Dupage Policy Journal

City of Elmhurst Public Affairs and Safety Committee met Nov. 25

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

1. Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 P.M. by Chair Brennan

2. Roll Call

Committee Members Present: Chair Brennan, Alderman Hill, Alderman Nardini

City Staff Present: Assistant City Manager Kent Johnson, Deputy Police Chief James Gandy, Fire Chief Dick Dufort, History Museum Executive Director Dave Oberg

Guests: Nathan Underhile, a representative for Metropolitan Family Services

3. Public Comments

Patricia Motto spoke to the committee about the importance of sexual harassment training, particularly with the Fire and Police Departments. 

4. Receipt of Written Communication

The committee was provided with correspondence from Micael LoCicero, Chair of Elmhurst Walk and Rollers, regarding the establishment of Safe Routes to School and history. 

5. Business Before the Committee

A. Public Affairs & Safety Committee Meeting November 12th, 2024 , Minutes

Alderman Nardini related he wished for the minutes to be more detailed, as he felt a resident should be able to fully understand what was being discussed by reading the minutes. Alderman Nardini motioned to approve the minutes; Alderman Hill seconded. Roll call vote: Brennan Aye, Hill Aye, Nardini Aye. Motion carried.

B. Metropolitan Family Services MOU Report

Nathan Underhile, a representative for Metropolitan Family Services, provided the committee with a recap of services provided to the community. Underhile explained the history of Metropolitan Family Services and explained the services the organization provides to seniors at the Kies Recreation Center. He explained that the organization often assists in finding other services for seniors. Alderman Hill questioned where the organization receives their funding from and inquired on the lack of services available to veterans. Alderman Nardini questioned where the seniors were sent to when seeking assistance. Chair Brennan inquired on the attendance and commented on the mental health concerns occurring and if Underhile had a hypothesis for the increase in mental health issues. Alderman Nardini pointed out an error in the report, and requested it be amended. Alderman Nardini motioned to approve the amended report, Alderman Hill seconded. Roll call vote: Brennan Aye, Hill Aye, Nardini Aye. Motion carried. 

C. New Sidewalk Policy Review and Creation of a New Sidewalk Master Plan Referral- Discussion

Assistant City Manager Kent Johnson provided updates on the on-going process of creating the master plan, including updates to an interactive map, which included color coding. Chair Brennan stated he did not feel that streets with an existing sidewalk on one side of the street  should be included on the list. Alderman Nardini related he felt the areas that already had existing sidewalks on one side could be de-prioritized, but those segments should be included on the list. There was discussion regarding the pros and cons of including the 90 identified segments of sidewalk which already have an existing sidewalk on one side, with Chair Brennan stating the charter he would want to put forward was a general report that was passable to the counsel. Alderman Hill questioned the economy of scale, inquiring how much savings would incur if both sides were completed at the same time. Alderman Hill stated he liked the idea of listing segments of sidewalk in which there was already an existing sidewalk on one side as deferred. Alderman Hill stated they need to do what they can to assist future city councils in making decisions, while Chair Brennan stated mentioning the segments of sidewalk as deferred was outside the scope. Chair Brennan explained they have looked at how other communities, particularly Wheaton, had created their sidewalk plans, and asking for sidewalks on both sides of the street could be perceived as being greedy. Alderman Nardini disagreed, stating the master plan was not outside the scope. Alderman Hill stated his thoughts were somewhere between Chair Brennan and Alderman Nardini, stating that having sidewalks on both sides of the street was too much, but they could mention it. Chair Brennan reiterated the charter needed to be sidewalks on one side of the street. Assistant City Manager Johnson explained the importance of hosting meetings for the public to attend and explaining what would be occurring would be crucial for the plan to succeed. There was continued discussion regarding the time frames involved and the financial costs associated with the plan. Alderman Nardini related he did not care about selling the plan to counsel, but wanted to put together a good, solid master sidewalk plan. Alderman Nardini related they were finally having a good, substantive discussion and asked when their deadline was. Chair Brennan explained the committee should have something completed by January of 2025. Alderman Hill inquired that now that the plan was coming together, what was the fixed budget. Alderman Nardini indicated he needed more details before he signed his name and wanted to role-play out how the public would perceive the plan. Chair Brennan pointed out that while dollars would change over the years, linear feet would not. Discussion continued regarding the spirit of the master plan being sidewalks on at least one side of the street. Alderman Nardini related he wanted to go for more; but would settle for less. There was then discussion regarding whether to treat the Prairie Path as a park and if the committee should de-prioritize streets that bordered a different municipality. It was agreed that further discussion would continue at later meetings.

D. Bensenville Fire Protection District #1 Successor Agreement Nonth Amended Modification Agreement

Fire Chief Dufort provided the committee with an overview of the Fire Districts. Alderman Nardini had questions regarding the finances associated with said fire districts. Alderman Hill related he had the same questions Alderman Nardini had two years prior regarding the inequities. After further discussion and conversation, including the areas involved were primarily wetlands north of Grand Ave, Alderman Nardini related he was comfortable signing the report based on the information he was provided. Alderman Hill motioned to approve the report, Alderman Nardini seconded. Roll call vote: Brennan Aye, Hill Aye, Nardini Aye. Motion carried. 

6. Other Business

None

Adjournment

Motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Alderman Nardini and seconded by Alderman Hill. Roll call vote: Brennan Aye, Hill Aye, Nardini Aye, motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 8:33 P.M.

https://go.boarddocs.com/il/coe/Board.nsf/Public