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HomeMy WebLinkAboutp - July 23, 2014 COW COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING July 23, 2014 The regular Committee of the Whole meeting was called to order by Mayor Kaptain at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers. Present: Councilmembers Dunne, Gavin, Martinez, Powell, Prigge, Rauschenberger, Shaw, Steffen, and Mayor Kaptain. Absent: None. Approval of Minutes Councilmember Steffen made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Prigge, to approve the minutes of the July 9, 2014, regular meeting. Upon a roll call vote: Yeas: Councilmembers Dunne, Gavin, Martinez, Powell, Prigge, Rauschenberger, Shaw, Steffen, and Mayor Kaptain. Nays: None. Consideration of Agreement with Central Salt, LLC for Purchase of Bulk Road Salt for the 2014/2015 Winter Season Assistant City Manager, Rick Kozal provided details regarding the state bid and the alternatives to obtain bulk road salt. There was discussion regarding the different pricing options, current prices versus historical prices, the delivery schedule of the road salt, and ways to extend the life of the salt supply using additives such as beet juice. A resolution will be presented at tonight's Council meeting for adoption by the City Council. Consideration of Amendment to Ordinance Regarding Motor Driven Cycles, Chapter 11.45 to Allow Motor Driven Cycles to be Driven on City Streets with Proper Illinois Registration Councilmember Shaw made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Steffen, to proceed with the process to amend the city’s ordinance to align with current Illinois vehicle codes. Upon a roll call vote: Yeas: Councilmembers Dunne, Gavin, Martinez, Prigge, Powell, Rauschenberger, Shaw, Steffen, and Mayor Kaptain. Nays: None. Consideration of Amendment to City’s Board of Fire and Police Commissioners Ordinance to Change Police Officer Hiring Requirements and the Composition of the Commission There was discussion regarding the balance of staff to residents and if there should be an increase to the number of residents on the Commission. Committee of the Whole July 23, 2014 Page 2 Councilmember Powell made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Prigge, to increase the number of residents on the Board of Fire and Police Commissioner from two members, as proposed, to four members. Upon a roll call vote: Yeas: Councilmembers Dunne, Martinez, Powell, and Rauschenberger. Nays: Councilmembers Gavin, Prigge, Shaw, Steffen, and Mayor Kaptain. Motion failed. There was further discussion regarding adding the Police Chief, Fire Chief and Human Resources Director to the commission. Also discussed were the other duties of the commission, such as discipline, and current policies on probationary periods for officers and firefighters. Councilmember Steffen made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Gavin, to proceed with the proposed ordinance to increase the pool of qualified police officer candidates and allow staff members to be part of the decisions made by the fire and police commission. Upon a roll call vote: Yeas: Councilmembers Gavin, Prigge, Shaw, Steffen, and Mayor Kaptain. Nays: Councilmembers Dunne, Martinez, Powell, and Rauschenberger. Consideration of Proposed Third Amendment to Amended and Restated Ground Lease Agreement with Elgin Riverboat Resort, Doing Business as the Grand Victoria Casino Jim Thomason, General Manager of Grand Victoria Casino, provided a presentation on the Grand Victoria Casino’s involvement in the community and the reasons they are asking for the council to consider amending the ground lease agreement. A copy of the presentation is on file in the City Clerk’s office. There was discussion regarding the revenue generated by the riverboat and the impact of the economy, smoking ban, new riverboats in the area and changes to regulations for video gaming terminals on the Grand Victoria. Also discussed were the Grand Victoria’s plans for the future including: the summer concert series, 4th of July fireworks, and other events at Festival Park. Councilmember Dunne made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Martinez, to approve the proposed amendment to the lease with Elgin Riverboat Resort to provide for an alternative rent calculation and to add an additional six five-year options to the term of the lease agreement. Upon a roll call vote: Yeas: Councilmembers Dunne, Martinez, Prigge, Powell, Rauschenberger, Steffen, and Mayor Kaptain. Nays: Councilmembers Gavin and Shaw. Committee of the Whole July 23, 2014 Page 3 Consideration of Amendment to Elgin Municipal Code Chapter 2.20 Entitled “Residency Requirements for City Officers” City Manager Stegall provided a presentation on the evolution of the residency requirements for municipalities and outlined the proposed changes to the ordinance. A copy of the presentation is on file in the City Clerk’s office. There was discussion regarding other options to require residency, considerations such as the housing market, dual family incomes and schools that impact residency of employees. There were also concerns about the requirement of forty (40) hours per calendar year of volunteer community service for the impacted employees. Councilmember Prigge made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Gavin, to remove the required forty (40) hours of volunteer as defined in the proposed ordinance. Upon a roll call vote: Yeas: Councilmembers Gavin, Prigge, Rauschenberger, and Shaw. Nays: Councilmembers Dunne, Martinez, Powell, Steffen, and Mayor Kaptain. Motion failed. Further discussion on the tools needed to hire the best candidates for the positions, the types of community service that would meet the volunteer requirements, how the requirement would be administered, and if that requirement is legal to impose. Councilmember Powell made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Gavin, to table the item considering the amendment to Chapter 2.20 of the Elgin Municipal Code for two weeks. Upon a roll call vote: Yeas: Councilmembers Dunne and Powell. Nays: Councilmembers Gavin, Martinez, Prigge, Rauschenberger, Shaw, Steffen and Mayor Kaptain. Motion failed. Councilmember Steffen made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Gavin, to proceed with the proposed ordinance to amend Chapter 2.20 entitled “Residency Requirement for City Officers” to ensure that the city has a wide selection of qualified candidates for its senior positions and a commitment to community service and involvement by all senior level officials. Upon a roll call vote: Yeas: Councilmembers Gavin, Martinez, Prigge, Rauschenberger, Shaw, Steffen, and Mayor Kaptain. Nays: Councilmembers Dunne and Powell. Public Hearing and Consideration of the Naming of the Robert Gilliam Municipal Complex The consensus of the council was that naming the Municipal Complex after Robert Gilliam was an appropriate way to honor Mr. Gilliam for his 40 years of service on the city council. Committee of the Whole July 23, 2014 Page 4 Councilmember Steffen made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Powell, to move forward with renaming City Hall and Civic Plaza to the Robert Gilliam Municipal Complex to honor Robert Gilliam’s leadership and extraordinary commitment to the community. Upon a roll call vote: Yeas: Councilmembers Dunne, Gavin, Martinez, Prigge, Powell, Rauschenberger, Shaw, Steffen, and Mayor Kaptain. Nays: None. Announcements from Council Councilmember Powell announced a fish fry and BBQ being held at Progressive Baptist Church, 305 Ann Street, to benefit their youth programs. Councilmember Gavin commented on his participation in a large scale active shooter training exercise held on July 17th. He also thanked Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club for the use of their parking lot during this exercise. Councilmember Steffen invited residents to attend the Kiwanis’s Club BBQ being held on August 16th in the Sherman Hospital parking lot. Councilmember Martinez commented on the success of the Josh Turner concert and thanked all that were involved in planning the event. City Manager Stegall announced that the Police Department had been named as a finalist for the International Chiefs of Police/Thomson Reuters Award for Excellence in Criminal Investigation. Announcements from Staff Laura Valdez-Wilson, Management Analyst in the City Manager’s Office, announced upcoming city events. Adjournment Councilmember Gavin made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Steffen, to adjourn the meeting. Upon a roll call vote: Yeas: Councilmembers Dunne, Gavin, Martinez, Powell, Prigge, Rauschenberger, Shaw, Steffen, and Mayor Kaptain. Nays: None. The meeting adjourned at 8:16 p.m. s/ Kimberly Dewis August 13, 2014 Kimberly Dewis, City Clerk Date Approved