HIGHWOOD CITY COUNCIL’S 8.6.24 MEETING IN A NUTSHELL
Appearance
The owners of the gas station at 104 Washington Ave. applied for approval of new business signage to facilitate rebranding from Citgo to BP. The City Council indicated that it would approve the new business signage with the condition that the existing nearby pole sign, which is no longer an allowable sign type, be removed. The owners of Pool Plaza (104-130 Washington Ave.) requested consideration of a sign to replace the pole sign. The City Council discussed the proposed replacement sign and directed the applicant to submit alternative signage concepts for consideration at a future meeting.
Finance
The City Council voted to approve the payment of various bills totaling $145k.
The City Council voted to accept the City Treasurer’s financial reports covering the period of May 1, 2024 through June 30, 2024.
Licensing
The owners Funky Boba (336-338 Green Bay Rd.) applied for a class A liquor license and passed the required background check. This license permits the sale of beer, wine and spirits for consumption on premises. The City Council discussed the application, continued further discussion to a future meeting and directed city staff to request the applicant to attend that meeting.
Operations
The city currently uses onsite computer servers at City Hall to support the operations of the Administration and Police Departments. City staff reported that these servers have exceeded their life expectancy, are experiencing performance degradation and require frequent maintenance. City staff recommended replacing the Administration Department servers this year and the Police Department servers next year. The City Council discussed the recommendations, continued further discussion to a future meeting and directed city staff to provide additional information comparing replacement options (e.g., physical servers, cloud-based servers) at that meeting.
Parks & Public Spaces
The city is presently constructing a new park at 341 Waukegan Ave. (click here to see renderings). The design and budget of the park include a public art installation in the property’s northwest corner. The City Council’s Beautification Committee recommended selecting a sculpture designed by artist Chris RWK, who recently created the robots mural near Everts Park. Chris RWK has created public art installations all over the world, including at the rebuilt World Trade Center (click here to see information re the sculpture). The City Council directed the Beautification Committee to proceed with finalizing the design of a 7-foot sculpture at a cost not to exceed $17k.
The US Supreme Court recently upheld local laws that regulate camping on public property. Subsequently, the Illinois Municipal League developed a model ordinance for municipalities to consider adopting. The City Council discussed the model ordinance and directed city staff to place formal consideration of the ordinance - or a fine-tuned version - on an upcoming meeting agenda (model ordinance details bulleted below).
Prohibits camping on public property
Enables removal of campsites with 24-hour notice (exceptions apply for immediate removal) and notification to social services
Imposes penalties for violations (within a rolling 24-month period)
First violation: $75
Second violation: $150
Third violation: $350
Fourth violation: $500
Fifth violation: $750
Sixth or subsequent violations: $750 or potential incarceration.
Alternative penalty: Public service as a substitute for monetary penalties (e.g., cleaning public spaces/facilities)
Personnel
The City Manager is the city’s chief administrative officer and is appointed by the Mayor with the approval of the City Council. The Mayor and City Council annually conduct an evaluation of the City Manager’s performance relative to various criteria. Following completion of the past fiscal year’s performance evaluation, the City Council voted to amend the City Manager’s employment agreement to 1) increase the annual base salary from $200k to $215k and 2) increase the annual sick/vacation leave from 20 days to 25 days.
Public Comment
Tattoo artist Orlando Camacho expressed interest in opening a tattoo studio in the vacant space at 43 Highwood Ave. Tattoo studios are not a permitted use in that zoning district and would require a special use permit approved by the City Council. The City Council raised no objections to the proposed use and advised the artist to submit a zoning relief application. The city’s Planning & Zoning Commission would first review the application, make findings of fact and ultimately recommend whether the special use should be approved or denied by the City Council.
Public Safety
In recent years, criminal activity has significantly increased in and around the Metra Station. To address this problem, the city has implemented measures including locking the station, removing benches, installing surveillance cameras, and increasing police patrols in the area. Locking the station and removing benches have resulted in inconvenience and discomfort for train riders, especially during periods of extreme weather. Earlier this year, the City Council directed city staff to – at least temporarily - repurpose a space at the station for a Police Department substation. The hope is that a regular police presence will deter criminal activity in the area and improve the chances of eventually reinstalling benches and reopening the station in a safe and sustainable manner; moreover, the substation could be used as a centrally located police command center for special events in the station parking lot. Minimal initial and ongoing costs are anticipated for repurposing the space. The substation's implementation and use are not expected to negatively impact Police Department operations. Following its lease expiration, the longtime tenant of the space (Hydra Electric Tattoo) recently moved out and improvements to repurpose the space are underway.
Real Estate
Earlier this year, the City Council voted to enter into an agreement to purchase 244 Waukegan Ave. (formerly occupied by Grandi Brothers). The city’s subsequent environmental and physical inspections of the property had satisfactory outcomes and the sale was ultimately closed last week. The previous owner was leasing the southern part of the property to two businesses for motor vehicle storage. The City Council directed city staff to offer new lease agreements to the businesses through April 2025. The new lease agreements would include the same monthly rental rates that the businesses had been paying to the previous owner ($360 and $1k per month respectively) and allow the city and the businesses to break the agreements with 60-day notice. The City Council intends to resume discussion of potential commercial, non-commercial and municipal uses of the property over the coming months.
Other
The City Council voted to approve meeting minutes from July 16, 2024.
The Library & Community Center’s August newsletter is here.
The Chamber of Commerce’s August newsletter is here.
The Chamber of Commerce’s Dogs Day Out event will be held on August 11th from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm at Billy Bricks (428 Green Bay Rd.); additional information here.
Celebrate Highwood’s Garlic Fest event will be held on August 14th from 4:30 pm to 9:30 pm at Everts Park (111 North Ave.); additional information here.
Celebrate Highwood’s Bloody Mary Fest event will be held on August 18th from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm at Everts Park (111 North Ave.); additional information here.
The Chamber of Commerce’s After Hours event will be held on August 20th from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at American Place Casino (4011 Fountain Square Pl., Waukegan, IL 60085); additional information here.
The Chamber of Commerce’s Honorary Sign Reveal event will be held on August 25th from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm at the intersection of Sheridan Rd. & Walker Ave.; additional information here.
The city has openings on multiple volunteer boards (e.g., Appearance Review Committee, Board of Fire & Police Commissioners, Firefighters’ Pension Board, Library & Community Center Board of Trustees, Police Pension Board); please contact me if you are interested in learning more about these opportunities.
I had reprints made of the rare book, 28 Miles North: A Story of Highwood (Wittelle, 1953); if you would like a free copy, please reply to this email with your address and I will drop one off at your home before long.
Meeting Records