Citizens' Community Enhancement Commission

MINUTES MEETING OF THE CITIZENS’ COMMUNITY ENHANCEMENT COMMISSION CITY OF DEKALB August 22, 2016 The Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission (CCEC) of the City of DeKalb, Illinois held a regular meeting on Monday, August 22, 2016 in the Glidden Conference Room of the DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois. The meeting was called to order at 4:05 p.m. ROLL CALL Roll was recorded by Economic Development Planner, Jason Michnick, and the following members of the Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission members present were: Susan Johnson, Chair, Cohen Barnes, Brad Hoey, Mike Mooney, Brad Pietens, Bob Boey, and Debra Booth. Members absent were Lisa Small and Camyle Tate. Also present was Bessie Chronopoulos APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION Chair Johnson asked if any changes to the agenda needed to be made. Mr. Pietens made a motion that a discussion of the Distinction Awards be added to Old Business. The motion was seconded by Mr. Hoey and carried on a voice vote. Chair Johnson asked for someone to make a motion to approve the amended agenda, which was made by Mr. Barnes. The motion was seconded by Mr. Mooney and was carried on a voice vote. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION Chair Johnson requested a motion for approval of the minutes. Mr. Pietens moved to approve minutes. Mr. Boey seconded the motion. Motion carried on voice vote. BUSINESS 1. Window Clings for Corn Fest Mr. Hoey updated the commission on the status of the window cling project on the building at the corner of Lincoln Highway and First Street. A mockup of the concept that had been previously discussed during the July meeting was presented to the commission. According to the vendor, Kelmscott, changes could be made to the background or pictures, but the idea was to have a timeline of the various innovations Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission August 22, 2016 Page 2 of 5 and sectors throughout the city (e.g. hybrid corn, barbed wire, drones, health care, education, etc.). Mr. Hoey explained that unfortunately due to the lack of high resolution photos that could be found over the previous weeks, the “Legacy of Innovation” concept would not be complete in time for Corn Fest, but stated that the commission could still pursue a simpler concept that could be completed by Friday, August 26, as a contingency plan. Mr. Barnes expressed the idea of featuring the logos of the City, NIU, DeKalb High School Barbs, and #ProudlyDeKalb, with a generic background. There is a general consensus amongst the commission members that the mockup done by the vendor is a great concept, and should still be considered moving forward with a discussion on vacant windows in the downtown. However, something should be done to cover the windows of the former Ducky’s location for Corn Fest. The commission would revisit the broader concept in the future to discuss making a recommendation on a vacant window ordinance and discuss whether window clings or a reusable medium would be best in the long run. Mr. Hoey stated that he would follow up with the vendor to have a draft concept with the various logos done as soon as possible. 2. Yards/Photos of Distinction Mr. Michnick shared that the two July awards would be presented at Council later in the evening. One of the recipients expressed his gratitude for receiving the recognition and was willing to share his story if someone wanted to do a write up on him. The stories could be shared on the City’s website and also on the Proudly DeKalb website. Ms. Booth asked the commission opinion on whether the stories would be shared as part of the award presentation, prior to the award presentation, or as a follow up. Mr. Pietens expressed that the process should be well thought out and played into the desire to expand the awards beyond yards and lights. With only one more month being awarded this year, the plan to expand could take place after January 1. Mr. Barnes asked how it had been done in the past for Lights of Distinction. Mr. Pietens responded that it had been difficult in the past to find and photograph properties with excellent light displays. Mr. Barnes expressed that his children could get involved with that process as part of their public service hours. Mr. Pietens stated that the point of the program is to share the positive stories of community investment in DeKalb, and if the program was to be successful, it needs to get more visibility than just City Council meetings. Mr. Barnes responded that this would now be possible with Mr. Michnick as the liaison to the commission. Ms. Booth also expressed a desire to be involved in getting these stories and pictures up on the website by helping write the content. Mr. Pietens also desired to be involved. Chair Johnson asked Mr. Pietens and Ms. Booth to take the lead on the project. Mr. Barnes shared a video that was produced for the Huskie Kick-Off event that took place the previous Friday. The video was a collaboration between NIU and Proudly DeKalb and shown on the screen at Huskie Stadium during the event. Following the Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission August 22, 2016 Page 3 of 5 premier of the video, it was shared on Facebook and been shared over 100 times in the following days. It was viewed 8500 times and had a reach of 22,000. Mr. Barnes explained that this was a great example of how this kind of content can reach the community and beyond. Looking back over the previous year from Proudly DeKalb being put together for the ABC contest, to now being integrated into the University and City, it has taken a life of its own. Mr. Barnes also shared that a number of commission members, City staff, and community members came out in their #ProudlyDeKalb t-shirts to support students at the President’s Picnic the day before. 