City Council Planning Sessions

Monday, October 26, 2020 1. Call to Order The Wheaton City Council Planning Session was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Suess. The following were: Physically Present: Mayor Suess Councilman Barbier Councilwoman Fitch Councilwoman Robbins Councilman Zaruba Councilwoman Bray-Parker Present By Video Conference: Councilman Rutledge City Staff Physically Present: Michael Dzugan, City Manager John Duguay, Assistant City Manager Susan Bishel, Public Information Officer William Schultz, Chief of Fire William Murphy, Chief of Police Greg Klos, Police Sergeant Joe Tebrugge, Director of Engineering 2. Approval of October 12, 2020 Minutes The Council approved the October 12, 2020 City Council Planning Session minutes. 3. Public Comment There were no public comments. 4. Local Administrative Adjudication Sergeant Greg Klos presented an overview of the administrative adjudication process, which refers to the civil, non-criminal adjudication of any violation of a municipal ordinance. He explained that administrative adjudication would allow the City to adjudicate its own civil cases that are regularly heard at the DuPage County Courthouse for municipal ordinance and building and code violations, with criminal cases still being heard at the courthouse. Sergeant Klos explained that a typical retail theft violation with the current adjudication process would take approximately 2.5 hours from officer response to processing, whereas an administrative adjudication process would allow for an officer to issue a citation at the scene of the incident, greatly reducing the time for processing. He stated that adjudication hearings could take place on a weekday evening, as opposed to during business hours at the courthouse, providing convenience for defendants who often need to take time off of work and/or arrange for childcare. In addition, the administrative adjudication process would be more cost-efficient and could reduce court costs for the defendant as well as the City. OCTOBER 26, 2020 CITY COUNCIL PLANNING SESSION MINUTES Sergeant Klos presented a 5-year financial analysis showing previous violations that would be eligible for administrative adjudication. The approximate potential revenue generated between 2015 and 2019 for civil municipal violation ordinances was $572,130, or $114,426 annually. The City loses approximately 65% of the potential revenue from civil municipal violation ordinances with $198,000 being retained by the City and the remainder of the potential revenue being disbursed to DuPage County for fine sharing and court costs. Sergeant Klos presented the associated expenses with administrative adjudication, which includes approximate annual costs $59,320, including software, hearing security, a hearing officer, and miscellaneous expenses. He stated that the approximate annual revenue generated after expenses are deducted would be $55,106. In response to questions from Council, Sergeant Klos stated that the costs presented were gross costs to defendants, and there would be no court fees or costs associated with administrative adjudication for violators. In response to questions from Council, Sergeant Klos stated that the City could have a City prosecutor present during administrative adjudication. City Manager Dzugan stated that the City currently budgets to have a municipal prosecutor present at the DuPage County Courthouse, and the prosecutor could be utilized for administrative adjudication. In response to questions from Council, Sergeant Klos stated that civil violations processed through administrative adjudication would not show up in criminal history background checks, but adjudication software would be able to track repeat ordinance violators. In response to questions from Council, Sergeant Klos stated that if a violator did not appear for administrative adjudication, the defendant would be ruled liable, and they could incur a financial penalty for not showing. He stated that defendants could have legal representation with them during adjudication and there would be an appeal process. In response to questions from Council, Sergeant Klos stated that guidelines could be developed and adopted to assist police officers in the field in determining whether a violation was a state or local violation. 5. Review of Draft Strategic Plan Jacquelyn McCray of Management Partners reviewed the background of the process of developing the strategic plan to this point. It included a data gathering process with interviews with the City Council and the City’s leadership team; a community and employee survey; two virtual community engagement sessions; a review of local and regional data; and a review of current financial trends. In addition, the strategic plan elements were developed during two department head workshops and a Council strategic plan workshop. Ms. McCray stated that the draft strategic plan is based upon five strategic priorities that include: fiscal sustainability; enhance infrastructure; responsive and efficient services; community safety; and environmental sustainability. The City’s vision, mission, and organizational values are based upon these five strategic priorities. The Council discussed the strategic priority term “fiscal sustainability” and requested it be changed to “fiscal stability.” OCTOBER 26, 2020 CITY COUNCIL PLANNING SESSION MINUTES Ms. McCray reviewed the proposed Vision Statement: “Wheaton is a safe and inclusive community, a vibrant and progressive city, that is connected to the past and focused on the future.” She also reviewed the proposed Mission Statement: “To provide quality infrastructure and services that meet community needs and enhance safety and quality of life by being responsive, transparent, innovative, and efficient.” The proposed Organizational Values are: accountability, fairness, fiscal responsibility, honesty and integrity, innovation, and respect. The Council requested that the term “transparent” be removed from the City’s Mission Statement and moved to the Organizational Values. The Council discussed rewording the City’s Vision Statement with more concise alternatives and requested that the Organizational Values terminology be changed to a different tense (e.g: accountability to accountable) and include the term “pride.” Ms. McCray reviewed Strategic Priority 1: Fiscal Sustainability. The Council discussed rewording Goal A to reflect that the City will continue to conduct long-term financial planning. The Council also discussed adding language regarding developing a capital funding plan. Ms. McCray reviewed Strategic Priority 2: Enhance Infrastructure. The Council requested that lead service line replacement be listed as a priority within Goal B. In response to questions from Council, Director of Engineering Tebrugge stated that sanitary sewer backups could be listed under Goal B. He explained that best practices for identifying a program to address sanitary sewer backups has yet to be confirmed, but the City did have the information to move forward with identifying a program. The Council requested that the desired outcome terminology for “eliminate sanitary sewer backups” be revised to state “reduce sanitary sewer backups.” The Council suggested that it may be more appropriate to merge Goal B and Goal C, and the new goal be revised to address all water-related issues. Ms. McCray reviewed Strategic Priority 3: Responsive and Efficient Services. In response to questions from Council, Assistant City Manager Duguay explained that it is difficult to identify all the essential services of each department, which is why the goal of identifying 3 essential services was recommended, and Ms. McCray stated that the essential service needs may evolve over time. The Council requested that the Key Performance Indicators be clarified to not just address customer service, but the quality of service received. The Council reviewed Strategic Priority 4: Community Safety. The Council requested that Goal B section 1 be edited to state: “Identify social service gaps and needs within our diverse population.” The Council requested that specifics about police be considered as a goal and be prioritized as Goal A. The Council reviewed Strategic Priority 5: Environmental Sustainability. OCTOBER 26, 2020 CITY COUNCIL PLANNING SESSION MINUTES The Council requested that Goal A be revised to state: “Implement carbon footprint reduction practices.” Staff stated Council feedback would be reviewed and verbiage changed, where appropriate. Once changes are made, the draft plan will be posted on the website and via social media in order to receive public comment prior to a final review by the City Council. 6. City Council/City Staff Comments Councilwoman Bray-Parker shared that she had attended the Make A Difference Day event with Councilwoman Fitch and stated the event was a great success. Mayor Suess acknowledged McAlister’s Deli (1901 S. Naperville Road) who recently opened and welcomed the business to the City. 7. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 9:27 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Daniel J. Peck