City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening everyone. I'll call our meet meeting to order at 6 pm here in council chambers. Roll call please. Alder person MSAS. Rosac Benzen. Timmyian present. Finch present. McNeel present. Castro present. Schmidt present. All right. Thank you. We have no remote electronic attendance necessary this evening. Is there public comment chief? If you'd like to and you didn't sign in, that's no problem. Just step to the mic. Okay. And you have three minutes. So, yeah, we keep a little time. Just tell us your name.

Uh, my name is Grant Platinum. I'm the principal over at Franklin Elementary School. I had your daughter in class. Tell her I said to see you next. Um, and the reason that I'm coming to you guys tonight is because I just feel like I'm kind of hitting a brick wall in regards to some signage, in regards to some traffic help that you guys can provide. Um, essentially, if you're familiar with Franklin Elementary School, up by the steel plow, two blocks east of Wilson, we have a sequence of one-way streets that circle our campus that are one way during particular times. Um, we have a neighborhood of about 30 houses to the east of 54th Street. And so, Franklin is on on the west boundary there by our beautiful mural, if you've ever driven by it in the last year and a half. That's 53rd Street. 54th is on the east side there. And on the east side of 54th Street, we have about 30 homes, 30 families that live in a couple of pocket neighborhoods back there, whether it's on 54th or back in the neighborhood. And we don't have a crosswalk there to cross kids. And so I've actually brought some traffic video footage of a kindergarter almost getting hit the other day, which is why I'm here. Um, I've emailed the Molen Police Department. I've emailed some people in the traffic controllers office, and I don't feel like I'm getting much of anywhere, and we would really like a crosswalk to be put there. So I our patrollers can safely cross our kindergarten through our fifth grade students. Um, and so if you can shake some trees, that's the reason why I'm here is because I've tried about everything that I can, whether it be through our facilities department in Molen getting us temporary things, but I feel like that would be like buying, you know, buying Peter to pay Paul type of scenario that just kind of kick the problem further down the road. But if you guys can help me uh get a crosswalk installed and kind of accelerate that timeline so that there's um a sidewalk there, that's kind of what I keep bumping into is that we can't put a crosswalk where a sidewalk doesn't exist or lead to. And so if you guys could fasttrack that for me and help me out or create some of these signage issues, um I've got my proposals right here. If we

could just get a three-way stop at the corner of 54th and 11th Avenue C with a crosswalk, I think that would solve all my problems. Then the patrols could safely cross the kids. So, that's all I have for you. Thank you. If you take Why don't you hand it to your older person, which is Dan McNeel for your the area that your school is in and normally we don't have a back and forth. It's a listening time for for um public comment. No, it's fine. Just wanted you to know that there'll be followup if of some sort, but especially since your elder person is now aware. Perfect. Thank you. Thank you. Do you want me email? I can get your email through the district. Perfect. Yep, I can. Thank you. All right. Thank you very much. Thank you guys.

Any further public comment out there? All right. Seeing none, we move to board appointments. Mayor's appointment of Alvaro MSAS, older person w 2 and James Patrick Schmidt, elder person at large to the adult use commission for terms concurrent with their respective aldermanic terms expiring May 1, 2029. Just so you're aware, we do have a hearing coming up that required the use of an adult use commission, which I did not even know we had, nor did I know how it was constructed, but now we do. So, um, it requires the mayor and the two most senior older people. Um, and so we you're not the older person for the place in question.

It's a tie. So, so, um, that's what that is about.

So, we'll move to questions on the agenda. Um, in regard to item 19.2 on the agenda, this is one that we tabled last week to come back this week. There will need to be a motion to take the item off the table and then we have our discussion. We um and have a motion to advance it to second reading or we have a motion to advance to second reading and then have a discussion. There we go. Okay. Any questions? Hearing none. We'll move to our committee of the whole agenda items 7.1. A resolution declaring the PlayWorld Specialist Inc. playground equipment at Macandless Park, a city-owned playground installed in 2003 as surplus property, authorizing the mayor and city clerk to execute and attest to a playground equipment donation agreement, excuse me, with Kids Around the World, Inc. and Illinois not for-profit corporation for equipment removal and transport and authorizing the director of parks and recreation to facilitate the donation of said playground equipment.

