City Council

MINUTES CITY OF DEKALB REGULAR MEETING OF CITY COUNCIL JANUARY 22, 2018 The City Council of DeKalb, Illinois held a Regular meeting on January 22, 2018, in the City Council Chambers of the DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois. Mayor Smith called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. Mayor Smith spoke of the recent passing of former City of DeKalb Mayor Judy King- Bechdolt, and asked for a moment of silence in remembrance. A. ROLL CALL Deputy City Clerk Ruth Scott called the roll, and the following members of the City Council were present: Alderman Dave Jacobson, Alderman Bill Finucane, Alderman Mike Marquardt, Alderman Pat Fagan, Alderman Kate Noreiko, Alderman Mike Verbic, Alderman Tony Faivre, and Mayor Jerry Smith. Also present were: City Manager Anne Marie Gaura, Assistant City Manager Patty Hoppenstedt, City Attorney Dean Frieders, Finance Director Molly Talkington, Police Chief Gene Lowery, Fire Chief Eric Hicks, Community Development Director Jo Ellen Charlton, Public Works Director Tim Holdeman, Information Technology Director Marc Thorson, Human Resources Director Cris Randall, Economic Development Planner Jason Michnick, Airport Manager Tom Cleveland, and Deputy City Clerk Ruth Scott. B. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Community Relations – Training Officer Kelly Sullivan lead the Pledge of Allegiance. C. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA – ADDITIONS / DELETIONS There were no additions to or deletions from the agenda. MOTION Alderman Noreiko moved to approve the agenda; seconded by Alderman Verbic. VOTE Motion carried on an 8-0 roll call vote. Aye: Jacobson, Finucane, Marquardt, Fagan, Noreiko, Verbic, Faivre, and Smith. Nay: none. Mayor Smith declared the motion passed. Regular Meeting Minutes January 22, 2018 Page 2 of 7 D. PUBLIC HEARINGS There were no Public Hearings scheduled. E. SPECIAL ITEMS OR PRESENTATIONS & CITIZEN’S COMMENTS 1. Special Items a. Proudly DeKalb Mayor Smith noted that several business and individuals were honored during the recent DeKalb Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting, including Safe Passage for non-profit of the year and SundogIT for business of year. Jerry Halsted was entered into the Hall of Fame, and Brad Manning received the Pioneer Award. b. Annie Glidden North Revitalization Plan Task Force Update. Alderman Finucane reported that the Annie Glidden North Revitalization Plan Task Force meeting that had been scheduled for January 17, 2018, had been rescheduled for January 29, 2018. c. Proclamation: School Choice Week, January 21 - 27, 2018. Mayor Smith read the proclamation and presented it to St. Mary School Principal Roseann Feldmann. 2. Presentations There were none. 3. Approval of the Mayor’s Appointments There were none. 4. Public Participation There was none. F. CONSENT AGENDA – OMNIBUS VOTE Mayor Smith read the following items by title only: 1. Approval of City Council Minutes There were no City Council minutes to approve.  Regular Meeting of City Council Agenda January 22, 2018 Page 3 of 7 2. Receive & File a. Accounts Payable and Payroll through January 22, 2018, in the Amount of $2,754,940.24. b. Investment and Bank Balance Summary: November 2017. 3. Resolution 2018-009 Authorizing Payment in Excess of $20,000 to Motorola Solutions Inc. for the Renewal of a Service User Agreement for the Starcom Public Safety Radio System in an Amount Not to Exceed $40,899.96. MOTION Alderman Noreiko motioned to approve the Consent Agenda; seconded by Alderman Fagan. VOTE Motion carried on an 8-0 roll call vote. Aye: Jacobson, Finucane, Marquardt, Fagan, Noreiko, Verbic, Faivre, and Smith. Nay: none. Mayor Smith declared the motion passed. G. ITEMS FOR SEPARATE ACTION 1. Resolution 2018-010 Authorizing a Transportation Improvement Program for Federal Fiscal Years 2019 – 2023 for the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport. Mayor Smith read Resolution 2018-010 by title only. MOTION Alderman Verbic motioned to approve Resolution 2018-010; seconded by Alderman Faivre. Airport Manager Cleveland provided an overview of this item, stating that staff presented the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Illinois Department of Transportation – Division of Aeronautics (IDOT-DOA) at the October 25, 2017, TIP meeting. This annual meeting reviews the City’s proposed long-term capital improvement projects. The FAA and IDOT-DOA recommended proceeding with the outlined projects in the five-year plan. The projects presented in the TIP will be presented to the FAA for internal review for eventual allocation of federal funds. They are: • FY2017 Funded: Replace Visual Navigational Aids. Regular Meeting Minutes January 22, 2018 Page 4 of 7 • FY2018: Crack Repair and Re-Mark Runway 2-20. • FY2019: Reimbursement for the Purchase of Snow Removal Equipment Building (Frontier) Phase 1. • FY2019: Replace Perimeter Fencing – Phase 1. Airport Manager Cleveland also noted that the FY2019-2023 TIP was presented to the Airport Advisory Board (AAB) at their November 21, 2017, meeting. The AAB unanimously voted to proceed with the proposed list. There was a brief discussion between Mayor Smith and Airport Manager Cleveland regarding the projects. Not related to this subject, Airport Manager Cleveland reported to Council that there had been a large amount of jet fuel sales over the past four days. Brief discussion ensued. VOTE Motion carried on an 8-0 roll call vote. Aye: Jacobson, Finucane, Marquardt, Fagan, Noreiko, Verbic, Faivre, and Smith. Nay: none. Mayor Smith declared the motion passed. H. NEW OR UNFINISHED BUSINESS 1. Request for Council Direction on Aldermen’s Request to Amend Outdoor Smoking Regulations. Community Development Director Charlton provided an overview of this item, stating that Alderman Jacobsen and Alderman Verbic requested the Council’s consideration to amend outdoor smoking regulations approved by Council in 2014. One of the amendments made at that time was the prohibition of smoking on outdoor patios. This topic was discussed by Council at the October 23, 2017, Committee of the Whole meeting. At that time, direction was given that the topic be reviewed by both the Citizens’ Environmental Commission (CEC) and the Economic Development Commission (EDC), with both commissions providing a recommendation as to whether the restriction on smoking on outdoor patios should be rescinded or remain. Since then, both the CEC and the EDC have reviewed the topic. The CEC recommends that no changes be made to the smoking ordinance. The EDC, however, does recommend that the smoking ordinance be amended to allow for smoking on patios, noting that businesses should be allowed to choose for themselves.  