Sangamon Sun

City of Lincoln Committee of the Whole met Tuesday, March 27.

Here is the minutes provided by the Committee:

Regular Committee Of The Whole Meeting

Lincoln City Hall, Council Chambers

700 Broadway Street Lincoln, Illinois

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

The Regular Committee of the Whole Meeting of the City Council of Lincoln was called to order by Mayor Seth Goodman at 7:01 p.m., with proper notice given.

Present:

Alderman Steve Parrott Alderman Tracy Welch Alderman Ron Fleshman Alderman Michelle Bauer Alderman Ron Keller Alderwoman Heidi Browne Alderman Jeff Hoinacki

Present:

Treasurer Chuck Conzo

City Clerk Peggy Bateman

Streets Superintendent Walt Landers Fire Chief Mark Miller

Waste Water and Treatment Manager Tim Ferguson Building and Safety Officer Wes Woodhall

Police Chief Paul Adams

Absent: City Attorney Blinn Bates Alderman Rick Hoefle

Presiding: Mayor Seth Goodman

Public Comment:

Mayor Goodman called upon citizens registered to speak. Mr. Nathaniel Smith, the Athletic Director at Lincoln Christian University (LCU) came forward to discuss the school's gymnasium and ice rink.He said he would like to sell the ice rink to the city, if the City of Lincoln would be interested. He said it would be a good opportunity for the city.

He said in the summer time it would become a roller skating rink.

Alderwoman Bauer asked if Mr. Smith has had any discussion with the park district. He said not yet, as the idea is just getting off the ground.

Alderman Welch asked about the size, the dimensions of the rink. It's around 180 feet inlength, by 65 feet wide. Alderman Parrott asked why the university wants to get rid of it. Mr. Smith said the school is resurfacing their gym/field house. It is where people play indoor soccer.

Alderwoman Browne asked if he was selling it or getting rid of it. He said they would not ask for more than $2,000 for it. If they do not sell it or give it away, they will scrap it. They purchased it for $25,000 in 2002. They would need an answer by the end of June.

Alderman Hoinacki asked if it was brand new when the university purchased it. He said no,it came from Game Time Gym in Bloomington. He said it is in really good shape, it is rock solid.

Public Comment:

Mayor Goodman called upon other citizens who were registered to speak. He welcomed Wanda Lee Rohlfs. She brought up last night's Public Hearing at Lincoln College. She said several questions have come to her attention, she received a call from someone who is concerned. She wanted to know why there is a difference in the base rates for residents and commercial consumers.The base rate for residents is 4,000 and commercial base rate is at 6,000 gallons. She wanted to know how this could be better explained to people.

She also brought up the wrap up sheet and one of the bullet points about the biannual base rate. She wanted to know why there would be an increase every other year and the reason behind it. She wanted to know if the terms could be changed, maybe every three or four years.She asked for an adjustment to save citizens a little money as they will already be seeing a 45 percent increase on their bills.

The third item she wanted to talk about is the Illinois Public Works Mutual Aid Network (IPWMAN) whereas clauses.She mentioned the term "home rule" that is used in the contract.She said the City of Lincoln is not home rule. She wanted to know if there is a legal ramification if the city signs this contract with the words "home rule."

Her fourth concern also came out of the Public Hearing from Monday, March 26, 2018. She asked who would pay for the pool water with the DockDogs® event. She asked who will pay for the water and where will it go after the event?

Mayor Goodman called for other comment, there being none he moved forward with items on the agenda.

Jason Lawrence Lincoln Center's Employment Services:

Mayor Goodman moved discussion to Mr. Jason Lawrence - Lincoln Center's Employment Services. Mr. Lawrence said he is looking to expand the Lincoln Center's program. He would like a contract for cleaning services at The Depot.