Yes. So, kids around the world, we did this last year for Browning Park. They came in with a a a truck, trailer, a bunch of volunteers will remove it from the ground up. They'll take it back to their um not for profofit. They'll refurbish it and then take it overseas. Um so currently Browning, they have the the old Browning Park. Um they're currently in refurbishment. It still be time before that gets reinstalled. Um they were great partners uh last spring and we're looking to do this again. So I ask for approval. Motion to approve. Second. Motion by Schmidt, seconded by Castro. Uh discussion hearing none. All in favor?

Any opposed? That motion passes. 7.2. A resolution approving a resolution for improvement under the Illinois Highway Code for section number 24-00299-0000. SG safe routes to school signing project for the amount of $25,000. This is an MFT resolution that we're asking for approval for. IDOT has asked us to get this in place in case there are overages on this project, which we do not anticipate, but just in case, this will authorize us to spend motor fuel tax funds if that does happen. Thank you. Motion to approve. Second.

Motion by Finch, seconded by Schmidt. Discussion hearing none. All in favor?

Any opposed? That motion passes. 7.3 A resolution authorizing the mayor to execute a notice of intent to award to Mcccleintoch Trucking and Excavating Inc. for project 1494 lead water service line replacement 15th Street Community Grant for the amount of 664,31510 and authorizing the director of utilities to execute any necessary documents related to this work. Good evening. You have before you um a request to file a notice of intent to award to Mcccleintoch. Um, this was a community grant that was supported by Congressman Eric Sornson. Um, this is a local grant match. Um, and so we're leveraging $500,000 with a match of $125,000 from the city. We hope to be able to replace about 50 to 60 lead service lines.

Motion to approve. Second. Motion by Finch, seconded by Schmidt. Discussion. Can you just remind us where uh a map might be of where we're starting the lead line replacement or is there a map existing that I cannot quite remember? Oh yes, thank you. That's all right, Mayor. I certainly but we do but do we have that public for somewhere that's easily accessible to the public who might want to know like where are we doing this work? When are we getting to them? That kind of thing. Absolutely. That's where it was headed. Certainly once once we have this and we we have a notice going forward with MLENT and we're getting ready to start the work, we absolutely can do that. Okay. Thank you. Absolutely. Mr. Timmy,

are are they reconstructing the whole street or is this a surgical removal and replacement? Not the whole entire street. Oh, we are. I'm sorry. That is that's why we identified this location on Bigger Park. Thank you. So, it's a resurface. So, they'll they'll cut out the old lines and fill and then do a resurface. They don't necessarily cut them out. They bore. They bore, but they have to put holes in the ground to get to C to the curb box, but a lot of this is directional bore. Okay. Thank you. Anything further from the council hearing? None. All in favor?

Any opposed? That motion passes. 7.4. A resolution authorizing the director of public works to submit a rock salt contract joint participation agreement with the state of Illinois central management services for 4,000 tons of rock salt obligating the city to purchase a minimum of 3,200 tons and the ability to to purchase up to 4,800 tons for the 2026 2027 winter season. and the city clerk to attest to the certificate of authority by vote and certificate of authority by bylaws to be submitted with said agreement. Mr. Schmidt,

good evening. This is our annual request to join the state's joint bid for a road. So, it's been very reliable so far. Um, we're looking to purchase the exact same amount as we have previously. Um, so bids themselves will be uh processed and revealed in October, Novemberish. So, we we should know how much per ton rate will be. Thank you. Anything further or do we have a motion? Motion to approve. Second. Motion by Finch, seconded by Castro. Discussion. Mr. Schmidt. How How much salt did we use last year or this year?

Currently, yeah, currently we're approaching the 4,000 mark. I I I think we'll probably spend the maximum just to fill up our domes as much as we can in case something weird happens early on again next year. Um, but we get our way through it. Thank you. Thank you. There's nothing further. All in favor? I. Any opposed?

