City of Moline Committee of the Whole met Dec. 11.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
PRESENT: Mayor Stephanie Acri (Chair)
Alderman Quentin Rodriguez (Ward 1)
Alderman David Parker, Jr. (Ward 2)
Alderman Mike Wendt (Ward 3)
Alderman Richard “Dick” Potter (Ward 4)
Alderman Lori Turner (Ward 5)
Alderman Kevin Schoonmaker (Ward 6)
Alderman Mike Waldron (Ward 7)
ABSENT: Alderman Sonia Berg (Alderman At-Large)
STAFF: Doug Maxeiner, City Administrator
Maureen Riggs, City Attorney
Janine Hollembaek Parr, City Clerk
Ray Forsythe, Planning & Development Director
Alison Fleming, Human Resources Manager
Lori Wilson, Parks Recreation Director
Don Goff, Information Technology Manager
Bryon Lear, Library Director
R.T. Finney, Interim Chief of Police
Jeff Snyder, Fire Chief
Scott Hinton, City Engineer
Keith Verbeke, Finance Manager
Jeff Anderson, City Planner
J.D. Schulte, Public Works Director
Amy Keys, Deputy City Attorney
Rodd Schick, Municipal Services General Manager
K.J. Whitley, Community Development Program Manager,
Andrea Bradley, Accounting Technician
Travis Noyd, Deputy Fire Chief
David Gass, Police Lieutenant
Trevor Fisk, Police Captain
Brian Johnson, Police Captain
OTHERS: Gerold Shelton, The Dispatch
Members of the Media
Shannon Domski and residents of the Morgan Park neighborhood
Dean Mathias, Patrick Street and fellow bicyclists
Alex Elias, Renew Moline
Mayor Acri called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers
Questions on the Agenda
There were no questions on the agenda.
Agenda Items
1. A Resolution authorizing the Fire Chief to execute an agreement for the purchase of six (6) LIFEPAK 15 Cardiac Monitors from Physio Control Inc. for the amount of $142,965.32. Travis Noyd, Deputy Fire Chief, explained that bids were publicly opened and read on December 5, 2018, for the purchase of six LIFEPAK 15 Cardiac Monitors. Physio Control Inc. submitted the only responsible and responsive bid in the amount of $142,965.32. This price reflects a $36,000.00 trade-in offer for the City’s old units. $54,735.32 is budgeted in FY2019 for a portion of the purchase, and the balance will be budgeted in the amount of $44,115 for FY2020 and $44,115 for FY2021. The current LIFEPAK 12 cardiac monitors will not be serviceable after the year 2019. A motion was made by Alderman Wendt to approve. Seconded by Alderman Turner. Motion passed unanimously.
2. A Resolution authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute an ambulance billing agreement with Professional Billing Services LLC. Keith Verbeke, Finance Manager, stated that the Finance and Fire departments joined forces to solicit bids for ambulance billing and collection services. The ambulance billing and collection services have been outsourced for twenty-five years. Eight proposals were received and reviewed by the selection committee on November 16, 2018. Staff recommends accepting the proposal submitted by Professional Billing Services LLC with a commission fee of 4 percent on funds collected as the proposal most advantageous to the City. A motion was made by Alderman Parker to approve. Seconded by Alderman Wendt. Motion passed unanimously.
3. A Special Ordinance establishing the Multi-Modal Special Service Area #7 of the City of Moline, Rock Island County, Illinois, the imposition of a 2.1% tax rate to pay the cost of providing special services in and for such Special Service Area, and providing for other procedures in connection therewith. Ray Forsythe, Planning and Development Director, indicated that Council Bill/Special Ordinance No. 4054-2018 proposing a Multi-Modal Special Service Area #7 (hereinafter “SSA”) was adopted on September 25, 2018. The SSA will be generally located as follows: bounded on the West by 11th Street, bounded on the East by 14th Street, bounded on the South by the alley parallel to 4th Avenue and bounded on the North by the railroad tracks parallel to River Drive. Public hearing for the establishment of the SSA was held on December 4, 2018. The imposition or levy by the City of a 2.1 percent tax in the SSA will be sufficient to produce revenues to provide the services to the SSA. The maximum rate of such taxes to be extended in any year under this ordinance for special services within the SSA shall not exceed the amount necessary to produce a maximum annual tax levy of $350,000, and shall not exceed $2,310,000 overall. This tax is to be levied as a hotel-motel use tax upon all taxable hotels or motels within the SSA. A motion was made by Alderman Parker to approve. Seconded by Alderman Wendt. Motion passed unanimously.
4. Consideration of an Appeal to the Traffic Committee’s Recommendation to Deny a Four-Way Stop Intersection at 25th Avenue and 14th Street. Scott Hinton, City Engineer, shared that the Traffic Committee reviewed a request to make the intersection of 25th Avenue and 14th Street a four-way stop. The intersection is currently a two-way stop with 25th Avenue having preference over 14th Street. The request was made in order to reduce the speed of vehicles on 25th Avenue, and to reduce the number of accidents. Staff investigated and found that this intersection does not meet the criteria defined in the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) for multi-way stop control. While staff agrees that the implementation of a Four-Way stop would likely reduce the speed of traffic on 25th Avenue, the Traffic Committee recommended denial of the request based on the MUTCD requirements. A motion was made by Alderman Parker to approve installation of the stop sign. Seconded by Alderman Wendt. There was discussion. Resident Shannon Domski conveyed support of adding the four-way stop. Motion carried on roll call with the following vote: ayes: Aldermen Parker, Wendt, Turner and Schoonmaker; nays: Aldermen Rodriguez, Potter and Waldron.
