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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06_28_04_ccCITY COUNCIL ROLL CALL - PRESENT: A Quorum was present. ABSENT: PRESIDING: Alderman Wynne Alderman Bernstein Alderman Kent Mayor Morton, Aldermen Moran, Tisdahl and Jean -Baptiste Mayor Pro Tem Bernstein June 28, 2004 Alderman Rainey Alderman Feldman Alderman Newman City Clerk Mary Morris announced in the absence of Mayor Morton, nominations for the election of a Mayor Pro Tem were in order and, in accordance with Council Rule 14.7, Alderman Bernstein was next on the list of aldermen by seniority who have not served as Mayor Pro Tem. Alderman Feldman nominated Alderman Bernstein. Seconded by Alderman Wynne. Motion carried unanimously. The OFFICIAL REGULAR MEETING of the City Council was called to order by Mayor Pro Tem Bernstein Monday, June 28, 2004, at 9:28 p.m., in the City Council Chamber. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Public Works Director David Jennings announced that, due to the July 4t" holiday, refuse, recycling and yard waste pickups would occur one day later and the recycling drop-off would operate on its usual schedule. Parks/Forestry & Recreation Director Doug Gaynor reported that the Health Department tests water everyday at Evanston beaches and, by 10:00 a.m., beaches that are closed and open are posted on the City's website or by calling 847-492-7082. Occasionally beaches are closed due to high winds, waves or blowing sand. When bacteria counts reach a certain level, the beach is closed and staff is present to keep people out of the water. Mr. Gaynor reported as of June 6 the Forestry Division has tagged 300 diseased elm trees of which 143 are on public property and 207 are on private property. Seventy cut outs have been done, which means if a tree has five percent or less infected area, it is cut out and that has been successful. He hoped to come back at the July 26 Council meeting with a plan about a program to drastically reduce the disease. Health & Human Services Director Jay Terry reported the North Shore Mosquito Abatement District had found mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile Virus at two trapping locations in Skokie and one in Evanston. As a result, the district set up a spraying schedule. The area south of Dempster, an area that goes north to Central, south to Simpson, west to Crawford and east to Pioneer was sprayed Friday night. Other parts of Evanston not in that description, north of Central and most of Wilmette were to be sprayed that evening. No birds have tested positive for West Nile Virus. Facilities Management Director Max Rubin announced that Fourth of July activities would be held Sunday, July 4. Tennis finals are from 8-4 at Ackerman Park. There are playground sports at Lincolnwood School, Willard School, Robert Crown Center and Fleetwood-Jourdain Center from 9-12. The parade starts at 2:00 p.m. at Central/Central Park Ave. east to Ryan Field. The band concert is at Dawes Lagoon at 7:30 p.m., followed by fireworks at 9:15 p.m. at Clark Street Beach. Tune into 90.5 FM radio to listen to music synchronized with the fireworks. Winners of the Family Evanston 4"' of July were chosen: Katherine C. Kramer, 1860 Sherman Ave. won I' place; Robert McDonald -Freeman family, 1235 Hinman Ave., 2" a place and the Redwine family, 2444 Central Park Ave., 3rd place. Mayor Pro Tem Bernstein sent condolences to Elizabeth Tisdahl whose mother, Eleanor Chapman Beidler, had died. A memorial service was scheduled Tuesday, 4:00 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest, 700 Sheridan Rd. A moment of silence was observed. June 28, 2004 COMMUNICATIONS: None Alderman Feldman moved to convene as Township Trustees. Seconded by Alderman Wynne. Motion carried. No nays. Public Hearing on the Proposed Budget of Evanston Township for Fiscal Year 2004-2005 There was no public comment. Ordinance 64-0-04 — Approval of Proposed Budget for Evanston Township — Consideration of a recommendation that the City Council, acting as Township Trustees, approve the April 1, 2004 to March 31, 2005 Budget for Evanston Township, introduced June 14, 2004. Trustee Bernstein moved approval of the Township Budget. Seconded by Trustee Feldman. Trustee Rainey pointed out that trustees did not receive the Human Services Committee minutes to review and she did not see in material given to them that this budget must be passed