City Council

MINUTES CITY OF DEKALB REGULAR MEETING OF CITY COUNCIL FEBRUARY 26, 2018 The City Council of DeKalb, Illinois held a Regular meeting on February 26, 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 6:30 p.m. A. ROLL CALL City Clerk Herrmann called the roll and the following members of the City Council were present: Alderman David 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, City Attorney Dean Frieders, Finance Director Molly Talkington, Police Chief Gene Lowery, Police Commander Jason Leverton, 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, Management Analyst Ray Munch, Management Intern Jason Blumenthal, Chief Building Official Thaddeus Mack, Principal Planner Dan Olson, Interim Support Services Superintendent Andy Raih, and City Clerk Susanna Herrmann. B. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Police Detective Kelly Sullivan led the Pledge of Allegiance. C. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA – ADDITIONS / DELETIONS There were no additions to or deletions from the agenda. MOTION Alderman Faivre motioned to approve the agenda; seconded by Alderman Fagan. VOTE Motion carried on an 8-0 roll call vote. Aye: Jacobson, Finucane, Marquardt, Fagan, Noreiko, Verbic, Faivre, Smith. Nay: None. Mayor Smith declared the motion passed. D. PUBLIC HEARINGS There was nothing scheduled. Regular Meeting Minutes February 26, 2018 Page 2 of 21 E. SPECIAL ITEMS OR PRESENTATIONS & CITIZEN’S COMMENTS 1. Special Items a. Proudly DeKalb There was nothing scheduled for this part of the meeting. b. Commendation of Andy Raih. Public Works Director Holdeman read the certificate aloud and presented it to Interim Support Services Superintendent Raih. c. Swearing in Ceremony of Police Officer Trevor Burdick. d. Promotion of Michael Stewart to Police Sergeant. Police Chief Lowery introduced Police Officer Burdick and Police Sergeant Stewart and said a few words in their regard. They were then individually sworn in by City Clerk Herrmann. e. Annie Glidden North Revitalization Plan Task Force Update. Alderman Finucane provided the update and noted that there will be another Task Force Meeting sometime in March 2018. Both Alderman Jacobson and Alderman Finucane expressed their comfort in the composition of the subcommittees. 2. Presentations a. Citizens’ Environmental Commission (CEC) Annual Report of Progress on the Implementation and Monitoring of the City’s Sustainability Plan by Chair Dan Kenney. Mr. Kenney presented the highlights of the annual report, which included: • The CEC continues to monitor progress on implementation of the City’s Sustainability Plan. • Solicited nominations and awarded six PRIDE Awards to individuals, businesses, and organizations that have made outstanding efforts to improve the DeKalb environment.  Regular Meeting Minutes February 26, 2018 Page 3 of 21 • The Share-A-Bag Program of the CEC and the DeKalb County Health Department continues to expand and succeed under the leadership of CEC co-chair Clare Kron. • Continue to make prompt responses to the Mayor and City Council regarding requests for information, recommendations, and actions. • Continue to build and expand collaborative efforts with local agencies such as the Kishwaukee Water Reclamation District, DeKalb Park District, Northern Illinois University, and the Solid Waste Division of the DeKalb County Health Department. • Continue to work toward development of a CEC logo. • Members of the CEC spearheaded and led a collaborative effort with students of Kishwaukee College and other volunteers to clean-up littered retention ponds at the Market Square Shopping Center along Sycamore Road. • The CEC collected information, hosted presentations, and conducted research to assist with the process to secure a new waste haulers contract. The CEC will be making a recommendation to City staff and Council. As part of this process, the CEC is hosting a public forum on March 1, 2018, in Council Chambers on the subject of the upcoming waste haulers contract to inform and draw input from the residents. Also, CEC member and former chair, William Oleckno, was involved with creating a public survey to inform decision making regarding the new contract. • The CEC is exploring means for raising funds for the Commission to use in various initiatives and educational community events to improve the City of DeKalb environment. Alderman Noreiko thanked Mr. Kenney for the dedication and the hard work of the citizens that serve on commissions, like the CEC. Mayor Smith echoed the sentiments of Alderman Noreiko. b. DeKalb Public Library FY2017 Annual Report by Director Emily Faulkner. Ms. Faulkner discussed some of the more notable changes that took place at the DeKalb Public Library (the Library) in Fiscal Year 2017 (FY2017) and briefly mentioned potential future projects. Mayor Smith mentioned the Library tax levy and asked Ms. Faulkner to provide some comments regarding that issue. Regular Meeting Minutes February 26, 2018 Page 4 of 21 Ms. Faulkner stated she had no new information to discuss due to an inability for the Library Board to meet a quorum in order to host a special meeting. Alderman Fagan commented that he has had many residents reach out to him in regard to the Library tax levy abatement and explicitly asked Ms. Faulkner if the Library is going to abate the levy when they receive the grant money from the state. Ms. Faulkner stated it is her understanding that the Library Board intends to abate the tax levy when they receive their grant funding from the state. However, those discussions will not take place until they begin their budget process later in the year. Alderman Faivre inquired about the automation advancements made in