City Council Regular Meeting

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MINUTES DATE: Monday, June 10, 2019 TIME: 7:00 P.M. PLACE: Urbana City Council Chambers, 400 S. Vine St., Urbana, IL 61801 The City Council Committee of The Whole of the City of Urbana, Illinois, met in regular session Monday, June 10, 2019, in the Council Chambers of the Urbana City Building. ELECTED OFFICIALS PHYSICALLY PRESENT: Maryalice Wu, Ward 1; Eric Jakobsson, Ward 2; Shirese Hursey, Ward 3; Bill Brown, Ward 4; Dean Hazen, Ward 6, Jared Miller, Ward 7; Diane Wolfe Marlin, Mayor; Charles A. Smyth, City Clerk ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT VIA TELECONFERENCE: None ELECTED OFFICIALS ABSENT: Dennis Roberts, Ward 5 STAFF PRESENT: Brad Bennett; Kristine Francisco; Elizabeth Hannan; Elizabeth Horwitz; Kay Meharry; Carol Mitten; Lorrie Pearson; John Schneider; James Simon OTHERS PRESENT: Elderess Melinda Carr; Kathryn Choate; Don Elmore; Bishop King James Underwood; Members of the Media Chair: Dean Hazen, Ward 6 1. Call to Order and Roll Call With a quorum present, Chair Dean Hazen called the meeting of the Committee of the Whole to order at 7:02pm, following a Public Hearing. 2. Approval of Minutes of Previous Meeting CM Jared Miller made a motion to approve the minutes from the May 28, 2019 meeting. Motion seconded by CM Shirese Hursey. After making a correction, the minutes were approved by voice vote. 3. Additions to the Agenda There were none. 4. Public Input Kathryn Choate spoke about a program she will be participating in this summer, called Ambassadors in Sneakers. She will be one of two young adults representing Illinois in the program. It is a transatlantic summer academy on human rights. Students from the United States will travel together with students from Germany to two cities in Germany and then two cities in the U.S. One of the goals of the academy is to improve German American relations. Bishop King James Underwood did not wish to speak but wanted his concerns about the Dr. Ellis subdivision sewer problems entered into the record. Elderess Melinda Carr did not wish to speak, but asked that her concerns about the Dr. Ellis subdivision sewer problems, equity, and historic impact be entered into the record. She also mentioned Item 17, Resolution No. 2019-06-124R, a Resolution Adopting Financial Policies (2019), bullet #6 reference to Dr. Ellis Subdivision). 5. Presentations - Champaign County Economic Development Corporation Don Elmore, Director of the Small Business Development Center at the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC), gave a presentation showing what the CCEDC does to promote a county-wide approach to economic development. Some of the ways they do Committee of the Whole Minutes Monday, June 10, 2019 Page 2 of 5 this is by business outreach, workforce development, special projects like Willard Airport and Champaign County First, and marketing and outreach. The CCEDC also has events and programs, including meetings with local leaders to focus on economic development projects, networking opportunities and private job fairs. They work with the Industry Consortium for Advanced Technical Training is an apprenticeship program based in Chicago. It is part of the Early College and Career Academy through Parkland College and enables high school juniors and seniors and enables them to earn credits toward their high school diplomas and college, while gaining skills in some of the Parkland College degree programs. Mr. Elmore went over some of the community rankings, which included Best Midwest Food Town. He also went over some of the statistics for the Small Business Development Center and said small businesses represent over 90% of what economic development really is. There was discussion during which Mr. Elmore answered questions and concerns from committee members. 6. Staff Report Economic Development Coordinator Elizabeth Horwitz gave the May Business and Development report. Some of the highlights from the report were: • Letter of Intent from Marksons Affiliates to renovate the Urbana Landmark Hotel. • Urbana’s Downtown Get Down premiere on May 25. There will be four of these events taking place on the last Saturday of the month through August. • Demolition is underway at the former Goodyear building for a new Green Street townhome building, and also for the Gather five-story apartment complex. • Demolition for the 1301 East Washington building has been completed and plans are to develop a neighborhood-friendly small shopping center there. • Construction of a JX Peterbilt Truck Center on Cunningham Avenue is underway. Mayor Marlin wished Ms. Horwitz the best in her new position in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and gave her appreciation for everything Ms. Horwitz has done in the past four years for the City. 7. Resolution No. 2019-06-017R: A Resolution Approving and Authorizing the Execution of a Promotional and Marketing Agreement (Champaign County Economic Development Corporation, FY 2019-2020) Economic Development Coordinator Elizabeth Horwitz presented this resolution. She said the City’s contribution to the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation would remain at $28,763 for FY 2019-2020. Ms. Horwitz highlighted all of the things the EDC does to support economic development in Champaign County. Economic Development Manager Brandon Boys is he City’s representative on the EDC board and serve as Chair in FY2019-20. Motion to send Resolution No. 2019-06-017R to Council with recommendation for approval was made by CM Jakobsson and seconded by CM Wu. The very specific amount of $28,763 was questioned. Ms. Horwitz said she would look into it and let committee members know before the