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City of East Moline Committee of the Whole met March 4.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

ROLL CALL

Mayor Freeman called the meeting to order and directed the City Clerk Wanda Roberts-Bontz to call the roll. The following Alderpersons were present: Olivia Dorothy, Jeffrey Deppe, Adam Guthrie, Rhea Oakes, Lynn Segura, and Jose Rico. Absent: Nancy Mulcahey 6:50 p.m.

ADDITIONS/CORRECTIONS TO AGENDA

None

Intergovernmental Agreement with the City of Moline for Wastewater Treatment Operations, Maintenance, and Compliance (Mark Rothert, City Administrator)

Since the departure of the City’s Wastewater Plant Manager, the City of Moline has been providing technical assistance to the City for operations, maintenance, compliance, and communications of its wastewater treatment plant. The parties wish to formalize this relationship during the time that East Moline seeks to fill its vacant plant manager position.

Therefore, attached is an intergovernmental agreement (Exhibit A) between the two cities wherein the City of East Moline shall pay the City of Moline an hourly rate of $60.98 for generally providing the following services:

A. Providing Wastewater Treatment Plant operations and maintenance guidance to East Moline staff with regard to regulatory compliance;

B. Submitting required regulatory reports pursuant to the NPDES permit;

C. Providing necessary communications with the IEPA and the USEPA; and

D. Providing necessary guidance to East Moline staff, consulting engineers and contractors concerning all regulatory and operational matters.

As technical assistance from Moline is necessary to operate the East Moline Wastewater Treatment Plant, staff recommends approval of the intergovernmental agreement.

RECOMMENDATION/REQUESTED ACTION: Approval

A motion was made by Alderperson Oakes, seconded by Alderperson Dorothy to concur with the recommendation as presented. Upon roll call the following voted in favor: Guthrie, Oakes, Segura, Rico, Dorothy, and Deppe. Motion carried.

Approving Business Development District Plan, Area, Plan and Taxes (Mark Rothert, City Administrator)

The City has shown an interest to aggressively foster economic growth; help existing businesses; fix aging infrastructure; address deteriorating neighborhoods; and spur various types of residential development within the community. The City has options to implement a Business Development District (BDD) to incentivize such growth and revitalization, particularly in key areas of the community that include:

• Avenue of the Cities;

• Industrial Park;

• Quad City Downs;

• Interstate 80 and 88 Corridor;

• Watertown and other older neighborhoods; and

• Various identified parcels for new residential growth.

Attached as Exhibit A is a proposed “Boundary Area” for developable areas in the City where a BDD District would be beneficial. In the past, the City of East Moline hasn’t effectively coordinated its incentives and resources available through its existing TIF and Business Development Districts. By connecting these districts with new districts, as well as, layering TIF and BDD incentives, along with Enterprise Zone benefits and CPACE, the City of East Moline can create a very powerful set of tools to help meet its development and revitalization goals.

ABOUT BDDs

A Business Development District is a special financing program created by a municipality to encourage the development of new businesses in targeted geographical areas of the community. This program enables municipalities to attract development on vacant properties and redevelop existing properties within a designated BDD Area. New business development will increase local services and amenities, increase employment opportunities, and increase sales and property tax revenues to the municipality and other taxing bodies. To help fund public infrastructure or private development projects that benefit the BDD and City, the district may impose and collect up to 1.0% additional retail sales tax and hotel/motel taxes to invest in such projects. Municipalities generally have the same powers in the BDD as with a TIF district that include: installing, repairing, constructing, reconstructing, or relocating public streets, public utilities, and other public site improvements; constructing public improvements, including but not limited to buildings, structures, works, utilities, or fixtures; renovating, rehabilitating, reconstructing, relocating, repairing, or remodeling any existing buildings, structures, works, utilities, or fixtures; acquiring, managing, conveying or otherwise disposing of real and personal property for the purposes of a development or redevelopment plan; and clearing any area within a business district by demolition or removal of any existing buildings, structures, fixtures, utilities, or improvements, and to clear and grade land.

BDD’s generally have “eligible project costs” that include new construction; land acquisition; site preparation; public infrastructure; renovations to existing buildings; plans and studies; and relocation costs. A BDD Fund will be created with the City that receives increased retail sales taxes and/or hotel taxes generated by commercial-retail development occurring within the BDD Area.

The steps to approving a BDD include designating an Area that must be a contiguous boundary, the municipality must prepare a BDD redevelopment plan and hold a public hearing. The action before the Committee of the Whole is to advance to the March 18, 2024 City Council meeting approval recommendations of a boundary area, development plan (forthcoming) and approve of the related BDD sales and hotel/motel taxes, each at .75%.

A motion was made by Alderperson Deppe, seconded by Alderperson Guthrie to concur with the recommendation as presented. Upon roll call the following voted in favor: Guthrie, Oakes, Segura, Rico, Dorothy, and Deppe. Motion carried.

Sewer Treatment Plant – Gas Detection Equipment (Tim Kammler, Director of Engineering)

The East Moline Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) is an aging facility that is beginning to require time consuming and costly repairs. The city has been without a WWTP Director since last Fall. East Moline WWTP staff - in combination with City of Moline assistance - have been managing to keep the facility in operation. A critical life- safety component at the plant is a gas detection & monitoring system. This equipment involves remote gas detection sensors in specific areas of the treatment plant which monitor the air for potentially lethal gas levels. Gas Monitors are required inside areas of the service building (4), grit building (2), thickener building (4), digester house (2), and the bar screen building (2).

It has come to our attention that the existing MSA Safety gas detection equipment is aged, no longer functioning consistently (or at all), and in need of replacement. WWTP staff have requested replacement equipment be sourced from the same company for ease of integration into the existing system, as well as their familiarity and comfort with MSA Safety.

As such, staff have obtained a proposal for new MSA Safety gas detection equipment from LAI, ltd. LAI is the sole regional distributor for the MSA equipment. For the installation of the replacement equipment, staff obtained a quote from Davenport Electric Contract Company (DECCO) who is familiar with the existing system and has a well-established history of performing quality and reliable work for the city. As this life-safety equipment is specialized and as the staff at the Wastewater Treatment Plant have a working knowledge and comfort level with MSA and DECCO, additional quotes were not obtained.

Funding would be from sewer fund reserves as this was not a project programmed in the 2024 budget.

Line Item #	Line-Item Title	Department	Amount Budgeted	Available Funds	Amount Requested
	Reserves	Sewer Plant			$108,000.00
TOTALS					$108,000.00

A motion was made by Alderperson Segura, seconded by Alderperson Dorothy to concur with the recommendation as presented. Upon roll call the following voted in favor: Guthrie, Oakes, Segura, Rico, Dorothy, and Deppe. Motion carried.

ADJOURMENT:

A motion was made by Alderperson Oakes, seconded by Alderperson Guthrie to adjourn the Committee-of-the-Whole meeting. A voice vote was taken. Motion carried. 7:05 p.m.

https://www.eastmoline.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_03042024-993