the Library and verbalized his assumption that those advancements would have decreased staff. Ms. Faulkner replied they were hopeful that the automation services would decrease staff members but that was not the case. There was a brief discussion between Alderman Faivre and Ms. Faulkner regarding this issue. Alderman Verbic echoed the concerns of other Aldermen and expressed his belief that the Library Board should do the responsible thing and communicate their intentions to the residents of the City. Alderman Jacobson declared that the idea that there would be no increase in staff came from Ms. Faulkner’s predecessor and continued to remind the audience that components of the original agreement have created mistrust in the Library from the community. He stated there is no gray area with this matter and the Library needs to honor their promises to the Council. Alderman Noreiko also echoed the concerns of other Aldermen. She then shared some personal perspective regarding the importance of the Library in the community. Mayor Smith reiterated his stance on this issue. 3. APPROVAL OF THE MAYOR’S APPOINTMENTS There were none. 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION Mac McIntyre thanked Council for their position on the Library issue. He wondered where the funds came from to create new positions at the Library and furthermore,  Regular Meeting Minutes February 26, 2018 Page 5 of 21 how the City will fund those future pensions. He stated that the City has a fiduciary responsibility to address that issue since it wasn’t planned for in the budget process. Bessie Chronopoulos shared historical perspective regarding the Library issue and attested to the possibility that the Library Board may in fact be aware of the disbursement of the state grant funding that they are expecting. Mr. Kenney thanked Police Chief Lowery and the Police Department for the professionalism displayed during the crisis situations that took place in the community the week before. Mayor Smith echoed Mr. Kenney’s comments. Alderman Jacobson reiterated the expectations of the Council to the community in regard to the Library issue. Mayor Smith added that Finance Director Talkington has been directed to work closely with Ms. Faulkner to resolve this issue. F. CONSENT AGENDA – OMNIBUS VOTE Mayor Smith read the following items by title only: 1. Approval of City Council Minutes a. Minutes of the Committee of the Whole Meeting of January 22, 2018. b. Minutes of the City Council Meeting of January 22, 2018. c. Minutes of the Special Committee of the Whole Meeting of January 24, 2018. 2. Receive & File a. Accounts Payable and Payroll through February 26, 2018, in the Amount of $5,150,825.15. b. Investment and Bank Balance Summary through December 2017. 3. Amendment of the 2018 Schedule of Meetings. MOTION Alderman Jacobson moved to approve the Consent Agenda; seconded by Alderman Faivre. Regular Meeting Minutes February 26, 2018 Page 6 of 21 VOTE Motion carried on an 8-0 roll call vote. Aye: Jacobson, Finucane, Marquardt, Fagan, Noreiko, Verbic, Faivre, Smith. Nay: none. Mayor Smith declared the motion passed. G. ITEMS FOR SEPARATE ACTION 1. Ordinance 2018-004 Authorizing the Establishment of Tax Increment Financing Interested Parties Registries and Adopting Registration Rules for Such Registries. (Second Reading) Mayor Smith read Ordinance 2018-004 by title only. MOTION Alderman Noreiko moved to consider Ordinance 2018-004; seconded by Alderman Finucane. Economic Development Planner Michnick provided an overview of this item and stated that the First Reading was approved during the February 12, 2018, City Council Regular Meeting. He reminded Council that as part of the process for creating a new Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district, it is required to establish an Interested Parties Registry. He noted that approval of an ordinance establishing the registry and the rules for the registry does not mean that the Central Business District (CBD) TIF will be established. However, approval of an ordinance is required by the State of Illinois TIF Act, should the City move forward with designating the CBD TIF. Economic Development Planner Michnick continued, providing a brief background of this item, mentioning that during the presentation of the First Reading at the February 12, 2018, City Council Regular meeting, City Clerk Herrmann raised concern about the process of taking in applications and maintaining the registry. He stated that following the meeting, he met with City Clerk Herrmann to discuss the process of intake and managing the registry. They determined that all applications that are submitted via mail, or in person at the front counter of City Hall, will be routed through the City Clerk’s Office. Once the City Clerk has confirmed receipt, applications will be forwarded to Economic Development Planner Michnick, who is also the City’s TIF Administrator, to be entered into the registry. He will then update the registry and provide an updated version to the City Clerk’s Office to be kept on file. Mayor Smith asked for verbal confirmation from Economic Development Planner Michnick that approving the ordinance will not commit Council to establishing a new CBD TIF district. He confirmed. There was a brief discussion regarding the specifications of the process. Alderman Jacobson asked if members of the community who were already registered need to re-register or if they will be transferred to the new registry. Economic Development Planner Michnick responded that they will need to re-register.  