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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-10-09 Clerical Committee Meeting MinutesThe City of Canton Clerical Committee was held on March 10, 2009 in Council Chambers, at the Historic Depot, 50 North 4t" Avenue, Canton, Illinois. Mayor Kevin R. Meade called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Present - Aldermen Eric Schenck, Joe Berardi, Larry Sarff, Craig West, Jerry Ellis, Pamela Ihnes, Jason Strandberg. Absent -Sonya Lewis. Also attending -Mayor Kevin R. Meade, City Clerk Nancy Whites, City Treasurer Aaron Anderson, Police Chief W. Dan Taylor, Fire Chief Bonnie Cremer, Wastewater Treatment Supt Joe Carruthers, Water Treatment Supt. Greg Pollitt, Video Services by Joe Ginger. (City Attorney Chrissie Peterson was on vacation.) In the audience was News Media of John Froehling from the Daily Ledger, Mark Bixler from the WBYS Radio, Kevin Sampler from the Journal Star, candidate for Alderman Ward 2 Jeffrey Fritz, Executive Director SRPED Mark Rothert, Kim Scott, and Brad Smith, several members of the Tatoo Parlors, and couple of unidentified people. FINANCE- Alderman Jason Strandberg, chairman Bills. Alderman Sarff made the motion to refer bills to council for consideration, and was seconded by Alderman Ihnes. Discussion. Mayor Kevin R. Meade commented that the bills are being approved and paid every two weeks. Alderman Berardi said logically that does not make any sense. Alderman Strandberg said he knows for a fact that a lot of municipalities pay bills every time they have a council meeting. The motion was by unanimous voice vote. Treasurer's Report. City Treasurer Aaron Anderson stated the net income for the year-to-date is substantially higher, and actually we're in a positive balance. There are a couple reasons for that, first when I first came on in December, there were a lot of things were not being done for November. So I just assumed Julie Smick had not taken care of a few items. So I actually posted the December health premiums twice. That amounts to about $116,400 discrepancy. So, I did find that error and corrected it. And when coupled with that, a net income for actually February of $207,900 you'll have a pretty big swing there in the general fund. Other than that, there is one correction. I noticed earlier, if you go to the TIF Account Recap, it says the IH balance is a negative $15,000. There was actually a loan of $22,645 from the General Fund that I discovered that hadn't been posted. So that IH TIF Fund balance is around $6,800.00. With the previous month the loan from the General Fund we had about $22,600, that gives you almost million dollar loan from the General Fund. Alderman Berardi asked, the loan from the General Fund is how much? City Treasurer Aaron Anderson answered when I mentioned the $22,645 loan, that should have been added on the previous month, so when you add the previous month along with the current month for those expenses, actually they are around $590,000 at this point. Alderman Berardi said let's spend this money. Mayor Kevin R. Meade said he has talked with Mark Rothert Executive Director SRPED, and I gave him some ideas to spend some of the funds. City Treasurer Aaron Anderson said basically the Illinois Municipal Code states that we can have up to 3% of our equalized assessed valuation for what it calls Capital Replacement Funds. These are surplus money previously set aside to make capital improvement and capital purchases. We earn about 2-1/2 % on that fund. Alderman Berardi said if we have reserves why do we have them under different titles? Mayor Kevin R. Meade said there are two ways to look at this. You designate for large amounts and for large volume purchases. Alderman Berardi said he disagrees, that's why we have a budget. I have a rough time setting over here listening to this. Alderman Strandberg said he disagrees with Alderman Berardi. Alderman Ihnes made the motion to forward the amended Treasurer's Report to the Council meeting for approval, and was seconded by Alderman Sarff. The motion was by unanimous voice vote. Budget Report Discussion. Alderman Strandberg ask where are we on the Budgets? All department heads are meeting with Alderman Schenck. Alderman Schenck said we have some major issues to take care of. We have a large bill we have to pay next year. IDOT Stimulus Funding. The following is the report from Keith Plavec on this subject - As you are probably aware, the City has been designated $462,428 for transportation projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This money has certain stipulations on what it can be used towards. From my discussions with IDOT and reviewing the letter from IDOT, the money can go towards federal-aid (FAU) routes functionally classified as urban collectors, bridge projects and safety projects. This money cannot be used as a match for other federal dollars (cannot be used on 3rd Avenue to match the other grant). The City has to notify IDOT of their intentions by March 25. The other item to keep in mind with this funding is that the projects have to go on the IDOT letting (June is the earliest), preliminary paperwork has to be completed similar to federal projects and complete construction inspection is required. In the past with the MFT maintenance project, the City could watch over the project to save money. With this funding, the inspector must have taken the IDOT course and knows the software to enter the daily tasks. 