MINUTES
Moraine Township Board of Trustees
Thursday, December 14, 2006 7:30 PM
Highwood City Hall, Council Chambers
MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING
December 14, 2006
The meeting was called to order at 7:31 PM by Supervisor Mari Barnes, and upon roll call the following members were present: Trustees Bryna Gamson, Margoth Moreno, Cynthia Plouché and Jeff Zaluda. Also Present: Clerk Ellen Gussin; Assessor Peter Koukos; Director General Assistance Tracy Coleman; Janet Freed, community member; Judy Fried, Nicasa; Gary Smith, Josselyn Center.
Approval of Minutes
The Regular Meeting Minutes of November 16, 2006 stand approved as written.
Approval of Bills
Supervisor Barnes entertained a motion for approval of the bills, made by Trustee Zaluda and seconded by Trustee Gamson. Upon roll call, motion carried.
Public Comment
Anthony Lucente, our cameramen, apologized to the Board for the delay in broadcasting our last meeting. His new high definition equipment has taken some time to install. He was graciously excused and thanked for his dedicated, volunteer efforts.
Agency Reports
Nicasa: Judy Fried, CEO of Nicasa (formerly known as the Northern Illinois Council on Alcohol and Substance Abuse) said she was pleased to be asked to speak and explained the devastating situation people face when faced with alcohol and substance abuse and how difficult treatment can be. Nicasa operates five sites throughout Lake County and are most proud of the Women and Children’s Program in North Chicago where 120 women and 250 children per year are served. They have found that women have different problems and require different treatment and approaches. The Empowerment Model they use has been most successful. They try to target high risk populations and factors including poverty, lack of adequate positive role models, and the tragedies of underage drinking. They participated in the forum held for the Deerfield students that were killed and injured this past fall. They serve 3,000 clients per year and work with over 4,000 students in various programs. One of their newest initiatives is the Peer to Justice Program in which high school students are trained to become peace makers. Nicasa has no residential program but does operate an intensive day program for clients with the goal of self-sufficiency and productivity. Grants formerly received have been cut back, and they are therefore looking for increased donations and other sources of funding. When asked about the percent of Moraine Township residents served, Judy responded that the number is low but did not give an exact percentage.
Josselyn Center: Gary Smith, Executive Director, thanked the Township Board and the citizens throughout Moraine. They are a community mental health agency serving 15 communities throughout the North Shore. Celebrating their 56th year, they were founded in Highland Park by Dr. Irene Josselyn in basement of the Highland Park Hospital. Her vision was to serve north shore children who needed but could not afford psychiatric services. Today Josselyn provides mental health services for all ages with offices in Northfield and other sites throughout the north shore. Gary explained that they meet a much-needed service consistent with the Township’s mission of serving the underprivileged. They are unique in three ways: multi-disciplinary approach with referrals from school districts on cases too challenging for the social workers; delivery of psychiatric services including prescription of medication when needed; sliding-scale fees. 80% of patients pay on sliding scale, and 53% pay the lowest level, $12 per hour. With a significant degree of hidden poverty on the North Shore, Josselyn encounters 4000 visits per year. They are strictly out-patient with no residential program, and are proud of their 95% approval rating from customer satisfaction surveys, citing making people “feel safe,” as expressed in a letter from one patient, as an important result. They are experiencing a growth spurt of as much as 20% and introducing an Adult Drop-in Center Program to free up people from the direct service but yet provide some structure and professional monitoring. They currently do not have bilingual staff but do offer translating services; population includes Koreans and Eastern Europeans as well as Spanish speaking people.
Public Hearing, Township Tax Levy 2006
Trustee Gamson moved, seconded by Trustee Zaluda, to hold a public hearing on the Tax Levy. Upon roll call, motion carried. Supervisor Barnes explained the Truth in Taxation Certificate of Compliance distributed to the Board. This year we are suggesting levying strictly for the Town Fund and avoiding the General Assistance (GA) Fund so as not to be subject to objectors who point to the high reserve balance in GA Fund. The Town Fund can be transferred to the GA Fund if needed but dollars cannot be transferred from GA to Town. There is precedence for this in other townships with balances in other funds such as IMRF. Total levy is $1,150,000, which is approximately $70 on a median home valued at $450,000. Motion to close the public hearing was made by Trustee Moreno and seconded by Trustee Plouche. Motion carried.
Adoption of Township Tax Levy 2005
Trustee Gamson moved, seconded by Trustee Plouché, adoption of the Tax Levy for 2006. Upon roll call, motion carried.
Assessor's Report
Assessor Koukos announced that we were commended by the County on the significantly reduced number of appeals this year as compared to prior years, even though Moraine Township still has more appeals than most other townships. On the issue of Vacation Time Reimbursement, which Assessor Koukos had asked to be placed on the Agenda, he explained that he would like to see two salaried employees paid an extra amount this year to make up for the vacation days they have been unable to take because of the heavy work load. This involves 10 days in one case and 4 days in another. Current policy allows only three days per year to be carried over. Consensus of the Board is that this should be treated not as a Vacation Policy issue but as a one-time exception for this year, recognizing the recent change in Vacation Policy made this past June and noting the Assessor’s discretion to award a “bonus” payment. Furthermore there are sufficient funds in the budget this year to cover the intended expense. Assessor Koukos foresees an extremely heavy workload in 2007 due to the Quadrennial and the need to replace a retiring employee; the Board cautioned the need for careful vacation planning and precedent-setting.
Supervisor's Report
Supervisor Barnes brought to the attention of the Board a specific bill of over $500 from Task Force for snowplowing at the homes of six Township residents and one of the cemeteries. Tracy Coleman explained that these are seniors of low income and that the list has been reduced from an original 25 or more in past years. Consensus of the Board is to continue the service.
Carbon monoxide detectors will become mandatory in January, and the Fire Department is willing to install in citizens’ homes. Cost is approximately $20 each. In the past smoke detectors were provided by the Township for all seniors that asked for them; we purchased at $3 each, expended approximately $1,000, and still have some left to install. Supervisor Barnes recommended providing the carbon monoxide detectors on a need basis and perhaps becoming a reseller for those citizens requesting that can afford to pay. Fire Department will assist with procurement and installation. Trustee Zaluda moved, seconded by Trustee Moreno, to go forward with thus. Motion carried.
Supervisor Barnes called for community volunteers to help stock the shelves downstairs with all the donations that have piled up in the upstairs offices. They need to be physically moved down stairs and stocked properly.
Committee Reports
1. Food Pantry – see above
2. Clothing Closet – no new donations needed right now
3. Transportation – Paratransit Van is out on the streets and people needing rides should call the Township.
4. Citizen Advisory – There is a new member of the Grant Committee; John Sirotti of Highwood will join the committee for 2007. Grant applications are due February 1.
Old Business
Tracy Coleman commented on how many complimentary calls the Township has received on the Talk of the Township newsletter distributed to all homes in November.
New Business
For appreciation for outstanding volunteer service, Supervisor Barnes presented Anthony Lucente with a small check expressing the Township’s gratitude for all of his hard work in videotaping the monthly meetings.
Adjournment
With no further business to conduct, Trustee Plouché moved, seconded by Trustee Moreno, the meeting be adjourned at 9:00 PM. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted,
_______________________
Ellen S. Gussin, Moraine Township Clerk
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