Rock Island City Council met October 9.
Here is the minutes provided by the Council:
City staff will update the Mayor and Council on their progress towards achieving the strategic goals identified during goal setting in June and July:
City Manager Randy Tweet said staff will be reviewing their department's action steps from goal setting for July through December.
1. Financially Sound City Providing High Quality Service and Infrastructure.
2. Expanding Local Economy
3. Revitalization of Strategic Locations
4. Increase Population through Livable Neighborhoods
Each Department will provide an update on their designated action steps and "In Progress" projects for the period of July through September and provide a look ahead for the period of October through December:
Finance Department
Finance Director Stephanie Masson said the Street Service Level was on hold pending budget discussions and reviews. She reported that the CY 2018 Budget development is on track and they are working on finalizing the CIP (Capital Improvement Plan) and balancing the General Fund. Alderman Parker asked if the Transportation Utility fee was included in the budget. Mr. Tweet responded that is a separate issue; it won't be addressed in the budget, but there will be discussions about it.
Ms. Masson said the Bond Rating Retention/Improvement Plan is on track. She stated the City's bond rating is A1 with a negative outlook; the rating had been downgraded earlier this summer. That was upheld with the latest bond issue. Mr. Tweet said a study session on this topic has been moved to November. Ms. Masson said she did a study session on the City Investment Policy in the summer; it is on track and she will bring some recommendations for a policy update after January 1.
Ms. Masson reported the Revenue Manual/Debt Collection action step is on track and is basically a roadmap of the different revenues the General Fund has. She said it is a training tool for staff, Council, and the public. Alderman Mayberry asked if there were City funds invested outside of Rock Island; are they giving us better rates. Ms. Masson replied yes; there is a $9 million portfolio of CDs that is bid out every month for the highest interest rate. She said it is good to diversify as it reduces risk. Alderman Mayberry reminded her he wants the City to invest in the local credit unions. Alderman Geenen said it amounts to a small difference in the interest rate; Ms. Masson agreed there is not much difference in the dollar amount with slight differences in the interest rate, but it is about spreading your investment around.
Ms. Masson reviewed Finance management projects; they are ahead with the bid award for auditing services made last week. Audit work is already starting.
Community and Economic Development Department
Community and Economic Development Director Chandler Poole announced ward meetings have been set for the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th wards. Department heads (or their representative) will be available at the ward meetings. The CED department is evaluating who is best to serve as a partner for the neighborhood outreach and engagement initiative: Community Caring Conference which is engaged at the block level and who has applied for a Gaming grant or Neighborhood Partners who has been working on re-organizing and updating their by-laws. Alderman Mayberry asked about the gaming grant; Mr. Poole said it is a City grant from their annual gaming funds pool. Mr. Tweet said CCC received $4000 this year from gaming funds.
With regard to the 11th Street Business Corridor, Mr. Poole said they have a database of over 400 retailers, developers, and brokers that they have been marketing to for the past month. Last month, Mayor Thoms, Mr. Poole, and Bret Gardella attended the International Council of Shopping Centers event in Chicago. Mr. Poole said they had seven meetings lined up prior to the conference; at the conference, they had over 20 meetings. They were very well received; it was a very positive experience. Alderman Mayberry asked if this was something new. Mr. Poole replied that in the past, the department had attended the ICSC convention in Las Vegas. In Las Vegas, you are competing against major cities in the U. S. and international cities too. The Chicago event focused on Midwest developers, retailers, and brokers. Mr. Poole said their next step is to follow-up with everyone they met with in Chicago and get feedback before proceeding with an RFQ for developers.
