Rock Island Today

City of Moline Committee of the Whole/Council met July 25.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

Committee-of-the-Whole Call to Order

PRESENT: Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati (Chair)

Alderperson Debbie Murphy (Ward 1)

Alderperson Alvaro Macias (Ward 2)

Alderperson Abdur Razzaque (Ward 3)

Alderperson Jessica Finch (Ward 5)

Alderperson Pat O’Brien (Ward 6)

Alderperson Anna Castro (Ward 7)

Alderperson James Patrick Schmidt (Alderperson At-Large)

ABSENT: Alderperson Matt Timion (Ward 4)

STAFF: Bob Vitas, City Administrator

Brandi Russell, Deputy City Clerk

David Dryer, Director of Engineering

Barry Dykhuizen, Assistant City Administrator

Darren Gault, Chief of Police

Eric Griffith, Parks Recreation Director ~electronically

Jennifer Bizarri, Assistant Director of Community and Economic Development

Bryon Lear, Library Director ~electronically

Leah Miller, Human Resources Director

Steve Regenwether, Fire Chief

David Rowatt, Information Technology Manager

K.J. Whitley, Community Development Manager

Sean Foley, City Planner

Drake Daley, Building Official

OTHERS: Margaret Kostopulos, Corporation Counsel

Grace Kinnecutt, Dispatch/Argus

Kristi Mindrup, Vice President of Operations, Western Illinois University

Audrey Adamson, Director of the Center for Career Preparation and Employee Engagement, Western Illinois University

Jen von Kaenel, Director of Development, Western Illinois University

City of Moline Interns: Sam Gerstel and Jacob Uhlmann

Maria Ontiveros, Mercado on Fifth, Commercial Award recipient

Gale Derer, Residential Award recipient

Mayor Rayapati called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers.

Presentation

Mayor Rayapati stated that the Neighbor of the Month Awards would come before the Western Illinois University Presentation this evening.

Neighborhood Partnership Committee July 2023 Neighbor of the Month Awards.

Commercial Award: Maria Ontiveros, Mercado on Fifth, 423 12th Street

Residential Award: Gale Derer, 418 46th Street

Mayor Rayapati and K.J. Whitley, Community Development Manager, presented the awards to the recipients and thanked them.

Western Illinois University Quad Cities Update. Kristi Mindrup, Vice President of Operations, introduced her colleagues Audrey Adamson, Director of the Center for Career Preparation and Employee Engagement, and Jen von Kaenel, Director of Development. Mindrup highlighted the mission and core values of Western Illinois University (WIU). She provided an overview of where WIU is today, and how they are working to promote affordability. WIU provides a range of student services and opportunities to be involved in the community, including partnerships with local museums, projects with the City of Moline Public Works Department, and river research programs, among many others. Mindrup also highlighted the components of WIU’s 5-10 year strategic plan. Mayor Rayapati inquired about Initiative 2: “Program Expansion”, and if they are closer to getting new faculty for the Counseling program. Mindrup shared that appropriate faculty/student ratios must be maintained, but that they are well positioned to grow those high-need areas.

Public Comment

None.

Questions on the Agenda

1) Due to a request received by City staff, the COW-Council minutes of 7-26-2022 have been edited, removing the name of the petitioner, and replacing it with “The Petitioner”, in response to a Judicial Privacy Act request.

2) Item 6.1 has been pulled and will be discussed further by the Project Management Team.

3) Item 13.3 has been pulled to the Non-Consent Agenda for discussion.

4) A handout was provided to City Council of the correct ordinance for Item 16.1 for consideration (Exhibit A attached). The ordinance that appeared on the agenda was not the final version. Margaret Kostopulos, Corporation Counsel, outlined the changes. Alderperson Schmidt requested a five-minute recess during the meeting to allow for review.

Informational

2022-2024 Action Plan Dashboard, FY23, Q2 Report. Bob Vitas, City Administrator, introduced the Action Plan Dashboard. The City is moving forward successfully on its goals, and once goals are complete, they become ongoing programs. Vitas welcomed questions or comments from the City Council. Discussion had. Darren Gault, Police Chief, shared information about police vacancies and how there have not been enough applications to fill all open vacancies, which is an issue nationwide.

