City Council Special Meeting
Special MeetingUrbana, IL · November 16, 2020
Minutes
URBANA CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL MEETING
MINUTES
DATE: Monday, November 16, 2020
TIME: 6:30pm
PLACE: *to be held virtually via Zoom (400 S. Vine St., Urbana, IL 61801)
The City Council of the City of Urbana, Illinois held a special meeting Monday, November 16, 2020, at
6:30pm via Zoom.
ELECTED OFFICIALS PHYSICALLY PRESENT: Diane Wolfe Marlin, Mayor; Phyllis D. Clark, City
Clerk
ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT VIA ZOOM: City Council Members (CM) Bill Brown, Bill
Colbrook, Shirese Hursey, Jared Miller, Dennis Roberts, Maryalice Wu
ELECTED OFFICIALS ABSENT: Ward 2, Vacant
STAFF PRESENT VIRTUALLY: Kay Meharry, Jason Liggett, Stepheny McMahon, Carol Mitten, James
Simon
OTHERS PRESENT VIA ZOOM: Grace Wilken
I. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
With a quorum virtually present, Mayor Marlin called the meeting of the Urbana City Council to
order at 6:30pm
II. PUBLIC INPUT
Grace Wilken commented that she hoped the entire community would be supported and not just
businesses. She thought the issue of Visit Champaign County using the Buy Black Chambana listings on
their website should be looked into, and thought Urbana should support more diversity in businesses
and business organizations.
III. Resolution No. 2020-11-058R: A Resolution Approving and Authorizing the Execution of a
Promotional and Marketing Agreement (Urbana Business Association, FY 2020-21)
City Administrator Carol Mitten introduced this resolution and began by explaining the transition
process for the Urbana Business Association (UBA). She said that this agreement will allow the city to
reimburse the UBA $28,907.50 for eligible expenses incurred for the first six months of FY 2020-2021.
She explained the UBA is dependent on events for a balanced budget and the ideas for virtual events
during the pandemic were too uncertain to support. Instead, City has decided to provide services
directly to struggling businesses at this time.
There were questions about the office space used by the UBA on Main Street, which they have
occupied, and was an in kind contribution to them by the City. Mitten said the City will take back that
space, which is needed for city employees working on the Comprehensive Plan rather than pay for
office space elsewhere.
After discussion, CM Hursey moved to approve Resolution No. 2020-11-058R. Motion seconded by
CM Colbrook and carried by roll call vote as follows:
Aye: Brown, Colbrook, Hursey, Miller, Roberts, Wu
Nay: None
IV. ADJOURNMENT
With no further business before the Council, Mayor Marlin declared the meeting adjourned at 6:46pm.
Kay Meharry
Assistant City Clerk
This meeting was video recorded and is viewable on-demand.
Minutes Approved: November 23, 2020
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Agenda
URBANA CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL MEETING
DATE: Monday, November 16, 2020
TIME: 6:30pm
PLACE: *to be held virtually via Zoom (400 S. Vine St., Urbana, IL 61801)
AGENDA
I. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
II. PUBLIC INPUT
III. Resolution No. 2020-11-058R: A Resolution Approving and Authorizing the Execution of a
Promotional and Marketing Agreement (Urbana Business Association, FY 2020-21) - CD
IV. ADJOURNMENT
Phyllis D. Clark
City Clerk
*Due to the Governor Pritzker and Mayoral Emergency Covid-19 Orders, the Urbana City Council
Chambers will be not be open to the public during this meeting. Council Members will meet
remotely using Zoom Webinar. You may watch the meeting on streaming services, or on Urbana
Public Television, or attend via Zoom.
You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
When: Nov 16, 2020 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Urbana City Council and Urbana City Council Committee of the Whole
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85748980933
Or iPhone one-tap :
US: +13126266799,,85748980933# or +19292056099,,85748980933#
Or Telephone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 312 626 6799 or +1 929 205 6099 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1
253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799
Webinar ID: 857 4898 0933
International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kc6GwVcKId
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PUBLIC INPUT GUIDELINES
The City of Urbana welcomes Public Input during open meetings of the City Council, the City Council’s
Committee of the Whole, City Boards and Commissions and other City-sponsored meetings. Our goal is
to foster respect for the meeting process, and respect for all people participating as members of the
public body, city staff, and general public. The City is required to conduct all business during public
meetings. The presiding officer is responsible for conducting those meetings in an orderly and efficient
manner.
Public Input will be taken in the following ways:
Zoom Webinar Participant
Click on the link listed in the agenda to join the Webinar. You must provide your name and email
address in order to join the Webinar. If you wish to speak during Public Input, “raise your hand” and
wait to be called on by the meeting host. You must state your first and last name for the meeting
record. Participants will be muted except when they are called on to speak; video will remain off for all
members of the public when speaking.
Telephone Participant
Call the phone number listed on the Agenda. Enter the Webinar ID followed by the # key. All callers are
muted by default. If you wish to speak, “raise your hand” by pressing *9 once. When you are called on
by the host or presiding officer you will be un-muted. You must state your first name and last name for
the meeting record.
