City Council Regular Meeting

URBANA CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES DATE: Monday, April 27, 2020 TIME: 7:00 P.M. PLACE: Urbana City Council Chambers (Virtual), 400 S. Vine St., Urbana, IL 61801 The City Council of the City of Urbana, Illinois, met in regular session April 27, 2020, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at the Urbana City Building. *Due to Coronavirus, this meeting was held virtually via Zoom to maintain social distancing as required per Governor’s State Order. ELECTED OFFICIALS PHYSICALLY PRESENT: None ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT VIA ZOOM: City Council Members (CM) Bill Brown, Bill Colbrook, Shirese Hursey, Eric Jakobsson, Jared Miller, Dennis Roberts, Maryalice Wu; Diane Wolfe Marlin, Mayor; Charles A. Smyth, City Clerk ELECTED OFFICIALS ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT VIRTUALLY: Wendy Hundley, Jason Liggett, Carol Mitten, Jason Norton, Lorrie Pearson, Bryant Seraphin, James Simon, Lily Wilcock OTHERS PRESENT VIA ZOOM: Allan Axelrod, Josue David Cisneros, Kristin Crawford, Scott Dossett, Mark Enslin, Christopher Hansen, Karen James, Tanya Josek, Ben Joselyn, Rohn Koester, Emily Klose, Daniel Lakemacher, Josh Markiewicz, Katherine Majewski, Jane McClintock, Sarah Nixon, Jeffrey Putney, Dottie Vura-Weis, Julia Rietz, Dr. Jared Rodgers, Tony Trad A. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL There being a quorum virtually present, Mayor Marlin called the meeting of the Urbana City Council to order at 7:00pm following Cunningham Township Board and City Council Public Hearing. B. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING CM Wu made a motion to approve minutes from the March 23, 2020. Motion seconded by CM Roberts and carried by unanimous voice vote. C. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA There were no additions. D. PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLIC INPUT 1. Input Cards Public comment concerning the arrest of Aleyah Lewis on April 10, 2020 was provided by email from the following people: Kay Kirkpatrick, Joey Zarnsy, Rohn Koester, Jeffrey Putney, Emily Klose, Katherine Majewski, Tanya Josek, Josue David Cisneros, and Mark Enslin. A summary of comments included: response of officers was unreasonable; victim was unarmed and not a threat to officers; city officials need to use better judgment and stop justifying police actions; police should issue apology and compensate Lewis; charges against Lewis should be dropped and police officers involved in incident should be charged with assault; an independent investigation should be conducted; de-escalation techniques were not used; social distancing was not practiced; stop racial profiling. Karen James submitted an email in support of the officers, saying there has been ongoing violence in the area and no one has come forward saying that those incidents were Page 1 of 5 mishandled. She asked the city to protect blue crew and not to give into someone who is looking for a payout. Bishop King James Underwood and Rev. Dr. Evelyn Underwood asked that their concerns about the Dr. Ellis subdivision sewer problems be entered into the record. Public input was also provided via Zoom from the following people: Sarah Nixon; Ben Jocelyn; Dottie Vura-Weis. Comments included: police action sends terrifying message to the community; morally not okay to mistreat residents; all charges against Lewis should be dropped; talk to City Council, Urbana Police, and citizen. Providing a presentation after public input is not a cohesive process. 1. Police Update and Review of 04/10 Incident Police Chief Bryant Seraphin and Lieutenant Jason Norton gave this presentation, and summarized the events from different angles and from various body-worn cameras and squad cars. He thanked the office of the State’s Attorney Julia Rietz for allowing them to show the video in efforts to address citizens’ concerns. Among the many topics addressed during this presentation were:  Frisk vs. search  Detention vs. arrest  Reasonable suspicion vs. probable cause  Initial 9-1-1 call  timeline  Bullet path  Path of offenders  Arrest scene The presentation showed the initial 9-1-1 call made by a female resident who reported shots fired near her neighborhood. She described a young African American male carrying a gun, walking on Cottage Grove near Colorado Avenue, followed by an African American female. Chief Seraphin emphasized that the initial call was not reported as a domestic violence dispute. Officers were responding to a shots fired call. Chief Seraphin and Lt. Norton addressed body-worn camera footage from each officer present during this incident, pointing out the actions of each officer during their interaction with both individuals. In addition, Chief Seraphin said that City of Urbana and Urbana Police do not make decisions on criminal charges, that is up to the State’s Attorney’s office. After the presentation, Chief Seraphin, Lt. Norton, and State’s Attorney Julia Rietz addressed questions from council members. Some of the questions and concerns addressed were:  Was consent given by Ms. Lewis to show the video?  Video availability to the public  Are all use of force review by a committee and what is the process?  Is there follow up certification or reinforcement training for de-escalation techniques, domestic violence, and/or mental health?  Chain of command  Were there any physical injuries incurred by Ms. Lewis?  What happens when someone violates a lawful command from a peace officer?  