MINUTES
Moraine Township Board of Trustees
Thursday, August 24, 2006 7:30 PM
Highwood City Hall, Council Chambers

MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING
August 24, 2006

The meeting was called to order at 7:43 PM, and upon roll call the following members were present: Supervisor Mari Barnes, Trustees Bryna Gamson, Margoth Moreno and Cynthia Plouché. Also Present: Chief Deputy Assessor Trish Lenzini, Clerk pro tem Tracy Coleman; Janet Freed, community member. Trustee Jeffery Zaluda and Clerk Ellen Gussin were absent.

Approval of Minutes
The Regular Meeting Minutes of July 27, 2006, stand as written.

Approval of Bills
The Board considered approval of the current Town Fund and General Assistance bills.
Trustee Moreno moved, seconded by Trustee Plouché, approval of the bills. Upon roll call, motion carried.

Public Comment
None

Assessor's Report
Chief Deputy Assessor Trish Lenzini reported that the Assessor's Office books would be completed by September 15th and that the property-tax-notification blue cards would be sent out thereafter. She reminded those who turned 65 in 2005 to come into the township and apply for their Senior Homestead exemption. She further stated that the four summer temporary employees are now back at school, after performing so well in clearing up backlog work that next year's temp staff may be able to be reduced by one-half.

Supervisor's Report
Pantry Plants Garden: Vegetables are now ripe for harvest; peppers and tomatoes were picked a brought back to the Food Pantry for distribution. Supervisor Barnes stated that we are still in need of volunteers for weeding, watering and the harvesting of the garden and invited the public to join the effort.

Thanks were extended to the Ravinia Festival. On Sunday, August 20, they sponsored a family event celebrating the Festival's 102nd birthday, naming the Township as recipient of the donated foods families brought in lieu of admission fees. The Pantry is now well restocked and volunteers to help organize the shelves are always appreciated. Supervisor Barnes applauded those trustees and staff who helped out.

Letters have been sent to all the agencies that received Township grants, requesting that they attend one of our scheduled, monthly meetings to inform the Board about the agency's mission, goals and needs, in an effort to educate the Board about how we are meeting the needs of the community.

Supervisor Barnes met with Margie Weiss and Ginny Schulte of the League of Women Voters of Highland Park to discuss an overview of the Township, its programs and the forming of alliances with other organizations. The League has been updating their "position" on local township government, first adopted after a 1982 study and monitored more closely since 1993.

The audit has been completed. Copies were sent to the Board in advance of this meeting and are now available to the public. The report contains information comparing 2005 and 2006; the latter is the first completed fiscal year for this administration. Trustee Gamson called attention to the Management Discussion and Analysis on Page 5, highlighting the following: Town Fund/GA Administration costs decreased from 35.75% to 31.9%, while service-related percentages went up -- Assessor from 36.25% to 38.1%, and Home Relief/Institutional Care/Senior Services/Other (includes cemetery management) went up from 28% of the expenses to 29.9%.

On September 6th Supervisor Barnes will attend a City of Highland Park meeting to work on a plan for coordination in the event of a pandemic outbreak. Supervisor Barnes will report back after the meeting.

Investment Policy packets were sent to all trustees, but because one trustee was not at the meeting, Supervisor Barnes suggested tabling the discussion until the September meeting.

Supervisor Barnes will be calling upon each trustee to attend a Board workshop to discuss his or her volunteer commitments as well as a pre-budget workshop to be scheduled for this fall.

Committee Reports
Food Pantry -- Trustee Moreno has diligently worked many hours this past week trying to organize the abundance of food received from Ravinia Festival and announced that help from volunteers would be greatly appreciated.

Clothing Closet -- Supervisor Barnes reported we are cleaning house for fall and winter clothing, asking for donations of winter outerwear. We do not have an audience for women's business attire, but men's clothing in general, as well as children's clothing, are sought.

Transportation -- Supervisor Barnes announced the Moraine Door-to-Door paratransit van is getting busier everyday, with many residents traveling to doctors and medical appointments. One resident, Tom Cerf, is so thrilled with the service that he has collaborated with Prairie Material, his past employer, to procure an electric step for the van. Reported expenditures on the transportation program for the van during its first four months of operation are approximately $18,000 versus revenues from fees collected of a little more than $900. Supervisor Barnes also reported that the August 28 meeting of the Highland Park City Council will address taxi-fare changes.

Human Relations --Trustee Plouché, liaison, reported that the Highland Park Human Relations Commission is working on Martin Luther King Day celebrations for next January.

Newsletter -Trustee Gamson said that we are on target for a mid-fall newsletter. She has been working on the mailing list, which is somewhat problematic due to irregular municipal boundaries; she is projecting a mailing to over 11,000 households. Trustees were asked to make suggestions for the newsletter content.

Old Business
None

New Business
Supervisor Barnes and Tracy Coleman visited the North Shore Health Center Clinic, met with Roni Weiss, the clinic coordinator, and Erin Maclean, to learn more about the daily operations and services the clinic offers including pre-natal care, women's health, family practice, family planning, and dental services. The Township expects to work closely with the Clinic.

Trustee Gamson congratulated Supervisor Barnes, who was quoted in the Highland Park Hospital (ENH) magazine, regarding the receipt of a generous donation last year from ENH to support healthcare-related needs for underserved residents.

Adjournment
With no further business to conduct, Trustee Gamson moved, seconded by Trustee Plouché, the meeting be adjourned at 8:18 PM. Motion carried.

Respectfully submitted,

_______________________
Tracy Coleman Pro tem Moraine Township Clerk

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