Kendall County Times

Village of Oswego Committee of the Whole met Feb. 20.

Here is the minutes provided by the Committee:

CALL TO ORDER

President Gail E. Johnson called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.

ROLL CALL

Physically Present: President Gail Johnson and Trustees Ryan Kauffman (attended at 6:02 p.m.), Karin McCarthy-Lange, Pam Parr, Judy Sollinger and Joe West.

Absent: Trustee Luis Perez.

Staff Present: Dan Di Santo, Village Administrator; Christina Burns, AVA/HR Director; Tina Touchette, Village Clerk; Jennifer Hughes, Public Works Director; Jeff Burgner, Police Chief; Rod Zenner, Community Development Director; Corinna Cole, Economic Development Director; Jenette Sturges, Community Engagement Coordinator- Marketing; Jay Hoover, Building & Zoning Manager; Julie Hoffman; Community Engagement- Special Events; and Marji Swanson, Village Attorney.

CONSIDERATION OF AND POSSIBLE ACTIONS ON ANY REQUESTS FOR

ELECTRONIC PARTICIPATION IN MEETING

There was no one who participated electronically.

PUBLIC FORUM

Public Forum was opened at 6:01 p.m.

Gerald Sternberg addressed the Board regarding snow removal in the Steeplechase subdivision and the flooding of the sewer system at Kendall Point Drive and US Highway 34. Staff will look into and get back to him.

There was no else one who requested to speak; the Public Forum was closed at 6:08 p.m.

OLD BUSINESS

There was no Old Business.

NEW BUSINESS

F.1. 2018 Wine on the Fox Update

Director Cole introduced Julie Hoffman to the Board and addressed the Board regarding changes to the Wine on the Fox event for this year. There are many rules and regulations to follow when planning a special event. Many of the rules focus on safety, serving to only those who are over 21 and not over serving. One of the best ways in reducing liability at an event is centralize the alcohol and alcohol sales. After researching, it was found that many of the hosts of events contract with a distributor or purchase the product, in bulk, up front. In both cases, the winery typically has a representative at the event to serve the samples and educate the public on the product. Staff is exploring both ways. It would involve a large upfront purchase of alcohol with excess product sold back to the seller at cost. In the past, individual wineries exhibited at the event and sold bottles and cases directly to the public. Either option allows the Village to retain up to 100% of the profit from the sale of alcohol.

There are additional benefits in utilizing a distributor:

 Village works with the distributor to select wineries to attend the event

 Greatly improved planning efficiency

 Staff will not have to individually contract with each winery

 Staff would be freed up to add additional value

 Allows for a greater profit

 Regional participation from suppliers/wineries from IL, MI, IN and WI

 Would not be able to guarantee the presence of past wineries as they may not have a relationship with a distributor

 Some wineries produce below the State set threshold to be represented by a distributor

Staff will be exploring a blended model to see if there is a way to include some of the smaller local wineries.

Proposed Changes

 Only serving in Wine on the Fox glasses

 Safety measure

 Ensures tastings are 1 oz. and that appropriate measures are taken to prevent over serving

 Outside alcoholic beverages

 Safety measure

 Ensures patrons are not over served

 Not allow outside alcohol to be brought into the event

 Park District does not allow outside alcohol at their Brew at the Bridge event

 Limiting outside non-alcoholic beverages

 Water or children’s beverages are exempt

 Increase in choice

 Staff will request that all wineries bring up to three tiers of wine qualities

 Tier one wines will likely be one ticket, tier two wines may cost two tickets, and so on

 Patrons will be offered more tasting choices, but are still free to sample the wines that fit their tastes and budget

 Increased entertainment/attractions

 Food trucks with suggested pairings

 Expo tent

 Interactive demonstrations

 Sponsorships

 Staff is actively soliciting sponsorships for the event

 John Greene Realtor is this year’s presenting sponsor

Board and staff discussion focused on a lot people don’t drink wine; consider beer trucks; not wanting to dilute the wine event; whether staff members would be at each booth; wine glasses are marked to show the 1 ounce sample; distributor would guarantee up to ten wineries and they would serve; whether local wineries would be used; contracting with wineries; purchasing in bulk; Village secured its own special event liquor license and DRAM Shop insurance in the past; needing to control over serving; needing volunteers at each booth; no problems in the past with the Police Department; have been cases where people have brought their own wine glasses; have seen people only buy tickets and using glasses from previous years; whether it will be a smaller event; exploring a blended model; staff would solicit additional wineries beyond the ten that the distributor guarantees; using a partner business such as Tap House or Tuscan Tavern; event being held on May 5th and 6th; allowed wineries to sell directly to the public in the past; Village losing a significant amount of revenue; liability of wineries selling directly; all wineries have insurance; distributor would hold the insurance; liking the centralized version; liking the variety; purchasing of bottles would be centralized and priced accordingly; event has been profitable in the past; concerns with upfront cost; some restrictions on reducing unused product; haven’t found another event venue doing it the way the Village has in the past; staff has only spoken to Fox Valley winery about the changes to the event; doing a straw poll to see what everyone wants; smaller wineries do not always have distributors; concerned with not having enough wine to sell and serve; buying wine below retail; can contract with wineries, but it is a huge undertaking by staff; whether the Village can buy extra wine on-site or at last minutes; events becoming bigger every year; distributor can sell more to the Village and buy back in the end; being able to purchase glasses at the wineries; would sell back at the same price as purchased, but only by the case; concerns with a rain out event; not allowing outside beverages; needing to get the word out earlier concerning the restrictions; whether there would be an area to hold purchased wine to pick up later; needing to do liquor permitting correctly; whether the food and beverage tax would apply; sales tax rate; part of the experience is the local wineries; not wanting to see Fox Valley pushed out; liking the variety of wine and food; three wineries are favorites at the event; staff to explore the distributor option; staff to keep the Board updated; item will not come back to the Board for approval.

CLOSED SESSION

A motion was made by Trustee Kauffman and seconded by Trustee Sollinger to enter into Closed Session for the purposes of discussing the following:

a. Pending and Probable Litigation [5 ILCS 120/2(c)(11)]

b. Appointment, Employment, Compensation, Discipline, Performance, or Dismissal of Personnel

[5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1)]

c. Collective Bargaining, Collective Negotiating Matters, Deliberations Concerning Salary Schedules

[5 ILCS 120/2(c)(2)]

d. Sale, Lease, and/or Acquisition of Property [5 ILCS 120/2(c)(5) & (6)]

Aye: Ryan Kauffman, Karin McCarthy-Lange Pam Parr, Judy Sollinger, Joe West

Nay: None

Absent: Luis Perez

The motion was declared carried by a roll call vote with five (5) aye votes and zero (0) nay votes.

The Board adjourned to Closed Session at 6:41 p.m.

The Board returned to open session at 7:16 p.m.; all remaining members still present.

ADJOURNMENT

The Committee of the Whole meeting adjourned at 7:16 p.m.

http://www.oswegoil.org/pdf/2-20-18-cotw.pdf