Booking and criminal charges processes  Independent evaluation Page 2 of 5 E. UNFINISHED BUSINESS There was none. F. REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES Committee Of The Whole – (Council Member Eric Jakobsson) 1. CONSENT AGENDA 2. REGULAR AGENDA a. Resolution No. 2020-04-019R: Resolution Evidencing the Intention of the City of Urbana, Champaign County, Illinois, to Transfer Volume Cap in Connection with Private Activity Bond Issues, Single Family Mortgage Revenue Bonds; and Related Matters (Private Bond Cap Allocation – Assist Program, Series 2020) On behalf of the committee, CM Jakobsson made a motion to approve Resolution No. 2020-04-019R as forwarded from committee. CM Wu seconded. No discussion. Motion carried by roll call vote. Votes were as follows: Aye: Brown, Colbrook, Hursey, Jakobsson, Miller, Roberts, Wu Nay: None b. Resolution No. 2020-04-020R: A Resolution Approving the Transfer of Volume Cap in Connection with Private Activity Bond Issues and Related Matters (Illinois Housing Development Authority Series 2020) On behalf of the committee, CM Jakobsson made a motion to approve Resolution No. 2020-04-020R as forwarded from committee. CM Wu seconded. No discussion. Motion carried by roll call vote. Votes were as follows: Aye: Brown, Colbrook, Hursey, Jakobsson, Miller, Roberts, Wu Nay: None G. REPORTS OF SPECIAL COMMITTEES CM Roberts read a note received from Sister City of Thionville, France. They send their support and solidarity during these difficult times. Best regards from Pierre, Elise and all the people of Thionville. H. REPORTS OF OFFICERS Mayor Marlin reported donations of PPE (personal protective equipment), 1600 masks from The Chinese American Association of Central Illinois. Icon Hospitality donated masks, infrared thermometers, and gowns. UPTV Manager Jason Liggett reported that the Urbana Police presentation video and PowerPoint presentation are now available to the public on the City’s website. Mayor Marlin reported the loss of another Urbana resident due to Covid-19. Mayor Marlin announced the reopening of Market at the Square on Saturday, May 2, 2020 and acknowledged the work of Brandon Boys, Brian Heaton, and Community Development staff as they configured the lot to make sure that proper precautions and social distancing is practiced during its opening. She added that it is a food only event with a few other vendors selling fabric masks. All related information and guidelines are available in the Market at the Square Facebook page. I. NEW BUSINESS 1. Ordinance No. 2020-04-023: An Ordinance Approving a Zoning Map Amendment (205 North High Cross Road - OSF Healthcare – Plan Case 2398-M-20) Page 3 of 5  Planner Lily Wilcock presented this ordinance with the recommendation for approval. She said that members from The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis (OSF) Healthcare were available for questions about the proposals. Ms. Wilcock gave background information about the property location, accessibility, and status of property. OSF is requesting a rezoning from B-1 Neighborhood Business to B-3 General Business at 205 North Nigh Cross Road. Additionally, OSF Healthcare requests a Special Use Permit to build a medical office on the property. At the April 9, 2020, Plan Commission meeting, the commission voted unanimously to approve both requests. The proposed medical office will have specialty providers and scheduled appointments, much like the office at the main hospital. OSF anticipates a maximum staff of 20 employees, with 10 to 15 employees working at any given time. There is also a six-foot wall between the residential properties and the site. Ms. Wilcock reiterated the Plan Commission’s recommendations: that the applicant develop the property in general conformance with the site plan as presented, and that they work with the City, surrounding businesses and property owners to explore the possibility of contributing financially to the construction of a multi-use path to connect the OSF and Aldi sites on the northwest side of University Avenue and High Cross Road. Community Development Director Lorrie Pearson, Planner Lily Wilcock, OSF staff; OSF Regional President Dr. Jared Rodgers, A. Tony Trad, Manager of Real Estate Services, Kristin Crawford, Strategic Ambulatory Development Manager, and Real Estate Broker Josh Markiewicz addressed questions from City Council about the project. At 10:17pm, CM Wu made a motion to extend the meeting to 10:45pm. CM Roberts seconded. Motion carried by unanimous voice vote. After the presentation and discussion, CM Roberts made a motion to approve Ordinance No. 2020-04-023 as presented. CM Jakobsson seconded. Motion carried by roll call vote. Votes were as follows: Aye: Brown, Colbrook, Jakobsson, Miller, Roberts, Wu Nay: Hursey At 10:45pm, CM Wu made a motion to extend the meeting to 11:15pm. CM Brown seconded. Motion carried by unanimous voice vote. 2. Ordinance No. 2020-04-025: An Ordinance Approving A Special Use Permit (205 North High Cross Road - OSF Healthcare – Plan Case 2399-SU-20) Planner Lily Wilcock presented this ordinance with the recommendation for approval. CM Brown made a motion to approve Ordinance No. 2020-04-025 as presented. CM Miller seconded. Unable to reach a unanimous consensus, CM Roberts made a substitute motion to send Ordinance No. 2020-04-025 to committee for further discussion. CM Jakobsson seconded. Motion carried by roll call vote. Votes were as follows: Aye: Jakobsson, Hursey, Roberts, Wu Nay: Brown, Colbrook, Miller The substitute motion to send Ordinance No. 2020-04-025 to committee was approved by roll call vote. Votes were as follows: Aye: Brown, Jakobsson, Hursey, Roberts, Wu Nay: Colbrook, Miller Page 4 of 5  J. ADJOURNMENT With no further business to come before the council, Mayor Marlin adjourned the virtual meeting at 10:54 p.m. Wendy M. Hundley Deputy City Clerk This meeting was video recorded and is viewable on-demand. Minutes Approved: May 11, 2020 Page 5 of 5