Regular Meeting Minutes February 26, 2018 Page 7 of 21 Alderman Jacobson then asked if staff is going to reach out to those individuals to notify them. Economic Development Planner Michnick replied in the affirmative. City Clerk Herrmann added her desire for staff to make that effort. Mayor Smith asked City Clerk Herrmann if she was comfortable with the process after having met with Economic Development Planner Michnick to which she replied in the affirmative. Alderman Verbic expressed his understanding of the procedure but expressed he is unwilling to support a new TIF district until he is comfortable with the financial stability of the City. There was a brief discussion between Mayor Smith and Alderman Verbic. Alderman Finucane expressed his understanding for this being the necessary first step in the process of creating a new TIF if Council decided to go that route. Another brief discussion took place between Alderman Finucane and Economic Development Planner Michnick. Mayor Smith stated the General Assembly’s TIF reform tax force is scheduled to meet on February 27, 2018. VOTE Motion carried on a 6-2 roll call vote. Aye: Finucane, Marquardt, Fagan, Noreiko, Faivre, Smith. Nay: Jacobson, Verbic. Mayor Smith declared the motion passed. 2. Ordinance 2018-002 Amending Chapter 64 "Smoking Regulations", Section 64.01 "Definitions", Section 64.02 "Prohibition of Smoking in Enclosed Public Places", and Section 64.04 "Smoking-Free Perimeters". (First Reading) Mayor Smith read Ordinance 2018-002 by title only. MOTION Alderman Verbic moved to consider Ordinance 2018-002; seconded by Alderman Jacobson. Community Development Director Charlton provided an overview of this item and reminded Council that Alderman Jacobson and Alderman Verbic requested the Council’s consideration to amend outdoor smoking regulations that were approved by the City in 2014. One of the amendments made at that time was the prohibition of smoking on outdoor patios. Council discussed this recent request at their October 23, 2017, Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting and provided direction that the topic be discussed by both the CEC and the Economic Development Commission (EDC). Both commissions reviewed the item and provided their recommendations regarding the Regular Meeting Minutes February 26, 2018 Page 8 of 21 restriction on smoking on outdoor patios. The Council discussed these recommendations at their January 22, 2018, meeting and provided direction that an ordinance be prepared for their consideration that removes the smoking ban on outdoor patios. Bill Oleckno discussed the physical effects of cigarette smoke inhalation on the human body and shared his negative perspective of the proposed changes in the ordinance. Ms. Chronopoulos asked Council to leave the ordinance as is. Mr. Kenney expressed his desire for Council to vote to protect the health of the residents. Alderman Finucane played a short video for Council and the audience regarding the health effects of second hand smoke. Alderman Jacobson asked for the sources of the information in the video to be provided. There was a brief discussion between Alderman Jacobson and Alderman Finucane. Alderman Verbic proposed that the City maintain the current ordinance with the provision that there can be smoking on outdoor patios after 9:00 p.m. Alderman Noreiko agreed to support Alderman Verbic’s proposed amendment if he made the motion. Alderman Marquardt stated that creating a time frame for smokers doesn’t make sense to him and could pose an issue to police officers responding to complaints. Alderman Finucane mentioned that the employees of those facilities will still be at risk after 9:00 p.m. Alderman Noreiko changed her perspective regarding the amendment. Alderman Jacobson expressed concerns over the data being provided and refuted Alderman Marquardt’s claim that most liquor licensees are not interested in having the ordinance changed. Mayor Smith stated that the public safety of the residents needs to be paramount when considering the proposed changes. Alderman Fagan expressed his belief that the City needs to comply with state law and asked Police Chief Lowery how many of these complaints are actually reported and responded to. Police Chief Lowery responded that the ordinance, as is, is often used as a tool to address issues of public order but is rarely punished by citation. There was a brief discussion between Alderman Finucane and Alderman Fagan regarding this issue.  Regular Meeting Minutes February 26, 2018 Page 9 of 21 Alderman Faivre stated he is in favor of Alderman Verbic’s proposed amendment. MOTION Alderman Verbic motioned to amend Ordinance 2018-002 to allow outdoor smoking on patios after 9:00 p.m.; seconded by Alderman Faivre. City Attorney Frieders clarified the specifications of the amendment. Alderman Marquardt reiterated his position on the matter and argues that this is a public safety issue. He then added that sometimes regulations need to be put in place for the greater good of the general populous. There was a brief discussion between Alderman Jacobson, Alderman Finucane, and Alderman Marquardt regarding this issue. Alderman Finucane called the question. City Attorney Frieders clarified the implications of a yes and no vote in regard to the proposed amendment. VOTE Motion failed on a 4-4 roll call vote. Aye: Jacobson, Fagan, Verbic, Faivre. Nay: Finucane, Marquardt, Noreiko, Smith. City Clerk Herrmann declared the motion failed. City Attorney Frieders clarified the implications of a yes and no vote in regard to the Ordinance, as is. VOTE Motion failed on a 4-4 roll call vote. Aye: Jacobson, Fagan, Verbic, Faivre. Nay: Finucane, Marquardt, Noreiko, Smith. City Clerk Herrmann declared the motion failed. There was continued discussion amongst the Council regarding the possibility of proposing another amendment to the ordinance that could potentially nullify it if Council were to vote it down. City Attorney Frieders and Alderman Jacobson thoroughly discussed Robert’s Rules of Order in reference to this issue and the Mayor voting power. Alderman Jacobson requested that the voting power of the Mayor be reconsidered at the next City Council meeting and called upon another Alderman to second his request. Alderman Verbic seconded. 