Hello, everyone. Tonight is the last full meeting of the current City Council. Next week, we’ll be saying goodbye to Jim Montelongo and George Jacob, and saying hello to Beth Akeson and Chuck Weaver (Weaver is here tonight in the gallery). The rest of the players will remain the same. All the current council members are here tonight (except for Jacob, of course, who is still recovering from a motorcycle accident). Also enjoying his first council meeting is our new City Manager, Patrick Urich.

Well, you all know the drill — I’ll be giving you the live play-by-play for tonight’s council meeting. I’ll be updating this post frequently throughout the evening, under the agenda items listed below, so be sure to refresh your browser occasionally if you’re following along in real time. The city posts its agenda and almost all supporting documentation online here, so if you want additional information on a particular agenda item, be sure to check out that link. Here’s the agenda for tonight, April 26, 2011:

PETITIONS, REMONSTRANCES & COMMUNICATIONS – CITY OF PEORIA

ITEM NO. 1 PRESENTATION by PASS (Peoria Area Shared Services) FORWARD COMMITTEE, with Request to Receive and File.

The time is 6:40 p.m., and we’re on our way with the business portion of the meeting. The proclamations have been given and the minutes of the last meeting are approved, so now we’re getting a short presentation from Doug Crew, retired Caterpillar executive and representative of the PASS Forward Committee.

Crew says he got involved about six months ago at Mayor Ardis’s and County Board Chairman Tom O’Neill’s request for leadership on this issue (shared services among the City and County). They have a Six Sigma black belt on board, and 14 other people in their “core group.” Eight of the members reside in the City, and the rest reside in the County outside the City. The advisory group includes the core group and about 15+ other people. They want this to be “an open process.”

Crew briefed the County Board, the Heart of Peoria Mayor’s Group, and Councilman Spears’ intergovernmental ad hoc committee. Meetings started in February, and they’ve had six or seven meetings so far. They gathered information from Urich (county at the time) and Setti (city manager’s office) and identified seven areas they think will provide opportunities for shared services. “This is a process that will take several months.” They’re going to have Dr. Kurt Thurmaier from Northern Illinois University come to Peoria on Monday, May 9 (3-6 p.m. @ Heartland Performance room at Bradley University) to speak to the group, and all council members will be invited. More details to come, he says. He appreciates the support and encouragement, yada yada yada. End of presentation. No discussion. Received and filed unanimously.

ITEM NO. 2 CONSIDERATION OF CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS BY OMNIBUS VOTE, for the City of Peoria, with Recommendations as Outlined:

A. Communication from the City Manager and Police Chief Requesting Approval for the PURCHASE of 60 IN-CAR PRINTERS from CDS OFFICE TECHNOLOGIES, in the Amount of $17,921.00, from the PDAFF (Asset Forfeiture) Account.

B. Communication from the City Manager and Fire Chief Requesting Approval to PURCHASE ONE HEAVY DUTY RESCUE SQUAD from the LOWEST BIDDER, KME, in the Amount of $423,085.00.

C. Communication from the City Manager and Corporation Counsel Requesting Authorization for a SETTLEMENT of SUBROGATION CLAIM with STATE FARM INSURANCE for DAMAGE to a PICK-UP TRUCK Owned by RANDY OWENS, in the Amount of $11,616.03.

D. Communication from the City Manager and Director of Public Works Requesting Approval of the SEWER IMPROVEMENT AGREEMENT with the GREATER PEORIA SANITARY DISTRICT for the REPAIR of SEWERS as a Part of the CITY’S SEWER REHABILITATION (DESIGN AREA 1 CIPP MANHOLE to MANHOLE PROJECT 10 (GPSD Project #2194) and Concur in the Award of the CONTRACT with SAK CONSTRUCTION, LLC, for the Low Bid, in the Amount of $634,203.00.

