COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING

Lincoln City Hall, Council Chambers

700 Broadway Street | Lincoln, Illinois

Tuesday, July 11, 2023

The Committee of the Whole Meeting of the City Council of Lincoln was called to order by Mayor Tracy Welch at 7:02 p.m., with proper notice given. City Clerk Peggy Bateman called roll.

Present:

Alderwoman Robin McClallen, Ward 1

Alderman Steve Parrott, Ward 1

Vacant, Ward 2

Alderman Sam Downs, Ward 2

Alderman Kevin Bateman, Ward 3

Alderwoman Wanda Lee Rohlfs, Ward 3

Alderman Craig Eimer, Ward 4

Alderwoman Rhonda O’Donoghue, Ward 4

Staff Present:

Peggy Bateman, City Clerk

Chuck Conzo, City Treasurer

John Hoblit, City Attorney

Walt Landers, Streets Superintendent

Bob Dunovsky, Fire Chief

Joe Meister, Police Chief

Remotely:

Wes Woodhall, Building and Safety Officer

Presiding:

Mayor Tracy Welch

Public Comment:

There is no one present for public comment. 

NLC Service Line Warranty Program

This item was moved up to the top of the agenda.

Mike Chambers with National League Cities explained the program to the Council.  This program has been around since 2012 and currently covers over 1200 communities.  The program will cover private water and/or sewer lines along with indoor plumbing coverage for homeowners.  Anyone is eligible for this program, no deductible, no contract.  You can sign up for one or all types of coverage.  There is a 30-day wait for claims.  The city can receive back .50 per program or they can pass that savings on to the residents.  The council has chosen to pass the .50 savings on to the residents.

This item will be placed on the regular agenda.

Hiring of a Police Officer to replace a vacancy

The police department recently had an officer resign.  Police Chief Meister asked the Council for approval to hire a replacement. 

The council would like City Attorney Hoblit to look into the legality of giving the department heads the authority to hire within their staffing limits without Council approval. 

This item will be placed on the regular agenda. 

Request to Permit – 12^th Annual Pig’s and Swig’s Friday, August 25, 2023 – Sunday, August 27, 2023 road Closures

This item will be placed on the consent agenda.

Ordinance Adopting Amendment #2 to Appropriation Ordinance FY 22/23

This item will be placed on the regular agenda.

Ordinance Adopting Appropriation for FY 23/24.

This item will be placed on the July 25^th agenda. 

Windscreen for Blower Building

Mr. Bowns is asking for a $6500 windscreen for the blower building.  The blowers are getting a lot of dirt, pollen, and cottonwood.  There is a warranty. 

This item will be placed on the regular agenda.

Curb & Sidewalk Improvement Initial Targets for FY 23/24

Each project is budgeted at $150,000 each.  Superintendent Landers would like to focus on sidewalks this year after completing a large curb project last year.  The targets were provided to the council.  

This item will be placed on the regular agenda.

2023 HMA Mill & Overlay Project Targets

Alderman Bateman feels that there are worse streets that need repaired than the targets listed in this item.  Superintendent Landers asked the council to give street recommendations.

The Council will bring any street repair suggestions to Superintendent Landers.

This item will be placed on the regular agenda.

Engineering Work Order for Sewage Treatment Plant

Mr. Bowns is asking the council to approve two engineering work orders with CMT.  One is a situation with a private sewer line and one is an undocumented sewer line that is in terrible shape at 227 N Kickapoo. This cost will be up to $40,000.00.

This item will be placed on the regular agenda.    

Engineering Work Order #3 for Resurfacing Project

This is for the Oil and Chip project that was previously approved.  This item is to approve the engineering cost for that project.

This item will be placed on the regular agenda. 

Ordinance Amending the Permitting Requirement for Sewer Repair in the City of Lincoln

The city does not have any documentation on where private sewer lines run.  With the fiber companies boring recently, there have been several sewer lines hit.  Alderman Bateman would like to change the language to state that Mr. Bowns complete inspections rather than Superintendent Landers.  There will be a $25 permit fee with fines tiered at $100, $500, $1000

This item will be placed on the regular agenda. 

Mayor Welch moved on to other items on the agenda.

Announcements:

• Mural on Rio Grande – The Council needs to get the artist booked and decide on funding. The approx. cost of a 12X30 foot mural is $10,000 plus equipment. The council will set an amount of not to exceed as $20,000.00 to get the project started. This item will be placed on the regular agenda. 
• Ribbon cutting at the Art Institute at 1:00pm. Other activities afterwards.
• GOV HR update: still compiling data. Updated job descriptions will be created and brought to the council. 

Adjournment:

There being no further discussion to come before the City Council of Lincoln, Alderman Downs motioned to adjourn, seconded by Alderman Eimer. All were in favor. Mayor Welch adjourned the meeting at 9:46 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted By:

Charity Hutchison, Recording Secretary