City Council

MINUTES WOODSTOCK CITY COUNCIL City Council Chambers November 17, 2020 A regular meeting of the Woodstock City Council was called to order at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, November 17, 2020, by Mayor Sager in the Council Chambers at Woodstock City Hall. Mayor Sager noted this meeting of the Woodstock City Council is being held under the Governor’s Emergency Declaration with Council members attending remotely and those attending at City Hall observing social distancing. He stated it is being livestreamed as is the City’s policy. Inviting all to participate, Mayor Sager explained the procedures to be used by the City Council, City Staff, and the Public to join today’s meeting, including how comments may be made and questions asked. Mayor Sager explained the Consent Calendar. A roll call was taken. COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS: Mayor Brian Sager COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT ATTENDING REMOTELY: Darrin Flynn, Lisa Lohmeyer, Wendy Piersall, Jim Prindiville, Gordon Tebo, and Michael Turner. COUNCIL ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS: City Manager Roscoe Stelford, Communications/Grants Manager Terry Willcockson and City Clerk Cindy Smiley. STAFF ATTENDING REMOTELY: Assistant City Manager/Finance Director Paul Christensen, City Attorney Ruth Schlossberg, Building and Zoning Director Joe Napolitano, IT Director Dan McElmeel, Public Works Director Jeff Van Landuyt, Public Works Director Christina Betz, Human Resources Director Deb Schober, Chief John Lieb, Economic Development Director Garrett Anderson, Police Office Coordinator Tamara Reed, and Library Staff Member Carolyn O’Leary. Mayor Sager noted the presence of a quorum under the revised rules of the Governor during this COVID-19 emergency. City Clerk Smiley confirmed the agenda before the Council is a true and correct copy of the published agenda. Mayor Sager welcomed members of Girl Scout Troop 1861, including those attending in person and remotely. III. FLOOR DISCUSSION A. Retirement Proclamations Mayor Sager noted the City is recognizing two tenured Staff members who have determined it is time to retire and move on to the next chapter in their lives, stating these are individuals who have served this community and its residents for a very long time. He stated this is bittersweet as the City hates to see them go, but wishes them well in their retirement. .  Woodstock City Council 11-17-20 Carolyn O’Leary Without objection, the City Council approved and adopted A Proclamation Honoring Carolyn O’Leary Retirement. Mayor Sager read the proclamation for all to hear. Mayor Sager presented Ms. O’Leary with a replica of the Sesquicentennial Clock for her 30 years of service to the Community, noting her many accomplishments and the value she brought to the library and the community. Ms. O’Leary stated she has enjoyed every moment that she has worked at the library and is sorry to be leaving even though it is time to retire. She noted she will always continue to be part of this community and thanked the Mayor and City Council for this recognition. Mayor Sager thanked and commended Ms. O’Leary for her service and wished her the very best. Jeff Van Landuyt Mayor Sager stated Jeff Van Landuyt has worked for the City’s Public Works Department over a period of nearly 40 years, eventually becoming the Public Works Director. He noted there is not an individual in Woodstock who has not benefitted from Mr. Van Landuyt’s leadership, stating he has done an incredible job. Mayor Sager expressed his appreciation for Mr. Van Landuyt’s calm, steady, team- oriented approach to everything he does. Without objection, the City Council approved and adopted A Proclamation Honoring Jeff Van Landuyt Retirement. Mayor Sager read the Proclamation for all to hear. Expressing his wish that Mr. Van Landuyt could be present in person, Mayor Sager presented him with a replica of the Sesquicentennial Clock and the traditional City of Woodstock engraved lamp, stating these gifts come with the greatest degree of respect and gratitude for his service to the community. Mr. Van Landuyt thanked the Mayor and City Council and also congratulated Ms. O’Leary on her retirement. Mr. Van Landuyt expressed his gratitude to the City for the opportunities presented to him, stating it is a great place to work. He stated an organization is only as great as its people, noting he has made many friends and will miss the people. He stated Woodstock will always be his home. Mayor Sager noted Mr. Van Landuyt has always been there to help individuals grow and develop within the organization, stating the Department of Public Works and the City are in a much better position today because of his service and work ethic. Mayor Sager thanked Terry Willcockson for her involvement in the two proclamations presented this evening. B. Recognition of Service: Presentation of Employee Service Awards Mayor Sager stated that this recognition would normally take place in person in the Council Chambers, but must be done remotely