Alderwoman Bauer asked Mr. Lawrence to explain what the demographic is of the citizens that his group serves. They have developmental disabilities. He invited people to come over and see his workshop. He wanted to know about a contract so he can help take the stigma off of the individuals that his group serves. He thinks this could open the door for other employment opportunities for people in his organization. He said he thinks The Depot is a great opportunity for this group.

Alderman Parrott asked what percentage of the workers are from group homes. He said the Lincoln Center's Employment Services helps 300 individuals and maybe 100 or more are from group homes.

Alderman Parrott asked how transportation is provided for the employees … for the people who go out for jobs. Mr. Lawrence said the organization provides transportation. He said there are limited resources.

Chief Mark Miller said Mr. Lawrence could reach out to him this week as he handles cleaning contracts at City Hall and The Depot.

Alderman Hoinacki asked if the group currently has a custodian contract in place or if they would have to start one. He said they already have custodian work in place.

Alderwoman Bauer said for the past several years, Mr. Lawrence has brought numerous volunteers for setup and tear down at The Pigs and Swigs Festival. She said the volunteers are always grateful for the opportunities.She said she thinks it is a great idea and a great place to start.it would be great for the city to lead by example.

Logan County Board Of Tourism - Contract With City Leasing/Occupying The Depot:

Mayor Goodman moved the council discussion to The Depot at the Logan County Board of Tourism. Alderman Welch started by giving background. He worked with Attorney Bates, they put together a draft of a lease agreement. He said the contract draft is in the councilmembers' packet.

Alderman Keller began with #302, then skipped to #403 relating to custodial services inside the depot. Alderwoman Bauer clarified that this is inside and not at the wait station.Alderman Keller went on, he brought up the $250 amount, per incident the Tourism Board would have to pay if there is an issue. Alderman Welch said this is prohibitive. He said the council as the landlord should be responsible for this. Alderman Keller asked if tourism has responded to the contract. Alderman Welch said there is an email chain that is going back and forth.

Alderman Keller then mentioned 05.02 C.

Mrs. Chris Wibben said her Tourism Board is planning to meet Thursday night.

Alderman Keller then transitioned to public use of the space. He read the phrasing.He said maybe some language should be put in to protect tourism a bit more and to explain the purposes of the potential events the city may way to hold at The Depot. He said good job on this, it looks good - directed at Alderman Welch.

Alderman Welch said defaultlanguage states that the tourism group would be responsible for pest control. He said the pest control language could be changed so The Depot would not need to handle it as there is already an existing contract for this.

Alderwoman Bauer asked him to clarify about the removal of the pest control line. Alderman Welch then shared what is being done to expedite the discussion … language in the contract pertaining to renewal periods. He said the $900 at least for this point, is a good starting point for the tourism group to have their discussion on Thursday. He said he does not think the funding agreement language needs to be in the contract.

Mayor Goodman asked about repairs language.Alderman Welch said this is language that Alderman Bates. Mayor Goodman said he has never seen this before.

Mr. Kevin Bateman stood up from the back of the room, and agreed with Mayor Goodman about the language and shared that the Tourism Board would not want to make changes to e.g.HVAC.

Mayor Goodman said it would protect both parties if the city were to choose who would make repairs on their property. Alderwoman Bauer said the council could scrap the middle part of the paragraph the council was referring to. Alderman Welch said he would share the changes with the Attorney Bates.

Alderwoman Bauer asked about renewal language. Alderman Tracy said it does not say anything along the lines of "this will renew within one year. Alderwoman Bauer asked if the council wanted to get into the minutia of the renewal. Alderwoman Bauer said she does not think the council sees an alternative for the space.

Mr. Bateman said the group is interested in an ongoing lease,unless changes need to be made. He said the board would like to operate freely. Alderwoman Bauer said she would agree with this.

Alderman Hoinacki asked if these changes will be shared in another COW.Alderman Welch said he would recommend that he works with the attorney to make the changes so the Tourism Board can have the contract before their Thursday meeting.

