Carbondale Reporter

City of Carbondale City Council Met March 23.

Here is the minutes provided by the council:

Council Members present

Councilmember Carolin Harvey, Councilmember Jessica Bradshaw, Councilmember Jeff Doherty, Councilmember Lee Fronabarger, Councilmember Tom Grant, Councilmember Adam Loos, and Mayor John M Henry

Meeting called to order at 6:05 PM

1. Preliminaries to the City Council Meeting

Procedural: 1.1 Roll Call

Procedural: 1.2 Citizens' Comments and Questions

Sandy Litecky, on behalf of Keep Carbondale Beautiful, announced the Spring native tree and shrub sale would be held at the Pavilion on April 3. A virtual Q & A with a professional tree grower will be held on March 25.

Procedural: 1.3 Council Comments, General Announcements, and Proclamations

Mayor Henry announced that on April 11, 2017, the City passed a Resolution establishing Carbondale as a Safe and Welcoming community, and in the wake of a surge in violence against Asian Americans, reaffirmed the City’s commitment to remaining a Safe and Welcoming community. Councilmember Grant thanked Mayor Henry for his comments.

2. Public Hearings and Special Reports

Information: 2.1 SIU Touch of Nature Presentation on Status of Mountain Bike Trails Project

SIU TONEC Director Joseph D. Tanner shared an update on the development of a multi-use mountain bike trail. He commented on the tourism associated with biking, the absence of local options for mountain bikes, the additional amenities expected to be developed, and the benefits expected for the community.

Council inquired about the best means of reaching out to potential users, incorporating promotion by Carbondale Tourism, asked about demographic information for trail users, congratulated Mr. Tanner on the development, and asked about the location.

3. Consent Agenda of the City Council

Action (Consent): 3.1 Minutes from the Regular City Council Meeting of March 9, 2021 Resolution: Approve the minutes from the regular City Council meeting of March 9, 2021

Action (Consent): 3.2 Approval of Warrant for the Period Ending: 03/05/2021 for the FY 2021 Warrant 1402 in the Total Amount of $998,299.05

Resolution: Accept the following report of payments made for the period ended: 03/05/2021 totaling $998,299.05 (Exhibit A-03-23-2021)

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 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 Jeff Doherty, second by Carolin Harvey.

Final Resolution: Motion Carries

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

4. General Business of the City Council

Action: 4.1 Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Enter into an Agreement with Amtrak to Occupy Space in the Southern Illinois Multimodal Station

Council inquired about costs referenced in the agreement or whether grant funds would cover them.

MOTION: Agree to allow City Manager to enter into an agreement with Amtrak to occupy space in the Southern Illinois Multimodal Station.

Motion by Lee Fronabarger, second by Tom Grant.

Final Resolution: Motion Carries

Yea: Carolin Harvey, Adam Loos, Jessica Bradshaw, Jeff Doherty, Lee Fronabarger, Tom Grant, John M Henry (Resolution 2021-R-06; Exhibit B-03-23-2021)

Discussion: 4.2 City Council Discussion of Community Agency Funding Requests for the FY2022 Fiscal Year Budget

Note from Clerk: Discussion on this item lasted one and half hours. The video/audio for this discussion is available on the City’s website. Please contact the City Clerk’s Office for assistance in locating this information.

City Council members arrived at a consensus for the following funding requests for repeated requesting agencies:

Attucks Community Services Board After School Food – fund at requested level of $6,925.00, a $300 increase

Attucks Community Services Board Summer Food – fund at requested level of $4,900.00, a 25% increase

Boys and Girls Club – fund at FY 21 level of $30,000

Carbondale Community Arts – fund at FY 21 level of $40,600, instead of the requested $45,400 

Carbondale Main Street – fund at FY21 level of $40,000

Carbondale Tourism – fund at the FY 21 level of $170,950, instead of the requested $311,900 amount

Good Samaritan – fund at FY21 level of $18,500

WDBX – fund at FY 21 level of $3,500, instead of the requested $5,000

I Can Read! Of Southern Illinois – fund at the FY 21 level of $10,300

Senior Adult Services – fund at the FY 21 level of $30,000

Toys for Tots – the request for $2,100 is to cover the utilities and is the same from FY 21. Council suggested making it a line item.

Women's Center – fund at the FY 21 level of $11,000

New Agency Funding Request

New organization requests were as follows:

Carbondale Spring Food Autonomy - $12,000

Carbondale Warming Center - $18,000

Eurma C Hayes Center - $25,000

Food Works - $2,255

Green Earth - $10,000

Southern Illinois Music Festival - $3,500

There was eventually a consensus to fund the new organizational requests at 50% of the requested level, except for the Southern Illinois Music Festival which would be funded in full from the cancelled Sunset Concerts line item; further, Council agreed that the funding provided would be half at the time of the new fiscal year and half at a later time, should the budget permit it.

Marilyn Tipton conveyed Mrs. Nesbitt’s thanks for funding of I Can Read! and spoke on behalf of Food Works.

Jennifer Paulson, Executive Director of Food Works, provided clarification regarding the organization, noting it was a 501(c)(3) organization, that this was a one-time request, what the

funding would be used for, and noted that the Winter Farmers’ Market is the only market in winter which accepts SNAP/Link Match, to provide access and food security. Further, she noted their relocation to the mall was not a temporary move.

Nick Smaligo, on behalf of the Carbondale Spring Food Autonomy Board explained how the funds would be used specifically for labor costs for community members living near the gardens; commented on the decision-making process for community agency funding before the budget is prepared, and noted that the organization is pursuing other funding sources. Council inquired about the timing of funding payments and for what the funding would provide.

It was noted that Carbondale is one of the few cities in the region that offer this funding.

5. Adjournment of the City Council Meeting

Procedural: 5.1 Adjourn meeting

There being no further business to come before the public body, the meeting was declared adjourned at 8:04 p.m.

https://explorecarbondale.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_03232021-1364