That motion passes. All right. We'll close out that meeting and call our regular council meeting to order. Pledge of allegiance, please. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Do you have an invocation? Alder person Finch. I do not. Okay. Roll call, please. Alder person MSAS Razak, present. Timmyian, present. Finch, present. McNeel, present. Castro, present. Schmidt,

present. Uh, any further public comment at this time? No. We move to our consent agenda. Your honor, I request approval of committee of the whole council and executive session meeting minutes of February 24, 2026. Appointments made during committee of the whole on March 3, 2026 and consent agenda items 15.1 through 16.8 inclusively. Motion to approve. Second. Motion by Finch, seconded by Castro. Roll call, please. Hold a person. Finch. I McNeel I Castro Hi Schmidt I Razak I Timmyian I

six eyes no that motion carries non-consent agenda resolutions item number 18.1 a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute a notice of intent to award to Mcccleintoch Trucking and Excavating Inc. for project 1494, leadwater service line replacements, 15th Street Community Grant, for the amount of 664,31510 and authorizing the director of utilities to execute any necessary documents related to this work. Motion to approve. Second. Motion by Finch, seconded by Schmidt. Discussion. Yes, Mr. Schmidt. Yeah. Um, why is this only authorizing the mayor as opposed to the mayor and clerk like usual?

Not sure. And I see we have it that way on both ways. So, I had assumed it was a or is it incorrect? We need to correct it.

Do you have the forms that have to be signed off on by any chance? Williamson. Sometimes they're included just waiting for the signatur. I'm sorry, I don't have my computer right here. Is there a spot for the clerk to notoriize? What? Okay. So, we would need to amend the language. So, it's not just authorizing the mayor. It should read authorizing the mayor and city clerk. It it probably should be actually. I I don't know how it is that uh we didn't catch that, but I I think it should be mayor and city clerk.

Would you like to amend it, Mr. Schmidt? Yeah. One one moment, please. I just I have to get back to it. Okay. I make a motion to amend to have a resolution authorizing the mayor and city clerk. Second. Motion by Schmidt, seconded by just by Finch. Discussion. Thank you for the tidying. I thought I was just being pnikity and learning something. It comes in handy, Mr. Schmidt.

Okay. Thank you. Especially since we had to have it on both meetings tonight. Um, all right. So, if there's no further discussion on the amendment, roll call, please. Alder person Finch. I. McNeel. Hi. Castro. Hi. Schmidt. Hi, MSAS. Ros, sorry, I said Ms. Rosak. I, Timmyian. Hi. All right, that motion passes. That was six. 6. Uh, or that amendment passes. Now we're back to the motion as amended. Any further discussion? Hearing none. Roll call, please. Alder person Finch. Hi. McNeel. Hi. Castro. Hi. Schmidt. Hi. Rosac. Hi. Simeon.

Hi. Six eyes. No. That motion carries. Okay. Item number 18.2, a resolution authorizing the mayor and city clerk to execute and attest to a contract with Phoenix Corporation of the Quad Cities for project number 1533, 2026 Riverside Cemetery Resurfacing Project for the amount of 264,8125. Motion to approve. Second. Um motion by Finch, seconded by Castro. Discussion hearing none. Roll call, please. Alder person. Finch. Hi. McNeel. Hi. Castro. Hi. Schmidt. Hi. Razak. Hi. Timmyian. Hi.

Six eyes, no nays. That motion carries. Item number 18.3, a resolution authorizing the mayor and city clerk to execute and attest to a contract with Davenport Electric Contract Company for project number 1457, River Drive and 12th Street Traffic Signal Installation for the amount of $637,427.81 81 cents with the understanding that work on said project will not begin until the impact agreement is completed. Motion to approve. Second. Motion by Finch. Seconded by Schmidt. Discussion. Hearing none. Roll call, please. Alder person Finch. Hi. McNeel. Hi. Castro. Hi. Schmidt. Hi. Razak. I. Timmyian. Hi.