next council meeting. The motion to send Resolution No. 2019-06-017R to council with recommendation for approval was carried by voice vote 8. Resolution No. 2019-06-018R: A Resolution Approving and Authorizing the Execution of a Promotional and Marketing Agreement (Urbana Business Association) Economic Development Coordinator Elizabeth Horwitz presented this resolution. She said the amount budgeted for the Urbana Business Association for FY 2019-2020 is $57,815 and the Sweetcorn Festival is excluded from that total. She said the UBA works to make Urbana a dynamic place to live, work and do business. They support many events and have marketing Committee of the Whole Minutes Monday, June 10, 2019 Page 3 of 5 campaigns that benefit the Urbana business community. In FY 2019-20 the UBA plans to rebrand and focus on marketing and events. Some of the major events hosted by the UBA include the Urbana Sweetcorn Festival, Market IN the Square, Urbana Neighborhood Tours and more. Ms. Horwitz currently represents the City on the UBA board, but that will change upon her move to Philadelphia. CM Jakobsson made a motion to send Resolution No. 2019-06-018R to council with recommendation for approval. Motion seconded by CM Brown and carried by voice vote. 9. Resolution No. 2019-06-019R: A Resolution Approving and Authorizing the Execution of a Promotional and Marketing Agreement (Visit Champaign County) Economic Development Coordinator Elizabeth Horwitz presented this resolution. She said the total amount requested to fund Visit Champaign County (VCC) in FY 2019-2020 is $10,000, which is a gold level sponsorship and is unchanged from FY 2018-2019. She told committee members that VCC promotes tourism, promoting tourism to Champaign County. Among the various activities VCC does to promote Champaign County are producing and distributing the annual Champaign County Visitor’s Guide, assistance in organizing major events, regional hospitality related business promotion and more. Arts and Culture Coordinator Rachel Storm represents Urbana on the Visit Champaign County board. CM Wu made a motion to send Resolution No. 2019-06-019R to council with recommendation for approval. Motion seconded by CM Miller and carried by voice vote. 10. Resolution No. 2019-06-020R: A Resolution Authorizing Acceptance of a Grant for Market at the Square (Farm Credit Illinois Grant – SNAP Double Value Program – 2019) Community Development Director John Schneider presented this resolution. He said the resolution allows the city to accept a grant for $1,500 from Farm Credit Illinois for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This program allows double value to market patrons using a LINK card. Market will match up to $25 per day, giving the patron an additional $25 for eligible Illinois grown and made products, including fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, honey and bread. CM Miller made a motion to send Resolution No. 2019-06-020R to council with recommendation for approval. Motion seconded by CM Hursey and carried by voice vote. 11. Resolution No. 2019-06-021R: A Resolution Authorizing Acceptance of a Grant for Market at the Square (LINK Up Illinois Grant – SNAP Double Value Program – 2019) Community Development Director John Schneider presented this resolution and told committee members this resolution also doubles the value for patrons with LINK cards, but comes from a different source. CM Wu made a motion to send Resolution No. 2019-06-021R to council with recommendation for approval. Motion seconded by CM Miller and carried by voice vote. City Clerk Smyth suggested using the Consent Agenda for the first five items on the agenda, since they are agreements. CM Brown made a motion to put the first five items, Resolution 2019-06- 017R through Resolution 2019-06-021R on the Consent Agenda for the next council meeting. Motion seconded by CM Miller and carried by unanimous voice vote. 12 Ordinance No. 2019-06-033: Ordinance Amending the Urbana City Code, Chapter 22 (Recycling Tax) Financial Services Manager Kristine Francisco presented this ordinance and told committee members that the amendment would not increase the recycling tax rate, but will change the way the recycling tax is billed. The billing will be done by the Urbana-Champaign Sanitary District (UCSD). UCSD already bills the sewer benefit tax and stormwater utility fee for the city. Their fee Committee of the Whole Minutes Monday, June 10, 2019 Page 4 of 5 for billing would be 3% of billed revenues, which is estimated would be significantly less than changing to a new software system as the city moves away from the current AS400 system. In addition, UCSD has a collection process in place for the city and offers online payment as well as automatic withdrawal from property owners’ bank accounts. Ms. Francisco said the billing cycle would change from the current annual billing for residential recycling and quarterly billing for multi-family recycling to bi-monthly billing. To transition to the new billing, property owners will be sent a bill with the amounts due for 2019 in November, along with information explaining the changes in billing process. Billing by UCSD would then begin January 1, 2020. There was discussion about the elimination of recycling tax billing adjustments for uninhabited properties with the exception of the following: • Dwellings that received certificate of occupancy, but have no tenants • Dwelling with suspended/revoked certificate of occupancy • Dwellings registered as vacant structures • Residential dwellings unfit for human occupancy as defined by City Code After discussion, CM Jakobsson made a motion to send Ordinance 2019-06-033 to council with recommendation for approval. Motion seconded