MINUTES
Moraine Township Board of Trustees
Thursday, December 18, 2008 7:30 PM
Moraine Township Office
MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING
December 18, 2008
The meeting was called to order at 7:31 PM, and upon roll call the following members were present: Supervisor Mari Barnes; Trustees Bryna Gamson and Jeff Zaluda. Also Present: Clerk Ellen Gussin, Chief Deputy Assessor Trish Lenzini; Assessor Peter Koukos; and community members Matilda Manfredini, and Wendy Fontana. Trustees Margoth Moreno and Cynthia Plouché were absent.
Approval of Minutes
The Regular Meeting Minutes of November 13, 2008 stand approved as written and distributed.
Approval of Bills
Trustee Zaluda moved, seconded by Trustee Gamson, approval of the bills. Upon roll call, motion carried.
Public Comment
None
Tax Levy Approval
Supervisor Barnes shared the Tax Levy Ordinance, distributed to the Board, with community members attending the meeting. She reported that she had asked Assessor Koukos for the difference in the tax rate per dollar with and without the $60,000 cushion he had recommended, and he responded that the difference is most negligible -- .044 versus .042. Community member Matilda Manfredini explained that she had been confused by the publication in the newspaper and believed the perceived increases were worrisome. She was relieved to learn that the amount of increase will be very small, no more than a few dollars per $100,000 of assessed valuation. Trustee Zaluda moved, and Trustee Gamson seconded a motion to adopt the Tax Levy Ordinance for the Township as presented by Supervisor Barnes. Upon roll call, motion carried.
Assessor’s Report
Assessor Koukos announced he is going to make a personal request to secure an additional two years of his military service for his pension fund; the State of Illinois authorized this in July 2007. He will have to come up with an additional $3,500 and the IMRF contribution from the Township will also be increased. The exact amount is yet to be determined but is approximately $200 per month amortized over many years. Trustee Gamson questioned what part of the cost would be covered by either the State or Military, and the answer was “none.” Assessor Koukos will include a formal request with specific dollar amounts in his budget request due early in 2009.
Assessment Appeal hearings are proceeding well; each employee from the Assessor’s office is taking one day each week to attend the hearings.
Construction on the new Assessor’s offices will begin in several weeks, which will require more money than allocated in this year’s budget. He was able to secure brand new filing cabinets from Mesirow as well as six cubicles for more private office space needed during the appeal period when the assessors need to gather evidence from taxpayers. ADA regulations to make the offices handicapped accessible will require changes to the doorways and washroom facilities, and probably be the most expensive part of the renovations. He will be speaking to the landlord again to try to negotiate the best terms possible.
Supervisor’s Report
The Township is currently very busy with the Phyllis Santullano Holiday Gift Drive. There are about 500 children coming in for gifts this year as well as a few emergency gifts. Distribution will be tomorrow and Saturday. The gifts will be distributed at Trinity Church, and pre-packed food bags will be available at the Township for those in need. The North Shore Highland Park Hospital has been very helpful in providing volunteers to help with the food drive.
Meetings with the architect about Township office renovations to bring our facility into the 21st century are proceeding, and Supervisor Barnes should have more information for the Board in January.
Committee Reports
Food Pantry – The Township has been the recipient of much-needed food collected by the various schools’ food drives, and the Township has been distributing a significant amount of food to those in need. Specific numbers will be distributed at the next meeting.
Latino Advisory Committee – Supervisor Barnes is still seeking additional interested individuals to serve on this new task force, and announced the telephone number of the Township office for anyone interested to call to volunteer – 847-432-3240.
Talk of the Township newsletter will be out in January, according to editor Bryna Gamson.
Old Business
None
New Business
None
Adjournment
With no further business to conduct, Trustee Zaluda moved, seconded by Trustee Gamson, the meeting be adjourned at 8:16 PM. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted,
_______________________
Ellen S. Gussin, Moraine Township Clerk
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