[8:48] One more minute and we'll call the

[8:50] meeting to order.

[9:21] Okay.

[9:23] Good evening. Welcome to the village

[9:25] board meeting of August 17, 2026.

[9:30] We will be led in the pledge of

[9:31] allegiance by our village clerk, Manald

[9:33] Desai. Please rise for the pledge if you

[9:36] are able.

[9:42] » I pledge allegiance to the flag of the

[9:45] United States of America and to the

[9:47] republic for which it stands, one nation

[9:51] under God, indivisible, with liberty and

[9:54] justice for all.

[9:59] » I call this meeting to order and I ask

[10:02] that village clerk decide. Please call

[10:04] the role. Trustee Pier Sloven is absent.

[10:08] Trustee Shakar

[10:10] >> here. Trustee Kimmani Levy

[10:12] >> here. Trustee Robinson

[10:14] >> here.

[10:14] >> Trustee Iverson

[10:16] >> here.

[10:16] >> Trustee Lissa Levy

[10:17] >> here. Mayor Tennis

[10:19] >> here. And we have a quorum. I'd like to

[10:21] mention that our colleague Trusty Pier

[10:23] Sloven is indeed absent tonight. She is

[10:25] absent due to some unexpected and

[10:27] unavoidable travel delays and we wish

[10:30] her a safe journey home. The next item

[10:32] on the agenda is our consent agenda. Is

[10:35] there anything anyone would like to have

[10:36] removed from the consent agenda? Trusty

[10:38] Shakar.

[10:39] >> Yes, thank you. I'd like um under report

[10:43] of the village manager a updated uh

[10:47] district 219 school resource officer

[10:50] intergovernmental agreement.

[10:51] >> Great. So with that removed, is there uh

[10:54] a motion to approve? Trustee Lisa Levy.

[10:58] Is there a second? Trustee Kamani Levy.

[11:01] Will the clerk please call the role?

[11:03] >> Trustee Iverson.

[11:05] >> I.

[11:06] >> Trustee Lissa Levy.

[11:07] >> I.

[11:08] >> Trusty Shakar.

[11:09] >> I.

[11:09] >> Trustee Kimani Levy.

[11:11] >> I.

[11:11] >> Trustee Robinson.

[11:12] >> Hi.

[11:13] >> Thank you. And the uh the um consent

[11:17] agenda is approved. I'd like to pause

[11:20] for a minute and offer some

[11:23] congratulations.

[11:24] I'll start with some reappoints.

[11:27] The Fine Arts Commission, Mr. Jeff

[11:29] Rhodess was reappointed as vice chair

[11:32] and Ellen Blum Barerish reappointed as

[11:35] chair on the Skoi police use of force

[11:38] board. Dennis Rizzo was reappointed as

[11:40] chair for the performing arts center

[11:42] board. We have a new chair Janice Fine

[11:46] who is a longtime uh member of the

[11:48] performing arts center board and Renee

[11:51] Roy is appointed as vice chair. He also

[11:54] has been a longtime member of the

[11:56] performing arts center board. I'd like

[11:58] to offer sincere thanks on behalf of the

[12:02] village board to outgoing performing

[12:04] arts center chair Terry Goule. Terry has

[12:06] served with excellence uh uh as chair of

[12:09] the commission for many years. He we're

[12:11] delighted um Mr. Goule is going to be

[12:14] staying on the performing arts center

[12:16] board. So, I also want to congratulate

[12:21] our new youth commissioners, many of

[12:24] whom are here this evening with their

[12:27] families. I will read the names, doing

[12:30] my very best at pronunciation. Forgive

[12:33] me if I'm not right spot on. And when

[12:36] your name is called, if you will be kind

[12:38] enough to stand, remain standing so that

[12:41] we can give you all a nice round of

[12:44] applause.

[12:46] uh Akila Arjula,

[12:49] Kintara Arshad,

[12:52] Adam Circ,

[12:55] Henry Sager,

[12:57] Sophia Chavez,

[13:00] Vivian Howard Czech,

[13:03] Ian Forte,

[13:06] Valon Franks,

[13:09] Aean Caramali,

[13:12] Eliza Khan,

[13:14] Joel Kim,

[13:16] Zachary Kupiatski,

[13:19] Sophia Levvin,

[13:21] Muhammad Dumar Munchi,

[13:24] Amelia Namichi,

[13:26] Nathan Oler,

[13:28] Ava Parker, Nathan Pon, Aluga, Matthew

[13:33] Poka,

[13:35] Elaine Pedrosa,

[13:38] Carson Pong,

[13:40] Isabella Perry, and Llaya Rootberg.

[13:44] Let's give these guys a [applause]

[13:46] round of applause.

[13:51] [applause]

[13:55] Please be seated for a moment.

