City Council Meeting Summary 09.17.2018
Next City Council Meeting – October 1st, 2018 at 6:00 PM
Official Minutes available at www.cityofmonmouth.com
1– Presentations Or Citizen Inquiries
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2- Proclamation – Monmouth College Classics Week
Mayor Davies read a proclamation recognizing the contributions that the Classics and Latin have brought to the local curriculum. The proclamation also speaks to the talent, flexibility, creativity and work ethic of the faculty at both the college and the high school. Social trends have led to a reduction in these programs around the state and nation, however talented local instructors have been able to continue to appeal to young minds.
Monmouth College will host its 4th annual Classics Day on Saturday, September 29th with cooperation from the Latin Program at Monmouth-Roseville High School. Leading up to Classics Day there are a number of special events held at the Warren County History Museum, the Warren County Public Library, and the Buchannan Center For the Arts.
The full proclamation may be found at www.cityofmonmouth.com
3- MPD Monthly Report – Chief Joe Switzer
• The 2018 Maple City Street Machine Car Show went well with no major incidents.
• The 2018 Baconfest also went very well with no major incidents.
• Monmouth College coordinator with the department on the 18th to safely route traffic during the move-in process of the students. The event with smoothly with little disruption to traffic.
• The department assisted in traffic control during the annual Riley Strong 5k run. This event went well with no incidents reported.
The Department had 1605 calls for service in August.
Chief Switzer’s full report may be found on the www.cityofmonmouth.com homepage.
4- MFD Monthly Report – Chief Rexroat
• The department participated in ALICE (Active shooter) drills that were conducted by the Police Department at various schools. All the firefighters on the department are EMTs or paramedics. During a mass casualty, incident staff would perform tactical medical roles, set up warm zones and provide critical care to patients.
• Engine 23 was taken to Alexis to have work performed. The work includes valve replacement, air tank replacement and tie-rod installation.
• All of the firefighters were re-certified in CPR and AED use. Firefighter Osborn holds an instructor’s license and all training was completed in-station.
The department had 99 calls for service in August.
Chief Rexroat’s full report may be found on the cityofmonmouth.com webpage.
5- Ordinances
A. Extending Term of TIF Redevelopment Plan and Project for Downtown/Broadway Corridor
Governor Rauner recently signed an extension of our downtown TIF district. The passing of a local ordinance is required as the final stage.
Under this ordinance, the downtown TIF district will now extend until December 31, 2035.
TIF districts are special taxing districts that generate heavily restricted funds which may be used for economic development. Usage of the funds is governed by Illinois State Statute (65 ILCS 5/11-74.4-1) and may only be used for certain projects. An extension of a TIF district requires support from all taxing bodies affected as well as support from the Illinois General Assembly. TIF districts are largely recognized as 1 of the two major economic incentives a community can leverage to bring development to an area. The other incentive is an Enterprise Zone, which Monmouth also has.
Administrator Steinbrecher and Mayor Davies spoke about the many ways a TIF District can facilitate projects to help improve Monmouth’s downtown which includes public infrastructure improvement, historic commercial property improvement, and financial based business development incentives.
A motion for approval was made and was approved.
B. Amending Chapter 115, Number Of Liquor Licenses
At the last meeting, City Council was petitioned by a local business owner with a request for a liquor license. The Pizza Place would like transition their business into a more diverse setting. The Pizza Place is wanting to move into the former Eagles Club building off 11th street. At this location they would renovate the bar area and serve alcohol as well as pizza in a sit-down style restaurant.
A motion for approval was made and was approved.
C. Special Use Variance – 310 North 5th Street – Operating a rental property as a guest house
The property owners at this location are requesting a special use variance. This variance would allow them to convert their existing rental property into a guest house that can be used for temporary paid stays. This variance went before the Zoning Board last week and was unanimously recommended for approval after a discussion regarding parking considerations. The property owner did not forsee any further impact to parking than there is currently and will receive Guest Parking Permits from City Staff due to their proximity to parking restricted streets.
A motion for approval was made and was approved.
D. Setback Variance – 312 South 7th Street – Change from 6-foot to 3-foot property setback
The property owner would like to construct a garage at this location. Due to the location and current property layout, this would require a 3-foot setback from the property line. Normal setback requirements in this instance would be 6 foot. This variance also went before the Zoning Board and was unanimously recommended for approval after a short discussion about drainage considerations. The landowner stated that gutters and downspouts should eliminate and drainage complications that may arise to the adjacent property.
A motion for approval was made and was approved.
6- Executive Session
No executive session was held tonight.
7- Other business
During the last two public events a survey was performed by Monmouth College students. This survey asked questions on a number of different issues. These results will be made public on the cityofmonmouth.com website later this week.
***Report Courtesy of the City of Monmouth***
