Minutes of the City of Lincoln City Council Committee of the Whole Meeting held in the Council Chambers on Tuesday, July 26, 2016.
Mayor Neitzel called the regular City Council Committee of the Whole Meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. There were eight Aldermen present (Alderman Bauer, Alderman Hoefle, Alderman Hoinacki, Alderman Horn, Alderman Mourning, Alderman Parrott, Alderman Tibbs and Alderman Welch) and none absent. Also present were Fire Chief Miller, Street Superintendent Mr. Landers, Building and Safety Officer Mr. Lebegue, American Water Manager Mr. Ferguson, and Deputy Chief Vlahovich. Also present were Mayor Neitzel, City Treasurer Mr. Conzo, City Administrator Mr. Johnson, City Clerk Mrs. Gehlbach, and Recording Secretary Mrs. Riggs.
Mayor Neitzel led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Public Participation:
Mr. Mitch Douglas was present for the alley debacle. He said he had spoken with one of the Council members. He felt the alley issue should be taken care of and that the City Council should do what is right. He didn’t understand why it is all or nothing and this is not moving forward very fast. He was concerned about the City of Lincoln Council members being coerced. He stated that the tour buses are stopping in Atlanta but they are not stopping in Lincoln. He felt that Alderman Hoefle should step down from his position.
Alderman Welch said he would meet with Mr. Douglas either after this meeting or at another time.
Mayor Neitzel said the local business owners came to her to talk about the parking lot. An open line of communication has been started and they are working toward an agreement.
Logan County Tourism Bureau Funding Agreement:
Mr. Ron Keller, Mrs. Gail Sasse and Ms. Renee Martin board members of the Logan County Tourism Bureau were present.
Ms. Renee Martin said they want to communicate and be in a collaborative effort. She did not want to lose the bureau status. She stated that they needed more time and are waiting on the state audit. They will comply if the City feels that another audit is needed.
Mr. Ron Keller stated that the City of Lincoln would turn over 85% of the funding from the hotel/motel tax. He went over the items that are listed in the Funding Agreement.
Mrs. Gail Sasse said she wanted to keep the certified bureau because once it is lost it can never go back to the certified bureau status. She stated that Logan County Board wants to be back on the Tourism Bureau. They will discuss this in August as to whether or not they should be in with the Alliance.
Alderman Welch was concerned about not funding the Mill. Alderman Parrott said that this is part of the plan. Alderman Welch wanted to know about the improvement for the online website. Mrs. Sasse said in August they are going to come up with a goal list which needs to be addressed. Alderman Welch said he felt someone should be on the board for Route 66. Alderman Hoefle said he felt that someone from the sports activities should be included in the tourism bureau. Alderman Tibbs wanted information on a monthly basis. Alderman Mourning said he would like to see more souvenirs for Route 66.
Alderman Hoinacki asked to have this on the agenda for Monday, August 1, 2016.
Request to Permit – 46th Annual Railsplitting Festival:
Alderman Mourning asked to put this on the Agenda for Monday, August 1, 2016. Street Superintendent Mr. Landers said he was concerned with the street closures that are being requested.
Mr. Rankin said this will be the first year that it has not been at the Fairgrounds. This will be at Postville Park and the Postville Courthouse. There will be some conflicts with some of the driveways.
Street Superintendent Mr. Landers wanted to meet with Mr. Rankin at the Postville Park and Postville Courthouse to make sure there will be no problems.
Alderman Hoinacki said to place this on the Regular Agenda and it could be tabled if necessary.
Ordinance: Regulation On-Street Vehicle and Trailer Parking:
Building and Safety Officer Mr. Lebegue said this is one of the solutions for people that do not have alley access and cannot access the rear yard in the front. He suggested that seasonal boats and recreational vehicles be allowed to park and store those on the street and in the driveway from April 1st to October 31st.
