Lincoln, Illinois

City Council Committee's Meeting

October 12, 2010

Minutes of the City of Lincoln City Council Committees' Meeting held in the Council Chambers

on Tuesday, October 12, 2010.

Those present were Alderman Anderson, Alderman Armbrust, Alderman Bacon, Alderman

Busby, Alderman Hoinacki, Alderman Neitzel, Alderman O’Donohue, Alderman Tibbs, and

Alderman Wilmert. Also present were Police Chief Greenslate, Street Superintendent Mr.

Jackson, EMC Manager Mr. Tackett, Fire Chief Hulett, and City Engineer Mr. Mathon. Also

present were City Attorney Mr. Bates, Mayor Snyder, City Clerk Mrs. Martinek, City Treasurer

Mr. Conzo, and Recording Secretary Mrs. Riggs.

Mayor Snyder called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. There were nine Aldermen present

(Alderman Anderson, Alderman Armbrust, Alderman Bacon, Alderman Busby, Alderman

Hoinacki, Alderman Neitzel, Alderman O’Donohue, Alderman Tibbs, and Alderman Wilmert)

and one absent (Alderman Horn).

Everyone present recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

Ms. Debbie Russell was present because they have four children in the neighborhood that are

either handicapped or have autism. She wanted to discuss her petition for a sign to be placed in

the 300 block of Madison and 700 block of Short 10th. She talked about a gentleman that was

driving 55-60 mph and was endangering the children by the park. There are no stop signs on that

area.

Mr. Jackson said they no longer put out Children playing or deaf child and it would have to be a

yield or stop sign. He said the old signs that are out there now as they deteriorate they take them

out and don’t replace them. He wasn’t sure how IDOT explained it but it came from IDOT.

Alderman O’Donohue said basically if the city were to put up a sign handicap children and

someone were to hit a handicapped child the argument could be made from a liability standpoint

that we knew it and didn’t do enough to protect the child. The alternative from IDOT is to do

nothing.

Police Chief Greenslate said he was not aware of the situation. He said now that he knew that

they would have some extra enforcement. He understood their dilemma with the signage and

if you would want to amend this request for perhaps a stop sign at this intersection that you are

concerned about.

Ms. Russell said at least it would slow him down. There is a yield sign on the West side of Short

10th and Monroe and you still have people blowing through that.

Mr. Jackson said it is the block that the Ray White Park is in. Alderman Tibbs asked if that was

a 25 mph speed zone. Mr. Jackson said it was.

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Alderman Bacon said our first concern should be the safety of the children not only in this block

but in the whole City of Lincoln but since we know there is a problem I think we need to amend

this and put some stop signs up along those blocks.

Alderman O’Donohue said the liability already exists in his opinion. Alderman Busby said he

was opposed to Yield signs but not to stop signs.

Mayor Snyder said if you can’t do the handicap signs (which he thought was ridiculous).

Mr. Bates wanted to clarify that it was not a mandate, as he recalled but a recommendation.

Alderman Busby said don’t we have stop signs at every other park and every other intersection in

town. Mr. Jackson said 11th Street is heavily traveled. Ms. Russell said there are only stop signs

on that side of Ray White Park. Ms. Russell said that Madison was free and clear and stop signs

would be best there.

Alderman Hoinacki asked to have this put on the agenda. Mr. Jackson said the stop sign would

be N. Madison at Short 10th.

Anita Bedell and Mike Crost were present regarding video gambling. They had a packet of

information that they handed out.

Mayor Snyder said that Mr. Bates had talked with the gaming board regarding language in our

ordinance.

Mr. Bates said the prevailing thought is that it will not that they need to take action on the video

gaming law and enact it to prohibit it. There was either an amendment pending or was it part of

the law, it has been on the back burner for so long there was a provision that he thought it said if

communities banned it the community would be responsible to the state for the lost the revenue.

Ms. Bedell said it did not get passed and in fact the governor said he would not sign that bill

and he asked the sponsor that is Senator Mike Jacobs that he would take it out of the record

but it will not go any place. That is part when they pass legislation is the governor and local

legislators wanted the communities to have that option that they did not have to have them in

their communities if they did not want them.

Alderman Wilmert said if a community doesn’t take explicit action to disallow it is there

anything to regulate it.

Mr. Bates said it is all or nothing and it will be governed by the state law if you don’t ban it. He

felt the big flaw in the law that nobody is paying attention to that they are going to have a lot of

trouble getting people to qualify for gambling licenses and not sure how they were going to do

that.

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Mr. Bates said it has to be an establishment that serves beer and can’t have more than 5

machines, no one under 21 can be permitted into the area where they have gambling machines

and they have to be segregated from the general access. The gambling can only be during the

hours of the liquor license is good and now the truck stop amendment allows 24 hours.