Alderman Geenen asked what are the developers looking for; are they asking for more. Mr. Poole stated developers were blown away that the City has a 20 acre buildable shovel-ready site with utilities and that it is City-owned; it shows that the City is ready to go. Alderman Geenen asked if they wanted additional studies or surveys. Mr. Poole replied that CED is looking at doing a study focused on a grocery store development. They did meet with a consultant whose niche is grocery stores. Mr. Poole thinks a more detailed grocery store study with in-depth data will be something that developers will want to see. Mr. Poole is trying to determine the cost for such a study and how quickly one can be done. Alderman Parker asked what information would the study produce. Mr. Poole replied it will go into detail about the weekly sales for the grocer; is the threshold of sales sufficient for a chain or an independent grocer. The study would provide the ability to make a more focused approach to developers and retailers. Mayor Thoms said the study would also look at the retail leakage in the community. Alderman Parker said the study determines how much money is available in the community to spend on groceries. Mr. Poole said yes; developers want to know if it is a healthy enough market for the retailer and they like to have the data in their retail langauge. Alderman Spurgetis hopes the City charges the developer for the study. Alderman Parker asked if it is a lower threshold, what kind of independent grocers would be interested. Mayor Thoms mentioned Piggly Wiggly or IGA. Mr. Tweet replied Fareway. Alderman Geenen asked if a co-op would qualify. Mr. Tweet said it would depend if it was worth a $10 million investment. Alderman Parker said he hoped there was a Plan B; he would hate to spend the money for a study only to find out we don't meet a sufficient threshold of sales. Mayor Thoms said the study needs to be done so it will tell you whether your should be targeting a chain or an independent so as not to waste further time targeting the wrong retailer. Mr. Tweet said Walmart would not have come and wanted to build a Supercenter if the market did not support that. The study will help determine where best to target efforts. Mr. Poole said they were told by a former Walmart employee that Rock Island was just one of 180 communities that Walmart pulled out of that was a result of corporate decisions, not anything Rock Island did or didn't do. Mr. Poole compared the situation to where McDonald's goes, Burger King follows. In response to a question by Alderman Spurgetis, Mr. Poole said the dates for additional steps will need to be pushed back until they complete their follow-up to ICSC. Mr. Tweet said new dates will be provided to Council.
Mr. Poole stated that for the Columbia Park Business Expansion, they will be applying for the grant to re-open the viaduct in late November. He reported the federal TIGR grant which is an 80/20 cost share is impossible to get (competing against multi-billion dollar projects); the state grant is a 60/40 cost share. If they get put in the state program between 2018 to 2022, they would be guaranteed the money. They hope to know later next year. They are working on evaluating the bond re-structuring. They continue to work with McLaughlin and Hill and Valley on their expansion. Alderman Tollenaer asked why the sale did not go through (McLaughlin). Mr. Tweet said McLaughlin could not put the package together so the project has been put off and is on hold for now; McLaughlin is evaluating future contract work.
Mr. Poole began to discuss small business development and growth programs. Alderman Geenen asked Mr. Poole to define CIRLF. Alderman Parker said it stands for Commercial/Industrial Revolving Loan Fund. Mr. Poole said it is a great program; they currently have $250,000 per year to loan out with a maximum loan amount of $100,000. They want to reduce the maximum loan amount to spread the proceeds more. Mr. Poole said they are working with Western Illinois University on a program where CIRLF applicants meet with WIU on basic business and business and marketing plans. Also required are six month and one year check-ups with WIU. This provides assistance to the businesses including mentoring and increases the chance for success. This program is being paid for with CDBG funds. Mr. Poole said they will be bringing revised CIRLF policies and procedures to Council by the end of the year. Alderman Parker asked how Black Hawk College is involved. Mr. Poole replied they are trying to figure out how to introduce WIU and Black Hawk students to Rock Island businesses with field trips and also how to get businesses to craft programs with WIU and Black Hawk students. This is down the road. Alderman Mayberry asked what is the high limit for small businesses; for example, a $5 million business. Mr. Poole said loans are dependent on what the business wants to do and that jobs creation is key. CIRLF loans have been used to buy product for the company to sell or the purchase of a fixed equipment asset. Alderman Parker asked if CED was working with the Downtown Rock Island Partnership-Erik Reader and their seed program which is similar. Mr. Poole said that program is much smaller; they have to make sure companies are not double-dipping with programs. Alderman Parker said he doesn't want programs duplicating efforts. He is trying to get Black Hawk College's culinary arts program in partnership so that there could be a succession program for business owners who want to retire. Mayor Thoms said Bi-State has money too.