by CM Hursey and carried by voice vote.. 13. Resolution No. 2019-06-022R: Resolution Approving an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Urbana & Champaign Sanitary District for Billing Services Finance Director Elizabeth Hannan said this resolution authorizes the mayor to execute the intergovernmental agreement for billing by UCSD. CM Wu made a motion to send Resolution No. 2019-06-022R to council with recommendation for approval. Motion seconded by CM Miller and carried by voice vote. 14. Ordinance No. 2019-06-034: An Ordinance Approving the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Annual Budget Finance Director Elizabeth Hannan presented this ordinance. She explained that there is a list of changes attached that are recommended. She said there are adjustments to property tax revenues because OSF had been included in the 2018 property taxing value, but thinks the state has exempted them from property tax. The money would go into the account, but might have to be paid back in the future. She said there will also be a decrease in traffic citation revenue in the amount of $100,000. The state has changed the way revenue from the violations is distributed by the county, and along with the amount that goes to local governments. Assistant City Engineer Craig Shonkwiler said the city will be doing some sidewalk and pavement work and curb ramp work in the Dr. Ellis subdivision and hopes to start on it this fall or next spring. The funds to do those projects will come from the Community Development Block Grant fund. The part-time, 19 hour per week planning position was discussed, including possible duties of the person in that position. After discussion, CM Wu moved to send Ordinance No. 2019-06-034 to council with an amendment to have $24,000 added for a temporary planner, removing $24,000 from the Retained Risk fund. The motion with amendment were seconded by CM Miller. There was further discussion about online sales tax, possible legalization of cannabis and sales tax that might be gained from it, and increase in state motor fuel tax. The Environmental Compliance Officer has been shifted to Community Development from Public Works. After discussion, the motion to send Ordinance No. 2019-06-034 to council with amendment was carried by voice vote. Committee of the Whole Minutes Monday, June 10, 2019 Page 5 of 5 15. Ordinance No. 2019-06-035: An Ordinance Revising the Annual Budget Ordinance (Budget Amendment #10 – Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Estimates) Ms. Hannan said this amends the current budget to conform to estimates provided with the 2019- 2020 budget. Some of the changes include an increase in fire overtime due to high level of duty injuries and overtime to deal with cleanup from May 26 tornado that touched down in Urbana. CM Miller made a motion to send Ordinance No. 2019-06-035 to council with recommendation for approval. Motion seconded by CM Jakobsson. There was discussion about what funds are used for an emergency such as cleanup after a tornado. Ms. Hannan said the emergency fund is the fund balance. In the event that money is needed for something catastrophic, staff would go to council and ask to use some funds from the fund balance to cover the expense. After discussion, the motion and second to send Ordinance No. 2019-06-035 to council were carried by voice vote. 16. Resolution No. 2019-06-023R: A Resolution Approving the Capital Improvement Plan (2019) Finance Director Elizabeth Hannan presented this resolution. She was asked how the Request for Proposals (RFP) process is conducted and whether a limit or cap is ever placed on what can be proposed. She said a limit is sometimes set. City Administrator Carol Mitten explained that actual final project costs are not known until the design is complete, and bids are received. To clarify Assistant City Engineer Craig Shonkwiler explained the city follows the state Professional Services Qualifications Based Selection Act for professional projects involving architectural or engineering projects. The city asks firms to turn in proposals for projects based on criteria that has been developed, and then go through the selection process based upon qualifications, after which price is negotiated. He said an invitation to bid for contractual services begins with a set of bid documents from the city, contractors submit bids and low bid is then chosen. After discussion, CM Miller made a motion to send Resolution No. 2019-06-023R to council with recommendation for approval. Motion seconded by CM Brown and carried by voice vote. 17. Resolution No. 2019-06-024R: A Resolution Adopting Financial Policies (2019) Finance Director Elizabeth Hannan presented this resolution. There was concern expressed about the decrease in funding of the Vehicle and Equipment Replacement Fund (VERF). Ms. Hannan told committee members that if VERF funding is not decreased for this fiscal year, then more cuts would have to be made in the coming fiscal year, possibly in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. City Administrator Carol Mitten said that setting aside more money for VERF and making more cuts in order to do that will impact services to residents. She suggested revisiting it again next year, when proposals are made to reduce for the next budget. After discussion CM Brown made a motion to send Resolution No. 2019-06-024R to council with recommendation for approval. Motion seconded by CM Miller and carried by voice vote. 18. Adjournment With no further business before the committee, CM Hazen adjourned the meeting at 9:28pm. Kay Meharry Assistant City Clerk Meeting materials, video, can be found here: https://www.urbanaillinois.us/node/7612 Minutes approved: June 24, 2019