1 only point this out because the City will have to spend more money on design and construction engineering when using federal funds. We have put together a list of roadway projects that have not been completed from 2007 and 2008 and added streets programmed for 2009. We then took this list and determined which streets were FAU routes. As you can see, almost $934,762 is bringing the City up to date and $621,154 worth of projects are FAU routes. Also please recall that we need to finish the sidewalks along Ash Street from 5t" Avenue to 15t"Avenue. Public Works Director Clif O'Brien and 1 met today and this is what we would recommend to you for consideration: 1. Complete Walnut Street from 5t" Avenue to 11t" Avenue and Elm Street from Ist Avenue to 4t" Avenue (approximate cost is $354,653 -assumes 15°o for design engineering and construction engineering) 2. Complete sidewalk removal along Ash Street from 5t" Avenue to 11t" Avenue (approximate cost is $160,000) 3. The estimated total for projects just mentioned is $514,653 which is $52,225 more than the stimulus allowance. 1. Pay for the $52,225 with MFT dollars and then use the remaining $200,000 of MFT dollars (budget $250,000 for 2009) towards completing the following streets from the previously mentioned attached list: *Avenue F *Edgewood Place *Myrtle Street * Tamarack Street *Avenue D *Main Street *Maple Street *Oak Street *E. Beech Street *E. Shamrock Street This is sidewalk removal and replacement from 5t" Avenue to 11t" Avenue. This work is estimated to cost $160,000 and 1 did not want to go higher than that. Keith Plavec from Maurer Stutz Inc. and Zoning Officer for the City said Main Street to 5t" Avenue has been added in. IDOT wants the signed document back by March 25t". There is no recommendation tonight Keith said. Keith said he had sent the information to IDOT and they had no problem with it. Next week I will ask what is our firm decision on this? Alderman Schenck said the important thing in this area is for safety reasons. Alderman Sarff made the motion to forward to council for approval, seconded by Alderman Ellis. Discussion. Keith Plavec said he would ad in the changes for next week. The motion was by unanimous voice vote. The Finance Committee adjourned at 7:38 p.m. LEGAL & ORDINANCE -Alderman Jerry Ellis, chairman The Legal & Ordinance committee was first to give the reports due to the items on the agenda that had brought some citizens to the meeting. Building Inspector/Professional Property Management. Alderman Strandberg made the motion to send back council, and was seconded by Alderman Sarff. The motion was by unanimous voice vote. Public Comments -Brad Smith on Building Inspections. Brad Smith commented that I am here today to ask why we do not have a building inspector. It is a fact that many of the renters are living in less than ideal conditions. The fear of losing their home for complaining is a big reason many of the renters in Canton are reluctant to complain. My family just moved from Oaklawn apartments into a 4 bedroom house on Spruce Street. We are paying $750.00 a month rent, which is actually above the average cost of rent for Canton. We had only three days to find a place. So being picky was not an option. We moved into what on the surface appeared and were described by the owner to be a safe place to live. During the initial walkthrough I had noticed a few things wrong and was told they would be corrected. That was December 15, 2008. Now March 3rd, 2009 I have had to make repairs myself such as replacing stairs my wife actually fell through. There is a hole in the kitchen floor I fell through which was rotten through and through. There were and still are many fire hazards such as live electrical wires dangling from the basement ceiling, the front porch, the back porch. The landlord was made aware of this and refused to repair so we charged the landlord $100 in February for the repair of the basement stairs. We called the police and the code enforcement officer. He was in training all week, so a different officer came and took my statements, and referred us to the fire department. We contacted the fire department and they did a walkthrough. It has been three weeks, and we have not heard anything yet. Since then I have had to make more repairs as the landlord refuses to make them. We told the landlord to fix the problems or we would have to have them fixed. And we were given a termination notice for asking for a safe place to live. I am here today because I am not afraid to speak out to you, the people who can make things happen. I am not asking for a palace, just a safe place to live. I ask you today to look into a policy and an inspector to enforce the policy for landlords to meet minimum safety requirements. I think I speak not only on behalf of my family but all renters in this city. Alderman Strandberg said this is a top issue with everyone on the council. This is good for the public to be aware of. Mayor Kevin R. Meade said we are in the planning stages of hiring a code enforcement officer. Alderman Berardi said to have a draft of the policy by next Public Safety Committee meeting. Body Piercing. Several owners of Tattoo Parlors were in the audience and said they felt the ordinance that City Attorney Chrissie Peterson had written was excellent. Alderman Ellis made the motion to forward on to council for approval, and was seconded by Alderman Sarff. The motion was by unanimous voice vote. Water Bill of church for Pastor Vicky Rilea. The City Attorney Chrissie Peterson had talked with Pastor Vicky Rilea, and the church does not want to come into the city. But they do want single water rates. Alderman Sarff made the motion to send on to council without opinion, and seconded by Alderman Strandberg. Discussion. Alderman Sarff mentioned that he would not be in favor of a waiver. Alderman Berardi said he is for annexing the property into the city. Alderman Berardi also suggested that Alderman Ellis to work with the