COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE CITY COUNCIL MEETING
Lincoln City Hall, Council Chambers 700 Broadway Street I Lincoln, Illinois
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
The Regular Meeting of the City Councilof Lincoln was called to order by Mayor Seth Goodman at 7 p.m., with proper notice given. City Clerk Peggy Bateman called roll.
Present:
Alderman Steve Parrott Alderman Ron Fleshman Alderwoman Michelle Bauer Alderman Ron Keller Alderman Jeff Hoinacki Alderman Dayne Dalpoas
Staff Present:
City Clerk Peggy Bateman City Attorney John Hoblit Treasurer Chuck Conzo
Building and Safety Officer Wes Woodhall Streets Superintendent Walt Landers Shawn Wright, Veolia Project Manager
Staff Absent:
City Administrator Elizabeth Kavelman Alderman Tracy Welch
Alderwoman Heidi Browne
Fire Chief Mark Miller Police Chief Paul Adams
Presiding:
Mayor Seth Goodman
Public Comment:
Mayor Goodman called upon citizens registered to speak, there being none, he moved to other items on the agenda.
Mr. Chris Graue - DockDogs Sponsorship:
Mr. Graue opened discussion saying his group submitted a letter several weeks ago requesting sponsorship for this event. It would be the same program as done in 2018, however, they are working farther in advance to get more dogs and sponsorships for the 2019 program. He invited the council to ask questions.
Alderman Parrott mentioned that the group previously said they would want to prepare for this and find alternative sponsors, and approach other businesses. Mr. Graue said they have approached other businesses, they sent
letter in early December, before the holiday rush started. They are in a wait and see phase at this point. Alderman Dalpoas asked what the $4,000 sponsorship goes toward.
1 IWednesday, Dec. 26, 2018
Mr. Graue said it helps cover the expenses of bringing this event to town. Alderman Fleshman thanked him for bringing events such as this to Lincoln, he then wanted to know if this was a separate event from Up in Smoke. He said it falls under Pigs and Swigs.
Alderman Keller agreed that last year's DockDogs event was a success. He was concerned the novelty of the event would wear off in the second year. He wanted to know if events held concurrently impact the turn out. Mr. Graue said he didn't know the attention would peak or attendance would wane until several years down the road. He said he would think the snowball effect would come into play in 2019. He said this coming year-there should be enough sponsorship to put it on, and to promote it and bring a larger crowd in. He said when they actually approached people about it in 2018 was in March.
Alderman Keller mentioned approaching the Logan County Tourism Bureau. They have already agreed to a
$7,500 promotional sponsorship for the event. Mr. Walt Landers said local participation could bring an uptick. He said he participated in it with his dog, and it got quite a few local people interested in participating. He said he had competed in the SCHEELS DockDogs event in the past and there were 40 dogs alone in the flight where his dog competed. Alderwoman Bauer wanted to clarify how the event is structured, Up in Smoke, Pigs and Swigs both have their own separate accounts. The funds were held last year in the same pot, but they were kept in their own line items.
Alderman Dalpoas asked about where the $4,000 sponsorship came from-from the city's budget. Treasurer Conze said last year the money was taken out of the Hotel/Motel Tax, and the check was issued after May 1. It is in the current budget year. He asked if this made sense.
Alderman Hoinacki said the invoice would be due May 2019. Treasurer Conze said the city retains 15 percent of the Hotel/Motel Tax and it could be used to cover some if the sponsorship. Mr. Graue wanted to remind the council why the group previously approached the council so late in 2018. He mentioned that the Logan County Balloon Festival did not happen in 2018, and the group wanted to secure some of those dollars and fill a gap. Mayor Goodman moved to other items on the agenda.
Alderman Fleshman had a question about the fees. Mr. Graue clarified on where the sponsorship/promotional dollars went. He said $7,500 made a big difference in their ability to promote. Alderman Parrott covered the fees for the event, he then said so the group still needs $2,000. Mr. Graue said, "Correct." Treasurer Conze talked about how the first year for an event can be tough to get off the ground.The item will be placed on the agenda. Mayor Goodman called for further discussion, there being none, he moved to other items on the agenda.
2019 John Welsh Memorial Basketball Tournament Sponsorship:
Alderwoman Bauer opened discussion about the sponsorship levels. She said she'd love to see the city participate, she said she looked at what the city would get for the $300 sponsorship level. She said she was not sure the value was there for the city. She said it makes sense to be a $150 sponsor at minimum. The $300 level gets their business name printed on a shirt, as well as announcements, a banner, and flyers. Alderman Parrott asked if the city sponsored this last year. Alderwoman Bauer said this has an economic development piece to it. She said she hopes the Logan County Tourism Bureau is sponsoring it. She said the Blue Dog will be open on a Sunday, because they will be packed for lunch and dinner. She said she just thinks this is important.
