Chicago City Wire

City of Prospect Heights City Council met Jan. 10.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

THE STRATEGIC PLANNING AND DIRECTIONS SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES OF THE CITY OF PROSPECT HEIGHTS HELD ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2024 AT 6:00PM 

CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL – At 6:03 PM, Mayor Ludvigsen called to order the Strategic Planning and Directions Special Meeting at City Hall Chambers, 8 N Elmhurst Road, Prospect Heights, IL 60070. 

Deputy Clerk Schultheis called the roll 

ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT – Mayor Ludvigsen, Treasurer Tibbits Aldermen - Dash, Dolick, Cameron 

ABSENT - Alderman Anderson, Alderman Morgan-Adams with previous notification, City Clerk Prisiajniouk with previous notification 

OTHER ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT – City Administrator Wade, Assistant City Administrator Falcone, Police Chief Caponigro (at 6:25 PM), Deputy Chief Derman (at 6:25 PM), Public Works Director Roscoe, Finance Director Grieco, Assistant Finance Director Tannehill, Director of Building and Development Peterson, and Deputy Clerk Schultheis. 

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE - Led by Mayor Ludvigsen 

PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA MATTERS (Five Minute Time Limit) – None 

STRATEGIC PLANNING AND DIRECTIONS PRESENTATIONS 

A.ADMINISTRATION 

1) Present and Potential Online Services and Features for Residents/Businesses 

2) Municipal Code Modernization/Update 

3) City Vehicle Sticker Non-Compliance Prosecution 

4) Research of Other Technological Improvements 

Assistant City Administrator Falcone noted that the online services and features allows the City to reach out to the residents and to provide education and convenience. The website operates at a modest cost, and fulfills the needs of the City and the residents. 

- One of the most important improvements made in applications offered is XPRESS BILL, allowing their residents to pay their bills to the City online. 

- While the City website may not have all the bells and whistles of more expensive sites, it is easy to use and meets all of the City's requirements. 

- Residents can use the website to sign up for agendas, Enews, any alerts 

The City Request Tracker is utilitarian and easy to use, allowing citizens to report issues like potholes or code violations, etc. 

In 2024, it will be the first time that the City will have a centralized database. It will be able to capture and send business and liquor license applications and cross reference. Business license will be processed more like vehicle stickers. 

Mayor Ludvigsen asked who would maintain the updating? Assistant City Administrator Falcone said that he does the updating, as well as the Digital Communications Technician. 

City Administrator Wade said that the City had to make certain that the system did not become bogged down with requests for information that was not City-oriented and pertained directly to the City. 

Mayor Ludvigsen noted that he would like to see the historical data archived so that the website looks more streamlined and easy to navigate. He also noted that the weekly ENews is “exceptional.” 

Assistant City Administrator Falcone stated that the City Staff will do an initial upudate of the Code data, and then send to the Attorney for final review before presenting to Council. He added that the goal is to have this project completed by next fiscal year. 

Director Peterson said that while City Code is Administrative, the Zoning Code update would be longer, 

At 6:25 PM, Police Chief Caponigro and Deputy Police Chief Derman entered the meeting. 

Vehicle Sticker non-compliance - the City has a new adjudicator. 

- Assistant City Administrator Falcone said that the City is looking at a new approach to be more flexible in voiding tickets in certain cases where the resident was unable to be at the adjudication. 

- There was also the suggestion to have the timing of the mailings so that they do not coincide with the holidays. The ticketing will go out on October 1. There was discussion regarding how to handle habitual payment violators.

Security - the City is reviewing a new security system with its third party IT vendor. It was noted that there is nightly back up to the data, and that there is a server in City Hall and storage in the Cloud. The City also maintains cyber insurance. All City emails show alerts when an email is generated from outside of the city staff. 

- Deputy Chief Derman said that the police do train in cyber security. 

Assistant City Administrator Falcone said that the City just upgraded its speed with Comcast, and did so while lowering its costs. 

B.PUBLIC WORKS 

1) Pending Capital Improvement Projects and Status Update 

2) Possible Future Storm Water Management Improvements 

3) Possible Future Sidewalk Projects 

4) Road Resurfacing and Road Improvement Bond Discussion 

5) Utility Planning 

6) Public Works Staffing/Technology

Public Works Director Roscoe gave an update on projects in progress. The Wolf Road sidewalk is ready for bidding, the Camp McDonald sidewalk is ending Phase I engineering - Phase II will be second quarter of 2025/26, the Elmhurst Road sidewalk is an Invest in Cook project that is in the very beginning of the design phase, Willow Road/Owen - will have a 2024 bid, and the East side project - Willow Trails Park renovation. 

Discussion regarding Plaza Drive storm water issues, and securing an IEMA grant possibly to reroute water. 

It was noted Arlington Countryside was a major project that the City has finished. 

- Arlington Countryside East is targeted within the next year and the City will be seeking funding assistance. 

There was discussion regarding the flooding that occurs around the Gary Morava Center. The City is looking for ways to improve the flow under Elm. 

It was noted that Piper Lane/Apple Drive has no sidewalk. This is not an area that is eligible for a grant. The City would need to find a source for funding. 