by June 30. She suggested that the time had come to take the Township more seriously and to look at coterminous townships. She has talked to one legislator about this. One problem with township government and being coterminous is that trustees have no role to play other than to vote for the budget. If they vote no the program collapses so they must vote yes. They can dicker but cannot make a significant impact on operation of the Township. She said that no one has run the Township as well as Pat Vance, whom she has known for many years. This situation costs taxpayers a lot of money, when the same job could be done by the City. They could eliminate thousands of dollars spent on rent annually. Her point about this budget was that it costs citizens $633,613 to give away $411,490, which she found to be wrong. One perspective given to her about this was that $633,613 is the cost to keep all those who are unqualified off the General Assistance rolls. Trustee Newman said the Human Services Committee had asked that the minutes be sent to trustees in advance so they could have the benefit of their discussion. Trustee Rainey had read the minutes that evening but did not find a lot of detail regarding this budget. She noted that $1.45 million is a lot of money when assessments are going up. She said this is treated as a stepchild; has heard Council debate $20-40,000 in the City budget for 90 minutes, but no attention is paid to a $1 million budget. Trustee Bernstein explained that a coterminous township is where the municipal/township geo/political boundaries are the same in contrast to Niles Township, which includes Skokie, Lincolnwood, Niles and Morton Grove. He said township governments do many things such as road maintenance. Evanston Township has two functions: General Assistance and the Township Assessor's Office. Roll call. Voting aye — Wynne, Bernstein, Kent, Rainey, Feldman, Newman. Voting nay — none. Motion carried (6-0). Trustee Feldman moved that they reconvene as City Council. Seconded by Trustee Wynne. Motion carried. No nays. CITIZEN COMMENT: Catherine Counard, 217 Kedzie St., physician and a co -leader of Evanston Citizens for Clean Indoor Air, commended Council for taking a stand to protect the health of Evanston residents, workers and visitors. Although the ordinance before them does not go far enough toward protecting all workers from the health risks of second hand smoke, it is a step forward. They know that workers are harmed everyday here and applaud their willingness to take action. She decided to fight against the harmful effects of second hand smoke when she cared for a young woman who died from lung cancer from exposure to known carcinogens. She has heard some say the decision of the Human Services Committee to exempt bar and restaurant employees from the Indoor Clean Air Act was a victory for the hospitality industry. She thought that Alderman Bernstein's remark at the June meeting "that no one feels good about this decision" was right on the mark. If local business owners believe that they must place their employees' health at risk and their own as well to earn a living, that is a sad commentary on the state of the Evanston community. June 28, 2004 Brian Callahan. 802 Forest Ave., 17-year resident, loves to stroll around Evanston and look at the handsome architecture. He is not an architect and as Alderman Bernstein said, he too does not have good taste. He said that many new developments here are unattractive even to his untrained eyes. While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, he did not know why they were so hesitant to be labeled the "taste police." He did not think all new development had to use traditional architecture. Well done modern architecture should be welcomed. He does not understand why Evanston cannot have stronger control over a new development's appearance. Other municipalities must have better appearance ordinances than does Evanston. The people who came here 50-150 years ago gave people a beautiful city. He appreciates the work that aldermen do; urged them to pass along an equally beautiful city to the people who will come in the future. CONSENT AGENDA (Any item marked with an Asterisk*) Alderman Feldman moved Council approval of the Consent Agenda with these exceptions: Ordinance 65-0-04 — Zoning Planned Development — 801 Chicago/525 Kedzie; Ordinance 67-0-04 — Variation for 1500 Darrow (Number of Parking Spaces); Ordinance 