At 6:35 p.m., Alderperson Schmidt, seconded by Alderperson Murphy, moved to recess the Committee of-the-Whole meeting for five minutes to allow for review of Item 16.1. Motion carried unanimously.

Mayor Rayapati reconvened the Committee-of-the-Whole meeting at 6:40 p.m. Adjournment of the Committee-of-the-Whole and Council Call to Order

Pledge of Allegiance

Invocation

There was no invocation.

Roll Call

Roll call was taken with Mayor Rayapati, Alderpersons Murphy, Macias, Razzaque, Finch, O’Brien, Castro and Schmidt present. Absent: Alderperson Timion

Consent Agenda

Approval of Minutes

Committee-of-the-Whole and Council meeting minutes of July 18, 2023.

Consent Agenda - Resolutions

1145-2023 A Resolution authorizing the Director of Engineering to execute a Letter Agreement for Professional Services for the design of traffic signals at the intersection of 12th Street and River Drive with Olsson, Inc. for an amount not to exceed $82,400.

1146-2023 A Resolution approving Change Order No. 1 and final with Stichter Construction for Project #1372, 2022 Stormwater Project, for the amount of $69,667.97.

1147-2023 A Resolution approving the special event application for the Stunnings Summer Showcase amateur boxing and fundraiser event scheduled for Saturday, August 12, 2023, that is sponsored by Stunnings Boxing Club, and closing certain streets more particularly described herein to vehicular traffic.

1148-2023 A Resolution authorizing certain minutes and portions of minutes of Executive Sessions of the City Council to be maintained as confidential until further reviewed by the City Council; and authorizing the remainder of said Executive Session Minutes referenced herein to be made available for public inspection.

Omnibus Vote

Alderperson Finch, seconded by Alderperson Castro, moved to approve and adopt, by omnibus vote, these items. Motion carried on roll call with the following vote: ayes: Alderpersons Castro, Schmidt, Murphy, Macias, Razzaque, Finch, and O’Brien; nays: none.

Non-Consent Agenda

Resolutions

1149-2023 A Resolution approving Change Order No. 1 with Centennial Contractors of the Quad Cities, Inc. for Project #1415, 2023 Patching Program, for the amount of $787,325.00.

Approved. Alderperson Finch, seconded by Alderperson O’Brien, moved to approve Council Bill 1149- 2023. Bob Vitas, City Administrator, explained that this change order addresses road work patching and that the resources are available. The more patching that can be done in advance of winter is key to preventing more costly damage to roads. Unit prices may also be higher at a future time. David Dryer, Director of Engineering, shared that funding was available to expand the program, and with this change order, the City will capture about 27 to 30 additional projects, including utility repairs. Discussion had. Support of the project was echoed by City Council. Motion carried on roll call with the following vote: ayes: Alderpersons Castro, Schmidt, Murphy, Macias, Razzaque, Finch, and O’Brien; nays: none.

Second Reading Ordinances

3031-2023 An Ordinance amending Chapter 8, “BUILDINGS AND OTHER CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING SERVICES,” of the Moline Code of Ordinances, by repealing Chapter 8 in its entirety and enacting in lieu thereof one new Chapter 8 dealing with the same subject matter.

Adopted. Alderperson Schmidt, seconded by Alderperson Macias, moved to adopt Council Bill 3031- 2023. Motion carried on roll call with the following vote: ayes: Alderpersons Castro, Schmidt, Murphy, Macias, Razzaque, Finch, and O’Brien; nays: none.

Non-Consent Agenda

First Reading Ordinances

3034-2023 A Zoning Text Amendment Ordinance amending Chapter 35, “ZONING AND LAND DEVELOPMENT,” of the Moline Code of Ordinances, regarding Minimum Off-Street Parking and Traffic Circulation Standards for In-Vehicle Sales and Service Uses.

