Next City Council Meeting – July 1st, 2019 at 6:00 PM
Official Minutes available at www.cityofmonmouth.com
1– Presentations Or Citizen Inquiries
No citizens spoke to Council this evening.
2- Fire Department Monthly Report – Chief Rexroat
• Hydrant flushing is completed for the year.
• The fire department attended the Special Olympics event at Sunny Lane Field to provide first aid and assist with the event.
• Tower 22 had an issue with the controls for the aerial ladder. The ladder was still able to be controlled from the base of the ladder but needed to be repaired to allow firefighters to operate the ladder from the aerial basket. Alexis Fire Equipment came to the station and repaired the unit.
• Chief Rexroat and Joe Clark completed a walkthrough of the new procurement area at Smithfield to address any concerns with the construction.
3- Police Department Monthly Report – Lt. Jerry Kinney
• Officer Williams attended the PTC Carnival, which was held at Lincoln School. A patrol car was present for the children to interact with.
• Chief Switzer and Lt. Bratcher performed several public service announcements on the local radio regarding Scott’s Law. This law requires motorists to reduce speed and move to another lane when emergency services are in the motorway.
• Officer Lindsay Kenney hosted a car seat class at the Warren County Library that reviewed best practices for car seat installation.
• Lt. Kinney spoke to Council regarding the professionalism and excellent work that Investigators Hepner, Kramer and Mcvey showed during the Pearman murder case. The case has resulted in a guilty plea and will see sentencing in court this week.
4- Approval of Development Agreement with Love’s Travel Stops
The area where Love’s wishes to locate does is not currently served with municipal water and sewer. To obtain these utility services and to improve the roadway, Love’s has offered to enter a development agreement with the City. The Development agreement states that the developer (Love’s) will fund water and sewer extensions, roadway improvement, and assist the City with costs associated with the establishment of a business district.
A special business district allows the City to impose an additional sales tax within the specified district. This additional sales tax will then be used to reimburse Love’s for qualified expenses which are incurred during the development.
The City’s obligations to reimburse the developer under this agreement is a limited obligation, payable solely from the available business district revenue. A copy of this agreement may be found on our website at www.cityofmonmouth.com
A motion for approval was made and was approved.
5- Request For Class IV Liquor License – Leo’s Drive Through Convenience Store
A request is being made to Council from Niko Aliu, the current owner of Maplecity Restaurant to open a drive-through convenience store in the former Hardee’s building on North Main Street. To provide a wide range of products to their customers, a class IV liquor license is being requested. A class IV license allows for the sale of packaged liquor.
A motion was made to authorize the City Attorney to draft an ordinance expanding the number liquor licenses which will be considered at the next Council meeting. The motion was approved.
6- Approval Of Afscme Contract
Monmouth’s Public Safety Telecommunicators are part of a collective bargaining unit which is represented by AFSCME. City Administration has been in negotiations with unit, and they have reached an agreement which includes a 2.25% cost of living increase and various changes to job descriptions. The contract will be for 3 years.
A motion was made for approval and was approved.
7- United Way Street Closure Request – July 27th, 2019
The Warren County United Way is requesting closure of one quadrant of the town square so they may host an event for the day. The event is called Julie Mcvey Reading Day and will feature a little library ribbon cutting, virtual race and a toddler walk/run. Julie’s Little Libraries are a series of small bookshare libraries which will be installed throughout town to provide additional resources to residents of the area.
A motion was made for approval and was approved.
8- Approval Of Tractor Bid
The Public Works department has a large tractor which is used for various tasks around the City, including mowing, backfilling and other miscellaneous jobs. The current tractor has begun to accumulate hours, and it has been suggested that the City trade the asset in for a newer model before the repair costs begin to compound. Two bids were submitted for replacement and trade-in with the lowest bid coming from Painter’s Farm Equipment with a price after trade-in of $19,900.
A motion for approval was made and was approved.
9- Approval Of Partnership with MBWI for 226 South Main Street
The City has a Downtown Commercial Building Rehab Program which utilizes restricted TIF funds to rehabilitate buildings in need of repair. Through this program, the City has developed a partnership with Midwest Bank for the building located at 226 S. Main Street. The purpose of the partnership is to address the masonry and water infiltration into the building, which currently makes it unable to be occupied.
The City’s maximum exposure would be $30,000 to complete the necessary repairs.
A motion was made for approval and was approved.
10- Approval of Purchase Agreement for 602 East 6th Avenue
A purchase request has been made for a City-owned empty lot at 602 E. 6th Avenue. This lot was acquired by the City in the past after a demolition occurred on the property. A neighbor who lives adjacent to the lot would like to acquire it for their use. The purchase agreement is for the amount of $1000.00.
A motion for approval was made and was approved.
11- Ordinances
- Amending Chapter 97 to include cargo container restrictions After receiving resident complaints regarding the addition of cargo containers to residential backyards, the Zoning Department has worked with elected officials to create an appropriate ordinance to restrict the usage of these contains in residential neighborhoods. The storage structures are large, metal containers which are traditionally moved via semi and freighter ships. These containers do not require large financial investments and as such, have begun to increase around the town. In summary:
• Cargo containers may not be placed permanently in any residentially zoned area.
• Containers may be placed in commercially zoned areas under certain conditions which include an approved surface and appropriate setbacks.
A motion for approval was made and was approved. The full text of the ordinance may be found on the City’s website.
- Amending Chapter 115 to increase the number of available liquor licenses
At the last City Council meeting, Fareway Foods submitted a request to City Council for a Class IV liquor license. A liquor license of this type would allow Fareway to sell packaged liquor to their customers. This amendment allows an additional liquor license, which is then able to issue by the City’s Liquor Commissioner.
A motion for approval was made and was approved.
- Business District Plan for the proposed West 11th/ US 67 district (1st Reading)
The City wishes to establish a business district in a 12.8-acre parcel of West 11th and US 67. A business district will allow the City to impose additional sales tax on that area only. This additional revenue will be used to offset development costs, which are required to eliminate blight and make the area attractive to developers.
A motion was made to set the date and time for a public hearing on the business district plan. The motion was approved.
A public hearing on the formal establishment of the district will be held on July 15 th at 5:45 PM
- Declaration of surplus property – Police Department Surplus (1st Reading)
The Police Department would like to surplus two of their vehicles, which were acquired through drug seizures. One vehicle is a 2005 Grand Prix, and the other is a 2003 Cadillac Deville.
A motion was made for approval and was approved. These vehicles will be auctioned off by Burns Auction services on US Highway 67.
- Vacation of South B Street from tracks to West 6th Avenue (2nd reading)
At the 5/20 City Council meeting, Midwest Pet Foods requested a vacation from South B Street by the tracks to the intersection of South B and West 6th Avenue. The right of way is approximately 420 feet and stops at the railroad tracks. Vacating this right of way will allow the facility greater room to move semi-trailers around as well as removing the City’s financial obligation.
A motion for approval was made and was approved.
7- Executive Session
An executive session was held Per Illinois Statute 5ILCS 120/2 to consider employee compensation. No action was taken upon return to regular session.
8- Other business
No other business was discussed.
***Report Courtesy of the Monmouth City Council***
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