3. FOIA and OMA Training Mr. Michnick stated that Ruth Scott would be sending the commission a link to complete their FOIA and OMA certifications. This would need to be done as soon as possible. Ms. Booth asked if this needed to be done on a yearly basis or just once. Mr. Michnick believed it was an annual certification but would confirm and follow up with Ms. Booth. 4. Reappointments Mr. Michnick also shared that all but one of the commissioners’ terms had expired. He asked who would still want to be a member of the commission. Mr. Hoey, Mr. Boey, Mr. Mooney, Mr. Pietens, Chair Johnson, and Mr. Barnes all expressed a desire to be reappointed. Mr. Hoey stated that he believes he received an email from staff in regards to reappointment in January. Chair Johnson stated that she had recently reached out to Ms. Tate to ask if she still had a desire to serve on the commission, and would follow up with Mr. Michnick when she had a response. Mr. Michnick stated he reached out to Ms. Small to ask and was also waiting for a response.. 5. Structure and Goals Mr. Michnick asked the commission to discuss the structure of the commission and the duties that are outlined in 65.05 of the ordinance. One specific item was that the commission is to conduct a bi-annual survey, but the last one conducted was in 2006. Chair Johnson shared that the previous survey was conducted during one of the worst incidents of flooding in recent history, which may have caused some of the results to be what they had been. Mr. Barnes summarized the results as the City being a C+ community, which led the mayor to create the Citizens’ Enhancement Commission. Mr. Pietens asked what the community focus groups that had been conducted the previous year were for. Mr. Barnes answered that they were for the City’s 2025 Strategic Plan. Chair Johnson stated that she believed that the survey should be struck from the duties of the commission, as it had never been done. Mr. Michnick explained that he would need a letter from the commission requesting a change to the ordinance and he would bring it forward to Council. Chair Johnson stated she would send a letter the following day. Chair Johnson also stated that another duty in the ordinance was to conduct marketing and outreach of the City. The commission still believes that is important, as it took a year or so to create the City’s new logo, and that marketing and outreach of the commission aligned with the Arts Council and Proudly DeKalb. Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission August 22, 2016 Page 4 of 5 Ms. Chronopoulos shared with the commission that the City’s website does not currently feature the logo in the upper left corner of the homepage. Mr. Michnick described the current graphic as being DeKalb, Illinois written in a cursive type script. The commission viewed the page and concurred that the logo should be more prominent on the homepage of the City’s website. Mr. Michnick stated he would follow up with the commission’s request the next day. Mr. Michnick asked the commission if they believed the structure of the commission needed to change from nine members to seven. It would allow for a quorum with fewer members, and two members had been mostly inactive in 2016. Ms. Booth asked if two new members needed to be recruited. Mr. Pietens stated that there may be some openings if the two members did not want to be reappointed. Chair Johnson asked if a requirement for participation and meeting attendance needed to be considered. Mr. Michnick stated he would research this and come back to the next meeting with more information. Chair Johnson stated that the last duty that needed to be discussed was the commission’s ability to retain a consultant, but that the commission does not have a budget to work with. Mr. Michnick stated that if they wanted to request a budget, a letter would be needed as soon as possible, as the budget process was underway. Mr. Hoey stated that having a line item in the budget would streamline the commission’s ability to complete projects, rather than having to request funds from council on a case- by-case basis. The commission would need to plan projects based on the budget, and be more strategic on the projects that were chosen. For example, the downtown window clings would need to be added/replaced over the years, in addition to new projects such as utility box clings. Mr. Barnes voiced the idea of continuing branding efforts of the City, beyond the logo, that DeKalb needs an identity. It may not be possible until FY17 or FY18, and would require a public/private partnership. Chair Johnson asked what the commission should request in the FY17 budget. Mr. Hoey stated that the initial investment for the planters was $20,000 and $5,000 to maintain on an annual basis, and that projects would be needed to be identified to support the need for the budget. Ms. Booth stated that some previous concepts were brought forward, but were not completed due to a lack of funding. Chair Johnson shared that America in Bloom did not go forward because of funding, but Liquid Sunshine did at a cost of $1,200. Looking forward the next projects besides downtown window clings would be the utility wraps. Mr. Hoey brought up some research that he had done earlier in the summer and shared with Mr. Michnick. This included communities that had a standardized form for the size of the wrap and was used as a call for proposals from the community. This concept could be used for the various traffic control boxes in the community that are City owned. Chair Johnson asked if $10,000 would be a good ball park figure to ask for from the City in FY17. The commission agreed and Chair Johnson stated that she would follow up with a request letter to Mr. Michnick for the funding. Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission August 22, 2016 Page 5 of 5 ADJOURNMENT MOTION Chair Johnson requested a motion for adjournment. Mr. Pietens moved to adjourn the meeting; seconded by Mr. Hoey. Motion carried on voice vote. The meeting adjourned at 5:40 p.m. _____________________________________ Jason Michnick, Economic Development Planner Minutes approved by the Citizen’s Community Enhancement Commission on September 19, 2016.