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HomeMy WebLinkAboutf - March 17 _Retreat_ SPECIAL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING/WORKSHOP March 17, 2006 The Special Committee of the Whole Meeting/Policies and Procedures Workshop was called to order by Mayor Schock at 4:13 p.m. in the Heritage Ballroom of The Centre, 100 Symphony Way. Present: Councilmembers Figueroa, Gilliam, Kaptain, Rodgers, Sandor, Walters and Mayor Schock. Absent: None. Introduction City Manager Folarin made introductory remarks stating that the focus of this workshop is for departments to make informational presentations on key issues and to have dialogue between the staff and City Council regarding programs, policies, and procedures. This will provide an opportunity for input and direction from Councilmembers and for staff to receive guidance and opinions from Councilmembers. Retail Marketing Analysis City Manager Folarin stated that foremost on the Council’s mind is retail strategy. Carol Gies of 4 Insights, Inc. stated that things have changed more in the last four years than in the last 25 years regarding retail. Ms. Gies outlined retail trends, consumer trends, and what is happening in communities. It is all about shorter distances and convenience. The retail categories are: restaurants/bars/taverns; service businesses such as cleaners and salons; retail stores; and grocery stores. She stated that conducting a retail study and developing a retail plan will: define and control our community vision; plan best uses for key sites; recruit the right tenants; and keep the retail mix balanced and matched to each trade area. Councilmember Sandor made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Walters, to authorize staff to proceed with conducting a retail study based on the different areas of the City such as the downtown area, the Randall Road area, the western area of Elgin, etc. Upon a roll call vote: Yeas: Councilmembers Figueroa, Gilliam, Kaptain, Rodgers, Sandor, Walters and Mayor Schock. Nays: None. East Area Infill Project City Manager Folarin stated that the Council has taken actions recently which would seem to indicate that it wants only single family homes in the east area of the City for new developments. In order for staff to have clear direction so that it can appropriately advise developers, it is important to know specifically what the Council’s direction is. Community Development Director Deering gave a brief presentation regarding the east area infill projects as anticipated by the Comprehensive Plan, the demographics of infill housing units, the community impact, and traffic impact. Mayor Schock stated that he believes it is very unrealistic to insist on single family Committee of the Whole March 17, 2006 Page 2 developments on small sites on the east side in that it is unlikely that people would spend $350,000 for a home on the east side when it is surrounded by $200,000 homes. Councilmember Kaptain stated that guidelines for small infill properties need to be established. After discussion, the consensus was to establish guidelines based on the quality of the housing development and not whether it is single family or a specific type of housing and to consider each proposal on a case-by-case basis. Project Incentives City Manager Folarin stated that discussion of this topic is aimed at addressing the frequently asked questions of why the City gives incentives and when is the City going to stop giving incentives. Ray Moller, Director of Economic Development and Business Services, outlined the economic development guidelines which include the purpose of incentives, the elements of the proposals, priority areas, policies, and evaluation criteria. Councilmember Sandor stated that he is not convinced that rental assistance for restaurants is a good idea. Councilmembers Figueroa and Rodgers said the sentiment that the City will help big developers but isn’t willing to help small businesses is frequently expressed in the community. Councilmember Walters questioned whether the other two school districts shouldn’t also be included in the list of priority areas instead of just the U-46 school district. There was agreement that there should not be a set amount or percentage for incentives. Councilmembers Kaptain and Sandor expressed the need to use discretion and evaluate whether it is likely that the project is viable and can be successful. Whether it’s a small or large business should not make a difference. The consensus was that the City should continue to participate financially and to look at each project on a case-by-case basis. Code Enforcement New Initiatives Community Development Director Deering informed the Council that the weekend code officer has completed training and will start weekend duty the first weekend in April. He described the new code enforcement initiatives the department has developed and which will be implemented July 1, 2006, if the Council approves them. The proposed initiatives pertain to overcrowding, rapid response for elimination of nuisance violations with immediate citations of $50, and improved customer service by having specially trained staff assigned to taking inquiries and using scripted complaint intake, and implementing complainant call back. Discussion was held regarding the importance of