general
[27:13] assembly and here we are April 20th. Uh,
[27:17] they will adjourn in about
[27:20] five weeks and so it's going to happen
[27:22] or not going to happen. And so, this is
[27:24] our call to action.
[27:26] Um,
[27:28] now I've also up import um I don't think
[27:33] the the public's going to understand it
[27:35] as well, but I think people on the
[27:36] council and I think most of you have
[27:38] gone down to Springfield with um DMMC at
[27:41] one point or another is the LGDF, the
[27:44] local government distributive fund. Um
[27:47] we've been fighting to get back up to
[27:50] the 10% it used to be. We had a
[27:52] commitment maybe we'll get up to eight.
[27:54] And this year for the first time I was
[27:57] really kind of surprised to see that the
[27:59] governor's budget proposes
[28:01] um knocking it down just a little bit.
[28:04] Um so there should be no negative
[28:06] momentum. This is a sharing of the uh
[28:10] income tax which is collected by the
[28:13] state that's then delivered to the local
[28:15] government. um the constitution when it
[28:18] was passed in 1970
[28:20] uh sort of a I'm sorry it wasn't put in
[28:22] the constitution but the idea was that
[28:25] we would share the the constitution does
[28:28] not allow a municipality to impose an
[28:30] income tax. So the idea was the state
[28:33] would share what it collects and um the
[28:37] fact that it would be knocked down even
[28:38] a fraction of a percent where it's only
[28:40] gone up a fraction of of a percent over
[28:43] the past few years is kind of a slap in
[28:45] the p face face for local government. It
[28:48] would cost us I would estimate $250,000
[28:51] if this goes through. Not a fortune, but
[28:53] I say to you and those of you who are
[28:55] students of politics, if you start
[28:57] taking it back again, I don't know which
[28:58] direction we're going. Um, but I will be
[29:01] talking to our state elected officials
[29:03] and tell them that it's unacceptable. We
[29:05] understand how dire things are for the
[29:08] state and its budget. We have our own
[29:10] budget problems as we've talked about,
[29:12] but the idea of starting to take money
[29:14] back is completely unacceptable. So, I
[29:17] want to make the council aware of those
[29:19] two legislative initiatives which affect
[29:22] us directly. There are other ones which
[29:25] may be important but um they they go
[29:28] through in the usual course and they
[29:29] seem to be getting worked out but these
[29:32] are ones particularly the build act or
[29:34] the build legislation needs to be out
[29:36] there for all of our residents to be
[29:39] aware of. It's a call to action.
[29:42] Every one of you I hope will contact our
[29:45] elected reps. encourage all of your
[29:48] neighbors to also get out there contact
[29:51] so that there is a ground swell of
[29:53] people saying this is not what the
[29:55] municipalities want. Uh any questions?
[30:00] Alderman Irby.
[30:01] >> Thank you, mayor. Do you have a house
[30:02] bill or Senate bill number on on the
[30:04] build act as you quoted it here?
[30:07] >> I I don't have it in front of me. I will
[30:09] send it out. I think it's 516. I'm not
[30:11] going to guess.
[30:12] >> Yeah, we'll send it out to council um
[30:14] along with mayor's comments. And I'll
[30:16] send the Senate bills out, too. But it's
[30:18] really the House bill that seems to be
[30:20] the one that's moving forward.
[30:22] Um, and if you don't know who your our
[30:24] elected reps are, we can provide that
[30:26] information as well. I plan on putting
[30:28] that in our newsletter, the bill number,
[30:31] contact information for our um state
[30:34] elected officials. Okay. So, with that,
[30:38] um, Mayor
[30:40] Alderman Nardini,
[30:42] >> thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um, I appreciate
[30:44] you bringing that up and I think for uh
[30:47] not for council but for the public
[30:49] listening, um, Chair Jensen's uh,
[30:52] committee, DPNZ, the committee that the
[30:54] three of us are on right now are in the
[30:56] process of doing a zoning rewrite that
[31:00] started before COVID and has been
[31:01] delayed. And now I think it's worth
[31:04] saying that irrespective of what we are
[31:07] going to face from the state, we're
[31:08] obliged to be rewriting a zoning code
[31:11] based on our uh zoning and whatever the
[31:15] state imposes upon us, we should not be
[31:18] changing what we are trying to do
[31:21] because what what is imposed upon us by
[31:25] the state may or may not occur. We
[31:27] started a process some years ago and I
[31:30] think we're obliged to finish it. um
[31:32] with the assumption that home rule
[31:34] zoning stays home rule zoning. What
[31:36] affects us afterwards is uh in the lap
[31:40] of the gods. Well, for the timeline of
[31:43] your committee uh and the state's
[31:46] legislation, they're kind of running
[31:47] parallel. So, you may feel you're going
[31:49] to wrap up by the end of May, and I
[31:51] think the legislature adjourns May 31st.
[31:54] So we'll uh but I agree the committee's
[31:56] work must continue as if we are going to
[31:58] be successful in opposition of the
[32:00] bill's legislation. Alderman Ramos. No.
[32:04] All right.
[32:06] Alderman Brennan.
[32:07] >> So just a quick question about parking.
[32:10] Uh your your interpretation. I don't
[32:12] know if I totally followed it. Um what
[32:15] would I mean a a building of this nature
[32:20] in the middle of a residential area? I
[32:23] mean, uh, would would that force us to
[32:26] rethink our street parking ordinances?
