South Cook News

Village of East Hazel Crest Board of Trustees met Aug. 27

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

Officials: Mayor Thomas A. Brown and Administrator Patricia Lazuka were present; Village Clerk Monica Elsey was absent. 

Roll Call: Trustees Ortiz, Wideman, Ewan, Johnson, Forte were present, Trustees Kearns and Forte were absent. (Trustee Forte joined meeting later) 

Also present: PD Chief R. Janich, PD Dep. Chief Tuley, FD Chief Kevin Welsh, FD Dep. Chief Grant Mills, Director of Public Works Brian King S. Connelly, J. O'Brien, L. Dutka, J. Hale, D. Steiber, J. Janko, S. Sokolowski. 

Invocation & Pledge: Mayor Brown asked for a moment of silent prayer for guidance in conducting business. He led the assembly in the Pledge to the Flag of the United States of America. 

Minutes: Trustees Ortiz and Wideman motioned to approve the minutes of the 8/13/25 regular meeting. All trustees present were in favor. Motion carried. 

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC: Trustees Wideman and Ortiz motioned to open this segment of the meeting to the public. All trustees present were in favor. Motion carried. 

Items commented about: 

Tree on EHC right-of-way, roadwork starts, minutes content, 4-way stop on Center, flushing hydrants, online water billing, striping at stop signs, permit protocol. 

CLOSE TO THE PUBLIC: There being no other comments to come before the Board, Trustees 

Ortiz and Wideman motioned to CLOSE this segment of the meeting. All trustees present were in favor. Motion carried. 

REPORTS OF THE VILLAGE OFFICIALS 

Mayor: 

1) Trustees Ortiz and Johnson motioned to approve the Ordinance amending Adjudication allowing any building code violations not corrected can result in demolition of property. Roll Call: Trustees Ortiz, Wideman, Ewan and Johnson voted aye. Motion carried.

2) Trustees Johnson and Wideman motioned to call in Bond to save Village interest payments for 2026-$41,900, 2027-$45,360, 2028-$43,600 and 2029-$41,800. All trustees present were in favor. Motion carried. 

3) Since the Casino opened, we have received the amount of $1,834,013.61; $300,000 has been switched to the general fund for salaries; $450,000 set aside for repaying the Bonds issued last year. Village is considering a program to replace antiquated fire hydrants. 

Village Clerk: No Report 

Administrator: 

1) Lathrop ditch project is expected to go out for bid in September and if sometime in the winter have collected the bids construction may possibly begin sometime in March or April. Regarding the Path we are waiting for grant application for construction to be accepted. Engineering has been paid by grant. Center Avenue-waiting for lighting to be installed and grass planting along the sidewalk.

REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES: 

Streets: Trustee Forte attended virtual meeting led by Illinois Secretary of State Alexis Giannoulis and told of our concerns about the Zip Code. 

Finance / License: Trustees Johnson and Wideman motioned to pay the bills on Claim Sheet dated 8/27/2025 in the amount of $161,603.26. Roll Call: Trustees Ortiz, Wideman, Ewan, Johnson and Forte voted aye. Motion carried. 

Signs: No Report 

Health / Safety: No Report 

Water/Sewer: There were a couple of watermain breaks and one broken fire hydrant. Cal City Plumbing and Public Works addressed the problem. No major water pressure issues. 

Police / Fire: Fire Report for July submitted.

Old Business: None 

New Business: None 

Announcements: None 

Adjournment: Trustees Ortiz and Wideman made the motion to adjourn. All trustees present were in favor. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 7:36 pm. 

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