[13:58] I'm so delighted with these

[14:01] appointments. This has been a goal of

[14:03] the board that came out of the

[14:06] discussions from our strategic plan a

[14:09] year ago that we as a as a community and

[14:12] as a board need to focus more on

[14:14] uplifting youth and what a privilege it

[14:17] is to be able to form this commission.

[14:19] I'd like to offer thanks in advance to

[14:22] the team from our social work staff who

[14:25] will be the staff liaison and Marie

[14:27] Bonuzi and Brian McHugh. I would also

[14:30] like to acknowledge that we have six

[14:36] high schools represented. We have Niles

[14:38] North and West. We have Loyola Academy,

[14:41] Rochellezel,

[14:43] Ida Crown Jewish Academy, and Evston

[14:46] Township High School. We hope to recruit

[14:49] uh a couple of more students from ETHS.

[14:51] Thanks to Trusty Robinson for his

[14:53] assistance with that. I'd also like to

[14:56] offer sincere gratitude to my colleagues

[15:00] on the board, trustee Jim Iverson and

[15:03] trustee Allison Pierce Loven for their

[15:06] significant investment of time in

[15:08] helping me with the interviews, the

[15:10] student interviews for this process. Our

[15:13] intern this summer, Eliza Lampert, who's

[15:17] gone back to college, she also helped

[15:19] with the effort. Finally, before we take

[15:22] a short recess to congratulate our new

[15:24] youth commissioners, I'd like to give

[15:27] extend gratitude to the families. Thank

[15:29] you for supporting their efforts to

[15:32] contribute to our community. We are

[15:34] grateful to you as well. It is 7:37. We

[15:38] will reconvene at 7:45.

[15:41] If you would like to go out and just

[15:43] mingle, there is a backdrop. We can take

[15:46] pictures. and we look forward to

[15:48] greeting all of you and your families

[15:50] during this recess. Thank you.

[24:17] We will be convened now. So the next

[24:19] item on the agenda is the first of our

[24:22] two public comment periods. The second

[24:25] one will occur at the end of the

[24:27] meeting. We will right now set aside up

[24:30] to 30 minutes. If you speak during the

[24:33] first public comment period, you may not

[24:35] speak again during the second public

[24:37] comment period. Please understand that

[24:39] the public comment period is an

[24:41] opportunity for members of the community

[24:43] to address the village board on a topic

[24:46] that is within the village's purview and

[24:48] jurisdiction, but is not listed in

[24:51] another location on the agenda. If you

[24:54] would like to speak about a matter that

[24:55] is listed on the agenda, we ask that you

[24:57] wait until that agenda item is called

[24:59] and we will give you an opportunity to

[25:01] speak then. Please be aware that the

[25:03] public comment period is intended to

[25:05] provide an opportunity for public input

[25:09] and it is not a forum for dialogue with

[25:11] members of the board. Rather, it is

[25:13] intended as an opportunity for us to

[25:15] hear from you. Please be sure to direct

[25:18] your comments only to the village board

[25:20] and do not expect a response from anyone

[25:22] tonight. We will from time to time ask

[25:25] our village manager to respond in the

[25:27] moment. All speakers will be limited to

[25:30] a precise three minutes. When you come

[25:32] to the podium, we ask that you please

[25:34] say your name clearly and let us know

[25:37] whether or not you are a resident of

[25:39] Skoi.

[25:41] You are not required to give your

[25:43] address. So with that said, who would

[25:46] like to address the village board during

[25:47] this public comment period? Mr.

[25:49] Roushwer.

[25:52] » Good evening, mayor. Trustees, at the

[25:55] last meeting that I attended, I I spoke

[25:58] about developing a public policy on

[26:01] plastic bags. Since then, we took a

[26:03] family vacation to Canada. Canada on a

[26:06] national basis has a a target for 2030

[26:10] of basically eliminating all plastic at

[26:12] the retail level. Um it works. I was at

[26:15] a Walmart. There were no plastic bags at

[26:18] you know all sorts of establishments. So

[26:19] on a national basis Canada has embraced

[26:21] it. Um

[26:24] we certainly recognize that plastics

[26:27] developing a policy for plastics and

[26:29] regulating it would be beneficial for

[26:31] FSKO in terms of the environment in

[26:33] terms of public health. Um, plastics are

[26:36] not biodegradable and they create all

[26:38] sorts of toxic plastic problems. But I I

[26:41] want to focus on the financial aspect.

[26:43] The lifeblood of every of every

[26:45] municipality in every private enterprise

[26:48] is revenue and cash flow. By embracing a

[26:52] program or public policy where we would

[26:54] charge uh the use of plastic bags, it

[26:57] would it would promote freedom of

[26:58] choice. That's a good thing. We're not

[27:00] forcing anyone to do anything. uh it

[27:03] would incentivize the use of reusable

[27:04] and recyclable containers. But to the

[27:07] extent we uh bags are charged a fee uh

[27:10] the city of Chicago as I spoke before

[27:12] since they enacted their program

[27:14] generated 122 million in 2026 they

[27:17] anticipate 38 million on a proportional

[27:20] basis. If Skoi simply did 3% of the city

[27:24] of Chicago, that would generate over

[27:26] $1.1 million.

