HomeMy WebLinkAbout12.13.16 Minutes
Minutes
Tuesday,
December
13,
2016
6:15
PM
Robert
Gilliam
Municipal
Complex,
City
Hall
Second
Floor
South
Conference
Room
150
Dexter
Ct.,
Elgin,
IL
60120
A. Call
to
order
(chairperson)
B. Roll
Call
(staff
liaison)
Commissioners
Alvarez,
Fitton,
Hajek,
Hernandez,
Keare,
and
Segel
present.
C. Approval
of
previous
meeting’s
minutes
November
2016
meeting
minutes
were
approved.
D. Communications
1. Welcome
new
commissioner
Liaison
will
introduce
Commissioner
Jorge
Alvarez
Commissioner
Alvarez
just
began
his
new
position
with
the
City
of
Elgin
as
a
building
inspector.
He
has
over
15
years
of
experience
as
a
carpenter,
went
to
school
for
HVAC,
and
also
does
home
renovations
outside
of
work
with
the
city.
He
is
looking
to
convert
an
old
1970s
house
he
owns
into
a
zero-‐energy
home.
E. Discussion
Items
1. Vehicle
Fleet
discussion
Discuss
City’s
vehicle
fleet
and
sustainable
options
and
criteria
for
new
purchases
The
liaison
explained
the
current
“green”
fleet
stock
and
an
analyst’s
persepctive
on
purchasing
such
vehicles.
There
can
be
extra
maintenance
and
not
enough
cost
savings
to
make
it
worthwhile.
It
might
be
feasible
to
recommend
all-‐electric
vehicles
for
new
purchases
if
the
vehicle(s)
were
to
use
by
staff
that
drive
around
frequently,
like
code
officers.
While
hybrid
vehicles
require
additional
maintenance,
and
all-‐electric
may
require
less.
Liaison
will
look
into
what
type
of
infrastructure
would
be
needed
for
maintenance
of
such
vehicles.
Regarding
notes
from
the
analyst
at
public works, lisiaon would inquire if the
“Ford focus cost 40% less than a green vehicle” statement included the fuel costs
associated with each vehicle.
2. Co-‐sponsorship
of
documentary
films
showing
“Bikes
vs.
Car”
with
Elgin
Community
Network
and
Elgin
Bicycle
and
Pedestrian
Advisory
Committee
No
cost
to
co-‐sponsorship
The
documentary
film
will
be
shown
on
Tuesday,
January
17
at
the
Gail
Borden
Public
Library,
from
6:30-‐8:30
p.m.
The
commission
passed
a
motion
to
sponsor
the
event
and
help
promote
it.
F. Old
Business
1. Partners
for
Places
grant
proposal
&
Community
Gardens
Continued
discussion
on
community
gardens
projects
in
Elgin
&
meeting
grant
requirements.
Liaison
updated
commission
that
she
had
set
up
a
meeting
with
various
stakeholder
groups
to
discuss
this
project
in
more
detail.
She
would
report
back
at
the
January
meeting,
but
it
was
likely
the
group
would
not
be
able
to
apply
for
a
grant
until
the
next
round
in
the
summer
of
2017.
2. Elgin
Green
Groups
350
letter
of
support
Discuss
any
additional
information
found
in
commission
research
in
letter
of
support
for
a
carbon
fee
to
address
climate
change
and
whether
or
not
to
move
forward
with
letter
Commissioner
Fitton
suggested
the
commissioners
watch
an
episode
of
“Years
of
Living
Dangerously,”
available
on
Amazon
Prime,
which
talks
about
a
carbon
fee.
A
different
episode,
set
to
air
on
Wednesday,
December
21,
will
be
about
the
Waukegan
coal
plant.
Commissioner
Hajek
suggested
the
need
for
an
economical
perspective
on
the
issue,
and
that
there
is
not
enough
information
to
support
a
letter
right
now.
A
letter
of
support
for
the
climate
change,
however,
would
be
worthwhile.
The
commission
agreed
to
try
and
watch
the
episode
Commissioner
Fitton
mentioned
to
get
a
better
idea.
A
motion
was
passed
to
pursue
a
letter
of
support
for
climate
change
action.
It
is
supportive
of
the
mission
of
the
sustainability
plan,
only
on
a
larger
scale.
The
chairperson,
on
behalf
of
commission,
will
sign
the
letter.
G. Commissioner
comments/announcements
1. Sustainability
Action
Plan
Update
5-‐year
update
on
plan
progress
and
current
initiatives
The
liaison
provided
the
commission
with
a
draft
of
the
5-‐year
Sustainabilty
Action
Plan
progress
report
and
requested
all
read
it,
and
find
anything
that
might
be
missing
or
should
be
changed.
In
addition,
when
reviewing
objectives
listed
as
“Not
Started,”
think
of
which
might
be
worth
taking
on
in
2017.
In
addition,
if
it’s
listed
as
“Not
Started,”
should
it
be
reconsidered
or
is
it
realistic.
For
example,
Commissioner
Alvarez
suggested
we
look
into
the
educational
signage
along
the
river.
Commissioner
Hajek
suggested
that
new
castings
that
say,
“Drains
to
River”
are
actually
already
required
for
new
developments,
so
that
would
technically
be
“In
Progress.”
These
insights
will
be
important
to
updating
the
draft
into
a
final
version.
The
update
will
be
provided
to
City
Council
via
presentation
at
an
early
2017
City
Council
meeting.
H. Adjourn
The
City
of
Elgin
is
subject
to
the
requirements
of
the
Americans
with
Disabilities
Act
(ADA)
of
1990.
Individuals
with
disabilities
who
plan
to
attend
this
meeting
and
who
require
certain
accommodations
in
order
to
allow
them
to
observe
and/or
participate
in
this
meeting,
or
who
have
questions
regarding
the
accessibility
of
the
meeting
or
the
facilities,
are
requested
to
contact
ADA
coordinator,
at
(847)
931-‐6076,
or
TTY/TDD
(847)
931-‐5616
promptly
to
allow
the
City
of
Elgin
to
make
reasonable
accommodations
for
those
persons.