City of Macomb Committee of the Whole met Nov. 13.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
The Committee of the Whole of the Macomb City Council met on Tuesday, November 13, 2018 at 5:15 p.m. in the City Council Chambers of City Hall at 232 East Jackson Street, Macomb, IL.
Mayor Michael Inman called the meeting to order.
Roll call was taken and the following were present: Mike Wayland, John Vigezzi, Annette Carper, Gayle Carper, Don Wynn and Dennis Moon. Others present: Deputy Clerk Renee Lotz, City Administrator Dean Torreson and City Attorney Kristen Petrie. Also in attendance were Public Works Director Scott Coker Police Chief Curt Barker and CDC Intern John Bannon. Alderman Tom Koch was absent.
Public comment: Noon Rotary Club President, Kristin Terry and John Michelotti of New York, presented Mayor Inman with a commemorative 911 10th Anniversary Flag of Honor, displaying all 911 victims within the stripes of the flag. The flag will be framed as a gift from Mr. & Mrs. Dave Thompson who are friends of Mr. Michelotti.
The first item on the agenda for discussion was on the request from the Lamoine Senior Living Center for three (3) parking spaces on N. Randolph Street and two (2) parking spaces on East Carroll Street designated as loading/unloading zones. CA Torreson explained that the Public Safety Committee met regarding this issue with no concluded recommendation. He explained the handicapped accessible ramp is located on the south side of the Lamoine and when referring to load/unload zones he wasn’t sure what that meant. He stated there was no clear definition on the purpose these would serve.
Ms. Kelly Shrocki of the Center presented a letter from Mr. Chris Trotter with his request. She stated when at capacity, the Center would have 40 to 50 residents and the request was mainly for their safety.
They have a large handicapped bus with a loading ramp that needs to be directly onto the sidewalk; in climate weather is a concern with loading/unloading wheelchairs. They prefer that be located on the Randolph side of the building. She stated during city events the bus would not be parked there, in order to accommodate.
She stated there wasn’t precedent for this; as they’re the first assisted living to be located in the downtown. They’ve arranged with the city for driving residents to park in the back of the building and their staff would park in the city public parking lots.
She stated they have conference rooms available for use and those parking spaces would be helpful in those instances on Randolph Street.
Mayor Inman stated he was a bit confused as he was not able to be at the committee meeting. He’s hearing space to unload folks and then designated parking places.
Kelly stated yes two requests; loading/unloading zone for the bus on Randolph Street or on Carroll behind the handicapped parking space. Mr. Trotter’s letter stated loading/unloading of peoples on E. Carroll plus a designated parking space; allowing residents to enter building using their ADA ramp entrance. This entrance will be used for residents and families to load/unload. There’s currently a designated handicapped parking space there and their ADA door entrance. He was also requesting four (4) spaces per his letter, designated parking spaces directly in front of the Lamoine on N. Randolph Street, for the safety and convenience of his residents and their guests.
Alderman A. Carper stated the bus parking in front was not as much a priority as the designated spaces on for residents and families to be able to park for a time in front of the building.
Alderman G. Carper stated she thought the E. Carroll street space was for loading/unloading just for 15 minutes or whatever designation that would be; but that’s not what the letter was stating and at the committee meeting the request for 3 spaces on N. Randolph but the letter states 4. She pointed out that there was a parking lot where guests and family members could park.
Alderman A. Carper explained when she made the presentation as the Director of the Lamoine Senior Living; the 2 spaces on E. Carroll Street were for loading/unloading of residents that may have mobility limitations for entry into the ADA door on E. Carroll Street side for loading/unloading say if a family member takes a resident out to dinner, they use the loading/unloading designated spots. The spaces on N. Randolph would be for residents coming and going, seniors who would be touring the facility, and attending activities. For us it boils down to safety for our residents and guests.
Mayor Inman asked if there would be agreement on time restrictions on those spaces, like 8am to 5pm.
Alderman A. Carper replied absolutely.
Alderman G. Carper asked counsel if time restrictions could be applied to the loading/unloading spaces as per our code.
City Attorney Petrie stated yes according to code and it could be crafted to fit the need.
Alderman Moon remarked that he had informed them at the Public Safety Committee meeting that there was an effort to eliminate loading/unloading parking spaces in the downtown area and that’s pretty much been accomplished. He understands the request for the E. Carroll Street but was not in favor of the N. Randolph Street side for any loading/unloading or restricted parking.