Mr. Poole explained that the Best Building project is trying to secure historic tax credits which is a two-step process. Mr. Estep has started on the application/eligibility process. The second part is building the narrative on why the building is unique enough to be included on the National Register. Mr. Estep has hired a consultant to assist and CED is providing assistance through working with the state historic preservation office (SHPO). Mr. Estep is trying to make the case the building is a reinforced concrete building. Mayor Thoms said the application will be submitted to the state at the end of February or early March; the state must approve it before the application goes to the federal office. Alderman Parker said Diane Oestreich of the Rock Island Preservation Commission suggested they should reach out to SHPO and Carol Dyson who makes the decision; it would be advantageous to bring them to Rock Island to see the building with Mr. Estep and his consultant. Since the state has no money, either Mr. Estep or the City will need to pay for them to come to Rock Island. Mayor Thoms said there is a 30-day review period federal requirement; there isn't time for the October deadline. Alderman Geenen asked what happens if the next deadline is missed. Alderman Parker said Mr. Estep's financiers need to feel comfortable that Mr. Estep will get the historic tax credits. If the state SHPO says the project is a likely candidate for the tax credits, that would help with the financing of the project. Alderman Parker said the City needs to make sure that the application happens in February. Mr. Tweet said the City will assist the developer, but ultimately it's up to Mr. Estep to put together the package. Discussion continued. Mr. Tweet said it was an important project to Rock Island and suggested perhaps the Preservation Commission could assist with needed research for the application.
Alderman Spurgetis asked if there was a local business association for 11th Street. Mr. Poole replied there is an 1131 group. Mayor Thoms said they haven't met in a while. Mr. Tweet said if there's a group that wants to get together, they should contact Chandler Poole.
Mr. Poole moved on to the Highway 92 Corridor Blight Elimination Plan and said there would be a December study session. He reported that Dohrn is moving on the deconstruction of that facility in late November. Norcross is in a legal battle with its bankruptcy reorganization.
Mr. Poole stated an environmental analysis on the exterior of the Old Country Market site dealing with the plume was done; the City paid half of the cost to keep things moving. However, the state is now asking for samples to be taken on the interior to determine the western extent of the plume. They are working with the owner to keep moving forward to get to an NFR (No Further Remediation) status. It may be another three to four months to get to the interior analysis. There was discussion about the tanks encapsulated in concrete. Mr. Poole said the plume underneath must still be dealt with.
Mr. Poole said the City acquired the property at the corner of 30th Street and 14th Avenue in the College Hill District. The wall has been sealed to protect Fred and Ethel's next door; the parapet cap will be installed soon. Public Works will install the electrical conduits so the concrete can be put down. Two public meetings will be held in late November and early December to determine furnishings for the space. This should allow enough lead time for the furnishings to be ordered in time for an April installation. Alderman Geenen asked when will the fence be done. Mr. Poole replied after the concrete is done and cured; he expects later this year.
Mr. Poole discussed the Rock Island Downtown Historic Place Designation action item. They are trying to complete an inventory of all historic buildings and have discussed the project with the Historic Preservation Commission including hiring a trained professional. It will be a monster project to complete. Alderman Geenen asked for a price range; Mr. Poole replied he has no idea yet. After the inventory is complete, then they can develop a plan for national designation. The State Historic Preservation Office is in favor of the City completing this task and will assist how and when appropriate; they may even have grants to help the City. Alderman Parker said Landmarks Illinois may be able to provide assistance as well and an NLG grant. Alderman Mayberry asked about the courthouse. Alderman Parker said it will be in the district. Mr. Tweet said he checked on the issue of the buildings being too close together and they are not. Mr. Tweet said the City will be uninvolved with the courthouse; the County wants to handle it.
