City of East Moline Committee of the Whole met July 20.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
ROLL CALL
Mayor Freeman called the meeting to order and directed City Clerk Arletta D. Holmes to call the roll. The following Aldermen were present: Larry Toppert, Gary Almblade, Nancy Mulcahey, Jayne O’Brien, Frederic Kotoku, Maria Tapia and Jose Rico. 7:21 p.m.
ADDITIONS/CORRECTIONS TO AGENDA
None.
Annual Audit Presentation (Ms. Whiting, Finance Director)
Item discussed in Regular City Council Meeting
Carpentier, Mitchell, Goddard & Co, LLC will be presenting the City's annual audit for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019.
RECOMMENDATION:
Approval of the annual audit for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019.
Ordinance 8-8-30: Water Meters Update (Ms. Whiting, Finance Director)
The language in Ordinance 8-8-30: Water Meters, specifically section (C) is outdated and should be updated. Section (C) currently states that all water meters two inches (2") and larger are furnished by the City. The installation is done by the City, and the customer is required to pay an installation fee.
Due to the size of the new meters, Maintenance Services requires the customer to be responsible for installing these meters because the new meters do not match up with the old plumbing and a licensed plumber is required to install properly. In addition, section (D) of the Ordinance implies this, but is contradictory to Section (C).
Section (C) should state:
All water meters two inches (2") and larger shall be furnished by the city. The customer will be responsible for the installation of the meter, as well as any cost incurred for said installation.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommendations approval of the ordinance update.
DISCUSSION:
Ms. Whiting stated this is referring to new service and updated meters. Alderman Mulcahey asked how much does the meters cost? Ms. Whiting stated it depends on the size. Alderman Toppert asked if other cities charged? Administrator Maxeiner replied that they are cleaning up the Ordinance to clarify who is responsible for the cost. We are not changing the practice, only clarifying the language to represent what the City is already doing. Alderman Almblade asked if the Inspections Department still go out and inspect the installation? Mr. Kammler replied yes.
A motion was made by Alderman Almblade, seconded by Alderman Mulcahey to concur with the recommendation as presented. Upon roll call the following voted in favor: Toppert, Almblade, Mulcahey, O’Brien, Kotoku, Tapia and Rico. Motion carried.
Ordinance Amending the Area of the Quad Cities Enterprise Zone (Mr. Maxeiner, City Administrator)
In December of 2018, the City Council approved ordinances 18-20 and 18-33 which along with similar ordinances in the cities of Moline, Rock Island, and Silvis, the village of Milan, and Rock Island County,established the Quad Cities Enterprise Zone effective January 1, 2019. The total area allowed in the Enterprise Zone is capped at 15 square miles. The area of the original zone was approximately 13 square miles.
Two amendments to the zone have been proposed. First, Moline is proposing the addition of the former Sam's Club property on John Deere Road. The building is being modified to serve as the corporate headquarters for a local credit union and would add 0.024 square miles to the zone. Second, Rock Island County is requesting the addition of approximately 87.84 acres (0.137 square miles) around the 3M facility in Cordova.
A public hearing was held in May to comply with the statute on amending the zone.
FINANCIAL:
This is not budgeted item. This is not a CIP
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of the Ordinance amending the area of the Illinois Quad Cities Enterprise Zone.
For the sake of expediency, this item is scheduled for first reading at the July 20th City Council meeting with second reading and approval planned for August 3rd.
After much discussion, comments and questions regarding this issue.
A motion was made by Alderman Mulcahey, seconded by Alderman Toppert to concur with the recommendation as presented. Upon roll call the following voted in favor: Mulcahey, O’Brien, Kotoku and Tapia. Opposed: Toppert, Almblade and Rico. Motion carried. 4-3
Resolution on commitments to East Moline Public Library Project (Mr. Maxeiner, City Administrator) PULLED
During deliberations on the 2020 Budget, staff proposed the commitment of an initial reimbursement of $100,000 from the balance in the Downtown TIF Fund toward the Library project at the former TBK Bank building. In addition, $25,000 from the annual increment in the Downtown TIF would be provided as a reimbursement for eligible expenses on the project for a period of 10 years. The total commitment from the City's TIF Fund is $350,000. Formalizing this financial contribution in the form of resolution allows the Library to utilize the commitment in the pursuit of other funding opportunities.
Secondly, the Development Agreement with TBK Bank transfers the former bank property to the City of East Moline. Library Director Long has requested that the property be transferred to the Library Board of Trustees in order to facilitate borrowing for the project. The current library building is deeded to the Library Board of Trustees. Staff have no objections to the transfer and including it in the resolution.
FINANCIAL:
This is budgeted item. Amount Budgeted: $100,000.00
Funding Sources: Downtown TIF Fund Balance This is not a CIP
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommend approval of this Resolution.
Policy on Displaying Non-Governmental Flags on City Properties (Mr. Maxeiner, City Administrator) TABLED
At a recent City Council meeting, the City was presented with several LGBTQ flags along with a request to fly the flags at City facilities during Pride month. Since the City doesn't have a policy on displaying non-governmental flags, the Mayor has asked that a survey of our neighboring communities be conducted and the results discussed at the City Council to determine direction. There was also concern expressed that allowing the LGBTQ flag to be displayed would open the door to other organizations requesting their flags be flown.
In a survey of our neighbors, most (Moline, Silvis, Scott County) have not received a request to fly another flag (including the LGBTQ flag) and do not have a policy in place to address such requests. Rock Island City received a request to fly the LGBTQ flag and they have done so in 2019 and 2020 along with reading proclamations of support. Davenport has a policy of displaying only governmental flags (federal, state, and local) at public facilities. They also allow the POW-MIA flag to be flown on specific recognized holidays given the flags status recognized by Congress.
FINANCIAL:
This is not a budgeted item. This is not a CIP.
Staff recommend establishing a policy on displaying non-governmental flags at City facilities.
A motion was made by Alderman Toppert, seconded by Alderman O’Brien to Table this item until the
next regular City Council meeting Monday, August 3, 2020. Upon roll call the following voted in favor: Toppert, Almblade, Mulcahey, O’Brien, Kotoku, Tapia and Rico. Motion carried.
ADJOURMENT:
A motion was made by Alderman O’Brien, seconded by Alderman Rico, to adjourn the Committee-of-the-Whole meeting. Upon roll call the following voted in favor: Toppert, Almblade, Mulcahey, O’Brien, Kotoku, Tapia and Rico. Motion carried. 7:46 p.m.
https://www.eastmoline.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_07202020-654
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