making the public aware of the new procedures. Various methods of notification were suggested, including something going to each household, which could be a message on all water bills. Councilmember Kaptain advised that Committee of the Whole March 17, 2006 Page 3 the Elgin Community Network is having a summit meeting in June, and this information could be disseminated at that time. Councilmember Rodgers suggested using Cable Channel 17 to inform residents. Councilmember Gilliam made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Figueroa, to adopt and support the new proposed code enforcement initiatives effective July 1, 2006, with the understanding that information will be given to the media and a variety of means used to make sure that the public is informed in advance of the July 1 enforcement commencement date. The Highlands of Elgin Clubhouse City Manager Folarin stated that mining has delayed construction of the next phase of the Highlands Golf Course. They had originally planned to construct the clubhouse at the same time as the rest of the golf course. However, the Highlands is losing golf business because of not having a clubhouse. Parks and Recreation Director Reopelle stated that discussions have been held regarding downsizing the proposed Highlands clubhouse to accommodate 200 people since the golf course has been downsized from 27 to 18 holes. During recent discussions regarding the proposed Bowes Creek golf course and clubhouse with banquet capacity of 200, consideration was given to reducing the Highlands clubhouse to 150 so that the City’s two clubhouses would not be in direct competition with each other. Discussion was held regarding the advantages and disadvantages of reducing the size of the Highlands clubhouse from 200 to 150. It was pointed out that the typical golf outing is about 150 people. Staff was directed to proceed to build the Highlands clubhouse in 2006 with banquet room capacity of 150. North Grove Redevelopment Sites Director of Economic Development and Business Services Moller gave a presentation regarding the status of various North Grove sites, which total approximately 20 acres located on the east bank of the Fox River on the west side of North Grove Avenue, and what steps are necessary to bring them to the required cleanup standards. Mayor Schock stated he believes this should be used for residential development. He doesn’t think commercial development would extend to that area. At 7 p.m. Mayor Schock passed the gavel to Councilmember Gilliam and left for a prior commitment. Centre of Elgin Action Plan City Manager Folarin stated that it needs to be emphasized that there is no way a facility of this Committee of the Whole March 17, 2006 Page 4 size can make a profit. However, that doesn’t mean it will not be operated as efficiently as possible. Parks and Recreation Director Reopelle gave a status report regarding steps taken to increase efficiency. Previously, all aspects regarding management of the Centre were the responsibility of one person. The structure of the Centre has been refocused to a management system with two divisions – Operations and Customer Service. A new permanent part-time position of Courtesy Counter Customer Service Specialist has been created to work at the front counter and oversee the operations. The operational changes which were made last fall have been very beneficial, and a lot of effort has been put into improving customer service. The responsibility of supervising custodial staff has been shifted to the Centre Operations Manager. All the different program areas have been divided and analyzed to determine which programs are profitable and which are not are. Mr. Reopelle stated that only 60% of the building is programmable, but they took 100% of the expenses and spread them over all the programs. City Manager Folarin described the concept of the Centre and emphasized that the Centre is a great benefit to the community and should be viewed in that manner. Councilmember Sandor stated he was very pleased to receive the cost allocation report. However, he doesn’t understand why the losses continue to increase, and he doesn’t want to see this type of loss in the future. Fire Stations #7 Status Report Fire Chief Falese outlined the steps to be taken regarding future Fire Station #7, which include identifying the specific site, securing the property, and selecting an architect and construction manager. Construction is estimated to take 52 weeks. Chief Falese stated that the first year the station will have a paramedic engine and the second year it will have an ambulance. Fire Department vehicle maintenance will be moved to this station. Other Items Councilmember Rodgers stated that she has been approached by a downtown business regarding promotional items, which she’ll elaborate on at a future meeting. Councilmember Figueroa raised the issue of improving the traffic situation at Randall Road and Route 20. Committee of the Whole March 17, 2006 Page 5 Adjournment Councilmember Sandor made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Walters, to adjourn the meeting. Upon a roll call vote: Yeas: Councilmembers Figueroa, Gilliam, Kaptain, Rodgers, Sandor, and Walters. Nays: None. The meeting adjourned at 7:35 p.m. s/Dolonna Mecum June 28, 2006 Dolonna Mecum, City Clerk Date Approved