Mr. Poole said the job description for the College Hill Business Liaison is almost complete. Mr. Tweet said they hope to advertise next month for the position; it is an FTE position which is already budgeted. Mr. Tweet explained Mr. Thomas, the former City Manager, took one CED job into administration; the position is now back in CED, but there are different job titles in CED than before. Mr. Tweet said it may be January before someone starts in that position.
Mr. Poole said the Downtown Building and Land Inventory is complete with a list and maps of every parcel with additional detail. The downtown has been divided into east and west. Mr. Poole said inventories have been completed for all major commercial corridors. They now need to add in vacancies to see what's available and to determine a vacancy rate.
Mr. Poole reported on the progress of the Downtown Streetscape Standards. A good team has been created with a good mix of residents and business and property owners. Mr. Poole thanked Alderman Parker for names for the team. The first team meeting should be held in mid- October and then the public meetings will be organized. The first public meeting may be in late November.
Mr. Poole said sites have been identified for residential development in southwest Rock Island. They have a meeting this week with one property owner who owns 200 acres. Mr. Poole explained they need to understand the housing marketplace first; they don't want to build more houses than the market can absorb at a time or the wrong type. It would be best to stagger the housing that is built. A market study will need to be done and a consultant hired. This will help in selecting a developer for the land.
Mr. Poole said Ancel and Glink is currently reviewing the Zoning Ordinance Administration and Enforcement section. On November 1, there will be a Planning Commission meeting with the Planning Commission hopefully approving the amendment and making a recommendation to Council. There will be a public hearing at a November Council meeting and Ancel and Glink will be present to answer all questions. In December, Council will make a final decision with a January 1 effective date for implementation of the decision and appointment of new commission members. Alderman Parker asked about other code changes. Mr. Poole said that will come later.
Mr. Poole said he would leave the Building/Fire Code Updates to the Fire Department. Mr. Tweet said there would be a study session on the subject for October 23. He said they want to push it forward to the beginning of the year before the next construction season.
Mr. Poole reported on management in progress tasks in CED. They have a list of major developers and commercial brokers in a database; they will be starting on an industrial database of brokers and developers. They have not started on the investors socials yet. The Dohrn building demolition should take place in November. The HOME program report is being reviewed internally and some additional changes are being made; it should be finished in December. The Public Art Advisory report will be coming out in December. Mr. Poole said he is very happy Council decided to create the maintenance fund for public art; the Arts Advisory Committee is also very happy. Alderman Schipp said he hopes CED will work on the investors socials with Brian Hollenbeck; Brian's group has offered to pay for the expenses. Alderman Mayberry said we need to add Jumer's; that's where the future is. Alderman Schipp said it should be hosted at Jumer's.
Martin Luther King Jr. Center Department
Martin Luther King Center Director Jerry Jones said the King Center board expansion was about having non-Rock Island residents on the board; up to three outside directors were approved. Currently there is one non-resident on the board: Ted Pappas from Friendship Manor. Tia Edwards and Dennis Pauley were also added as board members.
The issue with the Human Rights Commission is granting subpoena power to the commission; they are still trying to determine the scope and cost. Mr. Jones said the cost is a factor before moving forward. With new commission members, they are trying to understand their role before making recommendations to Council.
Mr. Jones said the MLK center website design is complete; they are inputting text now. The new website is being done by the Augustana Web Guild. Mr. Jones said there will be a slight increase in King Center banquet room fees effective in January. Alderman Geenen asked if they had a
Mr. Jones said the MLK center website design is complete; they are inputting text now. The new website is being done by the Augustana Web Guild. Mr. Jones said there will be a slight increase in King Center banquet room fees effective in January. Alderman Geenen asked if they had a non-profit rate; Mr. Jones replied yes. They are on track with their security upgrades; the costs are less than expected so they can get both tier 1 and tier 2 upgrades together by the end of the year. Alderman Geenen asked if they have hired a development director yet. Mr. Jones responded the King Center board has not approved that yet. He said they will be working on their strategic planning in November.