Resolution To Waive Conflict Of Interest Regarding Legal Representation - City Of Lincoln And Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital:

Mayor Goodman moved the council discussion to Resolution to Waive Conflict of Interest Regarding Legal Representation - City of Lincoln and Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital. Mayor Goodman said Woods and Bates also represents ALMH.

Alderman Hoinacki said place this on the agenda.

Ordinance Authorizing Execution Of The Ffiinois Public Works Mutual Aid Network (Ipwman) Agreement:

Mayor Goodman moved the council discussion to IPWMAN. Alderwoman Bauer said she wanted to make sure before now and Monday that the council gets clarification on "home rule" from Attorney Bates.

Alderman Hoinacki said place this on the agenda.

Illinois Public Works Mutual Aid Network (Ipwman) Agreement:

Mayor Goodman moved the council discussion to IPWMAN. Council agreed to place this on the agenda.

New Police Station North Parking Lot Bid Award:

Mayor Goodman moved the council discussion to the New Police Station North Parking Lot Bid Award. Police Chief Paul Adams spoke up. He started to share information about a parking lot was not kept up. He said Goodman Excavating clear alot for the station. He said the station is at a point where this needs to get moving. He shared the names of companies and their base bids for garage flooring.

Companies include Professional Pavement, Kinney Contractors, and Time Clarke Concrete.

Mayor Goodman asked the council if they would like to place this on the agenda. Councilmembers agreed.

New Police Station North Garage Bid Award:

Mayor Goodman moved the council discussion to companies who presented bids for a shed for evidence.

Greiner Buildings, FBI Buildings, Morton Buildings, and Ragland Buildings all presented base bids. Chief Adams said police have to have a place for vehicles to stay secure. He said Greiner Buildings' offer does include prevailing wages. The size would be 30'x74'x10'. He said he is not asking for any extra money, this was included in the bond amount.

Alderwoman Bauer asked if Chief Adams wanted "better doors," he agreed.

Mayor Goodman asked the council if they would want to place the item on the agenda. Agreed.

Discussion On Stop/Yield Signs At "Open" Intersections:

Mayor Goodman moved the council discussion to Stop Nield Signs at "open" Intersections. Chief Adams began - sharing he has done some research on crashes at various intersections including Mclean Street and Oklahoma Avenue. He said it can be hard to maneuver open intersections. He said after talking to Superintendent Walt Landers he learned what the potential costs would be for the signs and the labor.

He you do not want to put stop and yield signs up to try to control speed.He said if you put stop signs up, you will have people running stop signs. He said yield signs help people clarify which driver has the right of way.

Treasurer Conzo asked a question about traffic flow. He asked if the yield signs would go in on numbered streets.

Chief Adams said it depends on how the council wants traffic to flow. Alderman Welsh asked for Chief Adams' preference for traffic flow on these aforementioned streets. Chief Adams said you want to ensure traffic flows in one way or another.

Superintendent Landers said the council should consider what kind of trend the city would be setting by changing these signs.

Alderman Welch said he would speak up as it is his ward, and Alderman Parrot's ward.He said he would prefer having yield signs at these intersections. He said he can work with Alderman Parrott, Superintendent Landers, and Chief Adams to determine specific locations. He said it is a nominal amount of money to ensure safety in these intersections.

Alderman Keller wanted to know how many open intersections there are in town. The answer was a lot. Alderman Keller wanted to know what makes these intersections different.

Chief Adams brought up four crashes on Mclean Street, Oklahoma and Grand Avenues. He said there are not any crashes on record on Oglesby Avenue.

Alderman Hoinacki asked about the signs...he asked Superintendent Landers if there is money in the budget for this year.

Alderwoman Bauer asked if there is a formalized request process/system that would allow City Police to do an assessment, with data so the council could inquire more. She said she had a request on Sixth Street not too long ago. She said in everyone's ward there are several intersections that "work that way." She said there needs to be a procedure in place where the city can evaluate these requests, so that overtime..there will at least be a way for people to put a petition in.

