27 March COW

[Bear]

This could get ugly...Meeting etiquette is on the agenda, not once, but twice.

I think they are bringing in the pros for some serious bitch slapping.

http://www.businessweek.com/1997/07/b351439.htm

[~LL~]

Meeting 'etiquette' per se was neither discussed nor exercised... It is upsetting to see that some of our Alderpersons think that speaking out of turn, or casting out snide and inappropriate remarks somehow makes the target of their contention look bad.  This childish behavior only makes me doubt their ability to make good decisions for the City of Berwyn.

There was, however, a very interesting presentation given during COW  -- which I have very briefly summarized here. 

Crime Free Housing proposal 3/27
Officer Nevil of  Schaumberg PD – gave overview of Crime Free Housing Program in effect in Schaumberg
To reduce problems in rental properties
Program for owners/landlords/bld. Managers includes information and training on Screening – including background checks,    Crime prevention and Legal matters.
•   Program is 'anti-crime'. (Yes -- the ACLU has made some challenges -- but not pursued them...)
•   Partnership with municipality (Police Dept, specifically)  and property management/ownership
•   Measurable decrease in calls to police since program instituted in Schaumberg.
•   Rental Licensing tied to program – 8 hour training provided to small property owners as well as property management of larger buildings.
•   Ordinance requires program attendance and defines problems that municipality will assist to solve (eviction, etc.).
•   Training available for police personnel
•   Repeat  (for emphasis...)– every multi-unit property owner is required to send a representative of the property's ownership to attend the seminar – including single-family homes that are used as rental properties.
•   On-site inspection is also part of  licensing & renewal.
•   Lovero felt it important to get the licensing process (code enforcement) in Berwyn in place/firmed up – then possibly melding our ordinance and a form of the Schaumberg ordinance.

A few more items were discussed at COW -- after Mayor and Council reconvened after a long closed session.  If time permits, I'll post my recap of those later today.

[~LL~]

These are very basic notes on what transpired.  This is the first time I've tried to take notes on my laptop at Berwyn meetings -- but, yet another time I wish Council Chambers had a far better sound system...

For starts -- the order of discussion topics on the agenda was not followed...and no good reason was offered for not doing so... Since I do not have time to clean these up -- I'm just posting what I noted during the meeting:

Meeting began at 6:10-ish.  Presentation on Crime Free House (see previous post) was given and commented upon.

Motion to go into closed session at 6:34 PM. Motion - Phelan.  Second by Chapman  @6:34 PM to discuss: Contract negotiations, Land acquisition and Pending litigations. 
As Alderperson were rising from their seats, I believe it was Alderman Erickson who asked that "Personnel" be added to the closed session.  I do not know if this was approved – being as vote on motion was already done...and item was not on agenda...I believe the COW meeting reconvened around 8:00 P.M.  The following agenda items were presented/discussed when COW reconvened:

Appointment of Library board members – Per Alderman Chapman, there has been a "disconnect" between Mayor and Library Board".  Alderman Chapman requested that the full Council review the work of the Library Board and consider their merits.  Robert Lovero in favor.  Mayor rather half-heartedly invited Council to meet and discuss with him.  Chapman feels Third Ward dominates Library Board.  Don't know what was meant by Chapman when she said that some Library Board members were asked to 'step down'  No mistaking this topic was one Mayor O'Connor did not wish to devote much time to...

Smoking ordinance procedures –  discussion went up in smoke...Mayor said that as of now, the ordinance is unenforceable ( – help here, someone -- please) city "...to do 'inspections' and amend ordinance...".

New City Web site presentation – Esthetically – not really pleasing and looked hard to navigate (my opinion only...)  Looks like some interesting new features though - - maps, etc.  Scheduled to roll out April 1. Web designer informed Council that  Aldermanic bios  for this site will need to be short and to the point with only contact info, etc. – and all in same format (which looked kind of like a class yearbook format). 

C/C streamline –
Amen!  No more  reading of entire "communications" – just motion, second & vote! 

I somehow missed why the following agenda items were not discussed – nor formally dismissed or motioned to be on next scheduled COW.  (Perhaps it had to do with of the length of the closed session.)

•   Visitor Passes and Residential Parking / expand area  (Something I really wanted to hear about, too...)
•   Meeting etiquette (Not discussed -- nor exercised...)
•   Proposed changes to Emergency snow routes (guess this one can wait a while anyway...)

Respectfully submitted,
LL-Schmidt

[Northsider--NOT Northside 7]

Meeting 'etiquette' per se was neither discussed nor exercised... It is upsetting to see that some of our Alderpersons think that speaking out of turn, or casting out snide and inappropriate remarks somehow makes the target of their contention look bad.  This childish behavior only makes me doubt their ability to make good decisions for the City of Berwyn.

