Carbondale Reporter

City of Carbondale City Council met March 27.

Here is the minutes as provided by the council:

City 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 6:01 pm

1. Preliminaries to the City Council Meeting

Procedural: 1.1 Roll Call

Procedural: 1.2 Council Comments, General Announcements, and Proclamations

Councilman Loos acknowledged the presence of his son in the audience.

Councilwoman Bradshaw announced the annual Margie Parker Teach-in for Peace will be held

at the Civic Center on Wednesday, March 28, and will feature speaker David Swanson.

City Manager Williams noted the closure of City Hall offices on Good Friday.

Procedural: 1.3 Citizens' Comments and Questions

Jesus Ponce de Leon inquired if there was an economic development plan and how the public

can find out information about the activities and expenditures of Carbondale Tourism.

Daniel Silver read a prepared response in opposition to Illinois Senate Bill 2234.

Lee Fronabarger asked that a comprehensive report on the expenses and revenues from the

eclipse be placed on the website.

2. Public Hearings and Special Reports

None

3. Consent Agenda of the City Council

Action (Consent): 3.1 Approval of Regular City Council Meeting Minutes from March 13,

2018

Resolution: Approve the minutes from the regular City Council meeting of March 13, 2018

Action: 3.2 Approval of Warrant for the Period Ending: 03/01/2018 FY 2018 Warrant 1324

in the Amount of $1,465,772.87

Pulled by Elius Reed

Action (Consent): 3.3 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): 3.4 Appointments and Reappointments to Boards and Commissions

Resolution: Council is requested to concur with the Mayors recommended appointments and

reappointments to Boards and Commissions

Action (Consent): 3.5 Ordinance Approving a Budget Adjustment to Transfer Funds from

the Intergovernmental Revenues-Police Grants Account to Police Protection Employee

Overtime Account in the Amount of $5,254.00

Resolution: Approve an Ordinance for a budget adjustment to transfer funds from the

Intergovernmental Revenues-Police Grants account to Police Protection Employee Overtime

account in the Amount of $5,254.00.

Action: 3.6 A Resolution Approving a Carnival at University Mall from April 16, 2018,

through May 1, 2018

Pulled by Elius Reed

Action (Consent): 3.7 Approval of Consent Agenda Items

Resolution: Approve all Consent Agenda items not pulled for separate consideration

MOTION: Approve all Consent Agenda items not pulled for separate consideration

Motion by Carolin Harvey, second by Navreet Kang.

Final Resolution: Motion Carries

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

John M Henry

Action: 3.2 Approval of Warrant for the Period Ending: 03/01/2018 FY 2018 Warrant 1324

in the Amount of $1,465,772.87

Elius Reed had questions regarding the contents and cost of the warrant.

MOTION: Accept the following report of payments made for the period ended: 03/01/2018

totaling $1,465,772.87

Motion by Carolin Harvey, second by Jeff Doherty.

Final Resolution: Motion Carries

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

John M Henry

Action: 3.6 A Resolution Approving a Carnival at University Mall from April 16, 2018,

through May 1, 2018

Elius Reed inquired if the City was sponsoring this carnival.

MOTION: Adopt a Resolution approving KevaWorks, LLC's request, on behalf or Swyear

Amusements, for a special permit for a carnival at University Mall from April 16, 2018, through

May 1, 2018.

Motion by Carolin Harvey, second by Jessica Bradshaw.

Final Resolution: Motion Carries

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

John M Henry

4. General Business of the City Council

Discussion: 4.1 City Council Discussion in Regards to the Lease of City-Owned Property

that is Currently Used for Public Parks

Clerk’s note: The discussion on this topic exceeded two hours; for full details regarding this

matter, please review the video available on the City’s website or contact the City Clerk’s office

to obtain a copy.

Four options were proposed for the City Council’s consideration. Option one was to renew the

leases and provide a stipend to subsidize the Park District’s operations. Option two was to renew

the leases with no stipend and with stronger lease terms to provide greater City oversight. The

third option was not to renew the leases and to direct the City staff to begin maintenance of

Turley Park and Tatum Heights Park. The fourth option was to enter into an intergovernmental

agreement in lieu of leases. The City has largely assumed maintenance of the Piles Fork Creek

property which had been leased to the Park District. Evergreen Park and the Superblock property

leases are still active.

Council shared their thoughts on each of the outlined options, discussed the merits and demerits

of each option. There was no consensus to pursue options one or two. There was some support

expressed for options three and four or some combination of the two.

City Attorney Snyder outlined the differences between an intergovernmental agreement and a

lease. He also responded to City Council inquiries.

Carl Flowers, Park District President, indicated that additional discussions between the Board

and Council are needed.

Donald Monty noted that with a large number of individuals participating in the discussions, it

will be challenging to arrive at a decision; he suggested empowering a smaller number of

individuals to meet for discussions and try to focus the conversations to arrive at a conclusion.

Jane Adams noted the challenges Carbondale is facing, remarked on the importance of and the

need for high-quality parks, and, in the future, suggested moving towards the merger of the two

entities.

Terry Henry noted the challenges southern Illinois faces, suggested consolidation of the two

entities, and remarked that the current state of the parks is embarrassing.

City Manager Williams reviewed the expected budget should the City assume care of the parks.

Lawrence Erickson of the Park District Board suggested that this decision was premature and

recommended additional discussion between the two bodies.

5. Executive Session

None

6. Adjournment of the City Council Meeting

Procedural: 6.1 Adjourn meeting

There being no further business to come before the public body, the meeting was declared

adjourned at 8:49 p.m

http://explorecarbondale.com/sites/default/files/pdf/agenda/2018-agendas/Regular%20City%20Council%20Meeting%20Minutes%202018-03-27.pdf