McHenry Times

Village of Oakwood Hills Village Board met Nov. 25.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

I. Call to Order: Acting President Chad Rider called the meeting to order at 7:01pm

II. Roll Call: Village Clerk LoSasso conducted a roll call at this time. Present were as follows: Acting President Rider, Trustees Wise, Ruhnke, Hummel and Zahorik. Also present were Attorney Waggoner and Chief Nash. Trustee Salvo was absent

III. Pledge of Allegiance: The Pledge of Allegiance was administered at this time.

IV. Moment of Reflection

V. Public Forum: Don Kalter thanked the chief for doing such a fine job. He expressed his thoughts on the current situation of dissolving the village by a group of Chalet Hills residents. Carla Hamilton and Rosie Riley supported what Don Kalter said. All agreed the village is worth saving. Acting President Rider stated that the village is limited as to what the village can comment on this matter. Attorney Waggoner explained the village cannot become involved in a political campaign. Don Kalter asked if the village can de-annex Chalet Hills and attorney Waggoner replied no they would have to begin a court process to do so. Trustee Zahorik attended a meeting at Chalet Hills Golf Course on the subject and briefly summarized. Trustee Zahorik asked if the petition is filed can the village hold a town hall meeting to inform residents and Attorney Waggoner responded yes as long as it was informative but the Village could not take a position pro or con. Trustee Zahorik also mentioned that all zoning ordinances the village has in place would no longer be in effect. County zoning ordinances would apply and may not be as stringent as Village ordinances. She also brought up that the village has municipal codes and we have the ability to change them when situations arise but the local control would be lost. Trustee Wise shared that he read the statute on dissolving a village and all assets are sold. This includes but not limited to the beaches, park, buildings, equipment etc. Once everything is sold the outstanding bills are paid and any monies remaining are distributed evenly to the school districts. He also mentioned that the beach property can be sold for houses to be built and there would be no public access to Silver Lake.

VI. Motion to Approve hiring Police Staff 

Motion: Trustee Zahorik

Second: Trustee Hummel

Discussion: Trustee Zahiorik made a motion to hire Andrew J. Serrato and Mark Palmsiano as part time police officers. Acting President Rider being the chair of the Public Safety Committee stated the candidates were interviewed at the last Public Safety Meeting and the vote was unanimous. Trustee Zahorik added that the committee took residents’ concerns about community policing into consideration when selecting these two candidates. The Chief then stated she receives and reviews large numbers of applications before deciding on an officer that is a perfect fit for our community. She summarized the two candidate’s qualifications and said they will be an excellent fit.

Roll Vote: Ayes Trustees Zahorik, Ruhnke, Hummel, Wise and Acting President Rider

Absent: Trustee Salvo

Motion Carried.

Oaths of Office were administered at this time.

VII.Executive Session: to discuss probable or pending litigation pursuant to Section 2( c) ( 11) of the Open Meetings Act. 

Motion: Trustee Zahorik

Second: Trustee Wise

Roll Vote: All Ayes with Acting President Rider.

The board went into Executive Session at 7:50PM

VIII.Regular session was resumed at 8:09pm. Roll Call was conducted by Clerk LoSasso. Present were as follows: Acting President Rider, Trustees Wise, Ruhnke, Hummel and Zahorik. Also present were Attorney Waggoner and Chief Nash. Trustee Salvo was absent.

IX. Adjourn:

Motion: Trustee Zahorik 

Second: Trustee Ruhnke

https://www.oakwoodhills.org/vertical/sites/%7B3522FAC0-0FAE-4F44-A540-BC4DC288C0EC%7D/uploads/Special_Board_Meeting_11-25-19.pdf