Police Department
Chief VenHuizen reported they have had ongoing discussions regarding the 9-1-1 Communications Center with the Rock Island County Sheriff's Office about consolidation with the City and the challenges that would entail. The challenges are mainly on the County end.
Chief VenHuizen said they presented their plan on camera placement for community cameras at a study session last month. The plan is dependent on CIP funding.
With regard to the CORA Fleeing and Eluding ordinance, Chief VenHuizen said they have a legal question before the City Attorney determining if they can impound vehicles from outside Rock Island. Typically, they don't have custody of these vehicles. The Police Department issues a CORA violation when they have fled; it needs to be determined if the department has the authority to tow vehicles from other municipalities.
Chief VenHuizen said their fireworks report is being finalized; they have already compiled statistical data.
Alderman Parker asked if the ordinance was being modified. Mr. Tweet said they will discuss the entire ordinance at the study session presentation and will look at any modifications that need to be made. Alderman Spurgetis asked if there is anything to be learned from Davenport's or Bettendorf's fireworks ordinances. Mr. Tweet said fireworks are legal in Iowa and illegal in Illinois and therefore municipalities can't designate hours in Illinois like they do in Iowa. Chief VenHuizen said fireworks can be bought in Illinois, but that a permit is needed to discharge fireworks in Illinois which is a whole process.
Human Resources Department
Human Resources Director John Thorson reported that the Comprehensive 360 Evaluation Program for Managers and Employees system will be Performance Pro which they currently use for all department directors; all non-affiliated employees will be added to the system. Supervisory training for department heads will begin in November. Alderman Geenen asked for clarification that they will not be using 360, but an add-on in Performance Pro. Mr. Thorson said yes, Performance Pro can do a 360 evaluation; the whole evaluation system will be changing and becoming more goal-specific. One issue is that employees must have access to a computer to complete; that might be a challenge for some departments. Mr. Tweet explained that Performance Pro is 25% general job performance and 75% goal oriented. This is different from the previous system which had little to do with goals. Alderman Geenen asked if subordinates will evaluate managers; Mr. Tweet responded yes, it is a 360 review process. Discussion followed about the name.
Mr. Thorson said for the HR management projects, they are looking at a stem cell program in place of surgery. It is a Regenix contract and based in Des Moines. It is mostly focused on joints with potential cost savings. They need to get it added to the summary plan description and get it covered by Blue Cross. They also need to get stop loss approval. He expects to get that completed by December so it can be implemented in January.
They also looked at an RX program, but that didn't have much traction. It has not gone any further.
Mr. Thorson said they are doing an update of Personnel rules which will be presented to Council for action. It is a rough draft which will be sent around for review to department directors.
Mr. Thorson said they are working on a joint administration agreement for the health plan; there are separate agreements for health care with the unions. They usually can't get consensus by everyone. The agreement has expired. To make any changes to the health plan, full consensus by everyone is required. They may be looking to change that. He is open to ideas or suggestions, maybe alternate health plans.
Alderman Schipp asked if there was a whistleblower policy in the personnel rules. Mr. Thorson replied there currently is not; he can add one. People have been comfortable with coming to Mr. Thorson with issues. Alderman Schipp would like to see that policy added. Alderman Schipp asked about affirmative action hiring; there was supposed to be a study session on it, but nothing ever happened with setting benchmarks or goals. Mr. Tweet said they are working on an ordinance for contractors; but you cannot have a benchmark. Alderman Geenen said it is called an attainable goal and a report can be made back to the community. Mr. Tweet said goals must be realistic; can the union halls supply the workers. Alderman Schipp wants the departments working with HR and promoting jobs in the neighborhoods. Mr. Thorson said they tried it with the Police and Fire Departments Lights and Sirens program, but it wasn't very successful.
Public Works Department
Fire Department
Parks Department
Information Technology Department
Library Department
City Manager
Mr. Tweet said they have run out of time. Questions for the remaining departments on their action steps can be emailed to the department directors.
The study session concluded at 6:34 p.m.
http://www.rigov.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_10092017-67
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