this year due to COVID-19. He thanked Deb Schober and Jill May for their efforts in organizing this virtual presentation. Noting each fall the City recognizes staff members for their service, Mayor Sager highlighted the dedication and commitment of these individuals who have chosen a life of public service, specifically 2  Woodstock City Council 11-17-20 choosing Woodstock. He thanked them for choosing the City and for their work as part of the City’s professional team. He expressed appreciation for their dedication to the success of Woodstock’s mission and for their commitment to public service and to Woodstock. A video presentation recognized each staff member as Mayor Sager congratulated and acknowledged them individually for their 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 years of service to the community, noting it is important to take the time to recognize them for their service to the City of Woodstock. All individuals were also recognized with hearty applause by those present in the Council Chambers and attending remotely. C. Presentation – FY19/20 CAFR/Audit Mayor Sager thanked Paul Christensen and the Staff of the Finance Department for their hard work throughout the year and for assistance with this year’s audit. He introduced Jim Savio, Partner, Sikich LLP, who made a presentation on the FY19/20 CAFR/Audit. Mr. Savio thanked Mr. Stelford, Mr. Christensen, and the Finance Staff for their assistance, noting the audit process went smoothly with all deadlines met thanks to the Finance Department. Mr. Savio went through the highlights of the CAFR and the communications to the Council describing what is in the report. He stated the auditors did not find any evidence of non-compliance. He talked about the various financial statements for the various funds and the supporting documentation for these. He then went over the Independent Auditor’s Report and noted the Opinion Page on which the Auditors issued an unmodified opinion, which is the highest level of assurance that can be provided to the City. Mr. Savio noted the Management Discussion and Analysis, which provides an overview of the City’s financial position, opining this is the one section that should be read. Turning to Pension Funds, Mr. Savio stated the City provided exactly what it should as determined by the actuary. In response to questions from Councilman Turner, Mr. Savio explained the aggregate amounts vs the payments, and provided information concerning the City’s position on payment contributions vs. other municipalities. Mr. Savio then talked about the communication to the City Council, noting a one-page letter was issued indicating no material weaknesses. Mayor Sager expressed the City’s and its residents’ appreciation to Mr. Savio for the work he and Sikich has done over the years and also to City Staff for their efforts. In response to a question from Councilman Turner concerning what he sees coming out of this year and into next based upon his experience, Mr. Savio stated there could always be an issue with state- shared revenues, which is something to be cognizant of, in addition to funding of the pensions, noting the Police Pension Fund could be a risk if investments don’t do well. He stated the City is in good shape, however. In response to further questioning concerning long-term debt, Mr. Savio stated the City is in good shape debt-wise, noting the debt load has decreased a fair amount. He opined the debt load is pretty low with the biggest liability being unfunded pension costs. 3  Woodstock City Council 11-17-20 In response to a question from Mayor Sager, there were no further questions from the City Council or the Public. D. Public Comments Jan Vanderspoel again spoke about the road conditions in front of his mother-in-law’s home at 1215 Gerry Street. Reading from the City’s policy to focus on roads in poor condition versus those that have already failed, he took issue with this. He provided information on the timeline since construction of the street at 1215 Gerry with no significant repairs since then. He expressed dismay at the level of neglect with no plan to correct the street’s condition, as in his opinion, the street has been in a failed condition for an extended period. Noting the Mayor’s previously described Five-Year Plan, Mr. Vanderspoel opined it could be 50 years from the time it was built before the street in front of 1215 Gerry is resurfaced. He also objected to the one-year delay the Council recently placed on this program. Mr. Vanderspoel opined the roads program is underfunded and has always been underfunded. He opined this is a life safety issue as the large pieces of loose asphalt, which he displayed, could be thrown from a snowplow. He invited all Council members to drive this street. Mayor Sager stated it is his understanding that Staff has cleaned up the loose asphalt and will be patching this area. He also disputed Mr. Vanderspoel’s characterization of the number of years since the roads have been worked on. Mayor Sager again talked about the proposed 5-Year Plan, which would put