Email Input
Public comments must be received prior to the closing of the meeting record (at the time of
adjournment unless otherwise noted) at the following: citycouncil@urbanaillinois.us. The subject line of
the email must include the words “PUBLIC INPUT” and the meeting date. Your email will be sent to all
City Council members, the Mayor, City Administrator, and City Clerk. Emailed public comments
labeled as such will be incorporated into the public meeting record, with personal identifying information
redacted. Copies of emails will be posted after the meeting minutes have been approved.
Written Input
Any member of the public may submit their comments addressed to the members of the public body in
writing. If a person wishes their written comments to be included in the record of Public Input for the
meeting, the writing should so state. Written comments must be received prior to the closing of the
meeting record (at the time of adjournment unless otherwise noted).
Verbal Input
Protocol for Public Input is one of respect for the process, and respect for others. Ridicule, obscene or
profane language, lack of respect for others, and personal attacks are not acceptable behavior. Public
Input shall not be used to air personal grievances. Speakers should address all comments to the public
body as a whole and not to individual members or City staff.
Public comment shall be limited to no more than four (4) minutes per person. The Public Input portion
of the meeting shall total no more than one (1) hour, unless otherwise shortened or extended by majority
vote of the public body members present. The presiding officer or the city clerk or their designee, shall
monitor each speaker's use of time and shall notify the speaker when the allotted time has expired. All
public comments should be addressed to the public body as a whole. A person may participate and
provide Public Input once during a meeting and may not cede time to another person, or split their time
if Public Input is held at two (2) or more different times during a meeting. The presiding officer may give
priority to those persons who indicate they wish to speak on an agenda item upon which a vote will be
taken.
The presiding officer or public body members shall not enter into a dialogue with citizens. Questions
from the public body members shall be for clarification purposes only. Public Input shall not be used as
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a time for problem solving or reacting to comments made but, rather, for hearing citizens for
informational purposes only.
Accommodation
If an accommodation is needed to participate in a City meeting, please contact the City Clerk’s
Office at least 48 hours in advance so that special arrangements can be made using one of the following
methods:
• Phone: 217.384.2366
• Email: CityClerk@urbanaillinois.us
*In order to maintain reasonable decorum at a meeting, the presiding officer or any member of the public
body may call a speaker “out of order”. The presiding officer of the meeting shall have the authority to
provide a verbal warning to a speaker who uses abusive, harassing, threatening, or defamatory language,
or who engages in disorderly conduct that disrupts, disturbs, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct
of a meeting. If the speaker refuses to cease such remarks or conduct after being warned by the presiding
officer, the presiding officer shall have the authority to mute the speaker’s microphone and/or video
presence at the meeting. The presiding officer will inform the speaker that they may send the remainder
of their remarks via email to the public body for inclusion in the meeting record.
*Definitions of Types of Language and Conduct That May Warrant Verbal Warning:
“Abusive” means harsh, violent, profane, or derogatory language which would demean the dignity
of an individual or which is intended to humiliate, mock, insult or belittle an individual.
https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/abusive-language
“Harassing” means to annoy or bother someone in a constant or repeated way; to make repeated
attacks on another person.
https://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/harass
“Threatening” means to say that you will harm someone or do something unpleasant or
unwanted especially in order to make someone do what you want.
https://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/threaten
“Defamatory” means a statement or communication that tends to harm a person's reputation by
subjecting the person to public contempt, disgrace, or ridicule, or by adversely affecting the
person's business. A statement that is likely to lower that person in the estimation of reasonable
people and in particular to cause that person to be regarded with feelings of hatred, contempt,
ridicule, fear, or dislike.
Black's Law Dictionary (11th ed. 2019)
Citations that Authorize the Presiding Officer to Bar Offensive Language During Public
Comment:
The following citations provide the legal basis for adopting UCC Section 2-5(b)(1)(d) that allows the
presiding officer of a City Council, Committee of the Whole, or a City-sponsored board or commission
regulate “abusive, harassing, threatening, or defamatory language” during public comment. The
following Attorney General binding opinions and case law essentially classify abusive, “harassing,
threatening and defamatory language as “manner”, not “content”, of speech that can be reasonably
regulated under the First Amendment. UCC Section 2-5(c) (Ordinance No. 2020-09-049. Attorney
General binding opinion numbers 2019 PAC 59187, 2018 PAC 55462, 2016 PAC 45349; Milestone v. City
of Monroe, Wisconsin, 665 F.3d 774, 783-784 (7th Cir. 2011); Vega v. Chicago Board of Education, 338
F.Supp.3d 806, 811 (N.D. Ill. 2018); Sandefur v. Vill. of Hanover Park, 862 F.Supp.2d 840, 847 (N.D. Ill.
2012); I.A. Rana Enterprises, Inc. v. City of Aurora, 630 F.Supp.2d 912, 920-923 (D.C. N.D. 2009).
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