City Council

MINUTES CITY OF DEKALB CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING SEPTEMBER 12, 2016 The City Council of DeKalb, Illinois held a Committee of the Whole meeting on September 12, 2016 in the City Council Chambers of the DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois. Mayor Rey called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. A. ROLL CALL City Clerk Jennifer Jeep Johnson called the roll, and the following members of the City Council were present: Alderman David Jacobson, Alderman Bill Finucane, Alderman Michael Marquardt, Alderman Bob Snow, Alderman Kate Noreiko, Alderman Tony Faivre and Mayor John Rey. Alderman Dave Baker arrived at 5:03 p.m. Also present were: City Manager Anne Marie Gaura, Assistant City Manager Patty Hoppenstedt, City Attorney Dean Frieders, Finance Director Cathy Haley, Police Chief Gene Lowery, Fire Chief Eric Hicks, Community Development Director Ellen Divita, Public Works Director Tim Holdeman, Human Resources Director Cris Randall, City Engineer John Laskowski, Management Analyst Lauren Stott, MPA Intern Emily Tipps, I&T Technician Jeff Birtell, and City Clerk Jennifer Jeep Johnson. B. ITEMS ALSO ON THE REGULAR AGENDA There were none. C. CONSIDERATIONS 1. Review of Boards, Commissions, and Committees Structure. Mayor Rey introduced the topic at hand and referenced a memo generated that details the issue. He added that it outlines several changes and additions to various boards and commissions and quickly listed which boards he intends to disband, and which he intends to expand. Alderman Finucane indicated he’d like further discussion on residency requirements and the option to have Council liaisons. He also wanted more detail regarding what relationships/business endeavors would create a conflict of interest. Alderman Baker added that he believes there is a benefit to having people who don’t live within, but have a vested interest in, the community. He thinks that conflict disclosure should be adequate to alleviate concerns. Alderman Baker added that he’d like to discuss the problems that arise when the Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) does not green light a project, which can have a chilling effect on developers investing within the community because they don’t understand that the PZC is a recommending body rather than binding. He requested a discussion Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes September 12, 2016 Page 2 of 4 regarding the PZC and the weight of their recommendations, especially if it could help expedite building within DeKalb. City Manager Gaura clarified that PZC recommendations come before Council within 10 to 15 days and turned to City Attorney Frieders to explain further PZC recommendations that do not come before Council. City Attorney Frieders explained that variances to the City’s Municipal Code can be determined by the PZC, whereas changes to the Municipal Code come before Council. Alderman Jacobson stated that the Municipal Code is not inclusive, which causes potential businesses to open outside of DeKalb. He inquired as to the process for a potential business owner. City Attorney Frieders briefly explained the process, stating when the use is outside of the UDO, staff always indicates that the developer has the right to request a change. The process then funnels the request to the PZC, and then before Council. He indicated that some of these issues will be before Council within the next 30 days, including a request for signage that is currently prohibited. Alderman Jacobson reiterated his belief that the Code is written in such a way that is not business friendly. City Attorney Frieders stated that if business owners aren’t locating in DeKalb and communicating that to Council members, staff needs to be told. Secondly, the turnaround time is as swift as possible. Third, Council can certainly entertain a Code change. Community Development Director Divita stated that staff’s professional obligations are to communicate what the Code allows, or what would need to change in order to make something permissible. She highlighted that the Code considers health, safety and welfare. Additionally, she stated that part of staff’s job is to educate. Community Development Director Divita highlighted that the only use Council has strictly prevented is gun ranges and added that Code changes can be initiated by the petitioner or a Council member. Alderman Baker stated his personal experience is that staff has traditionally moved very swiftly on these matters. He contributed that certain special uses shouldn’t hold up business development. He also stated his belief that if something goes before the PZC, Council should be notified. Further brief discussion ensued as to the merits of pawn shops within communities. Mayor Rey asked for input on the structure of the memo before Council. Alderman Noreiko stated her belief that there has been a good effort in making the various boards and commissions more useful. She stated that more effort should be made to be inclusive of diversity to ensure broader representation of the community.  Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes September 12, 2016 Page 3 of 4 Mayor Rey briefly highlighted the current vacancies. Alderman Marquardt stated his favor of including the number of people on the various commissions that allows for the work to be done, while also ensuring they will be able to have a quorum. He also stated his favor of having Council liaisons. Alderman Baker stated he was in favor of Council serving as liaisons, but that compensation should be considered. Mayor Rey encouraged Council to review the memorandum and follow-up with any further thoughts. 2. Executive Partners, Inc. (EPI) Report Consolidation. Assistant City Manager Hoppenstedt provided background on the issue, stating it’s before Council in order to ensure cohesion and clarity in all City actions and recommendations. She stated that City staff generated a status report on all of the recommendations from the EPI report, drawing attention to the portion of the report that indicated the number of recommendations that are completed, in progress, not-yet started, not addressed in the City Plan, and not yet started but are linked to plan. Finally, she stated there are some recommendations the City is not pursuing, which are indicated for removal. Assistant City Manager Hoppenstedt stated that staff is looking for direction for staff to continue moving forward in order to update Council, and that the overall goal is to streamline efforts. Alderman Noreiko inquired as to the number of items that indicate recommendations were formulated upon incorrect information, and asked for further information. City Attorney Frieders briefly explained instances where slight language variations between Codes occasionally lead to minor errors. Alderman Baker provided additional historical background on this issue and offered his concern regarding Assistant City Manager Hoppenstedt’s indication that some recommendations are confidential. Assistant City Manager Hoppenstedt explained that only current negotiation strategies are confidential, as they are ongoing through the collective bargaining process. Alderman Baker provided additional specifics as to why he was concerned regarding the confidentiality. Attorney Frieders added that EPI recommended keeping those parts confidential, not staff. Alderman Jacobson stated that EPI was brought on in order to recommend major structural change, and that he takes issue with some of the recommendations that were Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes September 12, 2016 Page 4 of 4 intended to do just that, mostly via cost reduction strategies. He stated that it may be time to update this study, as input from a third party could be valuable. Mayor Rey stated that many structural changes have been made since the release of the 2013 report, and briefly addressed some examples. Assistant City Manager Hoppenstedt clarified that the “remove” portions do not currently align with the Strategic Plan, the contents of which came at the direction of Council, with copious amounts of community feedback considered. She added that she will be bringing forth an update in October that will then be updated quarterly on the City’s website. D. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION Bessie Chronopoulos suggested that Council not take action regarding boards and commissions until more input is gathered and more in-depth discussion is held. She added that the boards should be citizen groups that aren’t at the direction of staff. She also stated that names of the members of the boards, commissions, and committees should be readily available on the website. Additionally, Ms. Chronopoulos stated that she had sent correspondence regarding business practices and was wondering when she’d get feedback. She stated that she thought the STEAM survey was not impressive, and she strongly recommends an examination of RATIO Architects. E. RECESS FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION OF THE CITY COUNCIL 1. Approval to Hold an Executive Session to Discuss Purchase or Lease of Real Property as Provided for in 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(5). Not acted on. F. ADJOURNMENT MOTION Alderman Noreiko moved to adjourn; seconded by Alderman Marquardt. VOTE Motion carried on an 8-0 voice vote. Aye: Jacobson, Finucane, Marquardt, Snow, Noreiko, Baker, Faivre, Rey. Mayor Rey declared the motion passed and adjourned the meeting at 5:57 p.m. _____________________________________ JENNIFER JEEP JOHNSON, City Clerk Approved by City Council: October 10, 2016