City of Kewanee City Council met Feb. 27.
Here are the minutes provided by the council:
The February 27th, 2023, Council Meeting was called to order at 7:00pm in the Council Chambers. Councilmembers Colomer, Faber, Baker, and Komnick were present along with Mayor Moore.
The consent agenda included the following items:
A. Minutes from the Council Meeting on February 13th.
B. Payroll for the pay period ending February 11th in the amount of $203,473.02.
C. Staff Reports.
A motion to approve the consent agenda items was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Komnick. Discussion: None. Motion passed 5-0.
A motion for Approval of the Bills for the Council Meeting of February 27th in the amount of $763,597.08 was made by Councilmember Komnick and seconded by Councilmember Faber. Discussion: Councilmember Faber asked about a payment from an out of town vendor, wondering if it would be available in town. Operations Manager, Kevin Newton, was not sure exactly what that invoice was referring to and would need to look into it. Councilmember Faber wanted to make sure we were buying local whenever possible. Newton stated that we do purchase local when we can. Motion passed 5-0.
Public Comments:
Thomas Goodwin of 555 Midland Dr came forward to speak in opposition to a proposed rezoning request for the current farmland behind his property. There is a request to change the zoning to Manufacturing-2 so that the owner can place solar panels and air-conditioned storage units on the property. Mr. Goodwin shared that changing the zoning “opens the flood gates” to what owners could put on the property.
Nick Humphry of 920 W South St also came forward to speak in opposition to the proposed rezoning request. His property is right next to the land. He feels like his property values will go down drastically because of what will be put on the land. He is concerned that they will be granted the rezoning request and then will be able to put in other things allowed under that zoning and no one will be allowed to stop them. He is also concerned about how the owner will need to do a lot of excavating to be able to build on the property. That may cause issues with water drainage as there are already issues in that area.
Paul Estes of 476 Val Mar Dr was also there to speak in opposition to the rezoning. He stated that he is collecting signatures of neighbors who are opposed to the rezoning. He attended the meeting about the property. He said that he was aware of the solar panels but then at the meeting it was discussed that there would be storage buildings. They did not present photos or layouts of the buildings. He also stated that he had done research on the owner and was not impressed with what he found. Mayor Moore stated that the Council has not had a reason to look up the owner or other information as he has not yet brought anything before the Council. Councilmember Colomer said that the Council was put in their seats to protect the citizens of the community. They have not been presented with anything and until that time, they don’t know what will be done. Once the request is put in front of the Council, then they can begin to look at the details. Being citizens themselves, they are aware of what might work for the community and what might not be sustainable. Mayor Moore reminded the audience that the Planning Commission is only the first step and that they are an advisory board. The Planning Commission can still recommend a change, or not, to the Council and then the Council still has to approve or deny the change.
New Business:
A. Consideration of Ordinance #4121 approving and authorizing the execution of a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District Redevelopment Agreement by and between the City of Kewanee and Midland Plaza, LLC. Motion to approve was made by Councilmember Baker and seconded by Councilmember Colomer. Discussion: Councilmember Faber asked, if we give the TIF money now, what guarantee do we have that more projects will be completed. City Manager Gary Bradley stated that the money they are being reimbursed for right now is the money that was spent on the completed Arby’s. The contract states that they would have 24 months to commence the next steps for the next building. From the perspective of Cohen Development, this is money for work that has been completed and shouldn’t be withheld or given with the stipulation of more work being required. Ideally, he would be doing more because there would be more businesses wanting to come to the shopping center. Mr. Cohen stated that this is Kewanee’s first shopping center and that he has every interest in furthering the center. He has just received a letter of intent from a junior anchor and hopes that they can continue to redevelop the area. Councilmember Colomer asked Mr. Cohen when we might see the next phase being started. Mr. Cohen stated that there are financial hurdles that he must cross as well as other factors that come into play when working with national brands. He would love to give a date but ultimately, he does not know. It could be by the end of this year, but it could possibly be later. There are forces outside of his control, but he is continuing to work on everything within his control Motion passed 4-1 with Councilmember Baker being the “nay” vote.
B. Consideration of Ordinance #4123 granting a request for setback variance to DGOG Kewanee at 600, 608 & 614 N Main St, Kewanee, IL. Motion to approve was made by Councilmember Faber and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Discussion: Councilmember Colomer said he didn’t see any issues with the Zoning Boards recommendation. Motion passed 5-0.
