City Council Planning Sessions

MEMORANDUM TO: Record FROM: Susan Bishel, Public Relations Coordinator SUBJECT: November 13, 2017 City Council Planning Session Minutes DATE: November 14, 2017 CC: Mayor and City Council, City Manager, City Clerk, Department Heads The Planning Session took place in the Council Chambers, Wheaton City Hall, 303 W. Wesley St., Wheaton, Illinois. Those attending the Planning Session included: Councilman Barbier, Councilwoman Fitch, Mayor Gresk, Councilman Prendiville, Councilman Rutledge and Councilman Scalzo. Councilman Suess was absent. Also in attendance were City Manager Dzugan, Assistant City Manager Duguay, Director of Finance Lehnhardt, Public Information Officer Thrower and Special Projects Assistant Kowalke. The session began at 7:00 p.m. and concluded at 8:17 p.m. The following items were discussed: I. Call to Order The Wheaton City Council Planning Session was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Gresk. II. Public Comment There were no public comments. III. Approval of September 25, 2017 and October 9, 2017 Planning Session Minutes The Council approved the September 25, 2017 and October 9, 2017 Planning Session Minutes. IV. Comprehensive Annual Financial Report Jason Coyle with Baker Tilly reviewed the findings from the financial audit the firm completed for the City of Wheaton and the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Year Ended April 30, 2017. He reviewed the City's statement of net position, and stated that this year's report lists the City's pension obligations as a liability, as required by new reporting standards. Mr. Coyle reviewed the General Fund account balance, which increased nearly $1.4 million. The City's ratio of reserves to expenditures is approximately 44% in reserves, which is in line with the City's policy of having 40% of annual expenditures in reserve in the General Fund. The total fund balance for all funds increased by approximately $3 million. In reviewing the City's proprietary funds, the water and sanitary sewer funds are taking in enough in fees to cover expenditures, while the parking and storm sewer funds showed a loss for the year. Mr. Coyle reviewed the City's retirement plan funds, stating the City's IMRF plan is funded at 90%, the Police Pension Fund is funded at a level of 61%, and the Firefighters Pension Fund is funded at a level of 71%. He stated the City is doing a good job funding these retirement plan funds. Baker Tilly also provided a Management Letter, which reviews the City's internal controls and operational systems of checks and balances. Mr. Coyle stated the audit found no areas of concern and commended the City's Finance Department for having excellent internal controls. Mr. Coyle stated in two years a new reporting standard will take effect that will require the City to include certain health benefits offered to retirees to be listed as a liability. This would list approximately $2 million in additional financial liability for the City. In response to a Council question about when the City will be completing additional auditing of its internal controls in relation to new systems the City is using, City Manager Dzugan stated the City has budgeted for this to occur in either this fiscal year or the following fiscal year. In response to a Council question, Mr. Coyle stated the City changing its fiscal year to align with the calendar year will not pose a problem for auditing, and Baker Tilly has worked with many communities in the past that have made this transition. He stated the challenges would be more for the City's internal processes and for staff to complete two budgets in a shorter amount of time. V. Martin Plaza Northside Design Update Assistant City Manager Duguay stated at the Oct. 9 City Council Planning Session, the Council directed staff and the downtown streetscape team to go forward with designing a Martin Memorial Plaza concept on the north side of Front Street. Jon Brooke from Design Workshop presented the design that his firm completed. Mr. Brooke stated the designers are seeking direction to complete construction documents and put together a bid request for construction. Planning Session 2 In the design presented to the Council, the south side of Front Street would retain a 30-foot-by- 30-foot space for a temporary tent, plantings along the south border and several parking spaces. On the north side of Front Street, the proposed design includes a fireplace landmark, a water feature, a moveable barrier to allow the plaza to be opened up for events, and trees placed in the middle of the area for maximum shade. The area proposes moveable chairs and tables, overhead lighting and backless benches. Mr. Brooke showed drawings of the moveable barriers, which are designed to look like railroad carts on a track. In response to Council questions about the trees in the design, Mr. Brooke stated the trees selected will be large to start with, and they will not block visibility to storefronts. In response to Council questions about ADA accessibility, Mr. Brooke stated there are