MINUTES
Moraine Township Board of Trustees
Thursday, October 12, 2006 4:00 PM
Township Office
MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING
October 12, 2006
The meeting was called to order at 4:07 PM, and upon roll call the following members were present: Supervisor Mari Barnes; Trustees Bryna Gamson, Margoth Moreno, CynthiaPlouché and Jeff Zaluda. Also Present: Clerk Ellen Gussin; Janet Freed, community member.
Chief Deputy Assessor Trish Lenzini joined the meeting at 4:50. Director General Assistance Tracy Coleman joined at 5 PM.
Approval of Minutes
Minutes of the September 28, 2006 Regular Meeting stand as written.
Approval of Bills
Trustee Zaluda moved, seconded by Trustee Plouché, approval of the bills. Upon roll call, motion carried.
Assessor's Report
None
Public Comment
None
Meeting Dates
Meeting dates for the 2007 calendar year were distributed to the Board by Clerk Gussin, and Trustee Zaluda moved, seconded by Trustee Moreno, that they be adopted. Motion carried.
Discussion Annual Grants
Supervisor Barnes distributed the Township Profit & Loss vs. Actual Statement for April 1 through October 12; numbers are close to budget, to date. One issue is whether the Township should continue to retain the reserves that have been accumulated, approximately $1,000,000. Reserves equal the amount of the Township annual budget, and common government practice is to retain at least up to 65% of the annual budget. Board believes it is acceptable to reduce the reserves slightly and that it is likewise appropriate to increase the grant allotment by 25% to $100,000. Trustee Gamson advised that Dan Solender who served on last year’s citizen advisory committee has moved. Supervisor Barnes suggested replacing him with a few new people so that we could begin a rotation process in future years and have experienced people stay on. Trustee Zaluda recommended Michael Laurie as a possible replacement. Trustee Gamson distributed some suggested changes for 2007 in the public announcement concerning the grant process. The grant application deadline will be February 1 instead of March 1 in 2007.
Holiday Baskets
Supervisor Barnes called Willow Creek Church, and they have committed to donating 100 Thanksgiving baskets. Township will distribute these baskets the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and she asked the trustees to participate if possible. She will continue to publicize the need for volunteers to help with holiday basket assembly and distribution. Trying to coordinate the recipients of the baskets is of concern, as there are so many agencies involved. The Township continues to try to coordinate the effort community wide.
Supervisor's Report
TOI has suggested that a donation to their 2007 commemorative book with ads is an appropriate township expense, but Moraine Township disagrees and will not be participating.
Assessor's Report
Assessor’s Office is about half way through the tax assessment appeal period and they are scheduling evening and weekend hours to accommodate citizens. Process is running smoothly. There is a lot of information available on-line which helps people make their appeals directly to the County, in which case the Township Assessor’s Office is not aware of the appeal until later in the process.
Committee Reports
1. Food Pantry – Trustee Moreno suggested trying to vary the mix of what we give to clients who come in several times each month for food. A renewed effort will be made to get more ethnic foods from the Food Bank when possible as well as asking clients what they don’t use, therefore trying to do a better job of giving them what they prefer from what we already have on the shelves.
2. Transportation – Trustee Plouché and Supervisor Barnes reported on their meeting with the Transportation Advisory Committee for the Township’s senior/paratransit program. Discussion included the possibility of how a second van might be utilized in terms of both social and medical needs. Charlotte Landsman suggested that when our drivers have down time between appointments they help provide transportation to seniors between the Senior Center and the parking lot. Trustee Gamson expressed her lack of enthusiasm for this request because of fuel costs as well as the fact that the City of Highland Park has failed to include any sharing of transportation costs in their budget. Priority will be given to trips to the Community Health Center medical clinic. Children’s car seats will be purchased in order to take children to medical appointments.
Old Business
None
New Business
None
Executive Session
Trustee Zaluda moved, seconded by Trustee Plouché, that the Board go into Executive Session to discuss Personnel issues. Board adjourned to go into Executive Session at 5:50 PM.
Adjournment
Upon reconvening the meeting at 6:05 PM, with no further business to conduct, Trustee Zaluda moved, seconded by Trustee Plouché, the meeting be adjourned at 6:06 PM. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted,
_______________________
Ellen S. Gussin, Moraine Township Clerk
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