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Maywood trustees reject $1.15 million warrant list; approve property sales, Brownfields MOA and façade grants
Summary
At its March 19 meeting the Maywood Board of Trustees failed to approve Warrant List No. 200468 for $1,154,214.00 on a 3–3 vote, flagged multiple invoice line items for further review and, during the same meeting, approved several redevelopment actions including property sales, a Cook County Brownfields RLF MOA and two façade grants funded by the Madison TIF.
Mayor Edwenna Perkins and the Village of Maywood Board of Trustees met March 19, 2019, in Council Chambers. Trustees voted on a series of financial and redevelopment measures and debated outstanding invoices and vendor debt.
Trustee H. Yarbrough moved to approve Warrant List No. 200468 through March 13, 2019, in the amount of $1,154,214.00; the motion failed after a 3–3 split. The ayes were Mayor Edwenna Perkins and Trustees H. Yarbrough and I. Brandon; the nays were Trustees A. Sanchez, K. Wellington and M. Lightford. Trustee K. Wellington raised procedural concerns about several line items (packet references: Page 20 Item #99198; Page 22 Item #99215; Page 23 Items #99216 and #99219) that the Board agreed should be placed on the next agenda for further review.
Director of Finance Lanya Satchell reported an Open Invoices total of $3,719,532.10 and told trustees that department directors had been advised to hold expenditures until August 2019 despite a May 1 budget start date. Trustee A. Sanchez questioned the continued accumulation of vendor debt and asked what steps the Board could take to curtail it; Satchell said holding expenditures and further review would be part of the response.
The Board approved multiple redevelopment and administrative items during the meeting. Trustees voted unanimously to approve the sale of village-owned parcels at 239–241 South 12th Avenue and 837 South 17th Avenue. Director of Community Development David Myers briefed the Board and explained that the sales were part of the Village’s tax-reactivation efforts.
The Board also approved a Project Work Plan and Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Cook County Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Coalition; Myers said the RLF would offer developers low- or no-interest loans to support cleanup of contaminated sites in Maywood.
Maywood Property Management, LLC received two Façade Improvement Program approvals: $2,000 to replace awnings at 840 South 17th Avenue and $25,000 for signage, awnings and commercial doors at 1109–1123 Madison Street. Myers said both awards would be funded from the Madison TIF. The Board approved both applications.
The trustees authorized a Pool Use Agreement with the West Cook YMCA for the Fred Hampton Aquatic Facility for the 2019 summer season after a brief presentation by a YMCA representative. During that discussion, meeting materials referenced a 20% minimum-wage increase under an Oak Park ordinance that would raise a quoted wage figure to $12 within 12 months.
Several routine and contract payments and resolutions were approved via an omnibus motion, including legal statements, insurance premiums, public works purchases and engineering contracts tied to the 2019 roadway improvements. Two omnibus payments were pulled for separate discussion: a City of Chicago water invoice (amount corrected to $408,436.50 by Village Manager Willie Norfleet Jr.) and a Fleet Services fuel invoice for $15,504.17; both payments were subsequently approved.
Other administrative actions included a unanimous vote to transfer oversight of the Village Fishing Program to the Village Manager and a consensus to reschedule the April 2, 2019 Regular Board Meeting to April 9, 2019. The Board recessed to a closed session at 10:30 p.m. to discuss pending litigation and adjourned at 10:46 p.m.
What’s next: Trustees directed staff to bring flagged warrant/invoice line items back for further review at the next meeting; the rejected warrant list will be readdressed once those clarifications are provided.