[32:29] >> I think it could because, you know, and I I want Well, let me answer your
[32:33] question first. Yes. If there are eight
[32:35] units and you can't have a parking
[32:38] restriction. Um,
[32:41] uh, I don't know what the answer is
[32:42] because it seems like if we can't
[32:44] regulate it and we don't allow street
[32:46] parking, um, it doesn't solve a problem
[32:48] for people who have vehicles. And I also
[32:50] want to say that, and this is just my
[32:52] own personal opinion, the goal is
[32:53] affordability, but if I were to sell my
[32:56] lot and someone put up eight units, I
[32:59] don't think those units are going to
[33:00] necessarily be particularly affordable.
[33:03] Um, they might be, you know, it's I, you
[33:05] know, it's a great block and people
[33:07] would want to live there. And maybe
[33:08] those condos will be, you know,
[33:10] $800,000. That doesn't really achieve
[33:13] the goal of affordability because this
[33:15] is Elmherst and a pro. there' be a lot
[33:17] of people would say, "Yeah, I'd like to
[33:19] downsize. Every time we put up a condo,
[33:22] um, they sell for a less than affordable
[33:24] amount." So, um, there are a lot of
[33:28] aspects of this that like at the parking
[33:30] I hadn't thought of, but it's a good
[33:32] point. I don't know if it's well thought
[33:33] out, and the problem is it's rolling
[33:35] kind of quickly.
[33:37] >> Okay. Um, that's the end of my report,
[33:39] city manager.
[33:40] >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh, first, let me
[33:43] thank uh Dr. Jevitz for this. Uh it was
[33:46] completely unexpected and very humbling.
[33:48] So I appreciate it. I I'm I know he
[33:50] couldn't stay but on behalf uh let me
[33:52] say for
[33:53] >> behalf of yourself
[33:55] >> for what I meant to say was for
[33:58] character counts and the organization
[34:00] that he represents I sincerely
[34:02] appreciate uh the acknowledgement. Um,
[34:05] other things that I have, uh, the, um,
[34:08] spring cleanup continues. As Alderman
[34:10] Bram said, uh, this past weekend was the
[34:13] south end of town. Um, this Saturday
[34:16] will be residents with the Friday
[34:18] collection. So that's the north side of
[34:19] town. And then Saturday, May 2nd would
[34:21] be the final collection uh, for those
[34:23] with Wednesday uh, collections. And in
[34:27] addition to that, uh this weekend
[34:31] the uh public works uh facility will
[34:34] host an electronics and textile
[34:37] recycling
[34:38] uh collection. That's a quarterly event.
[34:41] and the uh police and uh our um our
[34:47] partners at the state's attorney's
[34:48] office will host a drug collection,
[34:51] prescription drug collection at the
[34:53] public at excuse me at uh the police
[34:56] facility from 8 to noon. Uh so you can
[34:59] uh drive up I'm sorry that's from 10 to
[35:01] 2. The electronics and textile recycling
[35:04] is 8 to noon. Drug takeback is 10 to 2.
[35:08] So you can stop at the public works
[35:09] facility first, then drive over to the
[35:11] police station and drop off everything
[35:13] that you need.
[35:14] >> Thank you.
[35:15] >> Management.
[35:16] >> All right. Um
[35:19] any other reports of elected officials?
[35:22] >> All right.
[35:23] >> I I have one.
[35:24] >> Yes.
[35:24] >> Um I just want to say that we had the
[35:26] youth commission youth advisory
[35:28] committee hosted their very first bunny
[35:29] hop run this past Sunday and Chief Man
[35:33] uh ran in the run. Thank you for being
[35:35] there and attending and running with the
[35:37] kids. It was great having you. And um a
[35:40] battalion chief Lazowski and a couple
[35:42] firemen showed up and it was really
[35:44] great. Uh the kids had bunny ears. Some
[35:46] of the adults had bunny ears. The youth
[35:48] advisory committee really got into it.
[35:49] Um and it was a really great first time
[35:51] event for these kids. Did they literally
[35:53] planned this all by themselves, you
[35:55] know, um and we were proud of them. They
[35:56] came up with the idea. They came up with
[35:59] the um uh the posters and the uh the
[36:02] design of it and everything. And we had
[36:04] a few sponsors that they went out and
[36:06] got. So, just really commend the kids.
[36:08] So, thank you.
[36:09] >> Ronald McDonald House.
[36:10] >> That's right. Thank you. It benefited
[36:11] Ronald McDonald House. Thank you very
[36:13] much.
[36:13] >> Did the Oh, and uh donations are open
[36:16] till May 1st for Ronald McDonald House.
[36:17] You can find it online.
[36:19] >> Did the chief let the kids win?
[36:21] >> I don't know.
[36:22] >> He did. All right.
[36:25] >> That's character counts already.
[36:26] >> Thank you again.
[36:27] >> All right. Um any other business to be
[36:30] brought before the council? Seeing none,
[36:32] I'd ask for a motion to adjurnn. Motion
[36:35] by Alderman Bastto, second by alderman
[36:37] Bellinger. All in favor say I.
[36:39] >> I. Any oppose say nay. We are adjourned.
[36:41] Thank you all.