[27:29] That's real dollars. Especially for a

[27:31] community that's has robust services,

[27:33] infrastructure, and staff. Absent

[27:37] downsizing, increasing taxes, borrowing

[27:40] the money, charging a fee is a is is a something to seriously consider.

[27:48] certainly better than in my personal

[27:49] view video gaming which is not good for

[27:52] the environment, not good for public

[27:54] health, you know, it just generates a

[27:56] fee. This would would cover many bases.

[27:58] Um,

[28:00] various cities around the country do

[28:02] this. Uh, Washington DC, Chicago,

[28:04] Boulder, Pittsburgh, Portland, and

[28:06] Minneapolis. Uh,

[28:10] I suggest that we look at developing a

[28:14] an ordinance that mirrors the city of

[28:16] Chicago, which is 15 cents a bag. um

[28:19] look at some of the other communities

[28:20] and take a hybrid approach, total

[28:23] outright ban on cutlery, plastic

[28:26] cutlery, spoons, forks, plastic

[28:28] containers, but then take an approach

[28:30] where we simply charge a fee uh for

[28:33] plastic bags at 15 cents, which is what

[28:35] the city of Chicago does right now.

[28:37] Pending before the state legislature is

[28:41] a bill called the carry out bag

[28:43] reduction act, and that's a kind of a

[28:45] phased approach. 10 cents, it's

[28:47] eventually going to go to 25 cents. So I

[28:49] think this would provide great revenue

[28:51] to Skoi, reduce the pressure on the Skoi

[28:53] treasury, reduce the burden on the tax

[28:55] base, and do good for the community.

[29:00] >> Thank you. Is there anyone else who

[29:02] would like to address? Sir,

[29:06] [clears throat]

[29:09] » your name please. And if you'd kindly

[29:11] let us know if you are a Skoi resident.

[29:14] uh Jim Gelderman and Manda Skooki

[29:16] resident. I am the Republican candidate

[29:18] for House District 17.

[29:20] We are entering another summer where

[29:23] once again we're faced with local

[29:25] governments not enforcing laws and being

[29:28] complicit in child trafficking and

[29:30] endangerment.

[29:31] I am speaking about pan handlers using

[29:33] children as props on the street corners

[29:35] in our communities. Between 2020 and

[29:38] 2024, the Department of Homeland

[29:41] Security misplaced 325,000

[29:44] unaccompanied ch children. Since Chicago

[29:46] is a known hub of human, sex, and child

[29:49] trafficking, it would be an egregious

[29:52] mistake to assume these children are

[29:53] sons or daughters of the panhandlers.

[29:56] These predators are invol violation of

[29:59] the following

[30:00] uh statutes. general state law under the

[30:04] wrong children act. It is unlawful for

[30:06] an adult 18 years of age or older to

[30:09] engage in panhandling with anyone under

[30:11] 18 years of age. Doing so is considered

[30:14] class B misdemeanor and will result in a

[30:16] police citation.

[30:18] Child endangerment and neglect under the

[30:21] Juvenile Court Act in Illinois child

[30:23] endangerment statutes. Allowing or

[30:26] requiring a child to participate in

[30:27] panhandling is legally recognized as a

[30:30] form of child abuse. When a child is

[30:32] found begging with an adult, law

[30:35] enforcement officers are required by law

[30:38] to issue a citation to the adult and

[30:41] immediately notify the Illinois

[30:43] Department of Children and Family

[30:44] Services.

[30:46] local municipality codes.

[30:49] Many cities, including Skoi,

[30:52] [clears throat] have codes that strictly

[30:53] prohibited adults from having children

[30:55] until while begging or soliciting.

[30:58] I would encourage the village to not

[31:00] only enforce these statutes, but to make

[31:02] sure that the children are not being

[31:03] held captive and should be referred to

[31:06] the Department of Children and Family

[31:07] Services and the Department of Homeland

[31:09] Security. Thank you for your time.

[31:11] >> Thank you, Mr. Caldererman. Is there

[31:13] anyone else who would like to address

[31:15] the village board?

[31:17] Sir,

[31:23] » good evening, mayor. Good evening,

[31:25] trustees. I'm here to ask the mayor to

[31:28] look into an an issue of security around

[31:32] the village hall and around the parking

[31:35] lots of the village hall and uh also the

[31:38] parking lots of the library.

[31:41] I feel that we have security,

[31:45] the best security we can get in our

[31:47] schools. We couldn't even get any better

[31:49] than what we have. And for all the years

[31:52] I lived here, I never really looked at

[31:54] the village hall as not having cameras.

