City Council

MINUTES CITY OF DEKALB COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING JANUARY 14, 2019 The City Council of DeKalb, Illinois held a Committee of the Whole meeting on January 14, 2019, in the City Council Chambers of the DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois. A. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Mayor Smith called the meeting to order at 5 p.m. City Clerk Lynn Fazekas called the roll, and the following members of the City Council were present: Alderman Bill Finucane, Alderman Pat Fagan, Alderman Kate Noreiko, Alderman Mike Verbic, Alderman Tony Faivre, and Mayor Jerry Smith. Alderman David Jacobson arrived at 5:07 p.m. Also present were: City Manager Bill Nicklas. B. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA MOTION Alderman Finucane moved to approve the agenda; Alderman Fagan seconded. VOTE Motion was approved on 6-0-1 roll call vote. Aye: Fagan, Noreiko, Verbic, Faivre, Finucane, Smith. Nay: none. Absent: Jacobson. C. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION There was none. D. CONSIDERATIONS 1. State of the City Address. Mayor Smith said he anticipates this year will be better than last. He thanked staff for their work in the face of turnover during the past year and called for a realistic budget. He also acknowledged controversial issues, such as the change of trash haulers and contentiousness surrounding the City’s use of tax increment financing (TIF) funds. Additionally, Mayor Smith listed achievements and progress, including: Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes January 14, 2019 Page 2 of 2 • The new transit system and its tracking capabilities. • New construction in the downtown area, such as Plaza DeKalb. • Openings, groundbreakings, and plans for expansion in the City. • Establishment of Opportunity Zones adjacent to NIU. • Collaboration on, and completion of, the Kishwaukee Kiwanis multi-use path. • An update on the street maintenance program. • Public safety measures such as Safe Streets Initiative and new street lighting. • Completion of a strategic plan for the airport. • Completion of the work of the Annie Glidden Task Force revitalization plan. • Expansion of special events such as Music at the Mansion. • Appointments made to key City positions and at NIU. The Mayor acknowledged that City government did not perform as well as hoped, and attributed this to challenges with the City budget, State of Illinois’ budget woes, decreased enrollment at Northern Illinois University, and the pension burden. Lastly, the Mayor characterized DeKalb as a welcoming community, and that there are different ways for people to contribute to it. E. EXECUTIVE SESSION PURSUANT TO 5 ILCS (120/2) No executive session was held during this meeting. F. ADJOURNMENT MOTION Alderman Jacobson moved to adjourn at 5:36 p.m. Alderman Verbic seconded. VOTE Motion was approved on majority voice vote. Mayor Smith declared the Committee of the Whole adjourned at 5:36 p.m. ________________________________ LYNN A. FAZEKAS, City Clerk Approved by City Council: January 28, 2019.