Bicycle Path on Elmhurst - there is discussion with Wheeling about possibly changing the angle, the lighting or the location for more safety in crossing that street. 

Road Resurfacing - Public Works Director Roscoe showed photos displaying how the surface degrades when only patching is done. The sub base material tends to fail. He noted that curbs are a way to prevent road deterioration. 

- While there is a plan that the City Engineers have supplied, there would need to be funding. There was discussion about the need for a road bond. Before further discussion about how to fund deteriorating roads, there will need to be a Pavement Assessment in 2024/25. The last Road Bond was will expire within the next few years and there will not be any funds for road repair and resurfacing. 

Finance Director Grieco said that the cost of a Pavement Assessment would be included in this year's budget. 

Utility Planning - there was discussion regarding piping for redundancy for the distribution of Illinois-American water. The City is in discussion with Wheeling and Mount Prospect for a possible interconnection at some point. 

C. POLICE DEPARTMENT 

1) Station Fiber Optics and Need for Faster Internet for Redaction of Camera Footage 

2) Personnel Planning-Upcoming Position Needs and Adjustments 

3) City Stickers-Exploration of DACRA virtual city stickers attached to license plates 

4) Implementation and Costs of Body-Worn Cameras

Chief Caponigro said that the Safe-T Act requires that all police officers where body cameras starting January 1, 2025. Prospect Heights Police Department will start wearing the body cameras around October, 2024. 

- There was discussion that a faster internet speed would be needed, as downloading, uploading and redacting footage would be cumbersome at the current slow speed. 

- Chief Caponigro said there will probably be a need for redaction software. Deputy Chief Derman said there may be a need for a Part/Time person to review footage and handle the redactions. This person would work with the Records Supervisor. It was noted that most Police Departments are handling the redactions in-house. The Chief noted that the body cameras will generate many hours of cumbersome redactions, and added to that will be media requests for footage. Chief Caponigro said that the Police Department would be seeking grant money. 

- It was noted that the body cameras and the footage that must be reviewed are unfunded Mandates from the State.

Contract Negotiations - Deputy Chief Derman noted that the police contract expires in May, 2025. 

- There was discussion regarding the need for sectioning off the police department with a new layout that would allow for investigation and interviews. 

- There was discussion regarding budgeting for squad cars. Funds that were used in the past may not be available in the future.

DACRA - Chief Caponigro said that DACRA has been implemented and is working well. There is a feature that if connected to the City's database would allow the police to see who is missing sticker payments. 

D.COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 

1) Development Opportunities 

2) Status of Comprehensive Zoning Review 

3) Records Management System

Director Peterson said that there has been development and new business - including businesses along Rand Road, Milwaukee Avenue, Elmhurst Road, Wolf and Thomas. The City has added new restaurants like Bar Salotto and Peri Peri, remodeling of property at 1098 N Milwaukee, eye care, barber shop and beauty salon. 

There was discussion regarding redevelopment by the CEA in the corridor under City of Prospect Heights jurisdiction. 

Director Peterson noted that the City was mostly built-out community. He noted several possible areas of development that are currently on hold because of issues that are subject to the decisions by the owners of the property. 

Director Peterson said that Teska had performed a review of the Zoning Code, and that he would be scheduling two user groups and "key" architects for focus groups. Staff and Teska will review the suggestions of the focus group and relay that to the Council and then rewrite the code accordingly. 

Records Management = State law requires the Building Department to retain all engineering and property records forever. This can be kept digitally. The intern hired by the City has been working on digitizing these records but he is only back to 2012. The Department will need records management software. 

Considering that the Old Town Sanitary sewer records are now also the responsibility of the City, there are massive of amounts of records that are in danger of deteriorating or being lost to fire/floods. There will need to be scanning and index services, and offsite storage is being reviewed. Linking this information to GIS would be a goal of the scanning project. 

Director Peterson noted that a future possibility for improvement of services would be online permitting. 

A. FINANCE DEPARTMENT 

1) FY 2024-25 Budget Construction 

2) Discussion of Capital Projects Funding 

3) Pension Obligations and Funding

Finance Director Grieco said that the budget season has started. There will be two meetings in March, a first read on April 8, and approval on April 22. 

- She noted that the timing of projects will depend on when the grant money is received by the City. 

- She noted that the City would be contributing 16% more than last year to the Police Pension Fund, or about 90% of what the Pension Board actuary recommended.

Finance Director Grieco said that the 2025 levy would pay off the road bond. 

Finance Director Grieco noted that the unexpectedly high interest rates enabled the City show improvement in revenues in 2023. There was discussion regarding the possibility of earmarking project to any additional revenue from the interest gains. 

CITY COUNCIL PLANNING DISCUSSION - None 

PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA MATTERS (Five Minute Time Limit) - None 

ADJOURNMENT – At 9:20 PM, Alderman Dolick moved to Adjourn; seconded by Alderman Cameron. 

VOICE VOTE: 

All Ayes, No Nays 

Motion carried 3-0, Aldermen Morgan-Adams and Anderson absent. 

https://www.prospect-heights.il.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_01102024-1392