2020.12.14 Meeting Minutes

 GREEN GARDEN TOWNSHIP

REGULAR MEETING LEVY HEARING

DECEMBER 14, 2020

The meeting was called to order by Supervisor Murday at 7:00 p.m. (Also open to conference call)

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

In physical attendance were Trustees Wagner, Newton, Standish, Dietz, Supervisor Murday, Commissioner Hilliard, and Clerk Coffey. Assessor Bushong present via conference call.

There was a motion to approve the from the regular meeting held November 9, 2020 as submitted by Trustee Wagner with a second by Trustee Newton. Voice vote: Motion carried. PLANNING COMMISSION – Supervisor Murday stated by statute he can not be Planning Chair, approached a couple of folks interested, they want time to think about it. Nothing on the agenda, nothing held in December, nothing for January. If something comes up, we will figure out how to handle it. Hope to have someone by January meeting.

HIGHWAY COMMISSIONER’S REPORT –

Past Operations

● 3 street lights repaired

● Signs: 2 relocated, 2 replaced, 2 repaired

● Moved tractors & various equipment to old shed for winter storage

● Branch & garbage pickup throughout township

● Prairie Creek cleanout – Bruns east of 88th

● 80th south of Dralle – creek cleaned out

● Completed cold patch to all township roads

● Completed 104th road preparation for winter, increased shoulder & added slope to ditch north of Pauling

● Sexual Harassment training completed for full time employees

● In house vehicle repair – brake job & lights replaced

● Vac Truck Service completed – Bruns tile flushed, tree roots removed. 3 truckloads of water 10,000 – 15,000 gallons was running good, may be a bad pitch

● Finished demo with patching machine – 3 roads will be tested to determine possible purchase of machine $15,000 – $20,000

● Laid shoulder stone on 104th north of Manhattan-Monee Present Operations

● Truck Repair, 2 trucks outsourced for service

● Cutting shoulders throughout township – removing excess dirt to allow water flow off roads into ditches

● 104th south of Manhattan-Monee was surveyed by Will County Engineers ➢ _Working to increase shoulder & decrease slope of ditch (may have to move utility lines)

● Demoed a new skid steer & compiling bids to upgrade equipment

● Snow stakes being placed throughout township

● Filled one salt shed & working on filling second one (salt from Frankfort) Future Operations

● Hard surface roads planned for 2021 ➢ _Pauling from Whispering Prairie to 45 ➢ _104th north of Pauling quarter mile

● Remodel Road District office (with road district employees) having 30 years construction experience

● Replace cross culvert on 80th south of Dralle (spring 2021)

Questions – Murday: County or State puting additional asphalt along Monee-Manhattan? Hilliard: State project done with the culverts $2.2 million with the work. Murday: Do they plan to extend past Center (east)? Striggow: From here east is County. Murday: May follow up with County to see if they still have plans to widen intersection to include turn lanes (Center & Manhattan-Monee).

ASSESSOR’S REPORT –

TOI Virtual Conference

● Attended several township official educational classes offered by TOI in mid November. Very informative information. Recorded sessions should be available sometime in December. On-Going, Standard Assessor work

● Appraiser, real estate, attorney, county & resident requests

● Visiting new construction sites to apply assessed values as soon as occupancy is complete

● Data entry into PAMS system: Property record card information, sales, permits, appeals, photos, exemption paperwork, correspondence, new construction drawings, and inquiries into PAMS

● Provided Supervisor report on future Assessor Office options

● Follow up work on open appeals

● Working with County SOA Office with field visits to many properties confirming if property is still being farmed.

● Necessary research for 2nd PC with 2 PAMS licenses Statistic and General Information

● Reviewed all 0090 Tax Exempt properties (Tax Exempt properties do not pay property taxes)

● 18 totally Tax Exempt properties in GGT in 2020 with a total of 492.33 acres of tax exempt

land: ➢ _4 out of 5 cemetery properties are tax exempt – total of 6.83 acres ➢ _3 properties are owned by Green Garden Township – total of 10.45 acres ➢ _4 properties are owned by the Forest Preserve – total of 374.25 acres ➢ _1 school property – total of 5.5 acres ➢ _2 church properties – total of 16.31 acres ➢ _2 residential homes – owned by non-profit/church organizations – less than 3 acres total, 1 in Tuscan Hills and 1 on Dralle ➢ _1 large parcel owned by the Village of Frankfort on Kuse – total of 72.62 acres ➢ _1 property owned by the Frankfort Fire District – total of 5 acres

Assessor Bushong relates 2 residents compliment accurate meeting minutes.

