Board Meeting Discussion Includes Home Repair Program, Holiday Assistance And Infrastructure Upgrades
The Town of Cicero trustees during their bi-weekly board meeting on Tuesday, November 14, 2023. April Alonso/Cicero Independiente.
By Leslie Hurtado
The Town of Cicero Board of Trustees, along with President Larry Dominick, conducted meetings in November 2023 to address a range of issues and approve various items.
Agenda decisions included the approval of major parish events, securing a $2 million grant for home repairs and continuing their holiday food assistance program. The town has also designated funds for services like debris removal and street maintenance.
Access the documents referenced in this recap by clicking on these links: November 14 and November 28. For live streams of these meetings, visit our Facebook page.
Here is a breakdown of approved agenda items:
PERMITS
The Town of Cicero approved several permits. Those permits include two major parish events, such as Our Lady of Czestochowa & Charity Parish's religious procession that took place on December 2, celebrating Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Another event includes Our Lady the Mystical Rose Parish's Marian Council Christmas Dinner that was held on December 3 at the Mary Queen of Heaven school gymnasium.
RESOLUTIONS
The board approved a grant from the Illinois Housing Development Authority to help homeowners with home repair needs. The grant amounts to around $2 million to assist residents in fixing their homes.
Another decision made by the board was to provide holiday food assistance. The town agreed to buy gift cards from Target for people in need. Each gift card was worth $15 to help cover the cost of holiday meals. The town set aside a budget of up to $22,500 to purchase these gift cards.
TOWN SPENDING:
The board has approved a deal with Veteran Transportation Services for removing and hauling household items and debris of Cicero residents, with a spending limit of $25,000.
They have also allocated $361,000 from motor fuel tax funds for street and highway maintenance, including traffic signal intersections along Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) routes. While the document outlines the investment for this project, it does not specify which streets will undergo repair.
The Town of Cicero has decided to spend $27,100 on engineering services. The amount could go up to $40,000 if needed. This money pays for professional engineering work by Novotny Engineering, who will help with the town's infrastructure projects like roads and buildings, including Laramie bridge.
SETTLEMENTS OF LITIGATION:
The Town of Cicero agreed to pay Adam Marcolini., a former firefighter, up to $200,000 for returning to his job after making claims of breach of contract and mandamus about his termination on August 28, 2017 and settlement agreement dated on March 4, 2020. The agreement also includes mandatory drug and alcohol use testing. These tests were a condition for his reinstatement to the fire department.
In another case, Juan Soto, who made claims of work discrimination, received a $30,000 settlement. According to the agenda, both settlements were made to avoid longer and more expensive court cases.
Leslie Hurtado is a contributing reporter with Cicero Independiente. She graduated with a B.A. in Communications at Northeastern Illinois University. She worked at several newsrooms including WBEZ, WTTW, Telemundo and City Bureau.
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