Alderman O’Donohue asked if Governor Quinn said that he was opposed to this in general. Ms.

Bedell said he wanted a referendum on gambling. Mr. Conzo said Senator Brady said he would

seek the repeal of the law that enables video and asked if that was correct. Ms. Bedell said

yes. Mayor Snyder said he had letters from Dustin Fulton and Rebecca Nydygen. Alderman

Anderson said we would have to have this in place before the state went online with that, is that

correct. Mr. Bates said he thought that was yes. Alderman Anderson said you can’t opt out

later. Mr. Bates said it was not a good idea if they were inclined to ban it to wait.

The Mayor asked for the Committees' Issues to be Presented:

Finance, Policy and Procedure:

Chairman Alderman Anderson said the Mayor, Alderman Busby and she met with Kevin Heid in

Bloomington regarding the G. O. Bond. November 1, 2010 will be the public hearing and they

would vote on it on November 15, 2010.

Alderman Anderson said it was brought to her attention that we will be getting an additional

motor fuel tax disbursement and there are some decisions that need to be made with regard

to that and she turned it over to City Engineer Mr. Mathon and Mayor Snyder so they could

enlighten everyone.

Mr. Mathon said the State of Illinois through a construction program is providing an additional

17% of our annual motor fuel tax allotment which works out to be an extra two months worth.

He said that works out to around $67,000.00. Since they are motor fuel tax dollars they follow

the same rules for what items they can be spent on and procedures have to be gone through to

utilize them.

Alderman Anderson said the reason that not only do we want to hear good news but there has to

be some discussion in terms of how they want the dollars allocated because we have to amend

appropriations to be able to spend those dollars. Finance needs to know that so we can make

those adjustments.

Mayor Snyder said he and Mr. Mathon had a discussion this afternoon talking about possible

uses for the funds. $67,000.00 applied to a street overlay would be one block (maybe). Mr.

Mathon said small amount.

Mayor Snyder said in terms of significant street projects with a debt amount is probably not

significant enough to do that.

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Mayor Snyder said one thing we did discuss is the idea of possibly using it for sidewalks more

of a project that could be spread out across the city in different areas and particularly where you

have a block where the sidewalk is there and then missing then sidewalk again and it might make

sense to connect the sidewalk so that you have a continuous sidewalk surface. Obviously there

are folks that have cracking sidewalks and as Alderman Armbrust knows there are people that

have brick sidewalks. It might give us a more noticeable impact that people might appreciate.

Alderman Neitzel asked if they were behind on sidewalks due to funds. Mr. Jackson said they

were good and weather permitting they should be done with all the walks that have been

approved in about 3 weeks. Alderman Busby said if we use that money for sidewalks he

suggested they farm the work out and with that big of a scale he didn’t think Mr. Jackson has the

manpower to do it. Mr. Mathon said if it were to be done by contract there would be bidding

requirements to go through in order to get it on state letting to advertise the project in the state

notices and follow those guidelines as a construction project as opposed to if it were done by

utilizing city crews it would be considered a maintenance project. Alderman Neitzel asked about

part time people under Mr. Jackson. Alderman Busby said it would not work because of the

union contract. Mr. Mathon said for a sidewalk job like that they could do it in house so there

wouldn’t be additional cost it would just be time. Alderman Wilmert said Alderman Anderson

you need to know right now what we are spending it for. Alderman Anderson said not

necessarily we have some other appropriation changes that we have to make so she would like to

do them all at one time so they don’t have to have the Clerk’s office typing them and revising

them and they can’t wait until April. Alderman Busby said you could add curb and gutter.

Alderman Wilmert said are there any that we are counting on the state to come up with state

money or is it direct bill. Mr. Mathon said there are not. Alderman Anderson said this would all

be spent under the MFT 20-00-06. Mr. Mathon said that is correct and if it was providing for

material and labor and equipment it would only be those three specific lines. Alderman

O’Donohue asked if there would be any advantage to not spend. Mr. Mathon said not aware of

any limits.

Fire/Water & ESDA:

Vice Alderman Busby said he did not have a report.

Grounds, Buildings and Local Improvements:

Chairman Alderman Tibbs said she did not have a report. She said they have an application for

paint the town red.

Mayor Snyder said everyone should have received one by email. Alderman Anderson said it

didn’t tell anything about who the checks should be written to or sent to. Mayor Snyder said he

had an updated one and they should be sent Kathy Vinyard with checks payable to the City of

Lincoln and put tulips on the bottom line.

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Mayor Snyder said the lease agreement for the safety complex expires at the end of the month.

