City Council

MINUTES CITY OF DEKALB COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING NOVEMBER 28, 2016 The City Council of DeKalb, Illinois held a Committee of the Whole meeting on November 28, 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 5:03 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 Michael Marquardt, Alderman Bob Snow, Alderman Kate Noreiko, Alderman Tony Faivre, and Mayor John Rey. Alderman Bill Finucane arrived at 5:08 p.m. Alderman Dave Baker was absent. 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 Jo Ellen Charlton, Public Works Director Tim Holdeman, City Engineer John Laskowski, I&T Technician Jeff Birtell, and City Clerk Jennifer Jeep Johnson. B. ITEMS ALSO ON THE REGULAR AGENDA There were none. C. CONSIDERATIONS 1. Wells Fargo Banking Commitments. Finance Director Haley explained that the issue at hand was to address whether the City will continue to do business with Wells Fargo Bank given their lack of fiduciary duty to customers. She said that while the City does not have a direct relationship, it does have an investment that the City could call early, if the Council chooses. Alderman Snow offered that investments should be made for sound business reasons, rather than political correctness. Alderman Faivre stated that while the City shouldn't withdraw its investment, he feels that if the opportunity arises, it should go with a different bank. Alderman Noreiko stated that while she's not in favor of early withdrawal, she believes the City should approach any potential future investment opportunities carefully. Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes November 28, 2016 Page 2 of 4 Alderman Jacobson agreed that a direct relationship with the bank would be a different story, but the safest bet at present is to leave the money where it is. Mayor Rey said that consensus had been reached to use judgment when it comes to the City’s relationship with financial institutions, including Wells Fargo moving forward. 2. Composting Pilot Program. Public Works Director Holdeman introduced the Food Scrap Composting Pilot Program. He explained it is at no cost to the City and will be used to gauge interest in such a program in the community. It will contribute to DeKalb's sustainability goals, and help reduce landfill space. Vaughn Kirshner explained that DeKalb will be on the forefront of this movement. He explained that ongoing communication and education is important, as it helps citizens to understand the program. He explained that citizen participation is very important. Michelle Gibson explained the benefits of such a program, including reducing space in the landfill, adding nutrients to the soil, water reduction, and fertilizer need reduction. She also highlighted that the program has the benefit of pointing out how much food waste is produced, allowing an opportunity to reduce waste. Mr. Kirshner explained that the program will run during yard waste season. Ms. Gibson explained the importance of not contaminating the organics load with wrappers, etc. As such, there will be a lot of education that will supplement the program. She also explained that the program will begin with a voluntary survey to gauge interest, which will then be followed up with educational programs for the participants. The pilot program was born of the DeKalb County Board's Zero Waste Task Force, which identified composting food waste as one of their top priorities. Mr. Vaughn re-iterated the need for education to prevent contaminated organics loads. He also stated the importance of having champions for the programs. He provided the general timeline for the program. Alderman Noreiko asked how the City or residents can get the compost back, and what the benefit to the resident will be. Ms. Gibson explained that the benefit is not having to do the work themselves. Mayor Rey said that the Citizens’ Environmental Commission stated this program is compatible with their mission, as does the County Zero Waste. Alderman Snow stated that he hopes that residents should be able to pick it up, hopefully at zero cost.  Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes November 28, 2016 Page 3 of 4 Mayor Rey thanked them for their time. 3. Request for Proposal (RFP) for Construction Inspection and Data Collection Services for the 2017 and 2018 Street Maintenance Projects. City Engineer Laskowski explained that this item is coming before Council earlier in the calendar year than usual. The RFP will be for data collection for the 2018-2019 programs. He briefly explained the kind of data that will be collected. City Engineer Laskowski explained there is no cost to the City at this point in the RFP process, which is a request to distribute the RFP to the qualified firms. Mayor Rey said consensus was reached to proceed with the RFP. D. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION There was none. E. RECESS FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION OF THE CITY COUNCIL 1. Approval to Hold an Executive Session to Discuss Personnel, Collective Bargaining, and Deliberations Regarding Salary Schedules as Provided for in 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1) and 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(2). MOTION Alderman Marquardt moved to hold and Executive Session; seconded by Alderman Noreiko. VOTE Motion carried on a 7-0-1 roll call vote. Aye: Jacobson, Finucane, Marquardt, Snow, Noreiko, Faivre, Rey. Absent: Baker. Mayor Rey declared the motion passed. Mayor Rey closed the meeting to the public at 5:29 p.m. Mayor Rey opened the meeting to the public at 5:57 p.m. F. ADJOURNMENT MOTION Alderman Finucane moved to adjourn; seconded by Alderman Jacobson. Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes November 28, 2016 Page 4 of 4 VOTE Motion carried on a 7-0-1 voice vote. Aye: Jacobson, Finucane, Marquardt, Snow, Noreiko, Faivre, Rey. Absent: Baker. Mayor Rey declared the motion passed and concluded the meeting at 5:57p.m. _____________________________________ JENNIFER JEEP JOHNSON, City Clerk Approved by City Council: January 9, 2017