Alderman G. Carper stated she was in agreement with Alderman Moon’s opinion. She stated it would set a bad precedent for other requests to be made.
Mayor Inman asked if a 30 minute time limit for loading/unloading would be reasonable time for them.
Ms. Shrocki stated she believed so.
Mayor Inman stated he thought he was hearing a consensus for 2 loading/unloading on E. Carroll Street with 30 minutes time restriction.
There was no further discussion and Mayor Inman stated there would be a draft ordinance made for consideration at next Monday night meeting.
The second item on the agenda for discussion was on fencing off the archway entrance in Chandler Park for safety reasons. CA Torreson stated this was also an item that was before the Public Safety Committee and recommendation was made to proceed.
PW Director Scott Coker stated he had a quote for materials from Lovewell Fencing in the amount of $1,163.19 and public works people would make the installation. The fencing would be placed inside the archway with matching panel of existing fence material.
Alderman Vigezzi moved, seconded by Alderman A. Carper to approve fencing the archway and place it on the consent agenda, all Aldermen voted “Aye” by Viva Voca vote, Mayor Inman declared the motion carried and stated it would be placed on the consent agenda at Monday night meeting.
The third item on the agenda for discussion was on purchasing a License Reader system for the Macomb Police Department. Chief Barker stated he was requesting authorization to purchase the License Plate Reader system for $24,400. Intent of use was for DUI enforcement and accountability program. Funds would directly come from the DUI Fund Account. This account is supplemented from DUI charges and can only be used for DUI related items.
The intent of the program is to ensure suspended and revoked drivers are not illegally driving.
Information, security and storage meet all accreditation standards and would only be used for department safety. All reads that were not a part of an ongoing investigation would be kept for only 30 days.
He explained it would also assist in missing or endangered person’s alerts, stolen vehicles, wanted subjects, violent gang or terrorist file alerts. There are many uses for this program.
Alderman Vigezzi asked how many reads it could do and what municipalities were utilizing it.
Chief Barker stated how many was based on traffic flow, road width and he would have to look up the numbers for specifics. He named Chicago, Rockford, Wooddale, Loves Park etc. all suburban areas. He stated many universities and private companies use it and highway patrols in Iowa and Missouri.
Alderman G. Carper did research on the subject and reported her findings to Council. She stated she was very much against it because of privacy issues. She stated it takes pictures of every single vehicle that goes by it, taking thousands of pictures per minute; per the research that she read and that was in high traffic areas. Macomb is not a high traffic area so this camera would photo us many times a day as we go about our business. She stated it takes pictures of the people in the cars and notes the time and date. This information can then be pooled into information sharing systems.
She stated in Illinois there were no restrictions on the use of these and they become officially public record of the State. She stated the “hot” list the Chief spoke of in Public Safety Committee, cannot be used to stop someone; they must be involved in some kind of current criminal activity.
She then read a long list of statistics concerning accidents in the U.S. which were indicators that age and uninsured persons were a higher risk. She then gave stats on areas where the readers were being used: Maryland 29 million, only.2% were actual hits associated with any crime. From 1 million of those read in Maryland there were only 47 potential hot listers. She gave other statistics from Illinois and Minnesota.
She explained that in Illinois any person can obtain a FOIA to obtain these kinds of records and that was a dangerous loss of privacy.
Chief Barker stated it never records a face; not the system that he was suggesting. He stated that possibly the systems she was referring to was the red light cameras used at red lights and toll ways. He stated this system only takes photos of license plates. That plate number is stored and if anyone would FOIA that; the license plate according to law, has no expectation to privacy via Supreme Court ruling.
He stated all notifications must be verified before an arrest happens. Restrictions would be within the Police Department Policy. There are accreditation standards to be followed and they’re built into our policy. Our policy is open for anyone to review. We will never share our information with anyone but other law enforcement agencies.
Alderman G. Carper explained that it would not just be the license plate number that would be shared, it would be all information pertaining to date, time and location of where that was captured. It can’t be denied it has to be shared.
Alderman Wynn stated he did some research also and he believed that photos were taken of the vehicles. He was also not in favor of the purchase.
Chief Barker reiterated; it would only read plate numbers and would be cycled out in 30 days if none were on a list. He felt it worth it if they could keep one suspended/revoked driver from driving or even killing a person.
