[6:40] Good evening everyone. At this time, I'll call to order the regularly

[6:43] scheduled board meeting for the village of Lotheian, Wednesday, December 10th,

[6:47] 2025 at 7 p.m. Roll call, please. Clerk must

[6:50] » Trusty Brevette >> here.

[6:52] » Trusty Cwley >> here.

[6:54] » Trusty Hilly. >> Trusty Jed

[6:57] » here. >> Trusty Johnson

[6:58] » here. Trusty Killer Lee. Mayor Luru >> here.

[7:02] » You have a question, sir. >> Thank you, sir. Please stand for the

[7:04] pledge of allegiance. Remain stand for a moment of silence for our fall.

[7:13] » I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the

[7:17] republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and

[7:23] justice for all.

[7:31] Thank you.

[7:37] » Before we move on to tonight's meeting, uh we have the pleasure of swearing in

[7:42] Michael Golden as a Mealthian Fire Department engineer. Michael, you hope

[7:46] you're here. Oh,

[8:06] » raise your right hand and repeat after me. I

[8:08] » I >> state your name.

[8:09] » Michael Golden. Having been appointed >> Having been appointed

[8:12] » to the position of engineer >> to the position of engineer

[8:14] » of the fire department >> of the fire department

[8:16] » in the village of Mloian >> in the village of Mloian

[8:19] » in the county of Cook >> in the county of Cook

[8:20] » a foresight do solemnly swear >> I foreset do solemnly swear

[8:23] » that I will support the constitution of the United States

[8:26] » that I will support the constitution of the United States

[8:28] » the constitution of the state of Illinois

[8:30] » the constitution of the state of Illinois

[8:31] » and the ordinances of the village of Mlotheian

[8:34] » and the ordinances of the village of >> and that I will faithfully discharge the

[8:37] duties >> and I will faithfully discharge the

[8:39] duties of the position of engineer. >> of the position of engineer

[8:42] » according to the best of my ability. >> according to the best of my abilities.

[8:45] » CONGRATULATIONS.

[8:59] » Before you leave, I believe uh >> when you're finished with my wife.

[9:05] » Oh, my daughter. My daughter and my my son.

[9:09] Do you have the bed? >> No.

[9:26] » Stand.

[9:35] Good job.

[9:51] I believe Chief Reed has something to read.

[9:54] » Just a real quick good evening everyone. Today we gather to recognize and

[9:58] celebrate one of our own as he takes a well-earned step forward. Michael

[10:03] Golden, you were pinned with a badge of

[10:07] engineer, a rank that carries new responsibility,

[10:10] new authority, and the trust of every person who rides behind you on that

[10:14] apparatus. For more than 5 years, Mike has shown up

[10:18] every shift with the same quiet professionalism he learned in the

[10:22] military. Respectful, honest, and steady under

[10:27] pressure. He's the guy who always is in a good mood, even at 3:00 a.m. on the

[10:32] third call of the night. Truth be told, he makes me feel like a comedian because

[10:36] it doesn't take much to get him to laugh.

[10:39] » But what truly sets Mike apart is deeper than that ready smile. It's his work

[10:43] ethic, his kindness, and the rare common sense approach that cuts through the

[10:48] noise and gets the job done. He leads by doing. He teaches without preaching. and

[10:53] he treats every patient, every proby, and every officer with the same level of

[10:57] respect. Mike, we're proud of you. We're grateful for you. And today, we're

[11:02] excited for you. This promotion engineer is in the finish line. It's the first

[11:06] rung on a ladder we all know you're built to climb.

[11:25] Got it.

[11:29] » Okay.

[11:36] » Congratulations, Engineer Gordon.

[11:56] So, as I always say, after one of these swearing in, you're not obligated to

[11:59] stay. You're welcome to stay, but uh you'd like to leave.

[12:15] to trust me.

[12:29] » All right, at this time we will move on to public comment. I will open the floor

[12:32] to public comment. Is there any public comments?

[12:39] » Hello. >> Uh I'm going to try to take this out.