59-0-04 — Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment; Ordinance 63-0-04 — Amends City's Indoor Clear Air Ordinance; Appointments — Ann Dienner, Emily Guthrie — Preservation Commission and Appointments to Compensation committee. Seconded by Alderman Rainey. Roll call. Voting aye — Wynne, Bernstein, Kent, Rainey, Feldman, Newman. Voting nay — none. Motion carried (6-0). * ITEMS APPROVED ON CONSENT AGENDA MINUTES: * Approval of Minutes of the Regular City Council Meeting of June 14, 2004 and the Special City Council Meeting of March 1, 2004. * APPROVED - CONSENT AGENDA MOTION AND ROLL CALL (6-0) ADMINISTRATION & PUBLIC WORKS: * Approval, as recommended, of the City of Evanston payroll for the period ending June 17, 2004 and City of Evanston bills for the period ending June 29, 2004 authorized and charged to the proper accounts: City of Evanston payroll (through 6/17/04) $2,094,195.40 City of Evanston bills (through 6/29/04) $4,103,444.71 * APPROVED - CONSENT AGENDA MOTION AND ROLL CALL (6-0) * Approval of the lowest responsive and responsible bid of Insolar Window Treatment Inc. for custom fitting and installing window coverings for the Levy Center at a cost of $26,715. (Funding source is Levy Center CIP Account.) * APPROVED - CONSENT AGENDA MOTION & ROLL CALL (6-0) * Approval of the proposal and contract for Mail Machine Equipment in the amount of $25,336 (equipment) and $2,688 (yearly contract) from Francotyp-Postalia by United Office Systems. (Funded in Mailroom budget.) * APPROVED - CONSENT AGENDA MOTION & ROLL CALL (6-0) * Approval of the lowest responsive and responsible bid of J.A. Johnson Paving Co. for installation of speed humps at a cost of $44,850. (Funded by Neighborhood Traffic Control Account.) * APPROVED - CONSENT AGENDA MOTION & ROLL CALL (6-0) * Approval of the lowest responsive and responsible bid of Capital Cement Inc. for paving of various alleys at a cost of $1,295,584.50 (Funded by GO bonds.) * APPROVED - CONSENT AGENDA MOTION & ROLL CALL (6-0) * Approval of the lowest responsive and responsible bid of Vermeer Midwest, Inc. for a brush chipper for the Forestry Division at a cost of $33,760, including extended two-year warranty. (Funded through FY 04-05 Fleet Services budget.) * APPROVED - CONSENT AGENDA MOTION & ROLL CALL (6-0) * Approval of Change Order #1 for Phase IX -Contract B, Relief Sewer Program, with Pan -Oceanic Engineering Co. for June 28, 2004 additional restoration on Oak Ave. between Davis and Lake streets, and additional sewer installation and restoration on Grove St. between Oak and Ridge avenues; increases contract amount by $114,962. (Funded by CIP/$83,283 and Sewer Fund/$31,679). * APPROVED - CONSENT AGENDA MOTION & ROLL CALL (6-0) ■N■ * Endorsement of Proposed Illinois Energv Efficient Building Act (HB 4099) — Consideration of a recommendation of the Energy Commission that the City Council endorse HB 4099, the Illinois Energy Efficient Building Act, which establishes a uniform statewide building code of energy efficiency for commercial buildings and send a letter of support to Gov. Blagojevich. * APPROVED - CONSENT AGENDA MOTION & ROLL CALL (6-0) * Ordinance 68-0-04 — Special Assessment #1476: Allev Paving — Home Depot Area — Consideration of proposed Ordinance 68-0-04, which authorizes the paving of eight alleys in the Home Depot area through the Special Assessment process. * MARKED INTRODUCED — CONSENT AGENDA * Ordinance 71-0-04 — Declaring Citv Property as Surplus — Consideration of proposed Ordinance 71-0-04, which declares several vehicles and other equipment as surplus property so it may be sold at auction on August 14, 2004. * MARKED INTRODUCED — CONSENT AGENDA * Ordinance 72-0-04 — Decrease in Class D Liauor Licenses — Consideration of proposed Ordinance 72-0-04, which would decrease Class D Liquor Licenses from 26 to 25 with the closing of Young Daruma, Inc., dba Damma Japanese Restaurant, 2901 Central St. * MARKED INTRODUCED — CONSENT AGENDA * Ordinance 69-0-04 — Loading Zone at 1615 Emerson St. — Consideration of proposed Ordinance 69-0-04, which amends Section 10-11-7, Schedule VII(B) of the City Code to establish a loading zone at 1615 Emerson St. * MARKED INTRODUCED — CONSENT AGENDA PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT: * Temoorary Sign Reauest for American Craft Exposition — Consideration of the request of the Auxiliary of Evanston Northwestern Healthcare to erect temporary signs and