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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Committee of the Whole Workshop on ParkNav Software and Open Alcohol Consumption - June 8, 2026

Village Board & Commissions — Monday, June 8, 2026

BodyPlainfield, Illinois

SessionVillage Board & Commissions

DateMonday, June 8, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 2:03:38

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

1:29

Doesn't look like it.

3:06

Hi, John.

3:06

Can you hear us here?

3:08

Yep.

3:10

Can you hear me?

3:11

Uh yes, thank you.

3:13

Okay, full.

4:38

I did not like to do it.

5:09

Okay, we'll call the meeting to order.

5:11

Roll call, please.

5:12

Trusty Wojowski.

5:13

Trusty Banucci.

5:14

Here, Trustee Kiefer.

5:15

Present.

5:16

Trustee Paniker.

5:17

Yes.

5:17

Trustee Ruin.

5:18

Yep.

5:18

Trusty Sula.

5:19

Here.

5:19

Mayor Gadellis.

5:21

Yes, we'll stand for the pledge, please.

5:24

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

5:31

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

5:36

Thank you all.

5:37

Is there a motion to approve the minutes?

5:40

So move.

5:41

So I can motion then made and seconded to approve the minutes of the committee of the whole workshop.

5:45

Held on May 11th.

5:46

All in favor?

5:47

All right.

5:48

All opposed.

5:49

Thank you.

5:49

That motion carries.

5:50

Thank you.

5:51

Um we'll dispense with presidential comments tonight or their trustee comments.

5:58

Very good.

5:59

I do notice there are some restaurant owners here.

6:01

I know you're here for the uh discussion on one of our items, so you can you don't have to come up with public comment.

6:08

You will be available if somebody has questions about the businesses and how this act would uh would work with for you.

6:14

So with that, uh, we're gonna jump in our workshop, but we have F2, the ParkNav software as on the line via Zoom.

6:24

So we're gonna start with them actually, and then we'll move on to F1.

6:28

So want to start with that, Mr.

6:30

Blakemore.

6:31

Yeah, um I will turn it over to Ashton here in just a sec, but as everybody recalls, um, we had done a uh a parking study kind of focusing on the downtown area that had given us some some good practical advice to look at up to it, including in enforcement in the downtown, which has uh has been going on.

6:50

Uh we'll we'll touch upon that a bit.

6:53

Um, and we created uh created with the the mayor sort of an internal parking task force.

6:59

Uh we had folks from planning, engineering, myself, please uh police department, and we're trying to do we you know we were trying to find different options that could be offered or things that could be offered to help us um with with parking challenges downtown.

7:16

Um and we had arrived at uh Ashton, our you know, researcher extraordinaire had found this company ParkNav, who she will introduce here shortly, who I think offers a pretty cost-effective solution for something that that could be offered if uh if we're so interested.

7:32

So I will let uh Miss Stipp introduce uh ParkNav and kind of go over some of the uh background information as she helped put all of this together.

7:41

So Ashton.

7:42

Of course.

7:42

So as Mr.

7:43

Blakemore alluded to, uh, the parking task force one of our objectives was looking at different potential softwares.

7:50

And as we began this journey, we found that a lot of software is required expensive infrastructure, such as wiring for cameras, uh installing lighter on vehicles, or even installing pucks into the ground.

8:05

And we found that these all have a cost associated with them.

8:09

So we came across Park Nav uh technologies, and they uh don't have any uh upfront installation charges or um they just have an annual subscription charge.

8:24

So in our research, we found that typically uh some of the companies that have the expensive infrastructures are typically utilized by communities that are have uh paid for parking as well.

8:40

So that was a challenge as we were uh doing different demonstrations on these products.

8:45

Um but park nav particularly doesn't have any of that upfront infrastructure charges.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Technology and Innovation████████████████████████████████████████████44%

Cannabis Regulation██████████████14%

Economic Development████████████12%

Parking Management████████8%

Procedural███████7%

Public Safety██████6%

Alcohol Regulation████4%

Transportation Safety███3%

Fiscal Sustainability█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Committee of the Whole Workshop: ParkNav Parking App and Open Alcohol Consumption Ordinance – June 8, 2026

The Plainfield Village Board of Trustees held a Committee of the Whole Workshop on Monday, June 8, 2026, at 7:00 PM in the Boardroom. The meeting focused on two agenda items: a proposal to subscribe to the ParkNav parking prediction service and a draft ordinance to permit open carry and consumption of alcohol during special events. Trustees discussed both items in depth, heard from staff, a vendor, and local business owners, and provided direction for staff to finalize contracts and ordinance language.

Consent Calendar

Approved the minutes of the Committee of the Whole Workshop held on May 11, 2026, by unanimous voice vote.

Discussion Item: ParkNav Software & Application (F.2)

Staff presented the ParkNav service, which uses artificial intelligence and big data to provide real-time on-street and off-street parking availability with up to 80% accuracy, without the need for costly infrastructure like cameras or sensors. The proposed 12-month subscription would cost $23,000 (or a lower tier of $17,000), with a 12-week rollout. The service includes a white-label mobile app for residents and visitors, a city analytics portal, and enforcement tools.