[31:57] But as time goes on and people change, I

[32:00] feel that we need to change also with

[32:02] the times. And I'm asking the village to

[32:05] look into it, put it on the table, and

[32:07] maybe you look and see that there is a

[32:10] need for it or maybe there isn't a need

[32:12] for it. And if we can have it hooked up

[32:14] to the police department so they can

[32:15] monitor it. So there there's no need for

[32:19] another uh building to monitor. And

[32:22] that's my questions for tonight. Thank

[32:25] you very much,

[32:26] >> sir. Thank you, sir. We know you live in

[32:27] Skoi. Would you kindly remind us of your

[32:29] name?

[32:30] >> I I I can't hear you, mayor. Would you

[32:31] kindly remind us of your name? We know

[32:34] my name is Mike. I live in Skoi at

[32:36] Central Park.

[32:36] >> Thank you, Mr. Win.

[32:43] » Miss Gradniki.

[32:45] >> Hi. Yes, I am also a Skoi resident. I

[32:48] too would like to talk to you tonight

[32:49] about plastic bags. Um, on our trip to

[32:52] New Jersey back in July, we were shocked

[32:54] to find that East Windsor Township of

[32:57] all places was not giving out plastic

[32:58] bags in the supermarket. And I thought,

[33:00] "Wow, how surprisingly progressive of

[33:02] them." And then we went to one of the

[33:05] shore points and the same thing

[33:07] happened. And we said to the um cashier,

[33:10] you know, is this just the county? Is

[33:13] what is this? And she said, "It's the

[33:14] whole state. They are banned in the

[33:16] whole state." So you can buy them. This

[33:19] one very lightweight. It's already

[33:20] coming apart, but uh we weren't

[33:22] following the directions that it has

[33:24] printed on it. Um this was 33 cents. You

[33:27] could buy a sturdier one for $1.25.

[33:30] And um

[33:33] both of them are plastic, right? So they

[33:34] do have some of the health problems that

[33:36] Mr. Rous was um was discussing.

[33:40] And also in New Jersey, their ban had

[33:43] certain unintended consequences. People

[33:45] just have these things accumulating

[33:47] whenever they get a delivery and the

[33:48] delivery now comes in one of these bags.

[33:52] So we could look at what New Jersey did,

[33:54] look at the things that went wrong with

[33:55] it and design an ordinance that would

[33:58] avoid those problems. But I really think

[33:59] that it's time that we had a ban on

[34:01] plastic bags. I find that they just blow

[34:03] all over the place. They blow into my

[34:05] yard. We don't get them from the store.

[34:08] Um, so I think it's, you know, and go

[34:10] green skooki has done a lot of the leg

[34:12] work for this. Uh, replace plastic has

[34:15] done even more of the leg work for this.

[34:17] And I think, you know, it's time to

[34:18] instruct the staff to look into it, but

[34:20] to also rely on some of the work we did

[34:22] so they don't have to replicate that

[34:24] work. Thank you.

[34:26] >> Thank you, Miss Grant Nikki.

[34:28] Who else would like to address the

[34:30] village board?

[34:33] If there's no one, we will close this

[34:35] public comment period.

[34:38] Next is the report of village manager

[34:40] John Lockerby.

[34:42] >> Thank you, Mayor Tennis and trustees.

[34:44] Good evening, everyone. Item A is

[34:46] regarding the updated district 219

[34:48] school resource officer

[34:50] intergovernmental agreement. The village

[34:53] of Skoi and the Niles Township High

[34:54] School District 219 have maintained a

[34:57] longstanding partnership regarding the

[35:00] assignment of school resource officers

[35:02] commonly referred to as SRO's.

[35:05] Reciprocal reporting and the

[35:07] coordination of student and staff

[35:09] safety. Recent amendments to the

[35:11] Illinois school code require school

[35:13] districts ili utilizing school resource

[35:15] officers to have an updated agreement

[35:18] inclusive of newly adopted requirements.

[35:22] The intergovernmental agreement includes

[35:24] the SRO's roles and responsibilities

[35:26] required training restrictions on

[35:29] school-based municipal citations in

[35:31] addition to law enforcement referral

[35:33] data and the regular review and

[35:36] evaluation of the program. The

[35:38] intergovernmental agreement recognizes

[35:40] the district's responsibility for

[35:42] managing the educational environmental

[35:45] while preserving the police department's

[35:47] lawful authority and discretion in

[35:49] matters involving criminal

[35:51] investigations and public safety.

[35:54] The school district has already approved

[35:56] this agreement. Uh board approval of the

[35:59] resolution authorizing the

[36:00] intergovernmental agreement between the

[36:02] village and school district 219

[36:04] regarding the school resource officer

[36:06] program is respectfully requested.

[36:09] >> Thank you. Are there any questions for

[36:12] the village manager? Trusty Shakar.