E. Communication from the City Manager and Director of Planning and Growth Management Recommending Adoption of an ORDINANCE Designating the EAST VILLAGE GROWTH CELL AREA as a QUALIFIED AREA Under 24 CFR 570.208(b)(1) for the ENHANCED UTILIZATION of CDBG FUNDS.

F. Communication from the City Manager and Director of Planning and Growth Management with Recommendation from the Zoning Commission and Staff to Adopt an ORDINANCE Amending EXISTING SPECIAL USES, Ordinance No. 13,120 as Amended, for the Expansion of a Non-Conforming Aluminum Cast Molding Use, and Ordinance No. 15,283, for a Foundry/Machine Shop, in a Class I-1 (Industrial/Business Park) District to ADD the PROPERTY Located at 8728 N. PIONEER ROAD and to Allow for BUILDING ADDITIONS and PARKING LOT EXPANSION and INCLUDING EXISTING CONDITIONS for the Properties Located at 8821 N. UNIVERSITY STREET, 8728 N. PIONEER ROAD and 8820 N. PIONEER ROAD, with Waivers and Conditions.

G. Communication from the City Manager and Corporation Counsel Requesting Approval of the APPLICATION for a CLASS H (Temporary Outdoor) LIQUOR LICENSE at 418 S.W. WATER STREET from the NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY on SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 2011.

H. Communication from the City Manager and Director of Public Works Requesting Consideration of a NEW SIDEWALK CAFE for RHYTHM KITCHEN to be Located at 305 S. W. WATER STREET.

The following items were removed from the consent agenda by the council members in parentheses: A (Turner), E (Sandberg). The remaining items were approved unanimously.

• Item A — Turner asks if there is any value in giving the old in-car printers to other municipalities. Answer: no. The printers have no value. Nevertheless, the police department does make the old printers available to donate to other organizations if they want them. Motion to approve passes unanimously.
• Item E — Sandberg asks what the “blight test” is that is referenced in the proposed ordinance. “What is the ‘accepted definition of blight’?” Mike Sims (sp?) says they are using the TIF definition of blight, but more information will be coming in the future. Sandberg says the TIF definition is “overly general.” He goes on to say that he doesn’t believe the area is blighted, and he says the “blight” definition is not codified. Riggenbach says “the important thing” is that we’re allowing the CDBG funding to be used for the East Village Growth Cell. Says the definition of blight is defined by state statute and is a non-issue. Moves to approve, seconded by Turner. Passes 9-1 (Sandberg).

ITEM NO. 3 Communication from the City Manager and Director of Public Works with Request to Accept the LOW BID of PRAIRIE ARCHWAY INTERNATIONAL of 2116 N. Main, Normal, Illinois, in an Amount Not to Exceed $388,632.00, for the PURCHASE of THREE FULLY-EQUIPPED DUMP TRUCKS with Dump Box, Snow Plow and Salt Spreader.

Public Works Director Dave Barber is asked to give a summary overview of this item. You can get an overview by reading the council communication here. “The longer we delay, the more these trucks are going to become really problematic to us,” Barber says. He says they solicited bids for the trucks instead of going through the state, and came up with a lower cost this time than the last time this came before the council.

Van Auken moves to approve, and encourages Barber to do this kind of detailed analysis in the future as a regular practice. Gulley makes some comments about how the city can save some money by replacing engines instead of buying new trucks. Spears points out that the council shouldn’t take for granted that the state bid is the cheapest bid. “That’s the lesson learned here,” he says. Ardis also points out the advantage of putting the money into our local economy. Sandberg agrees, and says we should always shop locally whenever and wherever we can. Motion passes unanimously.

ITEM NO. 4 Communication from the City Manager and Acting Human Resources Director Requesting Approval to Enter into a ONE-YEAR CONTRACT, with an Option for Annual Renewals Upon Mutual Agreement for an Additional Two-Year Period, with HOLMES MURPHY & ASSOCIATES for HEALTH CARE CONSULTING SERVICES to the City, with the Initial Contract being Effective 5/1/2011 Through 4/30/2012 at a Cost of $85,000.00 Per Year to Include Actuarial Services.