There was, however, a very interesting presentation given during COW  -- which I have very briefly summarized here. 

Crime Free Housing proposal 3/27
Officer Nevil of  Schaumberg PD – gave overview of Crime Free Housing Program in effect in Schaumberg
To reduce problems in rental properties
Program for owners/landlords/bld. Managers includes information and training on Screening – including background checks,    Crime prevention and Legal matters.
•   Program is 'anti-crime'. (Yes -- the ACLU has made some challenges -- but not pursued them...)
•   Partnership with municipality (Police Dept, specifically)  and property management/ownership
•   Measurable decrease in calls to police since program instituted in Schaumberg.
•   Rental Licensing tied to program – 8 hour training provided to small property owners as well as property management of larger buildings.
•   Ordinance requires program attendance and defines problems that municipality will assist to solve (eviction, etc.).
•   Training available for police personnel
•   Repeat  (for emphasis...)– every multi-unit property owner is required to send a representative of the property's ownership to attend the seminar – including single-family homes that are used as rental properties.
•   On-site inspection is also part of  licensing & renewal.
•   Lovero felt it important to get the licensing process (code enforcement) in Berwyn in place/firmed up – then possibly melding our ordinance and a form of the Schaumberg ordinance.

A few more items were discussed at COW -- after Mayor and Council reconvened after a long closed session.  If time permits, I'll post my recap of those later today.

[Northsider--NOT Northside 7]

Meeting 'etiquette' per se was neither discussed nor exercised... It is upsetting to see that some of our Alderpersons think that speaking out of turn, or casting out snide and inappropriate remarks somehow makes the target of their contention look bad.  This childish behavior only makes me doubt their ability to make good decisions for the City of Berwyn.

There was, however, a very interesting presentation given during COW  -- which I have very briefly summarized here. 

Crime Free Housing proposal 3/27
Officer Nevil of  Schaumberg PD – gave overview of Crime Free Housing Program in effect in Schaumberg
To reduce problems in rental properties
Program for owners/landlords/bld. Managers includes information and training on Screening – including background checks,    Crime prevention and Legal matters.
•   Program is 'anti-crime'. (Yes -- the ACLU has made some challenges -- but not pursued them...)
•   Partnership with municipality (Police Dept, specifically)  and property management/ownership
•   Measurable decrease in calls to police since program instituted in Schaumberg.
•   Rental Licensing tied to program – 8 hour training provided to small property owners as well as property management of larger buildings.
•   Ordinance requires program attendance and defines problems that municipality will assist to solve (eviction, etc.).
•   Training available for police personnel
•   Repeat  (for emphasis...)– every multi-unit property owner is required to send a representative of the property's ownership to attend the seminar – including single-family homes that are used as rental properties.
•   On-site inspection is also part of  licensing & renewal.
•   Lovero felt it important to get the licensing process (code enforcement) in Berwyn in place/firmed up – then possibly melding our ordinance and a form of the Schaumberg ordinance.

A few more items were discussed at COW -- after Mayor and Council reconvened after a long closed session.  If time permits, I'll post my recap of those later today.

This is so overdue, also make these owners responsible, via ticket after a problem renter is found to live there, to encourage the owner to evict or not renew the lease of the problem renter. That may also encourage some of these apts. to go condo. I would like to see something in the ordinace that the renter shall prove he/she is a legal resident of the USA.

[P-PANTHER a/k/a La Pantera]

Northsider,

I'm not sure a city ordinance mandating US citizenship as a rental prerequisite would pass constitutional muster.

[OakParkSpartan]

Whether it is constitutional or not...who would do the checking of the documents? The landlord?  So I'd need to be able to identify fraudulent documents?  I think this idea is completely impractical, and would purely be a feel good measure.

Cheers,
Brian

[Northsider--NOT Northside 7]

Whether it is constitutional or not...who would do the checking of the documents? The landlord?  So I'd need to be able to identify fraudulent documents?  I think this idea is completely impractical, and would purely be a feel good measure.

Cheers,
Brian

Don't you do credit checks now? You can also do criminal background check and green card or birth certificate will do. Having an apartment building is having a small business, you should be doing due diligence and have some regulation to protect the community, just like a store front business has to do. As you can see renters are creating a problem for the residents and if a bar was doing this their business would be fined and or closed.

[OakParkSpartan]

I do both...credit checks and criminal background checks.

But if someone walks up to me with a green card, I've never seen one.  I also have no idea about immigration law which would cause problems if someone was here temporarily (like an H1).

I get your sentiment, but the "legal resident" provision would be way too difficult to verify. 

Cheers,
Brian