Carbondale Reporter

City of Carbondale City Council met March 13.

Here is the minutes provided by the Council:

Council Members present:

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

Meeting called to order at 6:17 pm

This meeting was immediately preceded by a meeting of the Local Liquor Control Commission

5. Preliminaries to the City Council Meeting

Procedural: 5.1 Roll Call

Procedural: 5.2 Council Comments, General Announcements, and Proclamations

Councilman Doherty noted the passing of John Yow, who served as the Director of Code Enforcement and as a Councilman from 1985 - 1997. He shared details about and a personal experience with Mr. Yow.

Procedural: 5.3 Citizens' Comments and Questions

Sandy Litecky announced that Keep Carbondale Beautiful would hold their Spring tree sale at the SIU Arena on March 24 - 25.

Elius Reed inquired about the City’s interest in conducting a construction apprenticeship workshop. He noted that applications were not available at the prior workshop.

6. Public Hearings and Special Reports

Information: 6.1 Staff Presentation on Event Planning for Fall Festival

Economic Development Direct Stephen Mitchell gave an overview of early plans for event planning for a Fall Festival. He noted consistent community support for this festival and requested Council direction on the preliminary plans and the usage of "Halloween" in the naming of the event.

Councilmembers inquired about additional plan details, expressed support for the event, and offered suggestions.

7. Consent Agenda of the City Council Action (Consent):

7.1 Approval of the City Council Meeting Minutes of February 27, 2018

Resolution: Approve the regular City Council meeting minutes from February 27, 2018

Action (Consent): 7.2 Approval of Wells Fargo Warrant for the Period Ending 01/31/2018 FY 2018 Warrant # WF 01/2018 in the amount of $106,783.02

Resolution: Accept the following report of payments made for the period ended: 01/31/2018 totaling $106,783.02 (Exhibit A-03-13-2018)

Action (Consent): 7.3 Approval of Warrant for the Period Ending: 02/15/2018 FY 2018 Warrant 1323 in the Amount of $869,582.94

Resolution: Accept the following report of payments made for the period ended: 02/15/2018 totaling $869,582.94 (Exhibit B-03-13-2018)

Action (Consent): 7.4 Acceptance of Approved Meeting Minutes from Boards, Commissions, and Committees

Resolution: Accept the approved Meeting Minutes from Boards, Commissions, and Committees and place them on file

Action (Consent): 7.5 A Resolution Accepting Funds From the Carbondale VFW Post and Establishing a Restricted Fund Account for the use of Said Funds for the Maintenance of Veterans Plaza

Resolution: Approve a Resolution Accepting Funds From the Carbondale VFW Post and Establishing a Restricted Fund Account for the use of Said Funds for the Maintenance of Veterans Plaza (Resolution 2018-R-04; Exhibit C-03-13-2018)

Action (Consent): 7.6 An Ordinance Annexing Property located at 229 South Hunt Road

Resolution: Adopt an Ordinance annexing property located at 229 South Hunt Road (Ordinance 2018-06; Exhibit D-03-13-2018)

Action (Consent): 7.7 A Resolution Approving the Final BPL Development Plan for Culver's Restaurant at 2401 Reed Station Parkway

Resolution: Adopt a resolution approving the Final BPL Development Plan for Culver's at 2401 Reed Station Parkway (Resolution 2018-R-05; Exhibit E-03-13-2018)

Action (Consent): 7.8 Award of Purchase of Police Vehicles and Ordinance Authorizing a Budget Adjustment to the Police Department FY 2018 Budget

Resolution: 1. Declare the 2013 Ford Taurus (VIN# 1FAHP2M83DG134515) and the totaled 2014 Ford Explorer (VIN# 1FM5K8AR0EGC49534) as surplus property. 2. Award the purchase of three (3) 2018 Model, Police Package Utility Vehicles to Vogler Ford, of Carbondale, Illinois, in the amount of $103,887.00. 3. Approve an Ordinance authorizing a budget adjustment increasing the Police Department’s FY2018 budget in the amount of $103,887.00. (Ordinance 2018-07; Exhibit F-03-13-2018)

Action (Consent): 7.9 A Resolution Appropriating Motor Fuel Tax (MFT) Funds for the Maintenance of Streets and Highways

Resolution: Approve a Resolution for maintenance of streets and highways by a municipality under the Illinois Highway Code, appropriating $496,337 in Motor Fuel Tax Funds pending review and approval by the Illinois Department of Transportation (Resolution 2018-R-06; Exhibit G-03-13-2018)

Action (Consent): 7.10 Approval of Purchase of Rock Salt through the State of Illinois Joint Purchasing Program

Resolution: Reaffirm that the purchase of rock salt through the State of Illinois Joint Purchasing Program is in the best interest of the City of Carbondale; move to "Approve the Purchase of Rock Salt for highway snow and ice control; and authorize the Public Works Director to submit a requisition to the State of Illinois Department of Central Management Services for 400 tons of rock salt through the Joint Purchasing Program using purchase commitment “Option 3" as outlined below."