Alderman Parrott said this is for a fundraiser for the districts. He said he did not think the city needed to be in a position to fundraise for themselves. He said tourism does participate in this, it's part of city tax dollars that come in. He said he did not think it would be a good precedent to start giving money out for fundraising activities across the city. He said he did not think the city should fund $4,000 for DockDogs again either. Alderman Dalpoas said he does have some concerns for sponsoring a fundraiser. He said tourism is that kind of vehicle for this type of sponsorship. Alderman Fleshman said he agreed with Aldermen Dalpoas and Parrott, however, he said you need to look at the number of visitors coming to the city. He said he went to the event in 2017 and the comments from out of town people were outstanding. He is in favor of $150 sponsorship.
Alderman Hoinacki said he saw both sides of the sponsorship thing. He said not to throw Mr. Landers under the bus, but his group does not come and ask for sponsorship dollars when they have a wrestling tournament. He said if we don't give $150, they will still have a successful tournament. He mentioned putting it on the agenda for a vote.
Alderman Keller said he thinks everyone understands the importance of this, it is a huge economic impact to the community, but the council is a government body and he does not think it's the city's role to have people come and plead to the city for money for their event. He did not see how he would be in support of it. Alderman Fleshman said he does see where there are several fundraisers in town, he said this is a byproduct of not having a chamber involved, and the city will see a lot of this. He said this could be determining factor going forward, of what they city would want to do. Mayor Goodman asked if they want to put it on the agenda for a $150 sponsorship and have the councilvote..The members agreed. Mayor Goodman called for further discussion, there being none, City Clerk Bateman called roll.
Mayor Goodman called for further discussion,there being none, he moved to other items onthe agenda.
Approval of 2019 Health Alliance Medicare Supplement Benefits:
City Clerk Bateman wanted to share what the rates would be for the Medicare Supplement, for people over 65. She said all retirees pay 50 percent of their insurance, it's by what age they are on January 1. Pharmaceutical amounts stayed the same. The item will be placed on the agenda.
Lincoln College Pedestrian Safety and Lighting Improvements Proposal:
Mr. Walt Landers said the improvements would be along Ottawa Street, through the campus. This is part of the negotiations for the new lift station on Union Street. The reason for this is to facilitate that agreement to be included with the acquisition of that property. Mr. Shawn Wright, Veolia Project Manager talked about how vital it is the put the new lift station in. Alderman Keller asked if there was a cost estimate for all of this . . .as far as the upgrades. Mr. Landers figured between $15,000 and $20,000. Alderman Parrott asked if the sidewalk repairs were in addition to the initial ask. He wanted to know how much this addition would cost. Mr. Landers said he could put together a closer estimate of costs. The sidewalks need spot repair, not total replacement, said Landers.He said any additional lighting that is put in or replaced,new lights will bring a recurring energy cost to the city.
Treasurer Conzo said the $15,000 cost estimate would include everything except for the sidewalks. Mr. Landers said this is·a rough estimate, but the sidewalks would be included.Alderwoman Bauer said she is assuming this is for securing the property at no cost, she wanted to know the appraisal on that property. Alderman Fleshman said the 2.5 acres will be suitable for the project at hand. He said it would be good for the city to move forward with these improvements. He said this improvements are for pedestrians and to further safety.
Mr. Wright said working with the college is very critical in this case. Mayor Goodman asked when Mr. Landers would have the figures back to the council. It will be by the next COW agenda. That would be January 15.
New Commercial Structure Rate:
Alderman Fleshman said there are some commercial flat rates out there for mobile home parks, nursing homes, and high rises.He said they are currently being billed a flat rate of $24, a month-but they will be billed at $35 a month.That was the only change to the commercial rate structure.
Mr. John Hoblit asked about the commercial rates beforehand, he talked about safety, care, and maintenance. He said the city also got rid of the biannual increase that made reference to the safety, care, and maintenance. He wanted to know if this would be removed for the commercial side of thigs. Alderman Fleshman said, "Yes." He said the city will not know what rates they will receive, there is a lot of grey area of what the bottom line of
3 l Wednesday, Dec. 26,2018
the project will be. He said in posing additional fees at this time would not be advisable and the city council should wait until the project is over, and identify if there is a need for additional fees.
There being no further questions, Mayor Goodman asked how the council would want to move forward. Mr. Hoblit will draft an ordinance for the next meeting. Alderman Fleshman asked when this would take effect, City Clerk Bateman said March 1.