3. Resolution 2018-027 Authorizing the Creation of the Paint-a-Plug Program. Mayor Smith read Resolution 2018-027 by title only. Regular Meeting Minutes February 26, 2018 Page 10 of 21 MOTION Alderman Verbic moved to approve Resolution 2018-027. Economic Development Planner Michnick introduced the Paint-a-Plug Program, a program that would provide residents, artists, and students with the opportunity to paint fire hydrants throughout the community. He explained that the Paint-a-Plug Program, if approved, would allow individuals, families, or groups to apply for the opportunity to paint one of the City’s approximately 2,400 fire hydrants. Also upon approval, the Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission (CCEC) would continue to work with the Fire Department to review and approve applications to ensure that painted hydrants would not impact public safety. Interested parties that would like to participate would need to review the rules and regulations and submit an application, with signed agreement, to the City for review. Applications would then be reviewed during monthly CCEC meetings, and approved or denied. The applicants that are approved would also be provided with additional instruction in regards to where appropriate paint can be purchased in the community, and tips for painting to ensure that future use and maintenance of hydrants would not be impacted by the decoration. Economic Development Planner Michnick added that the CCEC discussed several strategies in regards to where in the community to introduce the program, including focusing initial years on a specific area, such as downtown, and it was determined that it would be beneficial in creating neighborhood camaraderie if neighbors were provided the opportunity to paint a hydrant near their homes, or for students of DeKalb School District 428 (D428) schools to be able to paint hydrants near their facilities, such as those that have been painted near DeKalb High School. As for applicants that do not request a specific location, those participants could be focused on specific neighborhoods to increase the number of painted hydrants in a given area. Following approval of an application, and the applicants painting the designated hydrant, they would also be responsible for maintaining their artwork. The rules and regulations of the program list that oil-based primers and paints that are made for metal, are required, and in the event that an applicant does not use the proper paint, and the artwork fades, deteriorates, or is compromised, the City would have the right to repaint the hydrant to the standard red color, subject to the program limitations. He noted that applicant will be encouraged to maintain their artwork and would have the right to repair faded artwork after properly notifying the City of their intention. Following the initial season of the program, staff will work with the CCEC to document and index all of the hydrants that have been painted and a new webpage on the City’s website would be created that would include a map of the locations of the hydrants that are painted and pictures of the artwork. Alderman Jacobson left the dais at 8:49 p.m. Alderman Finucane mentioned some issues that may become a concern, including possible copyright infringement. VOTE  Regular Meeting Minutes February 26, 2018 Page 11 of 21 Motion carried on a 7-0-1 roll call vote. Aye: Finucane, Marquardt, Fagan, Noreiko, Verbic, Faivre, and Smith. Nay: none. Absent: Jacobson. 4. Resolution 2018-028 Authorizing an Engineering Services Agreement with Fehr- Graham & Associates, LLC for Design and Construction Engineering Services in an Estimated Amount of $180,105, Not to Exceed $190,000. Mayor Smith read Resolution 2018-028 by title only. MOTION Alderman Finucane moved to approve Resolution 2018-028; seconded by Alderman Noreiko. Public Works Director Holdeman provided an overview of this item. He stated that in order to ensure the 2018 Street Maintenance Program is designed and constructed in accordance with standard engineering methods, applicable standards, and City Code, the program must be responsibly managed by qualified professionals. He recalled that last year, using the Qualifications Based Selection (QBS) process, staff selected Willett, Hofmann & Associates, Inc. out of four engineering firms that were interviewed. City Council approved a professional services agreement with Willett, Hofmann & Associates, Inc. for one year, with an option to extend the contract for an additional year. Public Works Director Holdeman continued, explaining that the engineering services provided by Willett, Hofmann & Associates, Inc. were good. However, their service delivery lacked good communication and responsiveness. Because of this, he recommended that the firm that scored the second highest in the QBS interview, Fehr- Graham & Associates, LLC, be hired to fulfill the second year option. He then added that staff worked with Fehr-Graham & Associates, LLC to develop a scope of work for the 2018 Street Maintenance Program. Using that scope, staff and Fehr-Graham & Associates, LLC negotiated a fee of $180,105 for this project. Since there are unknowns associated with construction projects, staff is recommending awarding the contract up to a not to exceed amount of $190,000. He