C. Consideration of Ordinance #4124 granting a request for parking variance to DGOG Kewanee at 600, 608 & 614 N Main St, Kewanee, IL. Motion to approve was made by Councilmember Komnick and seconded by Councilmember Faber. Discussion: Councilmember Faber stated that he was happy to see a business coming to the North Side of town. Councilmember Colomer said that with the Rte. 81 improvements and Dollar General right there, it will be a great corridor coming into town. Mayor Moore stated that it will be a good option for those on the North side of town that do not have transportation and need to walk to the store. Motion passed 5-0.
D. Consideration of Ordinance #4125 granting a rezoning request, for land located at 417 East Second St, Kewanee, IL. Motion to approve was made by Councilmember Baker and seconded by Councilmember Komnick. Discussion: None. Motion passed 5-0.
E. Consideration of Ordinance #4126 granting a special use permit to Amy Segura for property located at 124 E Prospect St, Kewanee, IL. Motion to approve was made by Councilmember Faber and seconded by Councilmember Colomer. Discussion: Ms. Segura came forward to answer questions about the permit. She would like to offer massage therapy out of her home as a side business. She clarified that she will not operate her business past 7pm and never have more than one customer at a time. She is not bringing in other massage therapists, it will just be her. Motion passed 5- 0.
F. Consideration of Ordinance #4127 granting a special use permit to Tommy Osmani for a parcel located at the Northeast corner of North East St and East Seventh St in the City of Kewanee, IL. Motion to approve was made by Councilmember Komnick and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Discussion: Councilmember Colomer asked what it was that Mr. Osmani wanted to do. Community Development Director, Keith Edwards, stated that Mr. Osmani had purchased the property and installed a sign for his restaurant. Mr. Edwards found out about the sign and told Mr. Osmani that it needed to be taken down and that he needed a special use permit and permission from the State Department of Transportation as it is on a State Highway. Mr. Osmani immediately removed the sign and started the correct process. Mr. Edwards does not see any issue with the proposed sign. He did state that Mr. Osmani must show approval from IDOT before he can complete a building permit for the sign. He will then need to follow the inspection process for the sign to be allowed. Motion passed 5-0.
G. Consideration of Ordinance #4122 amending Chapter 116 of the City Code to remove Bond Requirements as permissible under the Transient Merchant Act 1987. Motion to approve was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Komnick. Discussion: None. Motion passed 5-0.
H. Consideration of Resolution #5389 authorizing an amendment to the existing agreement between the City of Kewanee and Saint John Paul II Parish of Kewanee for care of burial grounds. Motion to approve was made by Councilmember Faber and seconded by Councilmember Baker. Discussion: None. Motion passed 5-0.
I. New Incentive Programs – City Manager Gary Bradley said that this is the first of the new incentive programs that were previously discussed as this one currently has someone waiting for it. There are no other programs like this across the country, yet. This program would help the Mobile Home Park owners make improvements that will help them support bringing in new or used mobile homes as affordable living options for the community. Mr. Bradley spoke on the process he used to determine the payout amounts for the mobile homes coming in. This type of incentive requires the MHP owners to invest the money first and then get a small amount of that back. This will help them invest in their infrastructure and other needs to better the properties to allow more homes to come in. It was noted that the owners of the MHP are already making the properties look better and that they are investing time and energy in them as well. Mayor Moore stated he liked the re-investment nature of this program rather than paying upfront. Having hear no objections or requested changes, Mr. Bradley will have something for the Council to vote on at the next meeting.
Council Communications:
Councilmember Baker: none
Councilmember Komnick: He attended the Black History Month Extravaganza in town, and it was a great program. He enjoyed the history lesson from Dave Clark. He thanked all of those
that worked on the program. He has had the opportunity to talk with many residents lately as he has been out with the Girl Scouts selling cookies. He wanted to let people know that they are always welcome to approach him with questions or concerns.
Councilmember Colomer: none
Councilmember Faber: He wanted to give a shout out to the Friends of the Animals who had a recent fundraiser that was well attended and THANK YOU to the Legion who allowed them to have the event there. He then stated that he had purchased Girl Scout cookies but ran out and wanted to ask Councilmember Komnick how long the Scouts would be selling, so that others would know too. Councilmember Komnick said that sales will be running for a while still so everyone has time to stock up.
Mayor’s Communications:
Congratulations to Cooper Bates who placed 8th in the State competition in Speech for his Original Comedy. Also, congratulations on great seasons for the Boys and Girls from Kewanee and Wethersfield. They all had promising seasons.
A motion to adjourn was made by Councilmember Colomer and seconded by Councilmember Faber. Motion passed 5-0. The meeting was adjourned at 7:52pm
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