Forest Park council approves bills, contracts, hiring waiver and event permit

At its June 23 meeting the Village of Forest Park council approved a series of routine and project-related measures, including payment of approved bills, several project contracts and change orders, a collective bargaining agreement as named in the transcript, a hiring-waiver for a finance assistant, and a permit for a Chamber of Commerce 5K.

Bills and finance: The clerk read aggregated departmental bills totaling $613,827.45 (line-item totals were read for refunds/allocations; public affairs; police; community center; accounts & finance clerk's office; fire department; health & safety; streets & public improvements; public property; seizure; federal customs; TIF; VIP; water department). The council moved and adopted the resolution approving payment (resolution R-56-25) with recorded Aye votes from Commissioner Maxim, Commissioner Melon Rogovin and Mayor Hoskins.

Contracts and projects: The council approved a set of project-related resolutions: - Resolution R-58-25: approved a professional engineering services proposal with Burke Engineering for stage 3 (loan application assistance and bidding documents) of the 2026 lead service line replacement project. - Resolution R-59-25: approved a professional services proposal with Burke Engineering for phase 2 design of the 2025 Green Alley project. - Resolution R-60-25: approved change order no. 1 to the contract with the Boulder contractors for the 2024 water meter replacement in the 405-hundred blocks of Ferdinand. Each of the above was moved, seconded and adopted with no substantive discussion recorded.

Labor and personnel: The council adopted a resolution recorded in the transcript as R-57-25 approving a collective bargaining agreement with an entity listed as "Assmi Me local 30 26"; the transcript offers no additional detail about the bargaining unit or economic terms. Separately, the council approved resolution R-61-25 authorizing a waiver of the hiring freeze to permit hiring a full-time finance assistant. Commissioner Maxim commented in support: "I just wanna take a moment to thank the village administrator and the finance director for moving this position forward...the department has been short staffed and working really, really hard and overtime to a degree that I think most people don't realize." The transcript records that the job will be posted on several free platforms and that paid listings may be considered if needed.

Events and permits: The council approved a request from the Chamber of Commerce to use the public way for the Living Word 5K run; the motion was moved, seconded and adopted with the same recorded Aye votes.

Other items: Administrator Adler reported monitoring ComEd power-outage notifications and noted heat-related infrastructure issues, including buckling bricks on Fillmore Street that will prompt a street closure. Commissioners recognized retiring police officer Mike O'Connor for roughly 22 years of service and noted a ribbon-cutting for the new Block Dispensary.

Votes and procedure: Most motions were moved and seconded and recorded as adopted with Aye votes from Commissioner Maxim, Commissioner Melon Rogovin and Mayor Hoskins; two council seats did not register responses in the transcript. The meeting concluded after a motion to adjourn.

Provenance: topicintro SEG 021, topfinish SEG 399

Speakers referenced: Commissioner Maxim; Commissioner Melon Rogovin; Mayor Hoskins; Administrator Adler; Clerk.