approximately $10 million per year into the roads for 5 years at the end of which all streets would be brought up to a satisfactory condition. He stated this is not a matter of the streets budget, but a budget for the entirety of the community, noting the Council is trying to balance the budget and make the right financial decisions. Mayor Sager stated the Council is dedicated to fixing the roads, but must make sure this is financed in a responsible manner, describing possible methods of funding the program. He noted if the City does not have dedicated revenue, the question is what should be given up, stating it is always a balance. He stated work is on-going to do this in a fiscally-responsible manner. Mayor Sager stated patching should help, and the Council will continue to work diligently on how the streets program can be financed. Councilman Turner stated most Councilmembers have driven this street, noting he drives it daily as he lives on Gerry Street. He expressed agreement that this street presents a challenge and stated he whole- heartedly supports the City’s five-year strategy. He stated this strategy makes sense and is a priority for the City, noting the one-year delay was not intended to push the program out, but to look at what will happen over this time period due to COVID-19. In response to questions from Councilwoman Piersall, Mr. Van Landuyt stated skip patching is performed where there are small failures rather than when the whole street is failing, noting skip patching is generally not placed on a street that will be resurfaced in four to five years. There were no further Public comments. Council Comments There were no comments forthcoming from the City Council. 4  Woodstock City Council 11-17-20 IV. CONSENT AGENDA Motion by G. Tebo, second by M. Turner, to approve the Consent Agenda. In response to a question from Mayor Sager, there were no items removed from the Consent Agenda by the City Council or the Public. In response to a question from Mayor Sager, the following questions or comments were forthcoming from the Public or the City Council concerning items on the Consent Agenda. Item D-1 – Ordinance – Woodstock Code Amendment – Greenley Street No Parking Noting the proposed ordinance will take away some parking on Greenley Street until the curbs can be replaced, Councilman Tebo asked where the residents will park. In response, Mayor Sager stated the majority of the residents will park in their driveways, opining those who were parking on the street were visitors, some of whom could have parked in driveways, but were not. In response to further questions from Councilman Tebo, Mr. Stelford stated the street is not being lengthened or widened. He stated when able, the curb will be replaced. He stated overflow parking will also be available on Vine Street. Mr. Van Landuyt explained the challenges the City will face when replacing the curb or resurfacing Greenley including drainage. He stated a Capital Improvement Project will be created for this project, noting there are concerns with streets such as this that are overlaid. Mayor Sager noted Staff worked with all of the residents that are part of this area and all came to agreement with the proposed approach. There were no Public comments on items remaining on the Consent Agenda. Mayor Sager affirmed the Consent Agenda to include items A through D-2 as follows: A. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING November 3, 2020 City Council Minutes B. WARRANTS #3930 #3931 C. MINUTES AND REPORTS None D. MANAGER’S REPORT NO. 168: 1. Ordinance – Woodstock Code Amendment – Greenley Street No Parking - Approval of Ordinance 20-O-82, identified as Document 1, An Ordinance Providing for an Amendment to the City Code of the City of Woodstock, McHenry County, Illinois Providing for the Revision of Certain Traffic Regulations, limiting and controlling on-street parking on Greenley Street between Lake Avenue and Vine Street. 5  Woodstock City Council 11-17-20 2. Contract – Alum – Approval to award a contract for the purchase and delivery of Liquid Alum to the lowest responsible bidder, Affinity Chemical, Flanders, NJ at the bid unit price of $304.00 per dry ton for all purchases throughout calendar year 2021. A roll call vote was taken on items A through D-2. Ayes: D. Flynn, L. Lohmeyer, W. Piersall, J. Prindiville, G. Tebo, M. Turner, and Mayor B. Sager. Nays: none. Abstentions: none. Absentees: none. Motion carried. V. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS There were no additions or deletions to the Future Agendas. VI. ADJOURN Motion by W. Piersall, second by D. Flynn, to adjourn this regular meeting of the Woodstock City Council to the next regular meeting to be held at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, December 1, 2020 in the Council Chambers at City Hall. Ayes: D. Flynn, L. Lohmeyer, W. Piersall, J. Prindiville, G. Tebo, M. Turner, and Mayor B. Sager. Nays: none. Abstentions: none. Absentees: none. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 8:32 PM. Respectfully submitted, Cindy Smiley City Clerk 6