Six eyes. No naysay. That motion carries. Non-consent agenda. First reading ordinances. Item number 19.1, an ordinance amending chapter 32, vegetation of the mulling code of ordinances by repealing article 2 trees in its entirety and enacting in l thereof one new article 2 entitled trees dealing with the same subject matter. Motion to advance the second reading. Second. All right. Motion by Finch, seconded by Castro. Discussion hearing. None. Roll call, please. Alder person Finch. Hi. McNeel. Hi. Castro. Hi. Schmidt. Hi. Razak. Hi. Timmyian. All right.

Six eyes, no nays. That motion to advance to second reading carries. Item number 19.2, an ordinance amending chapter 35, zoning and land development of the mulling code of ordinances regarding certain corrections, additions, and/or clarifications to the zoning and land development regulations, including text amendments to article one, general provisions and administration. Division two, word usage, abbreviations, and definitions, and amending article three, zoning. Division 4, land use regulations. Section 35-3401, Regulation of allowed uses, table 35-3401.1, permitted land uses concerning small institutional group homes. Your honor, I'd like to make a motion to remove 19.2 from the table. Second.

Right. Motion by Timmy and seconded by Schmidt. Um any there's no discussion on detailing there. There's no debate on this. It's simply um a procedural. It it needs to be done in order for it to be properly in front of you. Thank you. Roll call, please. Alder person Finch. Hi. McNeel. Hi. Castro. Hi. Schmidt. Hi. Razak. Hi. Timmyian. Hi. Six eyes. No names. And that motion carries. All right. That motion is on the table. So, um, your honor, I'd like to make a motion to advance the second reading. Second.

Motion by Timmy, seconded by Finch. Discussion. Castro. Um, I wasn't here last when it was discussed, so I just wanted to make sure that I had a chance to um to talk a little bit. Um, I had talked to Mr. Timmy a little bit and I really am not comfortable changing the definition of family. I don't think that it's the city's place to define the word family. I think the only people that should define it are the people in that family. I'm not saying that what he is trying to do um is wrong. I understand that he's trying to make it, you know, easier and make things less restrictive. Um, but I just don't think that changing the definition of family is um the right way to go. I know that we've been back and forth about this and I had asked about um changing um family to household. Um gotten something back from Mr. I can saying that that would be really hard because there's lots of things that would need to be updated and I think that it's going to be hard work but I think it should be updated and um would prefer to define household rather than family.

Thank you, Mr. Schmidt. I could not agree more that we should not be defining a family. Um and the only thing weirder than the definition that's being proposed now is the definition that we're replacing. Um and uh I agree that as we look forward, you know, I I I had had similar questions and thoughts on could we change that up and it was a lot of an effort there. I mean, is this something that would be potentially addressed during the comprehensive plan update? I mean, would would that would it come up through that? Do you want me to answer that or do you want somebody else?

Mayor, um well, I'll say that. Yeah, sure. We can have all kinds of discussions about code during comprehensive planning, but this is needed now to deal with the group home that wants to open. So, it's both. Mr. Atkins, I I actually agree with what you're saying and and I think I expressed that to you when we spoke privately about this.

Um the difficulty and this is why I've been concerned about this. Although with all the research I've done, I'm I'm satisfied that the horrible things that I I thought could happen are not going to happen. Um, but family is used so many times in the the code in both uh our our zoning and in building codes. And this is meant to apply to building codes as well. Um I if we were to try to change it on the fly uh every time we mention family to household it it would be we would miss some of them. I mean there it is just it is so many times. So, um I'm I think it's actually a good idea to define household instead of family, but right now our code says family throughout. And so changing the definition of family rather than changing family to to household or or anything of that nature is just the the better way to make sure that we do know what it is that we're changing. And and at this point, I feel confident that we know what we're changing. So please don't change it again,

Mr. Timmy. Thank you. Well said.

I I I originally intended to remove the definition alto together. Um, but after speaking with legal counsel, because it is such a woven part of how our code is written, there would no longer be a distinction between a single family and a multifamily unit, which then affects fire codes. And and there there's there's downward ripples, and I understand that we still need to have a definition of what a cohesive household is. We're calling it family currently, but there has to be a distinction between multi-unit, multif family, single family. I would advocate strongly that when we redo our zoning code that we remove the definition of family altogether and because this is again this is a land use regulation, not people use regulation or people regulation. So I just think this is something that I will be pushing for strongly when we get to that later in the year.