Chief Adams said,"yes," and they could probably put a form up on their website. She said the process would be a way to quantify the request and assess the need.

Alderman Welch said the process now is an informal process for this type of sign request. He said he feels comfortable that the Chief of Police looked into this. Alderwoman Bauer then explained another scenario in her ward hear Casey's.

Mayor Goodman asked if they were going to work on this.

Alderman Welch said he wanted to see the item on the agenda.The item will be placed on the agenda.

Discussion On Dockdogs Worldwide:

Mayor Goodman moved the council discussion to DogDogs Worldwide. Alderwoman Bauer said she thinks there are alot of questions left to be asked,including those of Mrs. Rohlfs. She also mentioned the insurance for the Pigs & Swigs Festival weekend.

She said there are adjustments that would have to be made. She said should would have to abstain from the discussion. She said there are a lot of clarifications that would have to be asked.Alderwoman Bauer then said the event could add an additional 5,000 people to the downtown that weekend which is pretty exciting. She said she saw a DockDogs' Facebook event being promoted in August at SCHEELS in Springfield.

Chief Miller brought up filling the swimming pools. He said on a tank that size, sometimes the fire department will be contacted to get water from the hydrant. A meter could be added so the group would cover the cost of the water.

Alderman Parrott asked to place it on the agenda for further discussion regarding the amount.

Public Comment: Mr. Kevin Bateman stood up and said there is a BBQ meeting tomorrow night, and this is on the agenda on Wednesday, March 28. He said Mr. Chris Graue had mentioned $4,000, Mr. Bateman said he is hoping this is a one-time ask, and next time there would be a reduced rate. He said he agrees with Alderwoman Bauer about the potential for 5,000 people to attend DockDogs. He said the group did not want to pass up the event for this year.

Alderwoman Browne asked Mr. Bateman to cover the insurance topic at the meeting on Wednesday, March 28.He said this is a nationwide event, and that they may have their own insurance. The questions will be asked during the next meeting.

Treasurer Conzo said he was going to talk about this when the council got to the next item -the budget. He said he thinks everyone knows there is $5,000 left over because of the 2018 Balloon Festival cancellation. He said the council will need to make a decision soon if they want to pay for it out of this current budget.

Alderwoman Bauer said the $4,000 or $5,000 that the city would give would not be all that the group will need to raise to make DockDogs happen.She said the group's intention or hope would be to have the answer by next Monday.

Alderman Hoinaki said it is a good program.He agrees with $4,000 with the stipulation that the council receives more information before Monday. He said to at least put it on the agenda so it is there to discuss and vote on it.

Mayor Goodman asked if there are other sponsors yet. Mr. Bates said he was not going to name any names, but they have been in talks with banks and some other businesses in town. He said he will bring it up at the next tourism meeting.He said they would need $8,000 minimum - $6,500 for DockDogs and $1,500 for advertising.He said it looks like it will be a pretty good weekend.

Alderman Fleshman asked if there will be bleachers for the 5,000 people to view the show. Mr. Bateman said no, there are several different shows - at various times.

Superintendent Landers said when he attended the event at SCHEELS there was no seating provided, people brought lawn chairs.

Alderwoman Bauer said the city's insurance does not currently cover bleachers.

Alderman Welch said he sees this as an opportunity for the city to grow their event schedule back. He said the city has the money, he would be in favor of $4,000.

Mayor Goodman said the item will be placed on the agenda.

Discussion regarding 2018-2019 Budget:

Mayor Goodman moved the council discussion to the 2018-2019 Budget. Treasurer Conzo started in with items that had changed since the last Budget Workshop meeting on March 22.

He talked about part-time employees, the car that Building and Safety Officer Wes Woodhall had requested. He said this this is successful then the repair line would be reduced to $1,500. He also covered demolition, clean up and more.