then recommended that Council authorize an agreement with Fehr-Graham & Associates, LLC in the amount of $180,105, not to exceed $190,000, with the ability to terminate the contract with seven days of written notice. He noted that the project will be funded with MFT, TIF 1, and TIF 2, and the local gas tax fund. Alderman Jacobson returned to the dais at 8:54 p.m. Mayor Smith asked what the cost difference would be between the two firms. Public Works Director Holdeman replied that he did not seek a proposal from the previous firm. Alderman Faivre asked what the four point score difference between the firms was due to. Public Works Director Holdeman replied that Fehr-Graham & Associates scored one point lower in “Experience and Qualifications”, two points lower in “Unique Thinking”, and one point lower in “Over-all Completeness and Presentation”. Regular Meeting Minutes February 26, 2018 Page 12 of 21 VOTE Motion carried on a 7-1 roll call vote. Aye: Finucane, Marquardt, Fagan, Noreiko, Verbic, Faivre, and Smith. Nay: Jacobson. Mayor Smith declared the motion passed. 5. Resolution 2018-029 Authorizing a Professional Services Agreement with TR1 Studios (Bryon Wilkins). Mayor Smith read Resolution 2018-029 by title only. MOTION Alderman Verbic moved to approve Resolution 2018-029; seconded by Alderman Faivre. Information Technology Director Thorson briefly introduced Bryon Wilkins and provided an overview of the item. He stated that City staff is requesting permission to waive bids and enter into an agreement with TR1 Studios for the professional services of Bryon Wilkins. He explained that the services provided include the setup and video recording of meetings held in Council Chambers, assisting with desktop publishing requests for City projects and the website, and programming for the City’s Channel 14. He noted that payments are made to Mr. Wilkins on a monthly basis and will exceed the City Manager’s $20,000 spending authority. Information Technology Director Thorson continued, adding that previously, the City had an Information Technology Technician that was responsible for a variety of tasks, including managing the recording of City Council meetings, creating and producing videos for departments, managing website content, and completing desktop publishing tasks, in addition to desktop support. This position was removed as part of the FY2018 budget and the tasks accomplished by this position were distributed to Information Technology Director Thorson, the Technical Services Manager, and Mr. Wilkins. To better facilitate service levels for these tasks, staff requested the amount of money for contracted services in the FY2018 budget be increased by $25,000 to cover the services of TR1 Studios. He requested Council’s authorization to waive bids for this agreement for several reasons: • Mr. Wilkins has an existing functional knowledge of the existing video and production environment from having built the latest version of the production system. Over the last six months (the time from when the former IT Technician retired to now) there has been a learning curve. Mr. Wilkins has been beneficial to resolving issues experienced during this period. This knowledge is critical to continuing operations at the same service level and documenting the process moving forward. • Second, staff is investigating ways to make the Channel 14 operations more sustainable as equipment is requiring replacement and there are less funds available in the General Fund. Staff does not have the resources or experience for this type of project. The City would be looking to Mr. Wilkins to take the lead using his years of experience in broadcast and digital media as leverage. Currently, these efforts are guided toward building a Public Access Channel working with other agencies to share  Regular Meeting Minutes February 26, 2018 Page 13 of 21 resources and allowing for revenue generation. These efforts would be covered by the contract. • Finally, Mr. Wilkins is an accomplished artist in physical and digital medium. He will be tasked, as part of this contract, with assisting in media projects that would otherwise require expensive short-term expenses with digital artists to accomplish. For example, the City puts together public education materials for Police, Fire, Finance, and others. Mr. Wilkins' capabilities in all these areas will work to save the City money over the long term and would not be readily found through competitive bid process. Mayor Smith expressed his belief that the City could utilize Channel 14 to communicate more to the public. Alderman Finucane asked Information Technology Director Thorson what the back-up plan is if Mr. Wilkins became incapacitated. He responded that there are staff members available to temporarily replace Mr. Wilkins if it becomes necessary. Alderman Jacobson commented that he sees it as bad precedent to have open-ended contracts and mentioned that a student intern could potentially be utilized in this position. Mayor Smith responded that NIU’s Technology Department is preoccupied and hasn’t been proactive in reaching out to the City regarding that matter. He then addressed Alderman Jacobson’s concerns regarding open-ended contracts and asked if he would be comfortable amending the motion to include a one-year term, at which point Council will direct staff to send out an RFP. Alderman Jacobson indicated that he was. Mayor Smith asked Information Technology Director Thorson if Mr. Wilkins would be comfortable with that proposal, as well. Information Technology Director Thorson responded that he preferred to ask Mr. Wilkins. Mr. Wilkins indicated that he would be comfortable with that proposal. MOTION Alderman Jacobson moved to amend Resolution 2018-029 to include a one-year term; seconded by Alderman Fagan. Alderman Verbic added that this is a tremendous value. VOTE Motion carried on an 8-0 roll call vote. Aye: Jacobson, Finucane, Marquardt, Fagan, Noreiko, Verbic, Faivre, Smith. Nay: none. Mayor Smith declared the motion passed. Alderman Verbic asked if there was a second public access channel provided to the City by Comcast. Information Technology Director Thorson responded he was not aware of one. Regular Meeting Minutes February 26, 2018 Page 14 of 21 There was a brief discussion. 