Alderman Tibbs disagreed with this plan. Alderman Bauer said her property is one of those that has this problem and she thanked Mr. Lebegue for his work on this. Alderman Hoefle said they need to think of safety first. Alderman Welch said he thought what Mr. Lebegue has come up with is a great compromise. Revisions will be made and brought back to the City Council in Ordinance form.
School Resource Officer Contract Agreement – Lincoln Community High School:
City Administrator Mr. Johnson said the cost for the School Resource Officer at Lincoln Community High School is split between the City and the School District. They are currently in negotiations for a new contract with the Police Department. Deputy Chief Vlahovich said the current officer has different duties during the time off at the school. Alderman Mourning asked to have this on the agenda for August 1, 2016.
Conflict of Interest – St. Clara’s Manor:
City Administrator Mr. Johnson said that St. Clara’s is looking to build closer to the hospital. They are looking to do bonds which will need to be reviewed by an Attorney. City Attorney Mr. Bates is St. Clara’s Council and needs a waiver in order to be able to look over the bond issuance.
Alderman Bauer said they could put this on the agenda. Alderman Hoinacki was ok with waiving the conflict of interest.
This will be placed on the regular Agenda for Monday, August 1, 2016.
State Street Bridge Replacement Bid Award and Contract:
City Administrator Mr. Johnson said there were three bidders with those being Stark Excavating, Inc., Freeson, Inc. and Otto Baum. The lowest bidder was Freeson with a bid of $331,353.86. This is under the engineer’s revised estimate of $366,937.50.
This will be placed on the regular Agenda for Monday, August 1, 2016.
Intergovernmental Agreement with Illinois Department of Transportation for the Lincoln Depot Station – Amendment #1:
City Administrator Mr. Johnson said the construction costs were increased and due to that increase the City of Lincoln’s share increases as well. The original cost was $57,394 plus a $15,000 allowance for permitting and utility fees. The amended agreement has the City contributing $67,457 and per the amended agreement the total would be $18,457. The City of Lincoln budgeted $100,000 for the City’s match for the Depot construction.
This will be placed on the Regular Agenda for Monday, August 1, 2016.
Lincoln Depot Construction Agreement – R.D. Lawrence Construction Company:
City Administrator Mr. Johnson said R. D. Lawrence Construction Company is currently reviewing the agreement. If it is not approved then it will be removed from the agenda on Monday.
This will be placed on the Regular Agenda for Monday, August 1, 2016.
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Ordinance Declaration of Surplus Property:
City Administrator Mr. Johnson said this is done to get rid of excess property. The property is valued and then given a fair market value. This property is surplus that is from the Street Department, Police Department, Building and Safety Office, and Sewer Department.
This will be placed on the Consent Agenda for Monday, August 1, 2016.
Other Discussion:
Alderman Hoefle said he was concerned about the money being spent on engineering and he has talked to other communities and wondered if there was a benefit of hiring an engineer for the City.
Alderman Hoinacki said the City of Lincoln had to go out for qualifications and hourly amounts and everyone is about the same. The City of Lincoln had an engineer but there were projects that were out of the scope the Engineer.
Alderman Bauer said that Farnsworth has done a great job and have big dollar projects that are in the works. She said that Farnsworth was able to get bids from contractors that they were not able to get before.
Mayor Neitzel said Representatives Bill Brady and Tim Butler will be at the Oasis Center on Friday, July 29, 2016 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for the free Senior Healthfair.
Executive Session:
There was no Executive Session held.
Upcoming Meetings:
Council: Tuesday, August 1, 2016 – 7:00 p.m.
Committee of Whole: Tuesday, August 9, 2016 – 7:00 p.m.
Alderman Tibbs made a motion to adjourn the meeting and Alderman Horn seconded it. There were eight ayes (Alderman Bauer, Alderman Hoefle, Alderman Hoinacki, Alderman Horn, Alderman Mourning, Alderman Parrott, Alderman Tibbs and Alderman Welch), zero nays, and none absent; motion carried.
The City of Lincoln Committee of the Whole Meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Risa Riggs
Recording Secretary
City of Lincoln