[36:15] >> Yeah, thank you. Thanks for the the

[36:17] report and thanks for the thorough

[36:20] insert in the in the board packet. I I

[36:23] felt that this needed to be removed from

[36:24] the can consent agenda because several

[36:28] years ago there was a lot of of um

[36:33] resident outcry against these officers

[36:35] and a concern of black and brown

[36:39] students in particular being cited more

[36:41] and that having an impact in their

[36:43] future. and just wanted to maybe have a

[36:47] presentation or or a a um an explanation

[36:52] about what the changes are. I I just

[36:55] wanted to say I did talk to Amber Wood,

[36:57] the president of D219, and she said that

[37:00] she had um that the district had really

[37:05] good discussions with Chief Barnes, and

[37:07] she considers him a great thought

[37:09] partner. But uh you know, so that's good

[37:12] to know. But I just wanted to hear more.

[37:14] I also thought perhaps Trustee Robinson

[37:17] could share your experience with the

[37:20] SRO's and and best practices which this

[37:23] appears to have.

[37:25] >> So I'm going to ask Deputy Chief Oakley

[37:27] if if he'll step to the podium and as

[37:29] he's doing that um let me add a little

[37:31] bit of of insight. Um 219 requests the

[37:35] SRO and so the village provides school

[37:37] resource officers for districts that

[37:39] make that request and so 219 has had

[37:42] that request for many years and uh this

[37:44] agreement um going through it and

[37:46] working through the state um law changes

[37:49] uh but also kind of enhancing our

[37:52] collaboration with the district and

[37:53] really identifying their roles with

[37:56] discipline, our role with public safety

[37:59] and being sure that they mesh and

[38:01] there's accountability. And so it really

[38:03] has been uh a very positive experience

[38:05] in revising the agreement. Um Chief

[38:08] Barnes has been um one of the lead um

[38:12] individuals for the village. Um and he

[38:14] had also discussed this with John

[38:16] Oakley, Deputy Chief Oakley who was here

[38:17] this evening. And so I'll I'll let you

[38:19] deput chief uh respond as well.

[38:21] >> Yeah, I would just uh echo those

[38:23] sentiments. Uh, Chief Barnes was in

[38:26] constant contact with District 219

[38:28] officials in crafting this uh, revised

[38:32] uh, document and we've always had a

[38:34] great partnership with District 219 and

[38:36] I imagine that that will continue good

[38:38] communication back and forth and so I

[38:42] think everything will be, you know, in

[38:44] order and good to go.

[38:47] >> Thank you.

[38:48] >> Could I just add Oh, I'm sorry,

[38:50] >> Trusty Robinson.

[38:53] Yeah, thanks. I was actually going to

[38:54] pull it off, too, because I had the

[38:56] question of, you know, we serve

[38:59] different municipalities as far as

[39:00] school districts. I didn't know if there

[39:02] was I've never heard of an

[39:05] intergovernment agreement with the other

[39:07] school to the east that supports Skoi

[39:11] residents of whom I have personally had

[39:15] to have multiple interactions with and

[39:19] was wondering has that ever been an

[39:21] exploration uh with the village. So

[39:24] these agreements, these

[39:26] intergovernmental agreements have always

[39:27] centered around school resource

[39:29] officers. And so currently only 219 has

[39:32] school resource officers that are Skoi

[39:34] police officers. But if there's um if I

[39:39] assume since HHS is within Evston, um

[39:43] there would not be a role for a Skoi

[39:45] police officer in that arena. But if

[39:47] there is another purpose that could be

[39:49] helpful, uh we definitely would like to

[39:51] explore that. was just, you know, the

[39:54] relationships with a lot of Skoi

[39:56] residents who even attend Evston

[40:00] Township.

[40:01] >> There's there's always been, you know,

[40:04] some some areas of uh where the

[40:06] communication could be better improved

[40:10] if there were such an agreement. I'm not

[40:13] saying that uh there hasn't been

[40:15] cooperation. There's been great

[40:17] cooperation and collaboration uh within

[40:20] the district and the uh than the

[40:23] village, but I didn't know if there was

[40:24] ever anything formally crafted for that.

[40:27] >> No, the the intergovernmental agreements

[40:30] have revolved around the school resource

[40:31] officers. But are you speaking of health

[40:34] department, other village services

[40:36] beyond police or you thinking primarily

[40:38] public safety?

[40:40] >> All areas. It seems like that that area

[40:43] of the village is always the

[40:45] stepchildren

[40:46] >> the of the village and the same through

[40:51] the lens of you know Evston school

[40:53] district you know that area is always

[40:56] seemed to be on the back burner. So I

[40:58] just want to elevate the impact you know

[41:01] of that community to the village uh and

[41:04] make sure that those services are

[41:06] extended.

[41:08] >> Thank you for surfacing surfacing it.

[41:10] We'll give it some additional thought.

[41:12] >> Thank you.

[41:12] >> Trusty Shakar, did you have another

[41:14] comment or question?