[12:43] I'm going to try to say what I need to say uh in as few words as possible. Uh I

[12:48] live here in Mlotheian and I take the metro every single day uh up to the city

[12:52] for school. And uh right now I do not own a car and it is not possible for me

[12:57] to own a car right now. So I've typically relied on riding my bike uh

[13:01] down 147th Street to the metro station every single day. Um, now with the

[13:07] recent snow, it has been impossible to try to bike. Uh, especially

[13:12] on the portions near like Kenton, uh, where the sidewalk is directly up to the

[13:16] road. Uh, the snow and ice just packs up and is so rough, it it's hard to even

[13:22] walk on, let alone ride a bike. Um, and then even past that, uh, when the

[13:28] sidewalk is off from the easement, it's just a sheet of ice on on those

[13:33] sidewalks. And um I've slid a few times. I've haven't fallen yet, thank God. But

[13:39] uh I've slid a few times and um so what I think about with the snow just not it

[13:46] it just sits there. The library, they always clear their sidewalk, but

[13:49] everything else just sits there. Uh what I think about is if I can't ride a bike

[13:53] on the sidewalk, how is someone going to ride a wheelchair on the sidewalk? How

[13:57] is someone going to use a a a walking stick, a cane, a walker? Um, and then

[14:03] where there is ice, uh, you know, like I said, I haven't fallen yet, but if I

[14:08] fell, I mean, I my body is young. My body can take a fall. There are people

[14:12] whose body cannot take falls. Uh, I knew someone personally who fell on ice and

[14:17] for the last four years of her life never walked again without a walker or a

[14:21] cane. Um, and so I I printed out the ordinance here under title nine of the

[14:27] village code regarding snow removal on sidewalks. And uh it it reads that the

[14:33] the property owner or the tenant of the property is legally obligated to clear

[14:38] the sidewalks within what is it 3 hours since the snow has fallen or accumulated

[14:44] if it's in the day. And on a Sunday or at night the following morning. Uh and

[14:50] today the the snow and ice is gone because it was warmer out. But for a

[14:55] week and a half the snow never moved. And uh even worse, the plows seem to

[15:01] love pushing all the snow into big mounds at the end of every sidewalk on

[15:05] driveways. So, I'd have to go in the street and walk around those. Basically,

[15:09] what I'm asking uh to sum this all up is a, what are the penalties for a property

[15:15] owner or tenant who does not clear their sidewalk? And b, how can the village

[15:19] make sure that this ordinance is enforced because they have not been?

[15:24] Uh, we have to look into the act exact orders and what the penalties are, but I

[15:28] I know for a fact that our public works department does get out there as soon as

[15:32] they're humanly possible with the Bobcat to clear the sidewalks on 147. We hear

[15:38] you. We understand you. Uh, our goal is to make a better place to bike and walk

[15:43] safer. Um, so we'll have to keep an eye on that. our our other uh issue that we

[15:50] have in Bloian and I think you probably know and you probably know that 147 is a

[15:54] state road we have no control over how they they plow or don't plow same with a

[16:00] county road same with the county county so um I I don't we'll have to look

[16:05] through the ordinance and superintendent Swanson I I've seen you guys out there

[16:09] clearing I know it took a little bit but you were guys were trying to get the

[16:12] streets cleared first so any input to sidewalks on 47

[16:17] Yeah, we're we're slowly clearing them all away. Uh we try to do the heavily

[16:21] traffked areas first and then work out from there.

[16:24] » But uh we did clear by cutting everything.

[16:29] » And then uh is there anything extra that can be done to ensure that property

[16:33] owners are clearing their sidewalk or is that again something you have to just

[16:35] look into to see what exactly says? >> Well, from the building department

[16:39] standpoint of our code enforcement property maintenance officer get

[16:45] subsidy. Okay. >> Bring them up to date on our work and

[16:51] see that they can take care of that in the future.

[16:53] » All right. All right. Thank you. >> Appreciate you coming up and talk to us.

[16:56] Uh I today's day world, but today's world I would actually like to have our

[17:02] legal team look into the uh legalities of forcing people to I know there's been

[17:08] lawsuits of slip and falls after they've been cleared. Um, so you know, it's good

[17:14] good point you brought up that we can hopefully do something all together to

[17:18] make this better for for everyone. So, thank you.