banners advertising and directing patrons to the American Craft Exposition held at the Henry Crown Sports Pavilion from August 26-29, 2004. * APPROVED - CONSENT AGENDA MOTION AND ROLL CALL (6-0) * Reauest for HOME Funds — Housing ODDortunity Development Comoration — Consideration of a request of the Housing Opportunity Development Corp. for $44,000 in HOME funds to rehab a three - unit rental property at 1930 Jackson Ave. * APPROVED - CONSENT AGENDA MOTION AND ROLL CALL (6-0) * Ordinance 62-0-04 — Amendments to Ordinance 41-0-04: 01 Office District Uses — Consideration of proposed Ordinance 62-0-04, introduced June 14, 2004, which approves a recommendation of the Plan Commission to amend the allowed uses for the 01, Office District in Ordinance 41-0-04, adopted April 13, 2004. * ADOPTED CONSENT AGENDA & ROLL CALL (6-0) APPOINTMENTS Mayor Morton asked that the following appointments be confirmed: David Angelus 911-Emergency Telephone System Board 1580 Sherman Ave. For term ending July 15, 2006 Ellen L. Schrodt Library Board 2801 Sheridan Pl. 5 For term ending July 15, 2007 Jonell Nimock M/W/EBE Development Committee 1029 Wesley Ave. For term ending July 15, 2006 Tracey L. Wallace M/W/EBE Development Committee 1310 Darrow Ave. For term ending July 15, 2006 Joseph Zambreno Parking Committee 1014 Noyes St. For term ending July 15, 2007 Natalie B. Newberger Playground & Recreation Board 100 Dempster St. For term ending July 15, 2009 Monique Parsons Playground & Recreation Board 1615 Thelin Ct. For term ending July 15, 2009 Jordan M. Cramer Preservation Commission 2607 Park Pl. For term ending July 15, 2007 Tom Boggs Public Art Committee 2630 Hillside Ln. For term ending July 15, 2007 Lawrence E. Wilson Public Art Committee 2310 Thayer St. For term ending July 15, 2007 Greg Summers Sign Review & Appeals Board 1830 Ridge Ave. For term ending July 15, 2007 Mayor Morton asked that the following re -appointments be confirmed: Frances Seidman Commission on Aging 600-E South Blvd. For term ending July 15, 2007 Douglas Doetsch Plan Commission 1216 Hinman Ave. For term ending July 15, 2007 Alice Rebechini Plan Commission 2022 Hawthorne Ln. For term ending July 15, 2007 * APPROVED — CONSENT AGENDA June 28, 2004 June 28, 2004 Ann C. Dienner Preservation Commission 1034 Sheridan Rd. Emily W. Guthrie Preservation Commission 730 Judson Ave. Mayor Pro Tem Bernstein asked that the above names be held at the request of Mayor Morton. AGENDA ADDENDUM APPOINTMENTS For introduction and approval to the Compensation Committee Stephen B. Engelman M. Emily W. Guthrie Una Malkinson Carol Mullins Betty Payne Hollis Settles Jack Weiss Mayor Pro Tem Bernstein asked that these names be held at Mayor Morton's request. Seconded by Alderman Wynne. REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEES PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT: Ordinance 65-0-04 — Zoning Planned Development: 801 Chica2o/525 Kedzie — Consideration of proposed Ordinance 65-0-04, which approves the findings and report of the Plan Commission regarding granting a Planned Development at 801 Chicago/525 Kedzie. Alderman Kent reported that this item was held in committee. Ordinance 67-0-04 — Variation for 1500 Darrow (Number of Parkine SDaces) — Consideration of proposed Ordinance 67-0-04, which approves the ZBA recommendation to grant a variance reducing the required number of parking spaces from five to zero at 1500 Darrow Ave. Assistant Corporation Counsel Ellen Szymanski stated that since the ZBA did not make findings on this case, staff prepared findings which were reflected in Section 2 (a) to (g). At the P&D Committee there was a motion to accept those findings. Alderman Kent asked that this item be marked introduced as amended. Ordinance 59-0-04 — Zonine Ordinance Text Amendment — Consideration proposed Ordinance 59-0- 04, which approves a recommendation of the Plan Commission to establish minimum standards when planned developments are required. Alderman Kent reported that findings of fact on page two, section 2 were handed out that evening and accepted. He moved approval. Seconded by Alderman Rainey. Alderman Newman said Council has waited a long time for this ordinance, which started out as a reference on binding appearance review with little support on the Plan Commission. He said the approach taken goes a long way to monitor the appearance problem that a Citizen Comment speaker had mentioned. Many people