Five Takeaways From The Last Plainfield Board Meeting Of The Year

PLAINFIELD, IL — The last meeting of the Plainfield Board of Trustees for the year and the decade was a short one — only about a half hour — but nevertheless included a number of developments residents may want to be aware of. Here are five of the most important.

New Trustee Sworn In —
The meeting began with the swearing in of a new village Trustee, Patricia Kalkanis. Judge Daniel Rippy swore in Kalkanis in front of the board and village residents in attendance. Her term is set to expire April 30 of 2021. Kalkanis is a defense attorney with the Tomczak Law Group. When asked to comment on her new position, Kalkanis said only, "I want to thank the mayor for giving me this opportunity and I look forward to working for the people of Plainfield to benefit and better the community."

2019 Property Tax Levy —
The village voted to approve the tax levy rate proposed at the last board meeting on Dec. 2. For the sixth year in a row, the tax rate will remain at .4669. A public comment period was offered by the Board for any residents that wished to speak on the topic, but no one had any comments to offer. The village tax levy will be finalized in March of 2020.

Lockport Street Sidewalk Improvements —
Public works staff told the board that the state had approved a Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) grant proposal for the village to improve its "walkability." The $175,000 grant will be used to fund improvements of the sidewalks along Lockport Street from Meadow Lane to Wallin Drive, and also to construct a brand-new sidewalk along the east side of North Indian Boundary Road. The grant will account for slightly less than half of the whole project's cost, which Public Works personnel estimated at about $400,000. The board voted to authorize the DCEO grant agreement with the state, clearing the public works office to begin the work contract bidding process. One official with public works said they expected the project to be completed by the end of summer 2020.

Adjustments Made To Local Drug Ordinances —
To prepare Plainfield for the upcoming legalization of recreational marijuana use, minor adjustments needed to be made to the language of the village's drug ordinances. At the urging of Police Chief John Konopek and legal counsel Joan Myers, adjustments were made to the definition of "cannabis" and the regulatory language regarding both drug possession and drug paraphernalia. The changes, Konopek said, will bring the village in line with Springfield's own new laws regarding legalized cannabis use. "It's changed to comply with the new cannabis law that's going into effect January 1," Myers said.