City Council Planning Sessions

MEMORANDUM TO: Record FROM: Susan Bishel, Public Relations Coordinator SUBJECT: February 26, 2018 City Council Planning Session Minutes DATE: February 27, 2018 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, Councilman Scalzo and Councilman Suess. Also in attendance were City Manager Dzugan, Assistant City Manager Duguay, Director of Engineering Redman, Director of Planning & Economic Development Kozik, Director of Finance Lehnhardt and Public Relations Coordinator Bishel. The session began at 7:00 p.m. and concluded at 8:02 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 Feb. 12, 2018 Planning Session Minutes The Council approved the Feb. 12, 2018 Planning Session Minutes. IV. New Sidewalk Program Assistant City Manager Duguay reviewed the City's past sidewalk programs, including the Sidewalk Replacement Program whereby staff inspected sidewalk squares throughout the City. Sidewalk squares with high deficiencies were noted and replaced later in the summer. This program has been ongoing since 2011, focusing on one segment of the City at a time on a rotating basis. The City has also had a Shared Cost New Sidewalk Program for residents who want sidewalks added adjacent to their properties. Unfortunately, this program did not result in resident participation. To address areas where adding sidewalks would be helpful for children who walk to school, Assistant City Manager Duguay stated staff asked principals at Wheaton grade schools to identify and prioritize 2-3 streets near their schools that they thought most needed sidewalks. Based on the feedback from principals and any resident feedback received, City staff worked to develop criteria for determining which street segments would be a top priority for installing new sidewalks. Some factors included the location's distance from the school (whether it was within 1,500 feet of the school), the type of street, areas where there are some sidewalks already constructed, and the geometry of the street. Staff inspected and reviewed all requested locations in order to determine challenges in construction engineering of the adjacent streets and where sidewalk construction would not be as feasible due to costly conditions for construction engineering. In response to Council questions, Director of Engineering Redman stated the school district buses students who live 1.5 miles or more from the school. There are also some exceptions in which students live closer than 1.5 miles but due to specific safety concerns, they receive bus service. Assistant City Manager Duguay reviewed the resulting 16 locations where City staff is recommending the City construct sidewalks, based on the criteria developed and input from school principals and residents. City staff estimates this work can be done over three years at a total cost of approximately $900,000. In response to Council questions, City Manager Dzugan stated it is difficult to find a way to measure how many children specific sidewalk locations would benefit, as the number of school- age children changes over time, and some children are driven to school instead of walking. City Manager Dzugan answered a Council question about the availability of state or federal funding by stating it is difficult to obtain assistance for a project like this. In response to some Council members' desire to devote more funding toward this project, City Manager Dzugan stated during the City's Budget Workshop Sessions, there would be a lot of discussion around capital projects and where the Council would like to allocate funds. In response to questions about the sidewalk replacement program, City Manager Dzugan stated the City would continue looking at one section of the City per year. So far, the City has spent more than $1 million on replacing sidewalks over 5 years, and crews have covered the entire City. The Council was supportive of the staff recommendations in general and will further address the suggested work during the budget workshops. 2/26/18 Planning Session 2 V. Special Service Area No. 7 Renewal City Manager Dzugan stated Special Service Area No. 7 expired in December 2017, and the City is required to follow a certain process for renewal, if the Council so desires. City staff provided information to the Council on SSA No. 7 and the services it provides to downtown businesses. City staff sought the Council's direction on whether they would like to renew the SSA and what services the SSA would fund. Council members generally spoke in favor of renewing the SSA, as the City provides services to the downtown that it does not provide elsewhere in the City, and the SSA funds these services. Regarding how the boundaries were drawn, City Manager Dzugan stated the boundaries were created to exclude residential properties from the SSA. The Council discussed whether the boundaries should be redrawn to include areas like the Wheaton 121 development, as some of the services benefit residents in these areas too. City Manager Dzugan stated the Downtown Wheaton Association has created a subcommittee to discuss the topic, and there will be multiple opportunities for public feedback on the matter. City staff will come back with more information for the Council's consideration. VI. City Council/Staff Comments There were no City Council/staff comments. VII. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 8:02 p.m. 2/26/18 Planning Session 3