MINUTES
Moraine Township Board of Trustees
Thursday, February 23, 2006 7:30 PM
Highwood City Hall, Council Chambers
MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING
February 23, 2006
The meeting was called to order at 7:34 PM, and upon roll call the following members were present: Supervisor Mari Barnes; Trustees Bryna Gamson, Margoth Moreno, Cynthia Plouché and Jeff Zaluda. Also Present: Assessor Peter Koukos; Clerk Ellen Gussin; Director General Assistance Tracy Coleman; Janet Freed, community member.
Approval of Minutes
Trustee Plouché moved, seconded by Trustee Zaluda, approval of the Budget Workshop Meeting and Regular Meeting Minutes of February 9. Motion carried.
Approval of Bills
Trustee Gamson moved, seconded by Trustee Moreno, approval of the bills. Upon roll call, motion carried.
Public Comment
None
Budget
Supervisor Barnes presented a budget for the Town Fund with the portion for General Assistance, in the amount of $419,460 which is by statute 32% of the tax dollars, deducted. Budget currently has a surplus of $35,000 without allocating an amount for grants. The board reached consensus for allocating a minimum of $75,000 for grants. The General Assistance budget will be presented at the next meeting.
Assessor's Report
There were 1,919 tax protests of which 725 resulted in reductions, 25 resulted in tax increases, and the balance remained unchanged. Assessor Koukos has reviewed items he would like included in the township website and links to programs available throughout the community. He also reported that patios and decks will no longer be counted as improvements for tax assessing purposes; neighboring townships have been excluding decks and patios as well. State legislation allows for kitchen and bath improvements to be considered as maintenance when no walls are moved nor square footage added.
Supervisor's Report
Supervisor Barnes reported on the two proposals received for North Shore Estates and that the original proposal is expected to close next week, which calls for rehabbing all units into condominiums. She also reported that she has been working on an Employee Manual; consideration being given to how we might limit accumulation of vacation and sick leave. Police Department has established a new initiative for seniors called the Elderly Assistance Program that will network with several agencies including the township and hold monthly meetings.
Committee Reports
Transportation
Interviews for a driver of the new van are continuing; there have been numerous applicants. Trustee Plouché will be conducting a focus group on the proposed Door-to-Door Van Program with seniors on March 1 in the township office. A talking-points sheet was developed for the program.
Food Pantry
Trustee Moreno reported that the office has been handling the pantry well, thanks to volunteers including the Key Club from Highland Park High School that comes twice per month.
Grant Committee
Trustee Gamson distributed a list of five community members who have volunteered to serve on the Citizens Advisory Committee for awarding township grants. The committee will meet on April 3 to discuss the requests received, which are due by March 1. The committee will make recommendations to the Board.
Old Business
Trustee Gamson discussed the logo and passed out an alternate for the grasping hands. The Board preferred the one formerly presented which has been vetted by police and deaf signers for possible hidden meanings. She also reminded the Board that she has requested their collective input on the website.
New Business
Early Voting will begin in the township office on February 27 and continue through March 16. Clerk Gussin explained the procedures for the judges assigned to the office during this time period.
Adjournment
With no further business to conduct, Trustee Zaluda moved, seconded by Trustee Plouché, that the meeting be adjourned at 8:45 PM. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted,
_______________________
Ellen S. Gussin, Moraine Township Clerk
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