Community Services Committee Meeting

Agenda for Special Meeting of Community Services Committee, 1/10 at 4:30 PM:

01.10.23_community_services_agenda.pdf
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​Special Meeting of Community Services Committee

Notice is hereby given that the first Community Services Committee Meeting has been scheduled
Tuesday, January 10, 2023, at 4:30 p.m., at the Shields Township Offices, 960 W. Muir Avenue, Lake
Bluff, IL 60044, for the purpose of considering the following agenda:
1.) Call to order and Roll Call
2.) Approval of November 8, 2022, Minutes
3.) Public Comment – Three (3) Minutes per speaker
4.) Old Business: Discussion on future Foss Park Proposal
5.) New Business: Action Items for Future Meetings
6.) Adjournment

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MINUTES

01.10.23_community_services_meeting_minutes__002_.pdf
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Minutes – Shields Township Community Services Committee
Special Meeting of Community Services Committee January 10, 2023
 
STATE OF ILLINOIS, )
Lake County,                 )        SS.
Town of Shields            )
 
THE COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE MEETING OF SHIELDS TOWNSHIP meeting in person on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at 4:30 pm.
 
PRESENT
Lisette Rothing                     Deputy Clerk
Jeff Urso                                 Supervisor
Kathy Blahunka                    Committee Chair
Vickie Brown                         Committee Person
Susan Fowler                         Committee Person
Heather Meyers                    Committee Person
Janice Schnobrich                Committee Person
ABSENT
Carl Evans                             Committee Person
 

1. Call to order & Roll call – Deputy Clerk Rothing called the meeting to order at 4:30 pm.
2. Approval of November 8, 2022, Minutes – Committee Chair Blahunka motions to approve the Minutes from November 8, 2022. Committee Person Fowler motions, Committee Person Meyers seconds. Committee Person Brown abstained her vote because she was not present at the time of the meeting.   
3. Public Comment – Three (3) Minutes per speaker – No Public Comment
4. Old Business – Discussion on future Foss Park Proposal - Committee Chair Blahunka spoke about a Zoom meeting held with Foss Park on December 29th. This meeting was to discuss why Foss Park did not receive a grant from Shields Township in the year 2022. Committee Chair Blahunka wants to pause the discussion of the funds to Foss Park because the committee would like to give them another chance to provide documentation of programs that focus on helping there poor and elderly. The Township Committee the policy created “For Cooperative Service Agreements” to provide to our community and follows Illinois Statutes, defined in 60 ILCS 1/85-13.  The Committee originally felt that Foss Park spending of grant money on park district recreation that included lunches, and theater shows instead of providing programs and services to our low-income senior citizens was not aligned with the policy. Committee Person Schnobrich reiterates that Shields Township does not fund park district recreation. It is not a good use of tax dollars. The Committee desires to support our seniors in a social services type of way, such as transportation to doctor’s appointments, computer training classes and access to health services etc. Committee Person Brown wants to understand why we don’t help fund Foss Park because she feels things like recreational activities are much needed from a mental health perspective. Unfortunately, this does not fall under the Committees Policy to provide grants however, Shields Township wants to give Foss Park another chance to come up with a proposal that will provide programs specifically to our poor and elderly.  Supervisor Urso has a hard time granting Foss Park money based on the website that they currently have. While he understands mental health is important, he also does not want to grant money for things like gambling. To summarize, the Committee would like to pause this conversation and allow Foss Park some time to present Shields Township with some additional content on how to help our seniors.
5. New Business – Action Items for Future Meetings

1. Committee Chair Blahunka wants to update our list of Social Services Partnerships and assure updated resources to our Shields Township website. Committee Person Meyers and Committee Person Brown suggest working together to investigate businesses that offer things like $10 haircuts, $15 teeth cleanings and free computer training classes.
2. Supervisor Urso wants a report from the Committee on how to move forward with our Partnership with Phoenix Rising Food Pantry. Supervisor Urso suggests starting by reviewing the lease to get more clarification of how the food pantry works, hours of operation, etc. Committee Chair Blahunka thinks their lease is up in 2028 along with Shields Township. The big question is do we want to grow our partnership with Phoenix Rising Food Pantry or cut ties and let them exist independently? Ultimately, the goal for Shields Township is to provide our community with as much help as they need in a timely manner so, if we are not able to provide a specific service to our community, we may have to look into other options.

1. Adjournment – Meeting Adjourned at 5:05 p.m.