Carbondale Reporter

Carbondale City Council met July 18.

Here is the minutes provided by the Council:

City Council Members present:

Councilwoman Jessica Bradshaw, Councilman Jeff Doherty, Councilman Tom Grant, Councilman Navreet Kang, Councilman Adam Loos, and Mayor John M Henry

City Council Members absent:

Councilwoman Carolin Harvey

Meeting called to order at 8:14 pm

5. Preliminaries to the City Council Meeting

5.1 Roll Call

5.2 General Announcements and Proclamations

Councilwoman Bradshaw announced a public forum at the Carbondale Township Hall on July 19 about U.S. intervention in Syria sponsored by the Shawnee Green Party. She also announced a fundraiser at Denny’s on July 26 where 15% of each meal will benefit the Carbondale Public Library.

5.3 Citizens' Comments and Questions

Sandy Litecky of Keep Carbondale Beautiful reminded everyone that nominations for the Carbondale Championship Tree Contest are due July 24. There is currently one winner from the Carbondale Park District that nominated a Red Bud tree which is 46 inches in circumference, 30 feet high, and a crown that spreads 36 feet. Keep Carbondale Beautiful is also sponsoring cleanup dates before and after the Eclipse.

Charlie Howe shared the results of the Jackson County Board meeting which discussed a resolution on whether Jackson County should be considered a safe and caring county. The resolution failed with a tie vote.

Elius Reed asked the Council and City Manager if they know of any local residents that are employed on the Illinois Avenue Streetscape construction project.

Anne Gaylord stated that the Red Bud championship tree previously mentioned by Sandy Litecky is approximately 14.6 inches in diameter.

5.4 Public Hearings and Special Reports

Lisa Jansen from Carbondale Community Arts gave a presentation on the selected proposals for the downtown public art initiative. The categories included large and small scale sculptures, benches, decorative elements, and bicycle parking. Ms. Jansen prepared a slideshow with pictures, diagrams, and descriptions of the proposal for each category. Questions and comments were addressed by Ms. Jansen.

Carbondale Community Arts is seeking approval from the City Council to provide funding for phase two of the public art initiative which is for the artists to contract the presented projects.

6. Consent Agenda of the City Council

Action (Consent): 6.1 Approval of Minutes from the Regular City Council Meeting of June 27, 2017

Resolution: Approve the meeting minutes from the Regular City Council meeting of June 27, 2017

Action (Consent): 6.2 Approval of Warrant for the Period Ending: 06/19/2017 FY 2018 Warrant 1306 in the Combined Amount of $1,030,864.35 (Exhibit A 07-18-2017)

Resolution: Accept the following report of payments made for the period ended: 06/19/2017 totaling $1,030,864.35

Action (Consent): 6.3 Acceptance of Approved Meeting Minutes from Boards, Commissions, and Committees

Resolution: Accept the Approved Meeting Minutes from the Boards, Commissions, and Committees and Place Them on File

Action (Consent): 6.4 Appointment and Reappointments to Boards and Commissions

Resolution: The Council is requested to concur with the Mayor's recommended appointment and reappointments to Boards and Commissions.

Action (Consent): 6.5 Review and Acceptance of the Planning Commission's Annual Report for FY 2017

Resolution: Accept the City of Carbondale Planning Commission's Annual Report for the 2017 Fiscal Year ending April 30, 2017

Action (Consent): 6.6 Review and Acceptance of the Preservation Commission's Annual Certified Local Government (CLG) Report for FY 2017

Resolution: It is recommended that the City Council move "to accept and place on file the City of Carbondale Preservation Commission's Annual CLG Report for the Fiscal Year ending April 30, 2017."

Action (Consent): 6.7 An Ordinance Approving the Rezoning of Property Located at 800 East Main Street from AG, General Agriculture, to SB, Secondary Business (Exhibit B 07-18-2017)

Resolution: Adopt an Ordinance approving the rezoning of property located at 800 East Main Street from AG, General Agriculture, to SB, Secondary Business

Action (Consent): 6.8 An Ordinance Approving Dennis Calufetti's Request to Rezone Property Located at 4620 Country Club Road from AG, General Agriculture, to SB, Secondary Business (Exhibit C 07-18-2017)

Resolution: Adopt an Ordinance Approving the Rezoning of Property Located at 4620 Country Club Road from AG, General Agriculture, to SB, Secondary Business

Action: 6.9 Approve a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Enter into a 5-year Fixed Rate Loan with the Bank of Carbondale in the Amount of $2,000,000

(Exhibit D 07-18-2017)

Pulled by A. Loos

Action (Consent): 6.10 Approval of Consent Agenda Items

Resolution: Approval of all Consent Agenda Items which were not pulled for separate consideration

Motion: Approval of all Consent Agenda Items which were not pulled for separate consideration, which includes items 6.1 - 6.8.

