City of Elgin Committee of the Whole met Jan. 22.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
The regular Committee of the Whole meeting was called to order by Mayor Kaptain at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers. Present: Councilmembers Dixon, Gavin, Lopez, Martinez, Powell, Rauschenberger, Shaw, Steffen, and Mayor Kaptain. Absent: None.
Approval of Minutes
Councilmember Shaw made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Dixon, to approve the minutes of the January 8, 2020, regular meeting. Upon a roll call vote: Yeas: Councilmembers Dixon, Gavin, Lopez, Martinez, Powell, Rauschenberger, Shaw, Steffen, and Mayor Kaptain. Nays: None.
Nomination of the David C. Cook Publishing House Property at 850 N. Grove Avenue as a Landmark
Christen Sundquist, Historic Preservation Planner, presented information regarding the criteria to designate a property as a landmark. Ms. Sundquist reviewed the designation process including notice to the property owner, a report from the Heritage Commission and final determination by City Council.
Representatives from DC Cook Publishing, Mike Hastings, Christina Morrison and Scott Miller, outlined the history of the property, the current status of the property and previous redevelopment plans that fell through. They detailed their concerns regarding the property being designated a landmark including the potential for economic hardship. They stated their strong opposition to this application for landmark designation.
Mayor Kaptain invited those in the audience to comment on the nomination application for the property at 850 N. Grove Avenue. He noted there would an opportunity for further public comment during the City Council meeting.
Donna Griffin-Lego spoke in opposition of designating the property at 850 N. Grove as a landmark.
Andrew Lego spoke in opposition of designating the property at 850 N. Grove as a landmark. Tom Jacobs stated his support of designating the property at 850 N. Grove as a landmark. Tom Armstrong stated his support of designating the property at 850 N. Grove as a landmark. Eric Larson stated his support of designating the property at 850 N. Grove as a landmark.
Jeff Gill stated his support of designating the property at 850 N. Grove as a landmark. Dick Shields stated his support of designating the property at 850 N. Grove as a landmark. Kerry Kelly stated her support of designating the property at 850 N. Grove as a landmark.
Corporation Counsel Cogley reviewed the process of designation which included a public hearing with the Heritage Commission. He noted that the process would allow final consideration by the City Council at the earliest on April 22, 2020.
The City Council held discussions regarding the status of the property and potential code violations. Also discussed were the potential for available tax credits to a redeveloper and other potential financing options for redevelopment of the property. There was conversation regarding the impact of a landmark designation on a property including the status of a pending demolition permit. There were comments regarding the additional time the designation process would allow for further conversations with the property owner and potential developers.
Adjourn to City Council
Councilmember Gavin made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Dixon, to adjourn and go into the City Council meeting. Upon a roll call vote: Yeas: Councilmembers Dixon, Gavin, Lopez, Powell, Rauschenberger, Shaw, Steffen, and Mayor Kaptain. Nays: None.
Reconvene
Councilmember Gavin made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Dixon, to reconvene the Committee of the Whole meeting. Upon a roll call vote: Yeas: Councilmembers Dixon, Gavin, Lopez, Powell, Rauschenberger, Shaw, Steffen, and Mayor Kaptain. Nays: None.
Auxiliary Police Officer Ordinance Amendments Changing Functions and Requirements
There was discussion regarding the proposed changes, the duties, training, uniforms, and qualifications for the Auxiliary Police Officer position.
Councilmember Gavin made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Dixon, to approve the proposed amendments to revise the ordinance to authorize new functions and requirements for auxiliary police officers. Upon a roll call vote: Yeas: Councilmembers Dixon, Gavin, Lopez, Martinez, Powell, Rauschenberger, Shaw, Steffen, and Mayor Kaptain. Nays: None.
DACRA Tech LLC Agreement for e-Citation Services
Councilmember Dixon made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Gavin, to authorize the agreement with DACRA Tech, LLC in the amount of $229,175 to be paid over a five-year period in order to improve the efficiency of the e-citation system by migrating from departmental servers to a cloud based hosted solution by DACRA Tech LLC. Upon a roll call vote: Yeas: Councilmembers Dixon, Gavin, Lopez, Martinez, Powell, Rauschenberger, Shaw, Steffen, and Mayor Kaptain. Nays: None.
Automated Fire Station Alerting Hardware Replacement from Digicom Inc.
Councilmember Dixon made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Martinez, to approve the purchase of automated fire station alerting system hardware from Digicom Inc. in the amount of $33,440 for installation and replacement of outdated equipment that supports the operation of the fire station alerting system. Upon a roll call vote: Yeas: Councilmembers Dixon, Gavin, Lopez, Martinez, Powell, Rauschenberger, Shaw, Steffen, and Mayor Kaptain. Nays: None.
Sustainability Commission Grant Funding Recommendation to First Congregational United Church of Christ’s Environmental Justice Outreach Project
Councilmember Martinez made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Shaw, to approve a funding request for First Congregational United Church of Christ’s Environmental Justice Outreach Project in the amount of $10,000 to support the use of solar energy and to distribute funds to local organizations and or individuals whose projects align with the goals and objectives found within the Elgin Sustainability Action Plan. Upon a roll call vote: Yeas: Councilmembers Dixon, Gavin, Lopez, Martinez, Powell, Rauschenberger, Shaw, and Mayor Kaptain. Nays: None. Councilmember Steffen abstained.
Discussion Establishing Dates, Topics and Format for 2020 City Council Work Sessions (Councilpersons Powell and Dixon)
Councilmember Powell provided information regarding the request to discuss holding work sessions. She stated that these sessions had been conducted in the past and there was interest from councilmembers to hold the sessions again. She was asking for further feedback from the entire council regarding moving forward with the sessions and potential topics for discussion.
Potential topics of discussion included: economic development strategic plan, a homeless shelter; technology; purchase of service agreements; and contract management. Other suggestions included updates on the diversity initiative, the Sports Complex and Hemmens Cultural Arts Center. Another topic suggested was a budget update for 2021 with a focus on addressing the Parks and Recreation Department budget deficit.
There was discussion regarding the level of staff involvement in the researching of the topics and coordination with the sponsoring councilmember. The schedule would be worked on by staff to determine dates of the sessions.
Announcements from Council
None.
Announcements from Staff
Molly Gillespie, Communications Manager, announced upcoming city events.
Adjournment
Councilmember Gavin made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Dixon, to adjourn and go into the Executive Session for the purpose of discussing the following matters. Upon a roll call vote: Yeas: Councilmembers Dixon, Gavin, Lopez, Martinez, Powell, Rauschenberger, Shaw, Steffen, and Mayor Kaptain. Nays: None.
Discussion of Minutes of Meetings Lawfully Closed Under This Act - Exempt Under Section 120/2(c)(21) of the Open Meetings Act
Purchase or Lease of Real Property for the Use of the Public Body - Exempt Under Section 120/2(c)(5) of the Open Meetings Act
The appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the Public Body – Exempt Under Section 120/2(c)(1) of the Open Meetings Act
The meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m.
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