think that most big projects here are subject to City approval, which is untrue. The townhouses on the former Dominick's property, the orange balcony June 28, 2004 building downtown and the building next to 1800 Sherman, which completely overwhelms the site, all came as a matter of right. Regulating land use is easier said than done. The property owner has a lot of power and there is no requirement that every architect hired by a property owner be a great one. All wish they would be. The ability to regulate property is subject to review by the courts in Illinois, which are cognizant of individual property owners. He said this ordinance takes any zoning district here, with the exception of U3, and any building with more than 24 housing units or over 30,000 square feet would automatically become a planned development. This gives City Council and the Plan Commission an opportunity to review a project. He said they have done this in response to the community's concern about what Evanston is beginning to look like. He noted that things are much different than they were 10 years ago. Everybody wants to build here because Evanston has many advantages as an inner -ring suburb; excellent transportation, interest rates are low and a large demand. He said policymakers have a limited ability to stop the marketplace's willingness to build. This ordinance gives them the best opportunity to uphold community values and to have some impact on architecture and appearance. He thanked the Plan Commission for its work. They took a tremendous step forward. City Manager Crum noted the committee wanted to ensure the map reference on page 11, specifically referred to the map included in the Consent Decree. That is entered as a footnote to the document and does not require a formal amendment. Roll call. Voting aye — Wynne, Bernstein, Kent, Rainey, Feldman, Newman. Voting nay — none. Motion carried (6-0). HUMAN SERVICES: Ordinance 63-0-04 — Amendine the Citv's Indoor Clean Air Ordinance — Consideration of proposed Ordinance 63-0-04, introduced June 14, 2004, which amends the City's Indoor Clean Air Ordinance to prohibit smoking in common areas of multi -unit buildings and all workplaces except bars, restaurants and long-term care facilities. Mayor pro tem Bernstein on behalf of the committee moved approval. Seconded by Alderman Rainey. Alderman Rainey supported the ordinance but said Council has an ethical issue they have not discussed. She noted the City accepts $300,000 annually from cigarette taxes. She wondered at what point they can argue to evils of smoking, yet enjoy the benefit of money gained from cigarette sales. She referred the ethical issue to the Human Services Committee to begin a discussion. The Cook County Board raised the county tax $1 a pack, which was a good step. The City makes it more difficult for smokers as opposed to liquor sales where the City makes it more possible to consume alcohol. Roll call. Voting aye — Wynne, Bernstein, Kent, Rainey, Feldman, Newman. Voting nay — none. Motion carried (6-0). Mayor Pro Tem Bernstein announced the July 19 Human Services Committee meeting had been cancelled. CALL OF THE WARDS: 3rd Ward. Alderman Wynne offered condolences to the family of Elizabeth Tisdahl on the death of her mother. She commended the Police Department for superb work. She reported that within minutes of a car invasion and purse snatching, the police had apprehended the perpetrator. She reported on June 9, her family took a North Shore Cab to O'Hare Field. During the ride they were nearly killed at least three times. The driver was nice but incompetent. Only though the defensive driving of others and because her husband directed the driver on how to drive that they were not killed. She will never again call North Shore Cab and was furious because they have a cab license granted by the City. She wanted to know why such a business is permitted to operate here. This was not her first instance of having poor driving, but it was the most egregious and frightening experience. She made a reference to the A&PW Committee to determine what the Citv does. if anvthine, to oversee the taxicab inspections and what driver's standards are, because this man should not be drivine a taxicab. When they returned on June 21, they took a taxicab licensed by the City of Chicago and were driven home. Alderman Wynne spoke of three employees who are leaving the City. Darlene Nilges, executive assistant