Alderman A. Carper inquired what provoked Chief Barker to look into a system like this.
He replied he wants to enhance the DUI program. He stated his men do a great job looking for DUI’s and with the education portion; but once a person is suspended/revoked, they don’t know that. This system would allow them availability through the system; allowing them to remove one from the road before hurting someone.
There was no further discussion and Mayor Inman stated it would be placed on the agenda for final action at Monday night meeting.
The fourth item on the agenda for discussion was on an ordinance to authorize the City of Macomb to sell property currently housing the Western Illinois Museum of which ownership is determined no longer necessary. City Attorney Kristen Petrie presented the ordinance for first reading.
CONSIDERATION OF AN ORDINANCE TO AUTHORIZE THE CITY OF MACOMB TO SELL PROPERTY CURRENTLY HOUSING THE WESTERN ILLINOIS MUSEUM OF WHICH OWNERSHIP IS DETERMINED TO NO LONGER BE NECESSARY
CA Torreson sated the building at 201 S. Lafayette Street was purchased in 2000 for the purpose of housing the museum and CVB. The final payment was made in October, 2018. It was purchased with intent of becoming the property of Western Illinois Museum when the mortgage was paid in full.
A series of meetings have been held between parties to work out details of the property transfer. An ordinance must be done and RFP’s be taken to determine the use of the building. The criteria spelled out in the RFP is narrow enough to ensure the building will be used for a purpose closely related to the City Council’s original intent.
Mayor Inman inquired if there had been a Right to Refusal sometime down the road on the City’s behalf.
City Attorney Petrie stated it had not been discussed, but it could be added as part of the RFP bid specs.
Should the successful bidder at some point decide not to use the facility for said purpose; it could convey back to the City.
Alderman G. Carper asked if it would have to be at market value.
City Attorney Petrie stated she would craft it to have the option of first refusal for same cost as they received it.
CA Torreson stated there were meetings being arranged to discuss with the parties. He stated that he was sure that the Western Museum put substantial monies into the purchase of this building at the beginning and have since made physical improvements over the 20 years, which needs to be considered.
This really needs to be worked out within the three parties. He wasn’t sure it could be done before second reading next Monday night.
There was no further discussion and Mayor Inman stated it would be placed on the agenda for second reading and final action at Monday night meeting.
The fifth item on the agenda for discussion was on an ordinance to amend Chapter 6 of the Municipal Code of Macomb, Illinois, Section 131 Enforcement Officers, to add the Code Enforcement Officers. City Attorney Petrie stated this was staff generated in order to assist law enforcement who were the only one’s authorized to make written citations. The Code Enforcement Officers see many offenses as they are out in the community checking on other ordinance violations. These would be issues regarding tethering or lacking sufficient shelter or care of animals. This would save time and workforce on behalf of the Law Enforcement Officers.
There was no further discussion and Mayor Inman stated it would be placed on the agenda for first reading at Monday night meeting.
The sixth item on the agenda for discussion was on adopting a resolution to amend the City of Macomb, Illinois policy prohibiting sexual harassment. City Attorney Petrie explained this general housekeeping, reflected the IML’s request on time limits to file complaints. There was no further discussion and Mayor Inman stated it would be placed on the agenda for adoption at Monday night meeting.
The seventh item on the agenda for discussion was on purchasing Chamber of Commerce gift certificates for city employees for Christmas in the amount of $30.00 each. This has been an annual tradition for the city. There are 114 employees. There was no discussion.
Alderman A. Carper moved, seconded by Alderman Vigezzi to approve of the purchase of the Chamber Gift Certificates for employees, and place it on the consent agenda, all Aldermen voted “Aye” by Viva Voca vote, Mayor Inman declared the motion carried and stated it would be placed on the consent agenda for Monday night meeting.
Mayor Inman read the following declaration: The City of Macomb joins our University partner in a commitment to equity, civility, inclusion, diversity, mutual respect, and peace. We serve as a welcoming home for all members of our community.
We must all continue to work together to ensure a respectful, civil and peaceful community.
There was no further business.
There being no further business to come before the Council, Alderman Vigezzi moved, seconded by Alderman Moon to adjourn the meeting, all Aldermen voting “Aye” by Viva Voca vote, Mayor Inman declared the motion carried and they adjourned the meeting at 6:17 p.m.
https://cityofmacomb.com/11-13-2018-committee-of-the-whole-minutes/
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