He didn’t know if they would get it done that quickly. They sent a contract and there are some

issues with it. They are going to have some conversations with them and frankly he would like

to do a 1 year lease. He would like to put together a commission or a task force to look at our

needs for the city. He said Fire Chief Hulett has been working on grants for a new fire house and

possibly tweaking that and they have needs for the fire department and the police department

has space needs there now in just having enough room and he thought they should look at other

options available. He was not saying they wanted to leave the complex but they might want to

see what square footage would cost them and examine it and maybe if they could do a year’s

lease it would give them time to work through that process. He said there were problems for the

street department.

Alderman Tibbs said the 911 room and what would we do. Alderman Anderson said that

goes out everywhere no mater where you are and it goes to Lincoln Rural and here. Alderman

O’Donohue said looking at options isn’t making a decision just looking at the options.

Sewer Treatment Plant, Sewers and Drainage:

Chairman Alderman Busby said he did not have a report.

Police:

Chairman Alderman Hoinacki said the sign/stop sign is on the agenda.

Police Chief Greenslate said they had received a matching grant for the new vests and it had

already been figured into the budget. The vests had already been ordered and the money has

been approved and should be forthcoming. They recently finished 2 days of fire arm simulation

a new organization has come up with some new software equipment and it was high quality,

high tech training and the people involved have numerous years of SWAT training and they ran

everyone of their offices through a half hour of training and was paid by NTU mobile training

unit which they are a member. They are going to make it a part of their regular training because

it has a $20.00 per half hour cost and when you break down training costs that is very reasonable.

It is necessary for our officers to help with the city’s liability in the use of force situations.

Streets and Alleys:

Chairman Alderman Neitzel said she did not have a report. She wanted to commend the Street

Department and said she had gotten a hold of them this week about 2 limbs in Mayfair that were

hanging and that very day they came out and chopped them up and took them away.

Alderman Neitzel asked to have the petition for curb break at 340 20th Street by Doug Ebelherr

on the agenda.

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City Council Committee's Meeting

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Ordinance and Zoning:

Alderman O’Donohue said she did not have a report. He wanted to be sure they looked at what

is going on in the Ordinance Department. He also wanted to point out that Mr. Lebegue is going

over the sign ordinance and should have a rough draft in about 30 days and he would have an

ordinance meeting after that.

Sidewalks, Forestry and Lighting:

Chairman Alderman Armbrust said there was a petition for 400 N. Chicago Street at the city’s

expense by Betsy Ulrich and he wants her notified in writing they have to clean it and wanted it

on the agenda.

Sanitation/Technology:

Chairman Alderman Wilmert said he did not have a report.

Insurance:

Chairman Alderman Bacon said she did not have a report.

Mayor Snyder said he had passed out the calendar. He wanted to point out an oddity that they

have early next year. If you look at February of 2011 the first Monday is the 7 and the third

Monday is the 21st which is President’s so we will actually meet on the 22nd. When you get to

Tuesday’s it gets a little confusing. The second Tuesday is the 8th of February and the 4th would

be the 22nd but the 22nd is the voting meeting. He thought this was spelled out that they will have

a voting meeting on the 7th the workshop on the 15th, the voting meeting on February 22, and

then on March 1 they will have a workshop meeting. March 7 is the voting meeting, March 15 is

committee workshop, March 21 is the voting meeting and March 29 is the committee workshop.

There are actually five meetings in March. He said if anyone came up with a good plan to let

them know.

Alderman Anderson said the budget meetings would be March 12 and March 26.

Mayor Snyder said if anyone was interested in volunteering he had some things that could use

some Alderman. There is a committee being formed now by the County to look at the issue

of bike trails and he thought the county was on the right track because they wanted to involve

the city. They want to look at this comprehensively. Another collaboration with the regional

collaboration summit that was put on by the Central Illinois Collaborative Effort which is an

acronym for CIRCL which is an effort by the Bloomington/Normal Economic Development

Council to try and get all of central Illinois to work together on some projects. One thing they

have worked on was providing adequate health care and tried to get additional nurses and

looking for other areas where people could work together on. The space needs issue for the city

let him know. They have not heard anything further on the TIGER 2 grant.

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Alderman Busby made a motion to adjourn the meeting and Alderman Neitzel seconded it.

There were nine yeas (Alderman Anderson, Alderman Armbrust, Alderman Bacon, Alderman

Busby, Alderman Hoinacki, Alderman Neitzel, Alderman O’Donohue, Alderman Tibbs, and

Alderman Wilmert), zero nays, and one absent (Alderman Horn); motion carried.

The City of Lincoln Committee’s as a Whole Meeting adjourned at 8:10 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Risa Riggs

Recording Secretary