[41:15] >> Yeah. Yeah. I just wanted to make sure

[41:18] any parent who's listening knows that

[41:21] some of the details like for example, if

[41:24] a student is if something happens,

[41:28] students are not just whisked out of the

[41:31] school, right? I mean, I just reading

[41:32] some of this, it looks like there has to

[41:35] be parent parental notification or

[41:37] somebody from the school accompanies the

[41:40] child. Ju just some details that I I

[41:43] think might be helpful for for parents

[41:46] to know

[41:46] >> and it's all available on the website.

[41:48] So, you know, different parents are

[41:50] going to be interested in different

[41:51] details. So I would encourage any parent

[41:54] who is interested in this agreement to

[41:57] look at what's available on the website

[41:59] um to you know determine what their

[42:01] questions are and to reach out to either

[42:04] the village manager's office or to the

[42:07] police department to chief through the

[42:09] chief's office or to reach out to

[42:12] district 219 through superintendent Tom

[42:14] Moore's office

[42:17] trustee Kamani Levy

[42:19] >> I know Chief Barnes is strict with the

[42:22] training. So, I'm I'm I'm glad to see

[42:24] that there will be additional training

[42:25] for uh students with disabilities and

[42:28] cultural diversity. I'm curious about

[42:30] the evaluations. Will those go back to

[42:33] Chief Barnes strictly or will the board

[42:36] get an opportunity to review those

[42:38] evaluations as well?

[42:41] >> I'd have to discuss that with Chief

[42:42] Barnes to get the exact details on that

[42:44] and how that will work.

[42:48] >> Any other questions? Trusty Robinson.

[42:49] It's not really a question, but just

[42:51] kind of an overall tenant of kind of

[42:54] some of the things that you're right

[42:55] that some parents might be curious

[42:57] about. Uh this notion of policing in the

[43:00] school. Um in my experience, you know,

[43:04] it's really looking at um how do we

[43:06] support and provide intervention for

[43:08] student?

[43:09] >> Public safety of course is paramount. Uh

[43:12] but also what happens to my kid inside a

[43:14] district? you know, uh obviously I know

[43:18] that's a discussion that's probably more

[43:19] approximate to the school board. Uh but

[43:22] there are state laws that govern what

[43:26] the school resource officer can uh how

[43:29] the student resource officer can engage

[43:32] with the student inside the school

[43:34] district. Uh so you're right, that's

[43:37] something that uh if that's an area of

[43:38] interest, uh it's it's not difficult uh

[43:42] reading. Uh the expectations are pretty

[43:45] clear. Um and safety is again most

[43:50] paramount. Um I love having access uh

[43:54] personally uh in my experience to

[43:56] resource officers. I think it's critical

[43:59] in any situation or potential situation

[44:02] uh to have that access readily

[44:04] available. And you know it provides uh

[44:08] in my all my 20 years of it as an

[44:10] administrator a lot of u more comfort in

[44:14] knowing that the access is there if

[44:16] needed. Uh but you have to be extremely

[44:18] judicious from a school's point of view

[44:20] when you engage

[44:23] the police.

[44:25] >> You know again once you engage the

[44:26] police it's a police matter. Uh so you

[44:29] know it's it's up to the school district

[44:32] to really manage those protocols and

[44:34] procedures um along with the police.

[44:40] >> What heartens me is the collaboration

[44:44] between the village and the high school

[44:46] district about this agreement. I think

[44:48] that that's a a really important

[44:51] component that we do communicate well

[44:54] and have a very good close working

[44:56] relationship on many levels with

[44:59] district 219 and that only benefits both

[45:02] the district and the village and the

[45:04] community and I'll certainly give some

[45:06] more thought to um not only ETHS but the 60203 zip code. Um troubles me to

[45:14] think of them as stepchildren. I I I

[45:17] tend to think that they are more Evston

[45:19] facing by choice sometimes, but I think

[45:22] that we can we [clears throat] can think

[45:24] about how that how that may how we maybe

[45:27] we can bridge bridge that

[45:31] >> you live there. So I get it. I get it.

[45:34] Okay. Will someone uh kindly make a

[45:36] motion?

[45:38] There's we need a motion and a second.

[45:40] Moved by trustee Lisa Levy, seconded by

[45:42] trustee Kamani Levy. Oh,

[45:45] >> I will.

[45:47] >> Yep. Thank you. So, there's a motion and

[45:49] a second. Would anyone uh in the

[45:51] audience like to address the village

[45:53] board about this matter? Miss Wolfinger.

[45:58] » Good evening, board and mayor. Um I'd

[46:01] like to thank Trusty Shar for pulling

[46:04] this off. This is a very important

[46:05] matter. I'm a bit concerned um that

[46:07] we're not sure whether this is going to

[46:10] get reported to the board and if the

[46:13] data is going to be reported to the

[46:15] board. Um I don't know how you can

[46:18] govern and use taxpayer dollars without

[46:22] having data to see effectiveness of a

[46:25] program. So it is really important that

[46:27] this information is given to you. Um, I

[46:31] not completely sure what laws Trustee

[46:34] Robinson was talking about that govern

[46:36] SLOs's. From my understanding, there's

[46:38] not much. Um, I would love to see them

[46:41] if you have any. Would love to review

[46:42] them. I was on the SLA task force. I did

[46:44] not see anything. Um, when we were doing

[46:48] our research um, something may have

[46:50] changed since, but I think um, one of

[46:54] the things that we often forget about is

[46:57] who we're serving, right?

