Village of Montgomery Village Board met March 18.
Here is the minutes provided by the board:
President Brolley called the meeting to order at 1:02 p.m.
Roll Call
Trustee Gier Yea Trustee Betsinger Yea
Trustee Sperling Yea Trustee Jungermann Yea
Trustee Lee Yea Trustee Marecek Yea
Also present: Administrator Jeff Zoephel, Attorney Laura Julien, Chief of Police Phillip Smith, Deputy Chief of Police Armando Sanders, Director of Public Works Mark Wolf, Director of Finance Justin VanVooren, Director of Community Development Rich Young, Engineer Peter Wallers, Community Relations Manager Corinne Vargas, Clerk Penny Fitzpatrick and Members of the Press.
Public Participation
A. Public Comments.
President Brolley noted no Public Comments were received previously via email or during the teleconference. He discussed how the Governor’s recent Executive Order authorized the Village Board to conduct an Emergency Village Board Meeting via teleconference. Administrator Zoephel thanked staff and the Village Department Heads for their dedication, understanding and cooperation in ensuring the continuity of services and communication with residents during the recent unprecedented events.
Administrator Zoephel noted Village employees were utilizing staggered work schedules and working remotely from home to ensure their safety and staff was sharing updates with the Village Board and community as developments occurred. He summarized the benefits of proactively having Resolution 2020-004 approved and in place, to be able to take necessary action without delay regarding the current state of emergency.
Consent Agenda
There were no items on the Consent Agenda.
Items for Separate Action
A. Resolution 2020-004 Authorizing the Village President to Declare an Extended State of Emergency/Local Disaster.
Attorney Julien thanked everyone for their cooperation, patience and efficient responsiveness regarding this fluid and unprecedented event taking place. She requested that the Resolution 2020-004 verbiage be amended slightly to properly cite the correct section of the Village Code, if the Board chose to approve this resolution. She discussed the existing Village/Municipal Codes and Emergency Management Act and shared how they addressed the Village President’s authority to issue a proclamation declaring a state of emergency. She also noted this action would make the Village eligible to receive emergency funding, should it become available.
Attorney Julien summarized how this resolution extended the duration of the state of emergency declaration beyond its normal time frame, without requiring the Board to have to reconvene, reaffirm and renew this item. She discussed how it concurred with state and federal law and also addressed utilizing Police Officers and properly compensating them in response to their service regarding this state of emergency. She finally clarified the limited scope of authority granted by this declaration regarding the state of emergency and discussed how general Village business would be separately addressed and conducted.
Trustee Jungermann inquired and Attorney Julien discussed how the existing Emergency Action Plan and proposed Resolution addressed the Police Department’s authority in response to a state of emergency and noted cases outside of that scope would come back to the Village President and Board to be addressed. Trustee Jungermann further inquired and Attorney Julien discussed whether a Shelter in Place Proclamation at the state level would apply and be acted upon locally. Lastly, he asked if the Village Board could be given a few hours’ notice before changes or announcements were made public. Administrator Zoephel and Attorney Julien shared that staff would provide as much notice as possible, depending on the situation, and reiterated that these tools would allow the Village to appropriately respond to urgent circumstances.
President Brolley also discussed whether issues needing to be acted on without Board approval, could be added to future Village Board meetings for retroactive approval. He reiterated that the Village Board would be able to reconvene electronically if additional emergency teleconference meetings were necessary. Trustee Jungermann inquired and Chief Smith confirmed that he and Deputy Chief Sanders were on the call and discussed whether or not the Police Department would require additional staffing to deal with this fluid state of emergency.
Trustee Lee moved to approve the Resolution 2020-004 Authorizing the Village President to Declare an Extended State of Emergency/Local Disaster. Trustee Betsinger seconded this motion.
6 Yea. 0 No. Motion carried. Trustee Lee, Trustee Betsinger, Trustee Jungermann, Trustee Marecek, Trustee Gier and Trustee Sperling voting yea.
B. Proclamation of Local State of Emergency/Disaster and Executive Order.
President Brolley noted the Proclamation of Local State of Emergency/Disaster and Executive Order would be drafted, signed and released later today and a vote on this item was not needed. He further noted tremendous coordination and communication taking place between staff, local Health and Police Departments, Emergency Management Agencies and large local employers. He thanked them for their significant efforts to handle this scenario together for the overall benefit of the community.
Attorney Julien clarified the requirements for making this proclamation under oath, which would need to be signed and filed accordingly. Trustee Betsinger thanked staff and Attorney Julien for their work on this ever changing scenario and asked that Village communications to the public stress the proactive preparedness measures being taken regarding this issue.
Items for Discussion
No Items for Discussion were shared.
New or Unfinished Business
No New or Unfinished Business was shared.
Future Meetings
No Future Meetings were shared.
Executive Session: None
Adjournment: 1:22 p.m.
Seeking no further business to come before the Board, it was moved by Trustee Jungermann and seconded by Trustee Marecek to adjourn the meeting.
6 Yea. 0 No. Motion carried. Trustee Jungermann, Trustee Marecek, Trustee Gier, Trustee Sperling, Trustee Lee and Trustee Betsinger voting yea.
https://ci.montgomery.il.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_03182020-462
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