Spain gives some introductory comments. This item was the subject of “Outside the Horseshoe” on WCBU (89.9 FM) tonight, by the way. Spain moves to approve; seconded by Irving. Urich also has some comments. He says we haven’t been fully funding our actuarially required contribution (ARC), and that this is an important budget item. Apparently our ARC is something like $11 million, and we’ve only been contributing $3.8 million. So, yeah, I’d say that’s not fully funded!

Ardis commends Jacob and Spain for their work on this item and the proposals he’s brought forward. Motion passes unanimously.

ITEM NO. 5 Communication from the City Manager and Director of Planning and Growth Management with Recommendation to Adopt ONE of the Following:

A. Concur with the Recommendation from the Zoning Commission to ADOPT an ORDINANCE Rezoning Properties Located at 9000 N. KNOXVILLE AVENUE, 9004 N. KNOXVILLE AVENUE, and the WESTERN PORTION of 8923 N. FRYE ROAD from the Present Class R-1 (Single Family Residential) District to a Class O-1 (Arterial Office) District and GRANTING a SPECIAL USE for a FINANCIAL INSTITUTION with a DRIVE-UP FACILITY, OR

B. Concur with the Recommendation from Staff to DENY an ORDINANCE Rezoning Properties Located at 9000 N. KNOXVILLE AVENUE, 9004 N. KNOXVILLE AVENUE, and the WESTERN PORTION of 8923 N. FRYE ROAD from the Present Class R-1 (Single Family Residential) District to a Class O-1 (Arterial Office) District and GRANTING a SPECIAL USE for a FINANCIAL INSTITUTION with a DRIVE-UP FACILITY.

This is a controversial issue, so the floor is opened to public comment first.

• Barbara Litchfield — Lives next door to the proposed bank location. She’s lived there since 1978, and says the land is residential. She collected 79 signatures against the development. There are so many other commercial properties for sale — there are already three banks across the street. She would like the zoning to remain residential. Says she stands for all the people in her neighborhood.
• Dean Heinzman (sp?) — President of First State Bank of Illinois, petitioner in this action. He gives a little history of the bank. “We’ve identified this site as a good site for our customers and for our operations.” He says they have been very transparent about their plans for this site, sending letters to neighbors and holding meetings for the neighbors. He said they made a mistake in that he didn’t realize Mrs. Litchfield had a Knoxville address — the letters all went to neighbors with Timber Lane addresses. He says he believes this is a good project, and mentions that their setbacks will be the twice what’s required. Sandberg asks if it will be hooked up to the sanitary sewer; answer: yes.

No more public comment. Irving says the options are to leave this as a vacant lot forever, not generating much property tax for the City, or we can let this bank from LaHarpe come in and put their capital into our community. He says they have been transparent and are providing extra buffering, and have been very sensitive to neighbors’ needs. He says a lot of people on Frye Rd. have called him and are all in favor of this project. Irving moves to approve option A as outlined; seconded by Turner.

Van Auken speaks in favor of the motion and praises the petitioner’s transparency. Sandberg asks if there is access to Knoxville or not. Answer: they would like it, but it hasn’t been approved by the state (Knoxville is a state route). Sandberg says without it, all the traffic would be going out onto Frye Rd. Sandberg also notes that there are no sidewalks being built in this plan — they are using a fee in lieu of sidewalks.

Sandberg says his main concern is that this violates the Comprehensive Plan which was just passed last Council meeting, and which was used to justify denying elderly housing at Sheridan and War Memorial. Furthermore, he says it’s difficult for traffic to exit onto Knoxville, so adding more traffic there will warrant putting a new traffic control device.