to the City June 28, 2004 Manager, who has been a City employee for 19 years and a wonderful asset to Alderman Wynne and to the community with her professionalism, talent and tremendous work ethic. Many people may not be aware of her, but she is one of the employees who really make the City work. She retires this week and unfortunately, they will feel the effects. She wished her good luck and was sorry to see her leave. Maureen Barry, assistant to the City Manager for almost five years, is another superb City employee who many in the community have had contact with. She predicted her dedication, talent and professionalism will take her far. Ms. Barry is going to Wilmette --their gain and Evanston's loss, but Evanston will continue to benefit because Ms. Barry is a 3rd ward resident. Her final farewell to was to Roger Crum. She thanked him for his hard work for Evanston. She was the rookie alderman on the Council and he made her transition wonderful. She appreciated his professionalism and dedication and wished him wonderful times in the next phase of his life, 51hWard. Alderman Kent wished much success and congratulations to Maureen Barry and Darlene Nilges. He reported there would be a special meeting of the Planning & Development Committee about the Georgian on July 29 at 6:00 p.m. at the Civic Center. 6th Ward. No report. nth Ward. No report. 8th Ward. Alderman Rainey sent condolences to Liz Tisdahl on the death of her mom. She gave her best wishes to Roger Crum. She felt the same way about Darlene Nilges and Maureen Barry as expressed by Alderman Wynne. She stated that both are wonderful women and noted that Darlene Nilges is a beautiful vocalist. She wished all good luck and hoped Roger Crum would enjoy a wonderful retirement. 9th Ward. Alderman Feldman said it was hard to say good bye to Darlene Nilges. He thanked her for all the wonderful things she has done to help him as an alderman and help citizens. He won't get used to calling the manager's office and not hearing her marvelous voice. Hers is exactly the voice they want to answer the telephone in the City Manager's office because it expressed competence, excellence and a kind of loveliness. He wished her good luck. He expressed similar sentiments to Maureen Barry, who worked with him and other aldermen, and said she deserves the position she will have in Wilmette. He wished her good luck and knew that she would be successful. He said it had been a pleasure working with Roger Crum, who had helped them in many ways. He thought citizens and Council members knew that. He could not imagine a more professional city manager and admired the calm way he witnessed controversies, never seemed to bat an eye and did his work well. He urged him to have fun and a great life. He commented about the approval of alley paving with funds from Home Depot that was negotiated when Home Depot came to Evanston; did not think they envisioned the effect those funds would have on the immediate community. He saw this a fitting end to that and that people would be delighted with the improvements. He called it a win -win situation because the City won't have to level those alleys; aldermen won't have to respond to requests for service and residents will enjoy the benefits of a paved alley. It is the area between Main and Oakton west of Dodge to Hartrey. He was pleased and said the City had done a good job. Vt Ward. Alderman Newman wished good luck to Roger Crum, Darlene Nilges and Maureen Barry. He stated he did not care who serves on the Compensation Committee; said it is needless. He thought it was a disservice to those asked to serve and could not remember anybody paying attention to what one of these committees recommended. He said the more appropriate way to have handled this was to consult with Council to see if there was consensus to do June 28, 2004 anything about salaries. Aldermen know better than anyone else what they do in their jobs and are capable of making decisions to raise or lower salaries. Regarding Preservation Commission appointments, he said the story last time was that it is hard to find architects. He made a call and got a list of the names of 10 architects, including two who are ready to serve on the Preservation Commission. This commission is important to the City and needs a large amount of expertise. One of the three appointees should have been an architect. He thought it a result of not reaching out. He said there are