[17:21] » Thank you. >> Any

[17:27] Okay. All right. Then I'll close the floor with public comment and move on to

[17:30] tonight's consent agenda. Number one, approval of the ordinance number 2180,

[17:36] an ordinance providing for the levying and assessment of the taxes for fiscal

[17:39] year beginning May 1st, 2025 and ending April 30th, 2026. Number two, approval

[17:45] of Ordinance 2181, an ordinance amending title 4, chapters 3, 23, and 24,

[17:50] Municipal Code of Village in Cook County, Illinois. Number three,

[17:55] approval to enter a professional service agreement with Hera Property Registry

[17:59] LLC for the property registry registration services for the villages

[18:03] foreclosure and vacant property registration.

[18:06] Number four, approval of the resolution 251210A,

[18:11] a resolution of the village in Cook County, Illinois, authorizing

[18:14] reimbursement of redevelopment project costs for 14440 Pilaski, otherwise known

[18:20] as Mealthian Plaza. Number five, approval of resolution number 251210B,

[18:28] a resolution of the village of Mealthy and Cook County, Illinois, authorizing

[18:31] reimbursement of redevelopment project cost for 4042

[18:36] 147th Street with for mixed use. Number six, approve of the wave the property

[18:41] lean in the amount of $1,387.89 for the 14730 Costner Avenue. Number

[18:49] seven, approval of Chief Rita to roll over one week of vacation by his

[18:53] anniversary date. Number eight, approval of the building department monthly

[18:57] report, October 2025 monthly report. Number nine, approval of the November

[19:02] 12th, 2025 board meeting minutes. Number 10, approval of the November 19th, 2025

[19:08] committee meeting minutes. Number 11, approval of the November 19th, 2025

[19:13] close session meeting minutes. Number 12, approval of the November 26th, 2025

[19:19] board meeting minutes. And number 13, approval of the list of bills. Is there

[19:23] any item any trustee would like offer tonight's consent agenda?

[19:27] Hearing no dension. I'm looking for a motion to approve tonight's consent

[19:30] consent agenda as read. >> I'll make the motion.

[19:33] » I'll second. >> Any discussion?

[19:35] » Roll call, please. Gordon Mos. >> Trusty Cwley.

[19:38] » I. >> Trustee Johnson.

[19:40] » I. >> Trusty Burbette.

[19:41] » I. >> Trusty Jed.

[19:43] » I. Motion carries. >> Thank you, sir. Moving on to trusty

[19:46] business. Trusty Johnson. >> Uh, thank you, mayor. Um, tonight I just

[19:50] wanted to remind the board that we do have five Wednesdays this month. So,

[19:54] please be aware that, um, invoices received after today will not be paid

[19:59] until January. Um, Ivonne sent all the department heads an email on December

[20:03] 2nd outlining the dates of when invoices are due, when they'll be approved, when

[20:08] they'll be processed. So, just wanted to make everybody aware with the holidays

[20:12] and the fifth Wednesday things needed to be in by today if you're looking for

[20:16] payment before the first of the year. And that's all I have tonight. Thank

[20:19] you. >> Thank you, ma'am. Trusty Bourbon.

[20:22] » Thank you, sir. Trusty J. >> I have nothing tonight, sir.

[20:25] » Thank you, ma'am. Trusty Corral. >> Uh, just a couple things tonight. First,

[20:28] I put on the agenda um I gave everybody the information regarding um the new the

[20:33] position that will be available for the police department. Um, I wanted to make

[20:38] sure everybody uh saw the need for job descriptions and the salary. There is no

[20:43] additional impact to the budget, but I just wanted to make everybody aware of

[20:47] that. Um, next on my agenda, um, I have the discussion regarding uh the new

[20:53] camera in the police department that we need to add. The total cost is not to

[20:58] exceed 1,00 I'm sorry, $3,190. Um, and that's for the software the

[21:06] licensing and the equipment. Just wondering if anybody had any questions.

[21:12] » Okay. If not, um I will put that on my agenda for approval for next week.

[21:18] » That's all I have to say. >> Thank you, ma'am. Moving on to

[21:22] department head chief. >> Uh I just add one thing, mayor. U

[21:28] extension of what we had talked about a couple weeks ago with the ZO leasing

[21:33] program. Um, I I did want to let the board know that the prices do go up

[21:39] starting January 2026. Um, if it's something that you would like for me to

[21:44] work on with Trustee Ellie um for the 17th meeting approval, I can do that.