several places where ramps are provided for access. Mr. Brooke reviewed the proposed fireplace design, which would be enclosed in mesh for safety reasons and would be turned off during certain times of day. The fireplace would be part of an obelisk made of stone with Wheaton branding on it. In response to Council questions about the moveable planter/barriers, City Manager Dzugan stated the City may want to use the area for events in which the street is closed down and the entire area, including the north and south sides of Front Street, are used for some smaller special events. Mr. Brooke showed two designs for a water feature: one of which is a flat water feature with bubblers, and the other being a water wall. He also reviewed moveable furniture options, the plant palette and recommended trees. The areas surrounding the trees would have permeable pavers to promote tree growth. In response to Council questions, Mr. Brooke stated there is space to place recycling receptacles in this area, and staff is looking into what level of service can be provided. Some Council members expressed support for proceeding with Design Workshop's recommended designs, including an arch with water dropping down. Mr. Brooke stated there would be barriers around the water feature that would prevent people from being able to jump through it easily. VI. Parking Payment Management Study Planning Session 3 Special Projects Assistant Kowalke reviewed the final findings from the parking study that the City enlisted a parking consultant to complete and the recommendations for paid parking. The City currently uses outdated technology with coin meters in some areas and pay boxes in commuter lots. The study recommended the City update the technology it uses for paid parking to allow for more convenient options for payment, replace technology that creates enforcement difficulties or inefficiencies, reduce manual operations, improve data collection, and increase enforcement capabilities. The study also recommended a tiered parking fine structure, with increased fines for repeated offenses. The study recommended increasing parking rates to be more in line with surrounding communities and cover expenses. Also, the study recommended adding time limits to customer parking where there are currently no time limits. One of the benefits of implementing new technology would be allowing the City to gain more data about parking inventory and possibly being able to provide information to customers about real-time available parking. Staff recommends implementing the changes in two phases. Phase 1 would be completed in 2018 and would include selecting a pay-by-mobile software platform, multi-space parking payment kiosks in some areas, and implementing license plate recognition technology for enforcement. The phase would also include implementing a tiered fine structure. This phase is estimated to cost $85,000 in capital expenses. In response to Council questions, Special Projects Assistant Kowalke stated the kiosk boxes would allow for cash payments, but more people would likely be using credit card or mobile payment options. In Phase 2, the City would perform a financial analysis of paid parking to assess costs with the new systems in place, infrastructure maintenance needs and related issues. The City would also analyze other meter options in other areas and what the course of action should be. Special Projects Assistant Kowalke stated the City would have several options for how to proceed based on the data collected. Phase 2 would also consider moving enforcement to a mobile platform. This phase could implement timed customer parking. The costs for this phase depend on the City's decision on whether or not to change other parking meters. City Manager Dzugan stated the City intends for the parking fund to be self-sustaining, and the City will be working to determine fees for repairing or replacing parking structures in the future and the fees that should be collected to pay for maintenance. Planning Session 4 Special Projects Assistant Kowalke stated the City will be going out to bid to see what different vendors offer in their suite of options. Council members expressed an interest in ensuring whichever system the City chooses will provide several options for payment for people who do not have a smartphone or would prefer a different payment option such as cash. City Manager Dzugan explained that the meters in outlying areas of the downtown are in the area of the downtown where there is not a Special Service Area, so the City would need to proceed with caution to determine the revenue being brought in and how it would be replaced if the meters were removed. Council members expressed interest in analyzing the use and charge for single-space meters in non-commuter areas. City Manager Dzugan stated the City can proceed with a Request for Qualifications to see what systems are available. VI. City Council/Staff Comments There were no City Council or staff comments. VII. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 8:17 p.m. Planning Session 5