Follow up on Frankfort property welcomes any info regarding. Wagner: Is the property being farmed? Bushong: Not that I can see. Doesn’t look farmed. Discussion on property & location on map. Paul Chiocca: Years ago Frankfort bought as they annexed further south, thought being some sort of sewage treatment facility. There was a big farm, used to be able to buy used truck parts, old gaits, cars, wagons, etc. Over 20 years ago, tore down old barn & house, behind Sabatino’s. Striggow: Thought sanitary idea started with the Martin Subdivision. Murday: May touch base with Mayor Holland. Bushong: Tuscan Hills property- Christian Life Church founder (totally exempt). Murday: Someone runs a church & gets that? Bushong: They apply through the state, don’t know if I have anything to say on that. Murday: Let’s make sure it’s all ok, legit.

TRUSTEE’S REPORT – None. Supervisor Murday has ideas for Trustee’s to be discussed in New Business.

SUPERVISOR’S REPORT – Murday: Learned a lot in last couple months, replaced Trustee, salary review, caucus (no direct impact), levy, and appreciate all the help & guidance folks have given, from the Trustee’s sitting here, Jane & Jim as well. Feeling comfortable, thank you for the support and I thank the people who come out to the meetings.

NEW BUSINESS – Supervisor Murday gives description of how Levy process works. Green Garden recoops the taxes collected by Will County, Townships levy on taxes to have remitted. Mechanism used by Township to recover money County collects on our behalf (Township & Road District). Levy for April 1, 2021-March 31,2022. Moving forward, start to work on Budgets, with meaningful conversations with Trustees. This year relied on Bill Wagner & Penny Massat. Sue Coffey obtained from County assessment of what Levy could be. Wagner computed his program and computation very close. If we increase by 5% or more, statute

requires publication, hearing, & Truth in Taxation. Decided we would not levy for greater than 5%. Original Ordinance for the Township Levy tendered before the Trustees had a figure for Assessor that did not comport with the budget approved by the Board. Budget tendered was for $43,000 for Assessor. Original Levy Ordinance sent to Trustees earlier had $33,000 on the Ordinance, we are entertaining the one for $43,000. That is the only difference.

LEVY READING/VOTE

Supervisor Murday read Township Tax Levy Ordinance #TF-2020-02. Trustee Newton questions other line item changes. Murday: In order to increase Assessor,, needed to reduce other line items. Newton: What is the percentage? Murday: .047. Murday finished reading Ordinance starting with the Assessor line.

● There was a motion to pass Township Tax Levy Ordinance #TF-2020-02 by Trustee Wagner with a second by Trustee Standish. Roll Call vote: Wagner, yes; Standish, yes; Newton, yes; Dietz, yes; Murday, yes. Motion carried. 5-0 Supervisor Murday gave brief discussion on Road District calculations, no mingling of Funds. Supervisor Murday read the Road District Tax Levy Ordinance #RB-2020-02. Questions? Dietz: Budget is $1,162,000, Levy $896,000, what makes up the difference? Hilliard & Wagner: Carry over from previous year. Dietz: Every year has a $300,000 carry over? Wagner: Not always, snow removal. Dietz: So, like a surplus if not a lot of snow? Hilliard: I don’t know how Bob carried over, I don’t plan on carrying over that much, but need to get through a winter to see what I’m up against, before making decision. Dietz: Just curious, don’t want you to get caught short. Murday: 2020-2021 beginning balance $302,000. Hilliard: 1 mile of road might be $100,000 to pave. Maybe Bob wanted to do 3 miles in 1 year, or for bigger project. Striggow: Did most categories go up that .47%? Murday: Across the board, thought being once we get fine eyed sum of Levy, start working on Budgets with discussions being held in meetings so people can see exactly when money is spent. Striggow: Jim, did you have an active part in this Levy? Hilliard: Small part, still learning.

● There was a motion to pass Road District Tax Levy Ordinance #RB-2020-02 by Trustee Standish with a second by Trustee Dietz. Roll Call vote: Standish, yes; Dietz, yes; Wagner, yes; Newton, yes; Murday, yes. Motion carried. 5-0. Murday on the record thanking Bill Wagner for help guiding through. Feel next year I can do on my own, but knowing Bill is there will be advantageous. Back in New Business: Murday: Would like Board more engaged in community, not just a reactive body, but go out & be with residents. Four Trustees, 4 quadrants, each Trustee responsible for 1 quadrant. Being accessible to those residents, discussing water issues, neighbors doing things on properties that they shouldn’t, and annexation concerns. Murday: Dietz works with Hilliard and I on water issues, Newton is very involved with the Seniors. An assistance fund is there, let’s do things. Wagner with Land Use, a Trustee to communicate with Monee,