Thank you. Any nothing further? Roll call, please. Hold on. Yes, that's fine. There were no amendments. Sorry. I was like, I see something that was on tableabling. Roll call on the motion to advance to second reading. Alder person Finch. Hi. McNeel. Hi. Castro. Nay. Schmidt. I. Razak. I. Timmyian. Hi. Five eyes, one nay. That motion to advance to second reading carries. And that's all I have for anything, your honor. All right. Thank you very much. Miscellaneous business. Uh there's always lots going on, but um

we had Yes, surprise. We're down to the end.

Um I we had a Thank you to staff uh Ashley, Mr. Matias, Mr. Davies, and anyone else who helped um get us the East End neighbors meeting. I'm so sorry that we didn't work in your schedule, Mr. McNeel, but um it was important to keep us on the path of what that syllabus is for the this experience with the Just City Lab. um to be able to have a common language with residents there and to talk about what this means and to talk about thriving as a definition of how just your city is versus just what's the median household income, what's the median home cost, etc. Um and and issues related. So, I appreciated the time. I think there's more that I can communicate in a slightly different way. Um but I also appreciate any extra time you spent, Mr. Matias clarifying the Q&A. They all like the Q&A in your board meetings, right? Or your neighborhood meetings with staff and so they were able to um get some of those questions answered about McKinley and all that. So, um thank you for that. Uh we also had the mayor Oh, I guess I was that what day was the mayor's breakfast?

Wednesday morning last week. Yes, that's right. Um, I think we uh expressed where we're on the move and what I I this media that went out I was very clear that bulldozers she said bulldozers

I said it multiple times in public that's what we expect to see one of the bigger accomplishments for just outward signs of the progress that's being made by staff um working through a lot of development deals. So I'm excited about that. That's all I have at the moment. Oh, I do want to say actually a public thank you to um Alder Person Murphy for her time with us. I think everybody um got her email. I did call her right away yesterday and speak with her directly. I'm very thankful that she was able to be a part of everything with us and um have worked out a schedule for um the replacement process um that's getting finalized with staff and will be public very shortly. Um my plan was to run it very similarly if not identically to how we um replaced older person O'Brien on the event of his passing. So there's no surprises and there'll be the same vetting process. All right, Mr. Rosak.

Thank you very much. Mayor, nothing. We're letting us go. We might set a record. Well, we'll see how the last meeting of the month is when we short one. Now, Mr. to me.

Uh, thank you, your honor. I would also like to express gratitude alter Murphy for her service. Um, family should always come first and I appreciate that she drew a line in the sand there. Um, I I will miss her perspective and and her, you know, her point of view. I think it balanced us out quite a bit. Uh, I would also um like to make sure to invite everyone to the open house tomorrow at Marcato for the comprehensive plan. Uh, be sure to stop at uh my table and hang out for a bit. Uh I'll be running one of the uh information tables about multiuse or or land use uh and multimodal. Unsure why they picked me for those ones, but um

they kept you away from housing. Yeah. Um but anyway, please come. Uh the more people there, the better. Um I'll be there. Thank you. I miss you. I'll see you. Thank you. Nothing your honor. Nothing that you're honest, Mr. Schmidt. I just would like to echo and publicly thank Alder person Murphy for her her time and her service and uh it is a she will be greatly missed and uh it'll be hard to to find a replacement for her. Thank you. Staff,

I'll say the same thing on behalf of myself as the administrator, on behalf of the directors. Uh it was a pleasure working with Debbie uh during her term of office with the city. Um I'm all too familiar with the reasons why. It's been a a long process for her and it was a tough decision and uh and it was it was just coming. It was it was going to happen eventually. So um we wish her well. She's a great a great uh alder person and uh she was dedicated to the city and remains dedicated even as a resident. So, you know, that's all I have for tonight. Okay. Any other staff? Well, all right. We have no executive session.

No, not this evening. Oh my goodness. Can I have a motion to adjourn before I change my mind? Motion to second. All in favor? Any opposed? We are.