Town of Cicero Discusses Safety Town Park Updates And $15 Food Certificate Program For The Upcoming Holidays.
The Town of Cicero trustees during their bi-weekly board meeting on Tuesday, October 25th, 2022. April Alonso for Cicero Independiente.
By Efraín Soriano
The Town of Cicero Board of Trustees and President Larry Dominick met twice in October to approve several ordinances and resolutions. The meetings began with roll call and Dominick leading the pledge of allegiance.
“If you don't like to stand for the pledge of allegiance, please leave. We love America," announced Dominick to the audience as he turned to face the flag.
The approved items included a new agreement with District 99 regarding crossing guards, the purchase of a new fire engine, a police vehicle and much more.
The October 11 and October 25, 2022 board meetings have been condensed into one recap. You can find the documents for each meeting by clicking on the respective dates above. Full video recordings of the meetings can be found below or on our youtube channel.
Here’s a summary of the approved items:
Resolutions
The board began by approving an ordinance to dispose of obsolete technology that belonged to various departments of the Town. This included computers, monitors and some printers that were no longer functional or of use to the town.
Then they approved to continue their Holiday Food Assistance Program which provides eligible residents a $15 gift certificate to a local grocery store during Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. Here are the eligibility requirements:
Eligible Person:
Any Town resident who is a:
a. Senior citizen, as defined in the Town Code;
b. Disabled person or has a disabled person in the household;
c. Person in financial need; or
d. A veteran, or a member of a household where a military or military reserve
member resides in the Town of Cicero.
Proof of Residency:
Any Eligible Person may show proof of residency by showing
a valid form of government issued identification, including, but not limited to:
a. Driver’s license;
b. State ID; or
c. Matricula Consular Identification Card.
And:
a. Proof of a utility bill, water bill, or electric bill with a Town of Cicero address.
The workers compensation case Lucinda Velasquez V. Town Of Cicero reached a settlement in the amount of $16,369 after Velazquez was injured while exiting a bus during work.
The town agreed to enter an intergovernmental agreement with the District 99 board of education which replaced a previous agreement that held the town fully responsible for employing crossing guards at various District 99 schools.
The new agreement states that crossing guards are still employees of the town. However, District 99 will be providing quarterly payments to the Town of Cicero to cover the salary of employed crossing guards.
Town of Cicero currently employs 66 crossing guards and the annual salary amount is calculated at about $483,169. The town will be responsible for invoicing District 99 on a quarterly basis and provide documentation that the invoiced amount is based on actual salaries paid.
Town Spending
The board of trustees entered an agreement and approved several invoices with Roscoe Corporation. Roscoe provides the town with employee uniforms, cleaning supplies and various other office materials and supplies. Including cleaning and laundering of employee uniforms. The total amount of the invoices approved was $49,018.54 for services provided since March of this year.
With a recommendation from the Cicero Fire Department, the town authorized the purchase of a new Sutphen Fire Engine in the amount of $671,714.
The Cicero Police Department had several invoices approved during the October 25 meeting.The first was for the purchase of a transport van from Hawk Ford in the amount of $63,395. The second invoice was for $16,250 for the training of five police recruits by the Cook County Sheriff's Academy. The five police recruits are Antonio Diaz, Erick Gonzalez, Nicholas Martinez, Adrian Moreno and Anthony Quiroga.
The board then moved to approve the meeting dates scheduled for 2023 and voted to cancel the upcoming board meeting on December 27, 2022.
The last item approved was a renegotiated contract with MYS Inc for Safety
Town Park improvements. The new contract amount is $447,185 and includes two new playground sets for ages 2-5 and 5-12 years respectively.
Cicero resident, Cecilia, speaks during citizen comment at the Town of Cicero board meeting on Tuesday, October 25th, 2022 (April Alonso for Cicero Independiente).
Citizen Comments
Cicero resident Cecilia stood to give a comment on the Town’s growing need for bike infrastructure and park improvements.
“I don’t know if you have seen all the kids biking down Cermak, but Cermak is not a safe street for bike riders,” said Cecilia.
She stressed the need for bike racks to be placed at all schools, especially Morton East, and at Clyde Park’s turf field. Dominick and Town Clerk Maria Punzo-Arias redirected Cecilia to the District 201 and Clyde Park boards stating that they are separate entities and have no control over those matters.
Watch the full video recording of both October meetings here:
Efrain Soriano is a local freelance photographer and a contributing reporter for Cicero Independiente. You can follow them on Instagram @freeepaint.
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