MINUTES
Moraine Township Board of Trustees
Thursday, June 14, 2007 5:00 PM
Township Office
MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING
June 14, 2007
The meeting was called to order at 5:00 PM, by Supervisor Barnes and upon roll call the following members were present: Trustees Bryna Gamson and Margoth Moreno. Trustee Cynthia Plouché arrived immediately following roll call and Trustee Jeff Zaluda was absent. Also present were Assessor Peter Koukos, Chief Deputy Assessor Trish Lenzini, Clerk Ellen Gussin, Director General Assistance Tracy Coleman, community members Janet Freed and Margie Nyberg.
Approval of Minutes
The Regular Meeting Minutes of May 24, 2007 stand approved as written.
Approval of Bills
Trustee Moreno moved, seconded by Trustee Gamson, approval of the bills. Upon roll call, motion carried.
Public Comment
Margie Nyberg came before the Board to express dissatisfaction concerning the Township’s handling of her General Assistance claim. Her first visit to the office was in April at which time she met with Tracy Coleman. Her application papers were completed and submitted on May 11. There is a 30-day State-mandated period allowed for response to the claim, preventing the more timely relief that Ms. Nyberg had hoped for. As advised by both Supervisor Barnes and Director Coleman, she agreed to call the Township for another appointment tomorrow morning.
Assessor’s Report
Assessor Koukos stated that according to the report filed by Chief Deputy Assessor Trish Lenzini the Township is in good shape with assessments thus far. Because of the adjustments that have been made in all single family homes across neighborhoods, the assessments have come in much closer to what the County guidelines specify. There is more work to be done, particularly with commercial properties, condos, and other multi-family properties.
Supervisor’s Report
Supervisor Barnes discussed the taxi coupons given in the past to Highland Park residents that do not live within Moraine Township borders. The program’s practice since its inception has been to extend the program throughout Highland Park, and the City of Highland Park reimbursed the Township for those expenses. However, the City will no longer cover this cost. Rather than cut off previous users, Supervisor Barnes suggested extending the use of taxi coupons to those previously served but not make them available to any new users who do not reside within Moraine Township. The Board concurred.
Supervisor Barnes shared a citizen commendation of Talk of the Township, and during their conversation it was suggested that a contest for the best taxi driver be held. With Board consensus Supervisor Barnes will suggest such a contest to the taxi companies.
Insurance for Volunteer Drivers
Trustee Gamson reported on her attendance along with Paula Cyphers of the Senior Center at a Lake County Transportation Committee meeting. The issue of insurance for volunteers who drive citizens to various places was mentioned by Paula Cyphers, and she explained that the City no longer allows her to drive because she is not covered for liability. Supervisor Barnes investigated the liability issue with TOIRMA, determining that insurance is available conditional upon specific regulations being met. However, the driver’s insurance is always the first source for liability coverage. Upon discussion, the Board agreed the Township should not pursue.
Committee Reports
Food Pantry – Trustee Moreno reported she has advised staff to be extra generous with pantry distributions to clients for the next month in an effort to deplete the very full shelves we currently have due to the recent Postal Drive. Supervisor Barnes read her Letter to the Editor published in the June 14 issue thanking volunteers for their great efforts in planting the Pantry Plants Garden on June 2 and Antons for donating all the plants.
Communications – Trustee Gamson reported on her efforts to cull through the mailing list for the recent mailing of Talk of the Township. One specific improvement she accomplished through hours of hard work is the assignment of unit numbers to rental properties. More work is needed to perfect the list for future mailings. The newsletters were received within a week or so of their mailing this time; the first issue went out in November, and was delayed by postal workers carrying catalogues for the holiday season.
Old Business
Trustee Gamson is working diligently on the Township’s website development and is targeting getting it up and running with its new look before the present web host, NorthStarNet, ceases services on June 30.
New Business
Chief Deputy Assessor Trish Lenzini reported on the vision screening that will take place on September 6 conducted by the Lions Club at the Lake County Health Center. The Township is being asked to provide transportation for those that have no other way of getting to the clinic. Supervisor Barnes said the Township will be pleased to cooperate.
Trustee Moreno has spoken to Alicia de La Cruz at Interfaith Housing about their need for meeting space and asked the Board if the Township office could be used for this purpose with Trustee Moreno taking responsibility for being at and facilitating the use of the space. Permission was granted along with suggestions for alternative possibilities.
Supervisor Barnes reported on the Lake County Health Department’s decision to designate Township offices for disbursement of medications in case of catastrophic emergency situations. Upon receipt the Townships would then disburse to the polling places for citizen pick-up. There will be a test of the plan in the near future. Supervisor Barnes will be meeting with the Police and Fire Chiefs and will get back to the Board with more information as the plan progresses.
The Board asked about the new Citizen Advocacy Committee formation and Supervisor Barnes suggested addressing this new initiative at the end-of-July meeting to see if we get responses from the article in the Talk of the Township. In the meantime Trustees Plouché and Moreno will draft guidelines.
Adjournment
With no further business to conduct, Trustee Plouché moved, seconded by Trustee Moreno, the meeting be adjourned at 6:17 PM. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted,
_______________________
Ellen S. Gussin, Moraine Township Clerk
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