[46:59] with living kids and what we do as

[47:02] adults can have severe implications on a

[47:07] child, on a family, not just

[47:10] emotionally, but financially.

[47:13] Um, and I think we need to we need to be

[47:16] accountable. We need to keep ourselves

[47:17] accountable for that. So, thank you for

[47:19] building that off. I think it does

[47:20] deserve a lot of discussion because at

[47:22] the end of it, we need to think about

[47:24] the kids and how this is affecting the

[47:26] children.

[47:27] Thank you, Miss Wolfinger. And as far as

[47:29] the reporting goes, I would ask our

[47:31] village manager to talk to the chief of

[47:34] police. I I agree. I think that, you

[47:36] know, there there is some reporting that

[47:37] should come back to the board. I would

[47:39] leave it up to you and the chief um to

[47:42] make a recommendation on what that

[47:44] increment should be and what the

[47:47] substance of the reporting would be. But

[47:48] I I do agree. I think that uh reg

[47:50] regular reporting not just once a year

[47:53] but maybe at at you know we at a at an

[47:56] increment during the school year would

[47:58] be called for. So

[48:00] is there anyone else who would like to

[48:02] address the village board about this

[48:04] matter? Okay. If not, will the clerk

[48:06] please call the role?

[48:08] Trustee Iverson.

[48:09] >> I.

[48:10] >> Trustee Lisa Levy.

[48:11] >> I.

[48:12] >> Trusty Shar.

[48:13] >> Trustee Kamani Levy.

[48:15] >> I. Trusty Robinson.

[48:16] >> Hi.

[48:18] >> Thank you. Oh.

[48:19] >> Mhm.

[48:20] >> Thank you. And the motion passes.

[48:22] >> I apologize.

[48:22] >> Trusty Robinson,

[48:23] >> just real quick for the record, 60076 is

[48:26] also

[48:27] >> also ETHS. Yes.

[48:28] >> Yeah.

[48:29] >> Yes.

[48:31] >> Item B, C, D, E, and F were part of

[48:35] tonight's consent agenda and already

[48:37] approved. And that completes my report

[48:39] this evening.

[48:39] >> Thank you, Mr. Lockerby. Next item is

[48:42] the report of our corporation council

[48:45] representing uh the firm of Lrod

[48:47] Freriedman this evening is Mr. Stuart

[48:50] Stu Weiss. Stu, thank you mayor. My

[48:55] report uh consists of items that um all

[49:00] were on consent um including a which was

[49:03] the uh fiscal year 27 appropriation

[49:07] ordinance. Um this was discussed and

[49:10] presented on at the last meeting

[49:11] approved on consent tonight. Uh the

[49:14] water rates ordinance for uh fiscal year

[49:17] 27 which included some rate increases

[49:20] which were necessary for capital

[49:22] expenditures also discussed at the last

[49:24] meeting and approved tonight on consent.

[49:27] uh an ordinance um dealing with the

[49:30] temporary sale and consumption of

[49:31] alcoholic liquor on the public right of

[49:33] way on municipal property for the 2026

[49:36] backyard bash was um approved on

[49:40] consent. Item D, uh, ordinance, uh,

[49:44] which amended the code, the village code

[49:47] regarding the G2 liquor license, which,

[49:51] um, conformed the, uh, distilling pubs

[49:54] to, um, with state law to allow class 3

[49:59] craft distillers, uh, to sell their

[50:01] products directly without going through

[50:03] a liquor distribu liquor distributor.

[50:06] That was approved on consent. Item E,

[50:09] uh, ordinance that amended the downtown

[50:13] science and technology TIFF district map

[50:16] to remove, um, a property, um, at 8120

[50:22] Lincoln Avenue. Um, that was a minor map

[50:24] amendment approved on consent.

[50:27] And then, uh, we had, um, item F, which

[50:31] was a code amendment uh, which expanded

[50:34] the youth commission, as we saw tonight.

[50:37] uh membership um to um 22 oh to 25

[50:43] members that was approved on consent and

[50:45] as reflected by the appointments

[50:47] tonight. Uh the last item on my report

[50:50] is that we are we are requesting a close

[50:54] session tonight um to discuss the um

[50:58] setting the price for the dispos for the

[51:01] disposition and sale of village owned

[51:04] property. And then also which is under

[51:07] um 2C5.

[51:09] And then um under um actually that was

[51:13] 2C6. Under 2C5 um a discussion of the

[51:18] purchase of property by the village and

[51:22] then under 2C11 a uh discussion of

[51:26] pending litigation.