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. City Council Goals Alderman Finucane left the dais at 9:08 p.m. City Manager Gaura provided information on this item. She stated that in advance of the January 24, 2018, Goal Setting Session, the City Council was asked to consider the following: What main goals or projects would you like to see addressed within the next one to two years? Based upon the sheer number of ideas, it is evident that the Council’s top priorities were Economic/Business Development, Budget/Finance/Fiscal Planning, and Public Safety. Those areas were then separated into 10 main categories and were identified as follows: • Economic/Business Development. • Residential Growth. • Transportation. • Airport. • Government Operations. • Budget/Finance/Fiscal Planning. • Capital Planning. • Public Safety. • Community Special Events and Attractions. • Northern Illinois University. Alderman Finucane returned to the dais at 9:10 p.m. Alderman Fagan left the dais at 9:11 p.m. City Manager Gaura discussed the preparation for the February 20, 2018, Special COW meeting where Mayor Smith identified the 39 top voting Council goals. At that meeting, Council reviewed and prioritized those 39 goals, ultimately choosing a total of 10 goals,  Regular Meeting Minutes February 26, 2018 Page 15 of 21 five short-term and five long-term. The short-term goals are as follows, with the category listed first, the goal second and the complexity in parentheses: • Economic/Business Development: Create business friendly municipal code and UDO (complex). • Airport: Airport strategy meeting (simple). • Budget/Finance/Fiscal Planning: Reduce operating costs to those within our means (simple). • Community Special Events and Attractions: Review city regulations and adapt to encourage more special events/festivals (simple). • Northern Illinois University: Work with NIU to resolve AGN and Greek Row issues (complex). City Manager Gaura continued with the long-term goals, listed as follows, with the category listed first, the goal second and the complexity in parentheses: • Residential Growth: Think outside the box in terms of growth and rooftops (complex). • Government Operations: Evaluate City structure/organization (simple). • Budget/Finance/Fiscal Planning: Address pension obligations (simple). • Capital Planning: Address and implement long-term street funding (simple). • Public Safety: Reduce crime/be viewed as safe (complex). As the next step, the City Manager Gaura stated she will work with the Executive Team (made up of the City’s department directors) to take these goals and identify proposed strategies and actions for consideration by the Council. Alderman Verbic commended Council for gathering a consensus quickly. He commented that the key to this process is setting measures that the Council is comfortable with. Alderman Fagan returned to the dais at 9:13 p.m. Mayor Smith agreed with Alderman Verbic and added that it is important to include the Financial Advisory Committee (FAC) into the discussions pertaining to the budget. City Manager Gaura added that this item is on the agenda for the FAC meeting tomorrow. 2. Vacant Building Registration Regular Meeting Minutes February 26, 2018 Page 16 of 21 Community Development Director Charlton introduced the new Chief Building Official, Thaddeus Mack. Chief Building Official Mack provided an overview of this item and stated that Council discussion is sought regarding the level of interest in further exploring vacant building registries. He added that the advantages of the Vacant Building Registration Program is that it provides a higher degree of accountability for vacant properties that can otherwise go under-maintained, provide for greater coordination of property maintenance efforts, and provide direct contact with owners and lenders in the event that the City has a redevelopment prospect. He requested direction from the Council regarding this item and reminded them of their options: • Take no action to adopt a Vacant Building ordinance at this time. • Direct staff to collect additional information in the pursuit of implementing an ordinance that relies on City staff and costs associated with hiring full-time staff to manage this program. • Direct staff to collect additional information in the pursuit of implementing an ordinance that uses a third party vendor. Multiple vendors can be reviewed to ensure the City is leveraging the best service with the lowest out of pocket costs (or highest revenues). Alderman Verbic stated that he views this process as a means to move forward towards economic development in the City. There was a brief discussion between Alderman Jacobson and City Attorney Frieders regarding currently abated properties. Alderman Jacobson verbalized potential concerns in regard to this issue. Mr. Mack stated there could be a separation between foreclosed properties and vacant properties. Mayor Smith repeated Council’s options and briefly discussed them with Chief Building Official Mack. Alderman Finucane left the dais at 9:27 p.m. Chief Building Official Mack elaborated on the mathematical perspective in reference to those options. City Attorney Frieders discussed the process of determining ownership of vacant properties. Alderman Finucane returned to the dais at 9:28 p.m. Mayor Smith asked if there were any vacant buildings that are leading to public health or crime issues.  