Advanced. Alderperson Razzaque, seconded by Alderperson Finch, moved to advance Council Bill 3034-2023 to second reading. Alderperson Schmidt asked for the justification of Section 35- 3408(e)(1)(b)(3) being added to the ordinance. Sean Foley, City Planner, said this is a typical regulation in many ordinances and was recommended by Dan Bolin, Corporation Counsel, who has studied the issue in-depth. Alderperson Schmidt, seconded by Alderperson Macias, moved to suspend the rules for debate and discussion purposes. Motion carried on roll call with the following vote: ayes: Alderpersons Castro, Schmidt, Murphy, Macias, Razzaque, Finch, and O’Brien; nays: none. Discussion had regarding drive through facilities and bypass lanes. Foley shared that this ordinance is forward-looking, and does not force current businesses to conform. It would go into in effect for new developments or redevelopments that meet specific criteria. City Council asked for clarity and definitions for Section 35-3408(e)(1)(b)(4) regarding bypass lanes. Foley stated that the business would have to ask for a variance if a bypass lane cannot be provided, but there is some flexibility in the Code, because the bypass lane location is non specific. Motion carried on roll call with the following vote: ayes: Alderpersons Castro, Schmidt, Murphy, Macias, Razzaque, Finch, and O’Brien; nays: none.

3032-2023 An Ordinance amending Chapter 4, “ALCOHOLIC LIQUOR,” of the Moline Code of Ordinances, increasing the number of Class C licenses in the City at the request of Nishan 1 Inc., d/b/a Amoco.

Advanced. Alderperson Finch, seconded by Alderperson Schmidt, moved to advance Council Bill 3032- 2023 to second reading. Motion carried on roll call with the following vote: ayes: Alderpersons Castro, Schmidt, Murphy, Macias, Razzaque, Finch, and O’Brien; nays: none.

3033-2023 An Ordinance amending Chapter 30, “CABLE/VIDEO SERVICE PROVIDER FEE AND CUSTOMER PROTECTION,” of the Moline Code of Ordinances, by repealing Chapter 30 in its entirety and enacting in lieu thereof one new Chapter 30 dealing with the same subject matter.

Advanced. Alderperson Schmidt, seconded by Alderperson Finch, moved to advance Council Bill 3033- 2023 to second reading. Motion carried on roll call with the following vote: ayes: Alderpersons Castro, Schmidt, Murphy, Macias, Razzaque, Finch, and O’Brien; nays: none.

Miscellaneous Business

Mayor Rayapati is board member of the Rock Island Arsenal Defense Alliance (RIADA) and the organization is getting back into working order. RIADA is asking their public partners to increase their dues paid to support this work. The Big 7 partners of RIADA include the cities of Rock Island, Moline, East Moline, Bettendorf, and Davenport, plus Rock Island and Scott Counties. Mayor will be asking for a vote in the future for increasing the City’s dues paid. Mayor had asked if population could be a consideration when calculating the dues owed by each partner. The Rock Island Arsenal benefits the community by providing roughly 6000 jobs. This is an investment in the labor market and business environment. Mayor also shared that City staff are working on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives with the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Bob Vitas, City Administrator, provided an update to City Council regarding the final version of the Strategic Government Resources Public Works Organizational Assessment study. Vitas invited Council to come view and discuss the study if they were interested. It included multi-fiscal year recommendations, some of which could be implemented with no cost. Other recommendations focus on improving the work environment and organizational structure of Public Works.

Darren Gault, Chief of Police, shared information about a school crossing guard shortage. He asked the City Council to share this information with anyone who might be interested. Chief Gault will send out additional information regarding the specific intersections where crossing guards are needed in the City.

Public Comment

There was no additional public comment.

Executive Session:

Alderperson Murphy, seconded by Alderperson Schmidt, moved for Executive Session, for the purpose of discussion of Collective Negotiating Matters-5 ILCS 120/2(C)(2), Deliberations Concerning Salary Schedules for One or More Classes of Employees-5 ILCS 120/2(C)(2), and Pending, Probable or Imminent Litigation-5 ILCS 120/2(C)(11). Motion carried on roll call with the following vote: ayes: Alderpersons Castro, Schmidt, Murphy, Macias, Razzaque, Finch, and O’Brien; nays: none.

City Council convened in Executive Session at 7:14 p.m.

Council reconvened in open session at 7:41 p.m.

Adjournment of City Council

Upon motion of Alderperson Macias, seconded by Alderperson Finch, the Council meeting adjourned at 7:41 p.m.

http://www.moline.il.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/9223