Amendment of the City of Lincoln's Liquor Regulations:
Alderman Parrott said the liquor commission met Dec. 19 to discuss options, including the combination of Class B and C licenses, changing the 50 percent of sales to 30 percent, other than gambling. He also talked about businesses supplying tax receipts during the renewal period, plus fines if the sales did not meet the 30 percent criteria, etc.
He asked what would happen if they did not meet the 30 percent rule, and the pulling of the licenses. Alderwoman Bauer said if the receipts are the proof that they are allowed to have the machines, they would still keep their liquor license, but the gaming license would be pulled. Alderman Parrott continued. He wanted to know if the city could just pull a gambling license. Alderwoman Bauer said there is not gambling license, it is tied to the liquor license. Mr. Hoblit said the gambling license comes from the state and the city would likely not have the authority to pull the license. Alderman Parrott continued, that no businesses would be grandfathered in. Mr. Hoblit said he checked the ordinance and did not see any grandfatheri ng in in the previous ordinance.
City Clerk Bateman said when the meeting was had, Alderman Parrott put out his opinion, now the other aldermen need to share their opinions too. Mayor Goodman said we need to get this voted on ASAP as another business has come forward.
Class B is Tavern, Class C is Restaurant. Alderman Hoinacki wanted to know who classifies the difference between the two licenses. There will not be a difference. Treasurer Conzo said the Restaurant License has to meet a certain percentage in food sales. Alderman Hoinacki said who monitors them? Alderwoman Bauer said that is the point of combining the licenses, it was not being enforced. She said now it will be. Alderman Keller wanted to know who is going to monitor it.
Alderman Dalpoas asked if the city is going down the road of no limit, what the approval process is going to be. Alderman Parrott said they did not discuss that piece of it. Discussion continued.Alderman Fleshman said the city is looking at combing the B and C without limit, changing the 50 percent rule to 30 percent. Plus, Alderman Parrott added that there would be a $500 fee if they did not meet that threshold. The amount would be left at
$500 or there could be slight increase for subsequent years. Mr. Hoblit said the issue of scaling fines is effective. Alderman Parrott said the group discussed that there could be a fine for businesses that sell to a minor. He would be in agreement to scaling fines for that purpose.
Alderwoman Bauer talked about how these business owners will self-monitor out of fear of losing the license. Mayor Goodman asked how the council wanted to move forward. The ordinance can now be drafted by Mr. Hoblit. Alderman Fleshman asked what the number of games might be that the city would allow. Alderwoman Bauer said the number of gaming units was capped, under the previous ordinance. This will have to be removed from the amended ordinance. Alderman Dalpoas said he did not know if this was built into the city's ordinance, they would have to check and see if it's in the ordinance, but he was not sure the city had control over that.
Treasurer Conze said that kind of thing is out of the city's hands. They will not be able to limit the number of establishments that have the gaming units. Alderman Dalpoas asked if the handling of this was going to fall on the liquor commission. City Clerk Bateman weighed in. Mr. Hoblit said the commission will be expanded from three to five people, plus there could be $25 compensation per meeting for people who are not on the city payroll, but who are on the commission. Discussion continued.
4 1 Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018
Alderwoman Bauer asked how many people sit on other commissions who are not city employees, outside of the council. She said there is something to be said for other participation outside of city employees.She said it's something to consider so it is more consistent for other commissions.
The group will meet at renewal time and then as-needed. Mr. Hoblit will start working on the ordinance draft, and will bring it back to the next voting meeting.Aldennan Keller agreed that everyone had already heard the terms. The item will be on the January 7, agenda.
Design change requests by properties owners for 5th Street Road Project:
Mayor Goodman opened discussion and wanted to hear from the council. Alderman Dalpoas wanted to know where the city was with the property acquisitions. Alderwoman Bauer wanted to know if the council could get the engineers back at the next meeting.She said they came to us asking for a timeline and for commitment. She said she has yet to be contacted by anyone other than the homeowners who have not been contacted.She said she wants to see this project get done, but she does not think the city needs to feel compelled to go through
leaps and bounds. Mayor Goodman said they could try to get them back at the new COW meeting.
Alderman Fleshman wanted to know what additional plans they have that will add up to $600,000. Mayor Goodman said it would be drainage for International Paper. It would involve other parcels as well.Alderwoman Bauer said the parking lot and the drainage is a mess, however, she wants to know how this will work into the plan and the dollars of the plan.
Announcements:
Mayor Goodman asked if anyone had any announcements, there being none, there was a motion to adjourn.
Adjournment:
There being no further business to come before the City Council of Lincoln, Alderman Dalpoas motioned to adjourn , seconded by Alderwoman Bauer. Mayor Goodman adjourned the meeting at 8:09 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted By:
Alex Williams, Recording Secretary
City of Lincoln