Frankfort, University Park & Manhattan, let’s be more active. Some thoughts for the new year. Bushong: I concur, I speak with residents daily, great need for Senior Services, people ask what help is out there for them? Murday: Tell them help is on the way. Murday: Not happy with the way the Town Hall is being maintained, he stated whole place was filthy, including the bathrooms. Not oblivious to future of the building, and maybe if Hilliard has time we can do something up here. Not forgotten Bushong needs an office4, maybe here, don’t know, but not forgotten. I know in the past someone was paid to maintain. Stating he was not proud. Also asking who has keys? Striggow: Change the locks. Murday: No question. Striggow: Didn’t we have maintenance person? Murday: Don’t know. Striggow: I tried to rent, told we don’t rent, didn’t we used to? Coffey: I was contacted as well for a wedding shower. Jim Nolan (previous supervisor) said it wasn’t worth it. Murday: We will look at that. This is why I want to reach more people. If people need to go to Frankfort to solve our problems, we are not doing our jobs. Schultz: Asked Hilliard about driveway going in, he was given bond. Asked what’s going in there? (Stuenkel between Center & 88th) he said horse barn. I asked around, 50 stall horse barn. Same old thing as by us, that shouldn’t be. Hilliard: Pretty sure person lives west of the pole barn. I don’t always get to see a site plan. Striggow: If it comes to you, why doesn’t it get back to these guys (Board)? Murday: Maybe I will get as well, now having access to Township Supervisor’s emails. Now we only get notification of Map Amendments & Special Use Permits, I have complained. Maybe meet with County. Depending how the property is zoned determines animal count. Coffey: That’s not what happened by Bobbi Schultz. Murday: Some “grandfathering” there. Murday to follow up for Schultz. Hilliard: Another issue, not a road issue, 104th south of Dralle- dumping yard waste from Chicago. Probably 100-300 semi loads dumped there. Talked to County, talked to Land Use, Jim Anderson in charge of recycling, and the EPA. Basically, nothing they can do about it, allowed 20,000 tons of yard waste per acre. They say they’re going to grind up & put on 1 acre. Suggests Murday drive by there, it’s a shame. The owner & I have had words. Mike Coffey: How are the trucks getting in? Hilliard: They use roads. Coffey: How can they use the roads if not ag? Hilliard: Agriculture, police won’t stop delivery. Striggow: What about bond? There’s like 80,000 cubic yards of yard waste out there, and they’re beating up the roads. Hilliard: I can ask them. Striggow: Don’t ask. Hilliard: I can ask, tell, but the police won’t stop them. Best I come up with is Tim Anderson to get the EPA involved. I want to protect the roads, but really concerned with all that ground & trash being dumped there. Sue Coffey: Didn’t Bob make them bond roads for that “whatever mite” (biosolids)? Striggow: Yes. Hilliard: I don’t know if I have legal right to do that. We’d have to form an Ordinance. As for overweight trucks, I can tell her (the owner) but I’ve got Bill’s landscaping driving back & forth. So, what’s done for one would have to be for everybody. May have to draft Ordinance, which is a good idea. We have contractors like Werner, few others, may be licensed or bonded for a year. Some type of insurance. Murday: This is what I was speaking of, let Trustees work with Hilliard & residents to find solution to problems. I will look at. Thank you Buddy & Jim for bringing to our attention.

OLD BUSINESS – Murday: 2 things. Met with Township accountant (Steve Weber) to address outstanding matters, did not file our AFR which was due a few months ago, he is getting after that & what Sue had mentioned about mistakes in her salary. He is looking into that as well. Told him I wanted both issues resolved by end of year. He said OK, I will keep up on that. We did cut check for Don Hellriegel for money owed for his service as Trustee, stopped by their home with check. Sue had been there earlier to deliver memorial stone pictured in the Vedette. Mrs. Hellriegel was very appreciative of everything, conveyed to her how much we miss Don. Scott Bettenhausen on record submitting land rental checks. Murday: 3 checks: each for $3,192 totalling $9,576 for farm lease. Striggow: Does that go into earmarked fund or Town fund? Wagner: Park Fund. Murday wishes all a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year, thanks for support, much appreciated. Bettenhausen: One last thing on farm leased land, wondering if Road District ou you to address. Neighbor burning in small group of trees on Park property, uses as dump burning ground. Cluster of trees where the previous owner was going to build house. Overgrown clearing neighbor using as burn pit. Murday: Has anyone spoken to him? Bettenhausen: No, my thought just clear brush & overgrown maples, and just farm through there. Coffey: Not the evergreens? Bettenhausen: Not the evergreens. Murday: Clear to farm? Bettenhausen: Section probably not bigger than this room. In past, Massat would help upgrade property, kinda leaning on Road District for help again. Few trees need stumps dug out, looking for approval. Murday: Are you willing to do? Bettenhausen: Yes, if there’s a day Hilliard would have time with a couple of guys to help. Wagner: Would debris be pushed back on his property? Bettenhausen: No, just a burn pit. Not really garbage dump. We’re already paying to farm it. Hilliard agrees to work with Bettenhausen.

There was a motion to adjourn the meeting by Trustee Wagner with a second by Trustee Newton. Voice vote: Motion carried.

Meeting adjourned at 8:27 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Susan Coffey, Clerk