Treasurer Conze moved to page five and recalculations pertaining to the Lincoln Fire Department and the hiring of a new firefighter. Treasurer Conzo then moved to page eight and share a discussion he had with Superintendent Landers about salaries. Treasurer Conze turned to Superintendent Landers for feedback, he did not have anything to add.

Treasurer Conze said the Motor FuelTax had been adjusted to reflect the expenditures, expenditures went to $40,000 to $50,000 in the hourly line, and overtime remains unchanged. Page 10 and 11 had no changes.On page 14, there were changes to Superintendent Landers' budget. He spoke and said he will moved forward with requesting a used bucket truck from Ameren Illinois through their donation program.

Treasurer Conze then read revisions to the Police and Fire Pension Funds. He said that is where the deficits are within the budget.

Alderwoman Bauer asked about discussion of these changes.Treasurer Conzo said he was planning to discuss it now.

Treasurer Conzo said there will be other opportunities after tonight.

Alderwoman Browne said she had received numerous phone calls from people pertaining to savings from changes to the garbage. Treasurer Conzo it came up last night too. She wanted to know there the council could point to these funds in the budget. He said the state is holding onto a larger portion of the funds.

Treasurer Conze said the funds are being used throughout the budget on other expenses -just like anything else, things come up, i.e.bond payments on the police station, and a transfer for the fire truck payment. He also said utilities have gone up and salary employees might be due for increases such as non-union employees.

Alderwoman Browne said salaries are not the answers that people want to hear. Alderwoman Browne said these were some very angry people that called her personally.

Treasurer Conzo said the sewer fund is an enterprise fund, which is pays for itself through the sewer fees. Alderwoman Browne said maybe other boards needed to make these changes, to raise fees before now.

Treasurer Conzo addressed her point - saying that if fees went up sooner, then the council would have asked people to start paying for it even further ahead. He said the city would have been building up a cash balance maybe.

Waste Water and Treatment Manager Tim Ferguson was asked by Treasurer Conzo about the federal and state mandates relating to the sewer changes.

Alderman Hoinacki said he understands what Alderwoman Browne said, but that on the other side of that, there have been other cost savings moves the city has made throughout the years.Such as trash changes, street sweepings' dumplings, and phone changes.

Treasurer Conzo said the city also had to upgrade software too, it is a necessity, as it was 30 years old. He said the city was kind of backed into a corner, where they had to buy it. He said the money that is going to be saved on the trash is going to a number of places.

Alderwoman Browne said the citizens are seeing it as the city is putting the sewer mandates on their backs.

Treasurer Conzo said he understands and it is complicated too as it is an enterprise fund. He said it is hard to pay for the cost of this out of the revenue streams. Alderwoman Browne asked if the council is limited on the funds they can use.

Alderman Keller said to follow up with Alderwoman Browne's point, the city is going to meet services adequately balanced with the reality that they are going to have tighten their belts. He said it is hard to justify adding new employees, he said we are in a city with a declining population and we are hiring new people. He said there comes a point when the council has to draw the line.

Alderman Keller thanked all the departments and Treasurer Conze, he said he probably has the hardest job up here, by far. Treasurer Conze said thank you.

Treasurer Conze said he would point out and that Chief Adams could speak to the Police Station, he said that in previous years there were layoffs and they will not be overstaffed with the new hires. He said he thinks many people do not realize there was a layoff and what that does to the overtime costs. He said people do not realize the importance of firefighters and police officers until there is something that comes up that has a direct impact on them.

Alderman Parrott mentioned he moved to Lincoln in 1995, when the population was well over 15,000, maybe higher. He said the population is decreasing you might get the opinion that the stations might need less staff.

Chief Miller said previously they ran 1,000 calls a year and then when the population was just starting to make the turn, from that time their call volume has tripled. Whereas it was closer to 1,000. He said the guys that he does have are running three times more calls than the guys were running 15 years ago. He said this is a tremendous stress on staff and operations. It impacts his sick time, overtime etc.