Trustee comments varied:

Trustee Benucci expressed strong support, noting the product could help direct visitors to underutilized lots and provide continuous parking data.
Trustee Kiefer questioned the practicality for Plainfield’s small downtown area (approximately 0.3 miles from 59 to Sovereignty) and whether an app would be used for such a short distance. He acknowledged potential value as a planning tool.
Trustee Sula raised concerns about cost per parking spot ($96 per on-street spot) and questioned whether the current parking problem is a perception issue rather than a capacity issue, citing 85% on-street occupancy at peak times and 53% off-street occupancy. She suggested updating the existing website map instead.
Trustee Paniker supported proceeding, citing the low cost relative to previous parking studies (approx. $30,000 each) and the ongoing data collection benefit.
Trustee Ruin noted the app could help out-of-town visitors unfamiliar with parking options.
Mayor Gadellis emphasized the proactive nature of the investment and the ability to measure parking dynamics over time.

The board reached majority consensus to proceed. Staff was directed to finalize the scope and bring a contract to a future board meeting. The cost is budgeted for this fiscal year.

Discussion Item: Open Carry & Consumption of Alcohol at Special Events (F.1)

Staff presented a draft ordinance to allow open alcohol consumption within designated areas during specified special events (cruise nights, parades, homecoming). The discussion focused on enforcement, signage, and distinguishing between event types.

Key points:

Trustees generally supported the concept for cruise nights (Tuesday evenings) but opposed including parades due to enforcement challenges and family-oriented nature.
Trustee Benucci noted that parade attendance can reach 15,000, making enforcement difficult, and that neighbors have been accommodating.
Trustee Kiefer moved to exclude parades; consensus was to limit the ordinance to cruise nights initially.
Discussion on enforcement included requiring stickers on cups indicating the serving establishment and date. Representatives from Uptown (Christina Kollintzas) and Mojo's (Jamie Littell) provided input, noting that stickers are feasible but reusable cups (e.g., Yeti) could complicate enforcement. Health code prohibits filling personal cups. The sticker system would help police identify the source of alcohol.
Trustee Sula requested adding polypropylene and stainless steel to the list of acceptable cup materials (currently plastic and aluminum) and proposed a possible future reusable cup program. She also asked that littering fines ($50) be included in signage.
Local business owners expressed support for the ordinance, emphasizing it would encourage legal alcohol consumption from licensed establishments and reduce bootlegging.

Key Outcomes

ParkNav: The board directed staff to negotiate a contract for the ParkNav 12‑month subscription, with a focus on the downtown coverage area. The contract will be brought to a future board meeting.
Open Alcohol Ordinance: The board directed staff to revise the draft ordinance to apply only to cruise nights (excluding parades and homecoming). Sticker requirements and acceptable container materials will be incorporated. The revised ordinance will be presented for approval at the next regular board meeting on June 15, 2026.
Signage and Enforcement: Staff will design temporary signage for the designated areas, including fine information ($50 for littering). Police will continue enforcement of time restrictions (313 tickets issued since March 2025) and will use the sticker system to monitor compliance.

Note: No public comments were taken during the workshop, but restaurant owners participated in the discussion at the board's invitation.

Meeting Transcript

Doesn't look like it. Hi, John. Can you hear us here? Yep. Can you hear me? Uh yes, thank you. Okay, full. I did not like to do it. Okay, we'll call the meeting to order. Roll call, please. Trusty Wojowski. Trusty Banucci. Here, Trustee Kiefer. Present. Trustee Paniker. Yes. Trustee Ruin. Yep. Trusty Sula. Here. Mayor Gadellis. Yes, we'll stand for the pledge, please. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you all. Is there a motion to approve the minutes? So move. So I can motion then made and seconded to approve the minutes of the committee of the whole workshop. Held on May 11th. All in favor? All right. All opposed. Thank you. That motion carries. Thank you. Um we'll dispense with presidential comments tonight or their trustee comments. Very good. I do notice there are some restaurant owners here. I know you're here for the uh discussion on one of our items, so you can you don't have to come up with public comment. You will be available if somebody has questions about the businesses and how this act would uh would work with for you. So with that, uh, we're gonna jump in our workshop, but we have F2, the ParkNav software as on the line via Zoom. So we're gonna start with them actually, and then we'll move on to F1. So want to start with that, Mr. Blakemore. Yeah, um I will turn it over to Ashton here in just a sec, but as everybody recalls, um, we had done a uh a parking study kind of focusing on the downtown area that had given us some some good practical advice to look at up to it, including in enforcement in the downtown, which has uh has been going on. Uh we'll we'll touch upon that a bit. Um, and we created uh created with the the mayor sort of an internal parking task force. Uh we had folks from planning, engineering, myself, please uh police department, and we're trying to do we you know we were trying to find different options that could be offered or things that could be offered to help us um with with parking challenges downtown. Um and we had arrived at uh Ashton, our you know, researcher extraordinaire had found this company ParkNav, who she will introduce here shortly, who I think offers a pretty cost-effective solution for something that that could be offered if uh if we're so interested. So I will let uh Miss Stipp introduce uh ParkNav and kind of go over some of the uh background information as she helped put all of this together.

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