Irving says there’s no pedestrian traffic on the east side of Knoxville, so he doesn’t think it’s any big deal that they’re not building sidewalks. He also says that it’s consistent with the sidewalk policy of the city. He also says he feels this project is “forward thinking.”

Riggenbach says he talked to people in his part of town that had a South Side bank branch move into their neighborhood, and he said they told him they thought a bank was a great neighbor and they had not problem with them. He also likes the screening that has been proposed. So he’ll be supporting it.

Sandberg says the reason sidewalks aren’t there is because we never required them to be put in, and that’s why you don’t see many pedestrians, so it’s a circular argument. He says we need sidewalks, not the fee that we never use.

Spears is supporting the motion, but he’s nevertheless concerned about the 24-hour nature of ATMs. Not concerned enough to vote against it, I guess. Gulley says he’s in favor of it. Gulley asks if Irving spoke with any of the people who are against the project, or if he only spoke with those who were for it.

Motion passes 9-1 (Sandberg).

ITEM NO. 6 Communication from the City Manager and Director of Planning and Growth Management with Recommendation from the Zoning Commission and Staff to DENY an ORDINANCE Amending an EXISTING SPECIAL USE, Ordinance No. 16,082 as Amended, in a Class C-2 (Large Scale Commercial) District for a SHOPPING CENTER to Add a FIVE FOOT TALL, THIRTY-FOUR SQUARE FOOT MONUMENT SIGN for Property Commonly Known as JUNCTION CITY SHOPPING CENTER with an Address of 5901 N. PROSPECT AVENUE with the Proposed Sign Being Located at 5832 N. KNOXVILLE.

Riggenbach moves for two-week deferral, seconded by Van Auken. No discussion. Passes unanimously.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

(11-161) Communication from the Interim City Manager and Corporation Counsel Requesting Approval of the APPLICATION for a CLASS H (Temporary Outdoor) LIQUOR LICENSE at 1601 W. NORTHMOOR, EXPOSITION GARDENS, for a FUNDRAISER on FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 2011.

Irving moves to approve; seconded by Turner. No discussion. Passes unanimously.

NEW BUSINESS

Sandberg says that every sidewalk cafe that has been approved by the city has asked for and been granted a variance to a requirement that a 13′ walkway be provided. He asks staff to bring back an ordinance change to make the requirement only 6′, since that’s what we always approve anyway.

Spears asks that it be regular practice that we not just accept state bids. He also says that the old Denny’s at I-74 and Sterling has finally been demolished, and that he’s looking forward to the new development, but he doesn’t say what the new development is. Asks city staff to “go after Ameren CILCO” and take their “eyesore” substation and do something to beautify it. He also complained about a landlord, but I missed who it was.

Ardis welcomes Patrick Urich.

CITIZENS’ OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THE CITY COUNCIL/TOWN BOARD

There are three citizens who requested to address the council:

• LaVetta Ricca — Talks about the Great American Clean-Up at Old Town South Neighborhood Association. She says there are very few people who take part, and most of them are older and unable to do much. But the good news is that the police department and fire department came and helped out. So did South Side Mission. And Unclaimed Freight. And PDC. So it was successful after all, and everyone had a good time despite the poor weather and rain. They filled up an entire garbage truck.
• Savino Sierra — General comments. Complaints about neglect of the South Side. He speaks over the five minute limit, clocking in his comments at six minutes and 28 seconds.
• Mr. Holder — This is the guy who spoke a couple weeks ago. Says he’s “been played” by the police department — that they gave him a bogus telephone number to call the police for help (it goes to a window and siding place). Says the city took his mowers, and he wants them back so he can mow his lawn.

EXECUTIVE SESSION

ADJOURNMENT

There’s an executive session. Everyone else gets to leave. We’re adjourned at 8:07 p.m. Short meeting. Good night everyone!

Oh, by the way, there’s a special council meeting next Tuesday, May 3, to swear in the new council members.ИкониikoniПодаръци