many architects and retired architects who are willing to serve. He noted that the issue of The Georgian is incredibly complex and expertise is needed, not opinions. He pointed out they have before them The Georgian landmark application, where there was an application to make it a landmark after the building's owners made an application for a building permit. That is now happening at the Kendall property where there is an application to landmark one of the buildings. When the Preservation Ordinance was passed, Council did not think of this ordinance as an offensive weapon against the development process, which it has turned into with these two properties. He says that because there were 50 years prior for somebody to come forward and ask for landmark status. It did not happen until the property owner wanted to do something. He found that a bit of a problem and suggested they needed to re -visit the issue. He thought that perhaps it should be prohibited. If people do not see the landmark value of a property well in advance of a development application, that says something. He did not think they should wait until somebody applies because it drags out the process, which takes more meeting time and creates additional expense. He was at James Park before he came to the meeting this evening where there were two girl's softball games and two boy's baseball games and the park was populated with children. It looked beautiful because of the Levy Center, flowers and landscaping. He said the park was a triumph for the City because the Levy Center plays a central role in how it functions. There are many happy families there and people from Skokie coming to play ball. He thanked aldermen for their part in creating this wonderful park. 2°d Ward. No report. 41h Ward. Mayor Pro Tern Bernstein thanked Roger Crum, Darlene Nilges and Maureen Barry for their wonderful service to the City. They all have served well and will be missed. He agreed with Alderman Newman about the offensive weapon being used by opponents of certain development and thought the intent was to drag out the process. He had no problems with those who are well meaning but it is disingenuous to wait until something happens. He recalled sitting in judgment on an obscure property on Callan Ave. a few years ago and if the preservationists could find that property, how could they not find others. He went on record as opposing mast arm traffic signals in Evanston. He fought them on Ridge Avenue and as he went north on Elmwood recently came upon Dempster Street and saw a newly constructed mast arm signal. He is offended by them; said they don't belong here where visibility is not an issue. City Manager Roger Crum thanked all for the opportunity to serve; said this meeting completes almost eight years in Evanston and 30 years in City government. By his count this completes his 1,263rd Council meeting. In Evanston it has not always been easy, but it has been interesting and they have accomplished some amazing things. At 10:42 p.m., Alderman Feldman moved that Council convene into Closed Session in the Aldermanic Library for the purpose of discussing personnel matters, litigation and closed session minutes pursuant to 51LCS Section 120/2 (c) (1), (11) and (21). Seconded by Alderman Rainey. (1) The appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the public body, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee to determine its validity. (11) Litigation, when an action against, affecting or on behalf of the particular public body has been filed and is pending before a court or administrative tribunal, or when the public body finds that an action is probable or imminent, in which case the basis for the finding shall be recorded and entered into the minutes of the closed meeting. (21) Discussion of minutes of meetings lawfully closed under this Act, whether for purposes of approval by the body of the minutes or semi-annual review of the minutes as mandated by Section 2.06. 10 June 28, 2004 Roll call. Voting aye — Wynne, Bernstein, Kent, Rainey, Feldman, Newman. Voting nay — none. Motion carried (6-0). There being no further business to come before Council, Mayor Pro Tern Bernstein asked for a motion to adjourn. The Council so moved and the meeting was adjourned at 11:17 p.m. Mary P. Morris, City Clerk A videotape recording of this meeting has been made Dart of the permanent record and is available in the Citv Clerk's office.