[21:49] Um, I also have a a small presentation if you guys were willing to hear it um

[21:54] on that date as well. Um, and also the the ZO representative could

[22:00] be available if for any questions too. Um I we went over this plan. A lot of um

[22:06] departments around us are using this leasing program because of the price of

[22:11] the cardiac EKGs are going through the roof.

[22:15] » I guess the main questions are are are these do we need this do we need this

[22:19] equipment? >> Yeah, we have aging EKG equipment at you

[22:23] know 13 years old. Um so we would probably need to replace three of them

[22:28] in the next two years. uh being a total of if we were just buy them outright

[22:32] 200,000. >> Um

[22:36] this leasing program allows you to pay um $40,000 annually for 10 years. Uh it

[22:42] also comes with a maintenance program. Um so I think it's a really good deal

[22:46] that also other suburban fire departments have taken advantage of and

[22:50] it's easier to kind of budget for these. um if something does happen, you don't

[22:55] have to replace a 607 $70,000 unit all at once.

[22:59] » So, you believe this is the way to go? >> I think this is the way to go based on

[23:02] your research and >> talking to other fire chiefs in the

[23:05] area. Yeah. >> And since you'll be doing the budgets

[23:07] for the fire department, I think

[23:12] » you're staring at me like I'm lying.

[23:16] Uh I I would think if if you could just send the packet to each board email and

[23:22] then we'll be ready to to vote next week.

[23:24] » Okay. >> Does anyone have any questions?

[23:26] » I just have a question. So for the 10-year lease, what's the percentage the

[23:30] interest rate? >> 10-year lease. There's there's no

[23:34] percentage of interest. It's just 40,535 annually

[23:39] » and then broken down in 12 months. >> Okay. And chief, is that already

[23:44] currently budgeted for or would you be starting this in the next fiscal year?

[23:48] » It would have to Yeah, it's not currently budgeted.

[23:54] » Okay, you sir.

[23:56] » Thank you, Chief Delaney. >> Okay.

[23:57] » Yes, sir. Uh, just one thing. Um, like to recognize the owner of RB's Towing,

[24:01] Rob Lions, for his act of kindness. Earlier this week, um, the officers were

[24:06] out with a mom and her three children um, in the inclement weather. The kids

[24:11] were definitely underdressed for um the weather at the time. She was trying to

[24:16] make it home to some family in Chicago. Um we gave her a ride to the metro

[24:21] station and the owner RBs was kind enough uh to give her enough cash to not

[24:26] only get herself and the children down there but then some. So I'd like to

[24:30] thank him for his act of kindness and uh the woman certainly appreciate it.

[24:34] » That's all I have sir. >> Thank you.

[24:36] » Uh Superintendent Surf. Uh, nothing this evening, sir.

[24:40] » Sir, superintendent Swanson. >> Uh, nothing this evening, sir.

[24:43] » Thank you, sir. >> Uh, thank you, Mayor. I just want to

[24:46] give the board an update. Um, the contractor who's doing the demolition at

[24:50] 3831 147th Street, um, we were on a schedule for him to be out the week of

[24:58] December 22nd to start work. And that project should only be four or five

[25:03] working days. Hopefully within those next two weeks

[25:07] before and after Christmas. That's all I have.

[25:10] » Thank you, sir. What' you say, Trusty Crowley? Christmas miracle.

[25:13] » Christmas miracle. >> Thank you, sir. Director Redmond.

[25:17] » Nothing tonight, sir. >> Thank you, ma'am. Attorney Castau,

[25:21] » no report. >> Thank you, sir. Uh, following up with

[25:24] what uh Trustee Johnson said, there will be no board meeting in two weeks on

[25:29] December 24th. So any trustee have anything pertinent for December, please

[25:35] try to get it on the agenda for next week's committee meeting. Uh we do have

[25:40] the option uh if something comes up in emergency,

[25:43] we could do a special meeting. Um but we need to make sure that uh court Moscow

[25:50] is made aware of that in a timely fashion so they can be posted in agenda.

[25:55] So there's no that's all I have clerk. I

[26:00] have nothing tonight, sir. >> Thank you, sir. Then, seeing as no

[26:02] further business come for the board, I'm looking for a motion to adjurnn.

[26:05] » I'll make the motion. I'll second. >> All in favor?

[26:07] » I opposed.

Village of Midlothian Board Meeting 2025 12 10

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