county on annexing the property. Identity Theft Prevention Program. Alderman Ellis said this is because of water billings need for security. Water Treatment Supt. Greg Pollitt said you have to have a policy in place. Alderman Sarff made the motion to forward the ordinance on to council for first reading, and was seconded by Alderman Ihnes. The motion was by unanimous voice vote. Definition of Club Liquor License. Mayor Kevin R. Meade said there has been discussion of the sale of the Country Club. City Attorney Chrissie Peterson had asked for different language as the golf club portion does not fall under the definition. No action taken as the mayor will check on what wording is needed before adding on to an agenda. Redevelopment Agreement for the (former) IH Site. Alderman Berardi went through the agreement and asked for comments to his questions. He wants to have the questions and answers typed up. Mayor Kevin R. Meade said he would have City Attorney Chrissie Peterson to give you the answers. Alderman Berardi told Keith he did great putting this together. Alderman Sarff made the motion to accept the plan as proposed by Keith Plavec and forward on to council for consideration, and was seconded by Alderman Ellis. The motion was by unanimous voice vote. Alderman Schenck mentioned that the governor has been making statements of a Capitol Budget, which they have not had one in years. We need to take better advantage. The traditional things are roads, but can be brick and mortar. We need to give this to our state senators and representatives for consideration. Mayor Kevin R. Meade said he had talked with Representative Mike Smith to bring him some ideas of projects. The projects are - Telescoping Truck Warning Sirens Streetscape Sewer Projects Water Main Alderman Sarff asked about the Water Tower! Mayor Kevin R. Meade said we can throw that in. Alderman Schenck suggested also the Lake Area. Mayor Kevin R. Meade said anyone can meet with me with your ideas. The Legal & Ordinance Committee adjourned at 7:02 p.m. COMMUNITY & INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT -Alderman Pam Ihnes, chairman. Update from Mark Rothert Executive Director SRPED. Mark said he made the chart of a Budget to Fund & Payoff IH TIF Infrastructure as Alderman Ihnes asked him to. Next week he will give the total infrastructure funds owed. Working with local business, some are wanting to locate downtown, and three are wanting to expand. Working to keep Lewis Pharmacy as a landmark since they closed. Second Cinema opening soon, as the landlord now in the building lost his lease. EDA Grant working on. Positive sign for the DCEO Stop Grant and now waiting on grant fund from Jim Hocker CPA. Will send in and will have final word if we will receive the grant or not. City staff and officials and myself will be meeting with Tom Herbst former owner of Feasters. Will talk with him about his lot, as it has been an eyesore on downtown quite some time. Looking to start website will create for community for job bank. Any organization from Chicago and the other one is also from Chicago area. Went pretty well and I am going to send them some more information on available land. Residential Development meeting with two firms over the past two weeks. Talking of economic Impact analysis through Western Illinois University Rural Affairs Institute for the Cook Project. Teska Associates are doing recount study as part of Central Illinois Economic Development Council. And Teska Associates are coming to town on Thursday of this week to do Phase Two of their study. Working on a plan to spend Hotel/Motel Tax fund, and should have the information to you by April's meeting. We submitted our binder for Central Illinois to become a Main Street Community. Attended a National Main Street conference in Chicago. Also attended Rural Community Economic Development Conference last week, and I was asked to speak on Rural Community Institute that I attended. Working on Industrial Park TIF Plan. Alderman Berardi asked for Mark Rothert to give him a valuation of Vandewalle & Associates for the $60,000 they received from the City as our consultant. Mayor Kevin R. Meade told Alderman Berardi that we have not used the firm and no bills have been paid since November, 2008. Alderman Schenck mentioned having a website with quality marketing for visitors to our community, which is real critical for us. The Illinois River Scenic By-Way road is lots of opportunity to hone our message that why they would come. We need to be prepared and to be an attractive community for those visitors that do come. Hotel/Motel funds need to be used to bring people to Canton. NEGOTIATIONS, GRIEVANCE & PERSONNEL -Alderman Larry Sarff, chairman. Personnel Policy. Discussion was not held. Zoning Officer. Mayor Kevin R. Meade said he wants to use the job description we had used several months before. Alderman Sarff asked for a copy of the job description to be in the packets for this Friday. Alderman Berardi said this town supports a zoning officer. What we need is administrator and tying into a City Engineer. Like to see that thought process. EXECUTIVE SESSION - TO DISCUSS -THE PURCHASE OF REAL PROPERTY FOR THE USE OF THE PUBLIC BODY; FIRE NEGOTIATIONS; PERSONNEL; PENDING LITIGATION. The regular scheduled Clerical Committee convened at 8:08 p.m. for the executive session to discuss Fire Negotiations; and The Purchase of Real Property for the Use of Public Body. Mayor Kevin R. Meade said that Pending Litigation was not needed for executive session. The Clerical Committee reconvened in open session at 8:42 p.m. to adjourn. ADJOURN Being no further business the Clerical Committee adjourned at 8:43 p.m. Recording Secretary, Nancy Whites, City Clerk