[51:28] >> Thank you. Is there a motion to the

[51:30] effect of what the counselor just

[51:32] described? Thank you. Trustee Lisa Levy.

[51:34] Is there a second? Trustee Kamani Levy.

[51:38] Uh, any questions?

[51:41] Okay. Will the clerk please call the

[51:42] role?

[51:44] >> Trustee Iverson,

[51:45] >> I.

[51:45] >> Trustee Lissa Levy,

[51:46] >> I.

[51:47] >> Trusty Shakar,

[51:48] >> I.

[51:49] >> Trusty Kamani Levy,

[51:50] >> I.

[51:51] >> Trusty Robinson,

[51:52] >> I.

[51:53] >> Thank you. And the motion passes. Uh,

[51:56] the next item on the agenda is our final

[52:00] public comment period. Is there anyone

[52:02] who would like who has not yet addressed

[52:04] the village board who would like to? Mr.

[52:06] Sprawl,

[52:26] » please hand. Yeah, they

[52:27] >> Yeah,

[52:31] » they usually go to the deputy clerk.

[52:32] We're fine.

[52:33] >> Oh, that's okay.

[52:33] >> Yep.

[52:39] » Greetings, [clears throat] villagers.

[52:40] I'm Howard Sprout, resident of Skoi.

[52:43] Not long ago, and for many years, Skoi

[52:46] had scores of affordable STRs.

[52:51] Skoi was a welcoming oasis of lovely

[52:54] choices. Then a few bad operators

[52:58] poisoned this. A few bad operators

[53:01] caused havoc with their neighbors.

[53:04] Our village took the approach of

[53:06] punishing all operators,

[53:09] drafting a draconian one-sizefits-all

[53:12] approach.

[53:14] Now there are no affordable options for

[53:16] visitors. The math is devastating.

[53:19] >> [clears throat]

[53:20] >> How can an operator charging 30, 50,

[53:22] even $100 per night afford the thousands

[53:26] of dollars in village fees?

[53:29] Given the approximate baseline of $4,000

[53:32] in fees, the math is crushing. At $30 a

[53:36] night, 133 nights to break even.

[53:39] At $50 a night, 80 nights to break even.

[53:44] At $100 per night, 40 nights to break

[53:46] even. Based on a travel window of

[53:49] approximately May through September

[53:52] being 20 weeks, given a generous

[53:54] occupancy forecast of three nights per

[53:57] week, affordable options are gone.

[54:02] Only operators charging big money make

[54:05] this work. Could this problem not have

[54:08] been addressed through existing village

[54:10] code? Why aren't bad operators fined,

[54:14] cited, and sanctioned via existing

[54:16] village code pertaining to noise,

[54:18] nuisance, and disruption? The pilot

[54:21] program punishes everyone. It needs to

[54:25] be retired.

[54:27] Deal individually with bad operators,

[54:30] causing havoc,

[54:32] disruption, and general mayhem

[54:36] via existing village code. More

[54:39] importantly, those banished scores of

[54:42] lovely operators can no longer enjoy new

[54:46] faces, the pleasant interaction of

[54:49] welcoming hundreds of visitors to our

[54:52] village.

[54:54] all these scores of decent peaceable

[54:57] operators,

[54:59] excuse me, allow these scores of decent

[55:02] peaceable operators

[55:04] to once again without crushing economic

[55:08] and regulatory restrictions open their

[55:11] homes to provide access to our village

[55:16] as they have for many years in a

[55:19] pleasant, welcoming,

[55:22] affordable

[55:24] manner.

[55:26] >> Thank you.

[55:26] Mr. Sproul.

[55:28] >> Thank you.

[55:36] » So, Mr. Sproul, as we discussed, you may

[55:39] sit down. As we discussed when you came

[55:42] to my office last week, this is a pilot

[55:46] program. changes are being considered

[55:49] which I explained to you at length and I

[55:52] told you that they would be coming to

[55:54] the village board in September. So just

[55:57] wanted to reiterate what we discussed in

[56:00] person in my office last week. Thank

[56:03] you.

[56:03] >> Thank you.

[56:04] >> Okay. Is there anyone else who would

[56:06] like to address the village board?

[56:10] Okay. If not, I would ask for a motion

[56:12] to adjurnn.

[56:14] moved by trustee uh I'm sorry to to go

[56:18] into close session and adjourn there

[56:20] from moved by trustee Kamani Levy

[56:23] seconded by trustee Lissa Levy will the

[56:26] clerk please call the role

[56:28] >> trustee Iverson

[56:30] >> I

[56:31] >> trustee Lissa Levy

[56:32] >> I trusty Shakar

[56:33] >> I trustee Kimani Levy

[56:35] >> I trusty Robinson

[56:37] >> I

[56:39] >> thank you the motion carries we will uh

[56:42] go to close session and adjourn They're

[56:44] from

August 17, 2026 Village Board Meeting

Transcript