Action (Consent): 7.11 Approval of a Change Order for the Water Plant Filter Rehabilitation Project (WS1701) in the amount of $169,306.00

Resolution: Approve a Change Order for the Water Plant Filter Rehabilitation Project (WS1701) in the amount of $169,306.00

Action (Consent): 7.12 Approval of Consent Agenda Items

Resolution: Approval of all Consent Agenda Items which were not pulled for separate consideration Elius Reed made inquiries regarding three of the agenda items and Aaron Jones provided details about the Culver’s plan.

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

Motion by Adam Loos, second by Jeff Doherty.

Final Resolution: Motion Carries

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

8. General Business of the City Council

Discussion: 8.1 Discussion of Various Matters Regarding the Sale of City-Owned Property

Bleyer Field-

The City was seeking Council's opinion regarding acceptable development plans in order to determine appropriate marketing. A residential development project was reviewed and remarked upon for a portion of this City-owned property. There was a smattering of support; concerns about the subdivision’s street design; comments on whether to develop the full property or retain a portion for neighborhood use; remarks about the varying lot sizes; specifics about the development of the land; the high rate of vacant properties in the City; and a host of other suggestions.

Sandy Litecky inquired about what was paid for this property.

Walnut Street Baptist Church-

Staff requested recommendations for this parcel’s best future use. Council comments and suggestions included salvaging parts for resale; repurposing portions for City needs; opposition to the demolition of the property for surface parking; use as a possible business incubator; rehabbing the building; selling the property as soon as possible; appeals to the public for their input; and listing it with a realtor.

Process to Sell City-Owned Property-

Council recommendations for amending the current processes utilized for the sale of City-owned property included additions to, instead of the elimination of, the current options; enhancing methods of public outreach, such as a town hall-style meeting; retaining flexibility in how to sell property; signage on the property; publication of properties online and in the Communiqué; remarks about potential developers who seek to retain privacy about projects; and establishing a policy to inform the public about interest in a property.

Donald Monty agreed with the need for increasing information available to the public on the front end of the process and offered suggestions for amending the process.

Sandy Litecky concurred with the need for signage on the properties, inquired about the bid process, and asked what was paid for the Walnut Street Baptist Church.

Response to Broker RFP to Sell City-Owned Properties-

City Councilmembers shared their opinions regarding utilizing a broker; inquired about under what circumstances and to whom a commission would be paid; how to utilize the Economic Development Director; remarks about having an exclusive agreement with a broker; what advantages would be available utilizing a broker; listing in nationwide publications; and whether to try self-publicizing for six months and then revisiting the usage of a broker. A consensus was reached to try the latter suggestion and then assess the success of the process.

Sandy Litecky noted her preference for a local broker asked if there had been any feedback on why we did not receive more than one response.

9. Executive Session

Action: 9.1 Vote to Enter into Executive Session to Discuss the Sale or Lease of Property Owned by the Public Body

Councilman Loos noted his objection about entering Executive Session.

MOTION: Enter into an Executive Session to discuss the setting of price for the sale or lease of property owned by the public body as permitted under the Illinois Open Meetings Act Section 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(6)

Motion by Tom Grant, second by Carolin Harvey.

Final Resolution: Motion Carries

Yea: Jessica Bradshaw, Jeff Doherty, Tom Grant, Carolin Harvey, Navreet Kang, John M Henry

Nay: Adam Loos Open Session recessed at 8:02 p.m.

Action: 9.2 Leave Executive Session and Return to Open Session

MOTION: Return to Open Session

Motion by Jeff Doherty, second by Tom Grant. Final Resolution: Motion Carries Yea: Jessica Bradshaw, Jeff Doherty, Tom Grant, Carolin Harvey, Navreet Kang, Adam Loos, John M Henry Open Session resumed at 8:55 p.m.

10. Adjournment of the City Council Meeting Procedural: 10.1 Adjourn meeting

There being no further business to come before the public body, the meeting was declared adjourned at 8:57 p.m.

http://explorecarbondale.com/sites/default/files/Council%20Minutes/2018Council/Regular%20City%20Council%20Meeting%20Minutes%202018-03-13.pdf