Chief Adams said when he started in 1997 there were 29 officers on the street. He said since that time there are four more officers. He said there are more and more school shootings across the nation all the time. He said these things are happening left and right. He said in the 1970's there were over 30 officers. He said there were over 11,000 calls for service just last year for the police department. He said they are busy, they are always busy. He said the more you can put officers out on the street.. he is not asking for more cops on the force, just administrative staff to help them out. He said he would like another guy helping out with the drug situation in our town. He said we need that help. He said you are not going to have anyone moving here if you have a bunch of crime in the community.

Superintendent Landers then shared the new hire he wants to make. He said just before he took his job, there were eight people on staff. He said at one time the department had 13 employees. He said the best way he can improve service to the community is to hire more people. He said his team tries to do the best with what he has, but additional staff would make a difference.

Alderwoman Bauer brought up Alderman Hoefle's absence and the Utility Tax discussion from a former meeting. She talked about the ordinance for the sewer bills. She wanted to know where the city was with the amount of money pledged to bond repayment and how much money it would leave them. Also, she talked about offsetting a portion of the sewer. Treasurer Conzo said he did not know the answer to her question. She asked for a recommendation for a dollar amount that should or should not be moved. He said to limit it, something in the neighborhood of $150,000. He said that would be about as well as they could do. He said so you will put that in the transfers and expenditures as needed.

Waste Water and Treatment Manager Tim Ferguson brought up the $1 increase. He said a dollar base rate is about $85,000, which is what the change in revenue would be.He said for more food for thought, in the water and wastewater industry -it is closer to 4.6 percent. He said $1 on $35 is well under that amount.

Mayor Goodman asked for further questions.Treasurer Conzo said he did not have any more, he suggested putting it on the agenda for April 16, 2018.

Announcements:

Mayor Goodman asked if anyone has any announcements.

Alderwoman Bauer said Lincoln City Hall will be closed on Friday, March 30, 2018.

Alderman Welch said the Third Friday committee met last week. He said the events will start in June. The will be held in June, July, August and September. More information is to come.

Executive Session! 2c1personnel:

Alderman Welch made a motion to go into Executive Session under 2C1 Personnel,seconded by Alderwoman Brown. City Clerk Bateman took the roll call.

Present: Alderman Steve Parrott Alderman Tracy Welch Alderman Ron Fleshman Alderman Michelle Bauer Alderman Ron Keller Alderwoman Heidi Browne Alderman Jeff Hoinacki

Absent: Alderman Rick Hoefle

The City Council went into Executive Session at 8:42 p.m. Mayor Goodman said there would not be any further business to discuss following Executive Session.

The City Council returned from Executive Session at 10:19 p.m. City Clerk Bateman took the roll call.

Present: Alderman Steve Parrott Alderman Tracy Welch Alderman Ron Fleshman Alderman Michelle Bauer Alderman Ron Keller Alderwoman Heidi Browne Alderman Jeff Hoinacki

Absent: Alderman Rick Hoefle

Treasurer Conzo addressed Alderwoman Browne and her question about the savings from trash franchise. He mentioned the state income tax revenue that was received last year, versus what the city will receive this year. She asked him to reference that again on Monday night. He said it would not be on the agenda. She said she would appreciate it.

Adjournment:

There being no further discussion to come before the City Council of Lincoln, Alderman Keller motioned to adjourn, seconded by Alderman Parrott. Mayor Goodman adjourned the meeting at 10:21 p.m.

Upcoming Meeting:

Regular City Council IMonday, April 2, 2018 at 7 p.m. Committee of the Whole ITuesday, April 10, 2018 at 7 p.m. Regular City Council IMonday, April 16, 2018 at 7 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted By:

Alex Williams, Recording Secretary

https://www.lincolnil.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=888:march-27-2018-committee-of-the-whole&catid=50&Itemid=82