Southern Illinois News

Village of Niles Finance Committee Met Dec. 3.

Here is the minutes provided by the committee:

Call To Order 

Chairman George Alpogianis called the meeting to order at 11:14 am.

Roll Call

Chairman Alpogianis called the roll for Committee Members:

Committee Members Present: Chairman George D. Alpogianis, Jack Drexler, Joseph Ori, and George Van Geem

Committee Members Absent: Al Weel

Others Present: Mayor Andrew Przybylo, Village Manager Steve Vinezeano, Deputy Village Manager Hadley Skeffington-Vos, Assistant to the Village Manager Kathy Thake, Finance Director Kent Oliven, Director of Economic Development John Melaniphy, Public Works Director Fred Braun, Purchasing Agent Susan Bus, IT Systems Engineer Steve Cusick, Budget Analyst Conor Schultz, and Admin Assistant Joy Athanasiou

Finance Director Kent Oliven requested to change the order of the Agenda to begin the meeting with New Business due to time constraints. On roll call, all concurred.

New Business

Sales Tax Incentive Agreement for 9530 N. Greenwood Ave

Director of Economic Development John Melaniphy presented a request for approval of an Economic Incentive Agreement with Golf Green Motor Sales LLC and improvement of 9530 N. Greenwood Avenue, including sharing of Retailers’ Occupation Tax Revenues. Mr. Melaniphy highlighted the terms of the agreement and the advantages of the program to the Village. The Committee expressed concerns and discussed putting a cap on the reimbursement amount or the number of years of the agreement. Mayor Przybylo asked a few questions and stated he is in favor of the agreement. After further discussion, Chairman Alpogianis requested to table this topic until the January meeting when all committee members could be present. The Committee agreed and requested that staff have further discussion with Golf Green LLC and send data regarding projected sales revenue numbers and redevelopment costs for their review prior to the next meeting. Joseph Ori left the meeting at 11:25.

Chairman Alpogianis moved to table this topic until the next Finance Committee meeting. On roll call, all concurred.

Continuing Support of Class 7b for 7421 Waukegan Rd

Director of Economic Development John Melaniphy presented a request for approval for Continuing Support of a Class 7b Cook County Property Tax Classification for the Vacant Property at 7421 Waukegan Road for Adam French Property LLC. Mr. Melaniphy stated this request had previously been approved by the Finance Committee and the Village Board in 2018 but has since expired. Adam French Property LLC planned to construct a self-storage facility but delayed development at that time due to two additional storage facilities being approved for development within 2 miles, causing a short-term supply threat. The Committee was in favor of approval but requested putting a time frame to break ground once approved.

A motion was made by George Van Geem, seconded by Jack Drexler, to approve the Resolution for Continuing Support of the Class 7b for 7421 Waukegan Road. On roll call, all concurred.

Old Business

Finance Committee

Purchasing Manual Revisions

Deputy Village Manager Hadley Skeffington-Vos presented recommend updates to the procedures for disposal of Village property. Ms. Skeffington-Vos summarized several proposed changes, including an increase in disposal and approval thresholds limits. Purchasing Agent Susan Bus recommended raising the threshold needed for Village Board approval of trade-in or sale of surplus property to $25,000 to be consistent with the approval process for items going out to bid. Finance Director Kent Oliven requested an addition to the Purchasing Manual to formalize the current practice of excluding land or property purchases by the Village from the purchase order process. The Committee was in favor of all staff recommended changes.

A motion was made by George Van Geem, seconded by Jack Drexler, to accept staff recommended changes to the Disposal Policy of the Purchasing Manual. On roll call, all concurred.

Approval of Minutes

The regular minutes from the November 4, 2020 Finance Committee meeting were presented for approval. A motion to approve was made and all concurred.

Accounts Payable Approval

The Accounts Payable registers for 2020- 10/30, 11/6, 11/13, 11/20 were presented for approval. A motion to approval was made and all concurred.

Other Business 

None

Public Comments

Mayor Andrew Przybylo made a comment suggesting the Finance Committee meet at a time when all Members are available to participate.

Chairman Alpogianis stated that the date and time of meetings is always discussed with all Committee Members prior to scheduling to get a consensus of availability. He said there was a last minute change to Al Weel’s schedule and, therefore, Mr. Weel was unable to attend the meeting.

Finance Committee Member George Van Geem requested an update on the Restaurant Assistance Program. Finance Director Kent Oliven stated the bank account has been opened and the funds have been moved into the account. Mr. Oliven also stated that applications are still being reviewed by Village Staff and the bank still needed a few weeks of set up in order to distribute the money to the restaurants.

Former Trustee Joe LoVerde commented on items one and two under New Business. Mr. LoVerde stated it is hard to give an opinion on something when you do not have the financial documents to review. He said he is in favor of renovations to help a business within our community but is not a proponent of tax payers footing the bill to purchase property. In regards to item two, Mr. LoVerde commented that he was involved in the original vote to approve the Class 7b for the property at 7421 Waukegan Road and he agreed with the Committee Members that there should be a time frame set to begin development on the property. He stated that things have been going on and on with this property and that some believe development is being delayed because it was put in a TIF District which will eventually help fund some of the improvements.

Executive Session

None

Adjournment

A motion to adjourn was made at 12:32 pm and all concurred.

https://www.vniles.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_12032020-2031