Regular Meeting Minutes February 26, 2018 Page 17 of 21 There was discussion amongst Council and staff pertaining to that issue. City Manager Gaura recommended that Council discuss the presentation from the Community Development in order to establish priorities for FY2019 funding. Alderman Finucane suggested that Mr. Mack use South Chicago Heights as a reference. Alderman Marquardt left the dais at 9:37 p.m. 3. University Village Social Services Overview. Economic Development Planner Michnick provided an update on this item. He stated that as part of the rezoning of the University Village (UV), the City negotiated funding for the delivery of social services to the UV and the surrounding area at $500,000 over a three year period of time. He added that In May of 2017, the City issued an RFP for social services, encouraging community agencies to collaborate on a single proposal, rather than individually. The City received two proposals in total; one of the proposals included eight agencies, with Family Service Agency (FSA) being the lead, and the other included six agencies, with the Kishwaukee Family YMCA being the lead. The review team included City staff, UV Tenant’s Association, Kendall Thu, and Dr. Joe Mitchell. After review, it was recommended that the FSA proposal be selected over the YMCA proposal. This was largely due to the YMCA being a request for funding for Camp Power only. While the review team felt that Camp Power was a major asset to UV residents, it was only for a short period of time throughout the year compared to the year round services to be provided through the FSA proposal. The review team also recommended modifications to the FSA proposal, which originally included the Regional Office of Education requesting funding for UV specific staff for the DeKalb County Truancy Intervention Program (DCTIP). He added that the original RFP document did not include truancy as an identified need of residents, and the review team recommended that it be removed from the scope of service moving forward. He then added that after meeting with FSA, it was determined that their original proposal did not include the amount of administration that was to be expected from the City in regards to acting as a fiscal agent and overseeing monitoring and evaluation. Staff is now working with FSA and the other agencies included in the modified proposal to develop an Independent Contractor Agreement for Services which would include the following agencies: • Family Service Agency (funded). • 4-C: Community Coordinated Child Care. • Adventure Works (funded). • DeKalb County Community Gardens (funded). • DeKalb County Health Department. • Illinois WorkNet Center. Regular Meeting Minutes February 26, 2018 Page 18 of 21 • Kishwaukee College. Economic Development Planner Michnick continued with his overview and stated that the FSA would take the lead as the primary agency and fiscal agent for the contract. He explained that this would prevent the need to administer multiple contracts between the City and individual agencies and allow a single agreement to capture the scope of services and collaboration between all agencies, including those that would not be funded but have agreed to participate in the delivery of services in a coordinated manner. The total amount of funding to be provided through the agreement is $100,000 over a three year period. The largest portion of the funding would go towards the wages of hiring a part-time Case Manager that would be an employee of FSA. In addition to providing case management services to residents of UV and the surrounding area, the Case Manager would also act as a coordinator with the other agencies included in the proposal, and ensure that residents are well informed of the services that are available to them. He noted that another significant task to be taken on through the coordinated effort would be to conduct a baseline study of residents of UV, and tracking the outcomes that the programming has on the quality of life for residents. The tracking of outcomes, compared to the quantity of services provided, is a best practice and would be a shift in how reporting is provided to the City for social service contracts. Alderman Marquardt returned to the dais at 9:40 p.m. Alderman Jacobson asked for an explanation for the purpose of a case manager. Economic Development Planner Michnick stated that the Case Manager will sit down with residents or clients and talk to them about their situation and direct them to where they can go to receive services. Mayor Smith summarized his understanding of the funding distribution to which Economic Development Planner Michnick confirmed. Alderman Noreiko asked if there would be any outreach to tenants in regard to this item. Economic Development Planner Michnick responded in the affirmative. Alderman Verbic asked Economic Development Planner to confirm that it was the residents who were not interested in assistance with truancy, to which he confirmed. 