~ The Committee of the Whole meeting adjourned at 6:15 p.m., and the City Council convened in regular session for a Public Hearing of the 2019 Budget. The hearing concluded at 6:18 p.m., and the Committee of the Whole meeting reconvened.
5. An Ordinance amending Chapter 20, “MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC” of the Moline Code of Ordinances, Appendix 23 thereof, “OFF-STREET LOTS,” by repealing LEASED LOTS: B-Lot – 1500 block of Seventh Avenue and adding TWO-HOUR LOTS: B-Lot– 1500 block of Seventh Avenue, spaces 26-50 and LEASED LOTS: B-Lot- 1500 block of Seventh Avenue, spaces 1-25 and 51-72. Scott Hinton, City Engineer, explained that the proposed parking change in Lot B would eliminate twenty-five (25) underutilized, leased parking spaces and provide twenty-five (25), two-hour parking spaces to benefit the neighboring businesses. A motion was made by Alderman Wendt to approve. Seconded by Alderman Parker. There was discussion, including the addition of three handicap parking spaces and the extension from 2-hour to 3-hour parking in this lot. Motion passed unanimously.
6. Other. Mayor Acri offered Police Chief R.T. Finney an opportunity to address Council regarding resourcing and challenges. Chief Finney explained that there was a retaliatory shooting on Sunday morning on the 400 block of 8th Street. Though the residence was targeted, the victim was not. This shooting was precipitated by two shootings in East Moline the same night. Finney stated that these crimes never stop at our borders, and for that reason, we must continue to work and address this issue as a Quad Cities issue, and not just a Moline issue. Helping surrounding communities with their crime problems makes Moline safer as well. The criminal investigation division has been in overtime mode since the October homicide, and while these cases are few, they are very manpower intensive. The tax on officers and resources is considerable and often put considerable investigative cases on the back burner. Finney commended the City Council for taking on these issues early and addressing them before they become epidemic. The City continues to share information with its counterparts in the Quad Cities. These crimes are community problems that know no boundaries, and we have to police seamlessly as if the borders do not exist. The City must continue to support forensic abilities and use the most modern techniques, training and equipment. Finney explained that Davenport is purchasing a national integrated ballistic information network, a national database of digital images of bullet casings. All of the Quad Cities, will use this technology, which will reduce crime analysis time from approximately six months to just days. Finney stressed the importance of maintaining relationships with school partners and staffing deployment. In the short term, the crime prevention unit (CPU) must be adequately staffed. Overtime will be needed, so that gang activity may be targeted, and efforts coordinated with other partner communities. We must establish gun cases and work with our FBI and ATF partners. Long term, the Quad City communities need to look at intervention and enforcement from prosecution down to schools and the community. Staffing levels must be reviewed with workload analysis to determine efficient and effective use of resources. Staffing must be kept at functional levels, with CPUs at adequate manpower. This issue was foreseen, and over the past months, eight officers were hired and are in training status. Chief Finney stated that the police department is fully staffed; however, they are just not all available to work at this time. Chief requested that Council and the community consider that this takes a toll on police personnel. He commended the department, and its leadership. Human Resources Manager Alison Fleming shared plans for recruitment and marketing.
Informational
Mobile Home Inspections – Sec. 19-2201. Scott Hinton, City Engineer, indicated that there are inconsistencies between the code and enforcement. Staff seeks council input and direction on changing or eliminating the code, and/or developing a program to enforce the code. Currently, the City does not do anything with mobile homes once the inspection and connection of utilities is approved. The City does no further inspection, nor do the surrounding communities of mobile homes within their municipalities. Staff recommends eliminating the fee and requirements set forth in the code. A motion was made by Alderman Wendt to direct staff to review and revise Chapter 19 of the code of ordinances, and provide a recommendation to Council. Seconded by Alderman Parker. Motion passed unanimously.
Dumpster Ordinance – Sec. 28-2108. City Engineer Scott Hinton indicated that the city has required a permit for every dumpster placed in the public right of way. Dumpster companies do not want to, and have stated that they will not, obtain a permit every time they bring a dumpster into the city. Staff recommends offering an annual permit, as Rock Island currently does. Council suggested that staff inspect the condition and placement of each dumpster. Alderman Potter made a motion to direct staff to review and revise this ordinance. Seconded by Alderman Wendt. Motion passed unanimously.
Downtown Bike Path Location. Scott Hinton, City Engineer, shared five alternate routes for the future bike path. Resident Dean Mathias addressed Council and shared suggestions and considerations in building the bike path and choosing the best route:
Goal is to make Moline a bicycle friendly community, much like Bettendorf.
Crossing the I-74 Bridge and John Deere Expressway
Lighting is critical and may determine the best and preferred routes within the community,
ADA compliant and safe for all members of the community
Linking to bike trails within the community
Width of the route and easements
Traffic signals that are sensitive to bike pressure
Increasing access to the Mississippi River Trail
Some routes being considered may lend themselves to pedestrian use and others to biking.
Bicyclist Patrick Street requested that the City consider the importance of alternate modes of transportation like the high-speed rail to bicyclists. Alex Elias, Renew Moline CEO, expressed support for the bike path concept. There was Council discussion. Council recommended that staff engage a consultant to provide direction and analysis of possible routes.
Floreciente Streetscape Update. Jeff Anderson, City Planner, and K.J. Whitley, Community Development Program Manager, presented the streetscape concept. Various community stakeholders have provided input, and the City has worked with Shive-Hattery Architecture engineering on phasing and value engineering. Staff will present a project budget to the Project Management Team in January and will return to Council with a concise construction plan. Council suggested that stamped concrete might not be the most durable choice for cross walks. Construction is projected to begin in spring 2019.
Public Comment
There was no public comment.
The meeting adjourned at 8:01 p.m.
http://www.moline.il.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5255
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