Regular Meeting of City Council Agenda January 22, 2018 Page 5 of 7 Community Development Director Charlton provided Council with their options regarding this item. CEC member Bill Oleckno shared his views regarding the City’s smoking ordinance and urged Council to not to make any changes. Discussion among Council ensued. Upon conclusion of the discussion, it was the consensus of Council to have staff bring forward a draft amendment to the ordinance. 2. Request for Council Direction on Aldermen’s Request to Solicit Bids for Demolition of the Building Located at 912 Edgebrook Drive. Community Development Director Charlton provided an overview of this item, stating that Alderman Verbic and Alderman Finucane have requested Council’s consideration to move forward with actions that would result in the demolition of the building located at 912 Edgebrook Drive, as well as possible improvements that would allow for permit/paid parking “as soon as possible” in support of the Safe Streets Initiative. As such, this item has been prepared in order to request consensus from the Council on how to proceed on this requested project. The Council’s consensus would result in Public Works spending staff time to develop a scope of work based on specific direction from Council regarding the project’s scope, preparing a request for bids, soliciting and evaluating proposals, and preparing agenda materials for Council’s future consideration. Community Development Director Charlton continued, providing background information and details to Council regarding the property. She also noted options that had been previously discussed by Council regarding the property, such as immediate demolition, repurposing the building, or holding off on any action until feedback could be provided by the Annie Glidden North Task Force. Community Development Director Charlton provided Council with financial impact information regarding the options provided. Discussion ensued among Council members regarding this item. Following their discussion, it was the consensus of Council for staff to procure bids for the demolition of the property. Mayor Smith also asked that this item be a part of a future Annie Glidden North Task Force meeting agenda. I. REPORTS – COMMUNICATIONS Alderman Marquardt shared that he had recently heard some not so positive comments about DeKalb while out of town on vacation, which were disconcerting to him. His goal for 2018 is to do the best he can to reverse that viewpoint. Regular Meeting Minutes January 22, 2018 Page 6 of 7 Alderman Noreiko read an excerpt from a poem in the spirit of remembering a dear friend. Alderman Verbic reported on a productive meeting he had with the DeKalb County Building Trades. Mayor Smith provided information he received from Dawn Littlefield of the United Way regarding the 211 program, noting the program is working out well. Mayor Smith reported that he had received information from Northern Illinois University regarding a number of events planned for the 10th anniversary of February 14, 2008. City Manager Gaura reminded Council of the upcoming Special Committee of the Whole Goal Setting Session, scheduled for January 24, 2018. Finance Director Talkington reported that she will be at an upcoming screening of the documentary based on the Dixon, Illinois fraud case involving their former comptroller. Mayor Smith asked Finance Director Talkington to reach out to the DeKalb Public Library to see if they would sponsor a screening of the documentary. Community Development Director Charlton concurred with Alderman Marquardt’s comments regarding the negative viewpoints being shared about DeKalb. She noted that leaders in the business community are also hearing negative comments regarding DeKalb and are very disappointed. They want to work on changing how DeKalb is viewed. Community Development Director Charlton reported that the Planning and Zoning Commission has been presented with a potential text amendment to the UDO regarding climate controlled self-storage facilities. More information will be provided to Council in the near future. Public Works Director Holdeman provided Council with an update on the details of the recent lead in the water issue, noting that the DeKalb Community School District 428 will be replacing all water fountains that reported the highest amount of lead, as well as implementing a “flushing program” to keep lead out of the water. Further testing is planned for the future and results will be reported back to Council. Public Works Director Holdeman reported on the recent major snow event, a prolonged operation of approximately 36 hours. Public Works Director Holdeman’s also reported on a major water main break in the Walmart parking lot, causing significant damage. This will be a significant expense in terms of repair to the parking lot.  Regular Meeting of City Council Agenda January 22, 2018 Page 7 of 7 Information Technology Director Thorson reported to Council that the livestream the City uses via YouTube for Council meetings is currently not working. YouTube reported that the City violated one of its policies but wasn’t specific on which one. The City has filed an appeal. There was brief discussion among Mayor Smith, Alderman Faivre, and Information Technology Director Thorson regarding the issue. Mayor Smith asked that Information Technology Director Thorson keep Council up to date on the situation. J. RECESS FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION OF THE CITY COUNCIL There was no Executive Session scheduled. K. ADJOURNMENT MOTION Alderman Noreiko motioned to adjourn the meeting; seconded by Alderman Verbic. VOTE Motion carried on an 8-0 voice vote. Aye: Jacobson, Finucane, Marquardt, Fagan, Noreiko, Verbic, Faivre, and Smith. Nay: none. Mayor Smith declared the motion passed and concluded the Regular Meeting at 8:39 p.m. _____________________________________ RUTH A. SCOTT, Deputy City Clerk Approved by City Council: February 26, 2018.