Motion by Navreet Kang, second by Jeff Doherty.

Final Resolution: Motion Carries

Yea: Jessica Bradshaw, Jeff Doherty, Tom Grant, Navreet Kang, Adam Loos, John M Henry

Action: 6.9 Approve a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Enter into a 5-year Fixed Rate Loan with the Bank of Carbondale in the Amount of $2,000,000

At the last City Council meeting, maintaining the two 1⁄4 % home rule sales tax was passed by a vote of 4 to 3. It was noted that because of the vote turnout, 3 members voting against it, perhaps a discussion is appropriate for this item since the 1⁄4% tax makes it possible for the City to enter into this loan agreement.

Motion: Adopt a Resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into a 5-year fixed rate loan in the amount of $2,000,000 from the Bank of Carbondale for the funding of the downtown improvements

Motion by Adam Loos, second by Tom Grant.

Final Resolution: Motion Carries

Yea: Jessica Bradshaw, Jeff Doherty, Tom Grant, Navreet Kang, Adam Loos, John M Henry

7. General Business of the City Council

Action: 7.1 An Ordinance Amending Title 2 and Title 14 of the Carbondale Revised Code as they Relate to Amplified Sound Produced by a Beer Garden (Exhibit E 07-18-2017)

Council members briefly discussed the topic of decibel measurement as it relates to establishments with beer gardens or outdoor cafés. Council agreed that decibel monitoring as well as the noise ordinance should be brought back to a future meeting for further discussion.

Motion: Adopt an Ordinance amending Title 2 and Title 14 of the Carbondale Revised Code as they relate to amplified sound produced by a beer garden

Motion by Navreet Kang, second by Tom Grant.

Final Resolution: Motion Carries

Yea: Jessica Bradshaw, Jeff Doherty, Tom Grant, Navreet Kang, Adam Loos, John M Henry

Action: 7.2 Ordinance Amending Title 1 and Title 15 as they Relate to Residency Requirements for Members of Certain Boards and Commissions

Council members discussed and agreed that citizens of Carbondale that are 1 1⁄2 miles outside of corporate city limits should be allowed to sit on city boards and commissions since it is very difficult to get enough Carbondale citizens to sit on various boards. Passing this ordinance will expand the search area in which a person can be appointed. However, a specific number, percentage, or ratio should be established to determine how many city residents and non-city residents should represent each board and commission. Members of Council appreciate the fact that this gives the non-city residents a voice when it comes to matters of the City. Since board decisions that are made directly affect the residents inside the city limits, their representation on boards and commissions should be the majority.

Don Monty, 418 South Giant City Road, pointed out how difficult it is to appoint people to the various boards and commissions and agreed that getting the word out about the vacancies is important. He suggested taking advantage of having a Public Relations Officer on staff by periodically sending out notices or media releases to inform the public of a need. He suggested that this item should be tabled until the ordinance could be drafted with more specifics.

Sandy Litecky, 603 West Walnut Street, spoke in support of this ordinance and agreed that the boards and commissions should comprise of at least 60% city residents.

Charlie Howe, 47 Dart Drive, stood in support of this ordinance mainly because his home is not located within city limits which limits his involvement in city government. He expressed his willingness to serve on any board or commission should the ordinance pass.

Chandrakant Patel, 1130 Deer Ridge Place, commented that the idea of percentages for city residents versus non-city residents is confusing. His preference would be to keep the ordinance as it is. He then also stated that it is somewhat unfair for Council to consider this ordinance since he, being a business owner, has to comply by living inside city limits or appoint someone who does in order to obtain a liquor license.

Council members opted not to take any action at this time and to table it until City Staff can draft it to be more specific regarding the ratio of city residents versus non city residents.

8. Council Comments for the City Council

8.1 An opportunity for City Council members to offer general comments

Councilman Grant commended the efforts of the street maintenance crew with their work around the city. He also mentioned how much more attractive the downtown area looks without the power lines above.

Councilman Kang stated that although the street maintenance workers are very hardworking and do a great job, it was brought to his attention that some of the employees can be a little abrasive towards members of the public. He pointed out that city employees are public servants and should be a little more respectful when dealing with the public.

10. Adjournment of the City Council Meeting

10.1 Adjourn meeting

The City Council meeting adjourned at 9:22 p.m.

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