4. Self-Storage Facility Revenue Options. Community Development Director Charlton provided an overview of this item and stated that the City is currently reviewing a proposal to expand the number of zoning districts within which self-storage facilities are a potential use. She added that as a part of that consideration, the City is aware of requests to convert existing retail/commercial storefronts into self-storage facilities, which eliminates the possibility of that space to generate sales tax revenue as it would if the space were occupied by a retail use. Self- storage facilities are apparently in demand in the City, based upon the desire to construct new facilities. She then added that current market trends are for facilities that are more  Regular Meeting Minutes February 26, 2018 Page 19 of 21 commercial in nature, where individuals access their unit within an enclosed building. She recommended that consideration be given to the implementation of a self-storage tax in the fashion as utilized by other communities, to provide a source of revenue commensurate with the demand for services from the City and the loss of other revenues that these facilities displace. She also recommended consideration of a 5% tax based on the gross sales, noting that a lesser percentage can also be considered, but a percentage tax is preferred as it is similar to other taxes collected by the City, which will aid in administering the tax. Mr. McIntyre stated that this is a pilot program, or a payment in lieu of taxes. He expressed his belief that Council needs to proceed slowly because this ideology will evolve. If you’re going to tax Jim Mason then shouldn’t there be a pilot program for government programs? Adam Katz, Minify Storage owner, stated that his property was built specifically for self- storage in an industrial zone and expressed disdain for an additional tax implementation on facilities of this nature. He expressed his opinion that the City is levying this tax to replace lost real estate taxes and is concerned that the tax assessor is not performing adequately. City Attorney Frieders deferred to Community Development Director Charlton regarding policy implications. Alderman Fagan left the dais at 10:02 p.m. Community Development Director Charlton stated that the tax assessment is out of staff control. There was discussion between Community Development Director Charlton and Mr. Katz regarding this issue. Alderman Finucane returned to the dais at 10:05 p.m. Alderman Fagan agreed with Mayor Smith and Mr. McIntyre. There was additional discussion between Alderman Fagan and Mr. Katz. Alderman Faivre discussed the historical use of the building and commented that he would like to see the building utilized. Mayor Smith addressed the concerns of residents who spoke and cautioned Council to move slowly in regard to this item. Further discussion ensued between Alderman Jacobson, Community Development Director Charlton, and Mr. Katz in reference to this item. Alderman Finucane stated that this issue could be revisited in the future. Regular Meeting Minutes February 26, 2018 Page 20 of 21 5. Media Report Management Analyst Munch introduced Management Analyst Blumenthal who used a power point presentation to show the media report. Management Analyst Munch finished the report and noted some of the things that they will continue to work on. Alderman Finucane asked if there was any other way of estimating what percentage of likes come from the residents of DeKalb. Management Analyst Munch explained that they do have the ability to determine that information but there is room for inaccurately reflected information. Alderman Finucane added that this type of information could be included in the next report of this type. I. REPORTS – COMMUNICATIONS Alderman Finucane thanked Police Chief Lowery and the Police Department for the way they handled crisis situations that took place in the community the previous week. He mentioned that Chicago Police Officer Bauer recently passed away and read aloud a communication from a resident requesting a local gun control ordinance regarding assault weapons. Alderman Fagan echoed the sentiments of Alderman Finucane to Police Chief Lowery, Fire Chief Hicks, the Police Department, and the Fire Department. Alderman Noreiko noted the passing of a long time resident of the City, Bob Twombly. Alderman Faivre thanked the Public Works Department for quick pothole repairs. Mayor Smith commented that the Council discussed and acted on a number of topics. He addressed Mark Charvat and hoped that his view of the Mayor would soften. City Attorney Frieders described the Municipal Court proceedings that take place at City Hall on Mondays and made reference to the importance of public transportation and volunteer efforts that make the process go smoothly. City Manager Gaura echoed and concurred with Council regarding the work that that transpired from Police, Fire, and Public Works departments. She specifically noted the hands-on leadership of Police Chief Lowery and stated that the community is very fortunate to have acquired his service. Police Chief Lowery thanked everyone for their positive comments and he also thanked his department, the Fire Department, and the Public Works Department for their involvement.  Regular Meeting Minutes February 26, 2018 Page 21 of 21 Public Works Director Holdeman notified the community that the refuse survey is still active and there has been a significant number of responses. He then notified Council that there have been bids at the Edgebrooke Property and the topic will be brought forth to Council for discussion at the March 12, 2018 City Council Meeting. To conclude his report, he urged residents to call the Public Works Department in regard to potholes. J. RECESS FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION OF THE CITY COUNCIL There was no Executive Session scheduled. K. ADJOURNMENT MOTION Alderman Finucane motioned to adjourn the meeting; seconded by Alderman Jacobson. 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 the meeting adjourned at 10:36 p.m. _____________________________________ SUSANNA HERRMANN, City Clerk Approved by City Council: March 26, 2018.