City Council

MINUTES CITY OF DEKALB COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING MARCH 26, 2018 The City Council of DeKalb, Illinois held a Committee of the Whole meeting on March 26, 2018, in the City Council Chambers of the DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois. Mayor Smith called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. A. ROLL CALL City Clerk Herrmann called the roll and the following members of the City Council were present: Alderman Dave Jacobson, Alderman Bill Finucane, Alderman Mike Marquardt, Alderman Pat Fagan, Alderman Kate Noreiko, Alderman Mike Verbic, Alderman Tony Faivre, and Mayor Jerry Smith. Also present were: Assistant City Manager Patty Hoppenstedt, City Attorney Dean Frieders, Finance Director Molly Talkington, Deputy Police Chief John Petragallo, Fire Chief Eric Hicks, Community Development Director Jo Ellen Charlton, Public Works Director Tim Holdeman, Human Resources Director Cris Randall, Economic Development Planner Jason Michnick, and City Clerk Susanna Herrmann. B. ITEMS ALSO ON THE REGULAR AGENDA There were none. C. CONSIDERATIONS 1. Greek Housing Fire Safety Act. Fire Chief Hicks used a PowerPoint presentation to provide a summary of the Greek Housing Fire Safety Act (GHFSA). He stated that under the GHFSA, any new Greek organization housing constructed after January 1, 2011 was required to be equipped with an automatic fire sprinkler system. All other existing non-sprinkled structures occupied by Greek organizations were to be sprinkled no later than January 1, 2019, providing over seven years notice. He then explained the process that the City will undergo to meet these state requirements and displayed a map of the Greek Row area with properties highlighted by ownership and sprinkler status. He discussed the broad interpretation of the statute and listed other Illinois college towns and the status of their Greek organization housing. To conclude his report, Fire Chief Hicks asked Council if there was a consensus for staff to move forward with the implementation of the GHFSA, and, if so, how will Greek housing be identified. Alderman Jacobson left the dais at 5:05 p.m. Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes March 26, 2018 Page 2 of 4 Community Development Director Charlton asked Council to consider the possibility of providing financial assistance to Greek housing property owners and mentioned the possible utilization of the Water Fund to support that assistance. She briefly discussed the implications of moving forward in that direction. Alderman Jacobson spoke to this item and stated he recused himself from the discussion due to his ownership of one of the 15 properties without sprinklers. He provided personal perspective regarding this item and expressed that Council needs further discussion with the affected property owners before making any decisions for moving forward. Glenn Roby expressed that he feels very positive about discussions he’s had with Fire Chief Hicks and Community Development Director Charlton but echoed some of the concerns Alderman Jacobson shared. He suggested that an extension should be offered to property owners who may not meet the deadline, but fully intend to complete the project. Alderman Fagan asked what other communities have offered to owners as far as financial assistance for this project. Community Development Director Charlton replied that offering financial assistance to property owner was uncommon and she didn’t have that information readily available. Alderman Fagan asked what the City’s liability would be for not complying with the state statute in regard to this issue. Fire Chief Hicks deferred to City Attorney Frieders who explained there is a greater occurrence of fires with loss of life in dormitory structures and discussed some of the possible ramifications for non-compliance. Fire Chief Hicks added that the state Fire Marshall could decide to take away grants and funds from the Fire Department for non-compliance. Brief discussion ensued. Alderman Finucane asked Fire Chief Hicks what the liability would be for property owners who are not in compliance. He replied that the responsibility would fall on the City. There was additional discussion among Council and staff regarding this matter. Alderman Jacobson returned to the dais at 5:44 p.m. 2. COMPASS (Changing Outcomes by Making Parents Accountable, Supported and Successful). Deputy Police Chief Petragallo provided an overview of this item, beginning with an introduction of the COMASS Program - an interdisciplinary approach to targeting juvenile recidivism. He followed up with a background of this item, stating that in 2016, the City experienced a sharp increase in the nature and frequency of juvenile crimes committed where offenses ranged from lower intensity issues such as curfew violations, to more  Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes March 26, 2018 Page 3 of 4 severe incidents such as burglaries to motor vehicles, assault and more intensive crimes. He explained that when the trend became apparent, Police Chief Gene Lowery challenged the Police Department and City Attorney Frieders to collaborate and identify successful strategies for directly addressing this trend and reducing both overall juvenile crime, and equally as important, reducing recidivism among recurrent offenders. The City had previously initiated and supported Camp Power, which addressed certain types of daytime juvenile activity, but the challenges the City faced and hoped to readdress extended to all hours of the day and night. He added that City Attorney Frieders undertook a detailed review of programs from across the nation, looking for programs that were successful in targeting juvenile crime and its sources Deputy Police Chief Petragallo continued with this high-level overview and stated that the City engaged the DeKalb School District (D428), the Youth Services Bureau (YSB), Court Services and Juvenile Justice personnel, Northern Illinois University, the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office, and a variety of leaders from the faith-based community, convening a number of collaborative meetings between staff and these organizations to discuss the challenges posed, the COMPASS concept, and ways of making the program successful. From the outset, the goal of COMPASS was to create a program that could be implemented using available resources and without seeking further funding from the City. City Attorney Frieders explained that COMPASS is a three-stage process aimed at directly supporting parents of juveniles engaged in recidivist behavior that violates City Code or applicable state statutes. He then provided a detailed description of the three stages of compliance and explained that the goal of the COMPASS program is to provide resources to parents to stop juvenile recidivism and to provide a definite incentive for parents to participate in that program. Bree Caness expressed support for the creation of the COMPASS Program. Diana Holst echoed the services provided by the YSB and also expressed support for the COMPASS Program. DeKalb County States Attorney Rick Amato commended the Police Department for the creation of the program and verbalized his support for it as well. Father Trowbridge from the Newman Center also expressed support for the COMPASS Program. Deputy Police Chief Petragallo concluded his presentation by stating that the Police Department needs to come up with innovative ways to combat the juvenile recidivism issue. Alderman Noreiko applauded the efforts of all those who participated in the creation of the COMPASS Program. Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes March 26, 2018 Page 4 of 4 Mayor Smith added that he was impressed with the collaborative nature of this endeavor. Alderman Fagan echoed the comments of Mayor Smith. D. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION There was none. E. RECESS FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION OF THE CITY COUNCIL There was no Executive Session scheduled. F. ADJOURNMENT MOTION Alderman Jacobson moved to adjourn the meeting; seconded by Alderman Finucane. VOTE Motion carried on an 8-0 voice vote. Aye: Jacobson, Finucane, Marquardt, Fagan, Noreiko, Verbic, Faivre, and Smith. Nay: none. Mayor Smith declared the motion passed and the meeting adjourned at 6:36 p.m. _____________________________________ SUSANNA HERRMANN, City Clerk Approved by City Council: April 23, 2018.