Next City Council Meeting – October, 21st, 2019 at 6:00 PM
Official Minutes available at www.cityofmonmouth.com
Police Department Officer Swear-in
The Police Department recently hired a new member onto their department. Officer Austin J. Cox has spent the last ten years in law enforcement and is a lateral transfer from the Warren County Sheriff’s Office. Cox is a Monmouth native and will be a valuable asset to the department.
1– Presentations Or Citizen Inquiries
No presentations were made by the public this evening.
2- Building and Zoning Report – Director Clark
• Parkin’s trucking has completed their concrete approaches, building insulation, and have started on the internal walls of the building.
• The YMCA continues to pour concrete for the pool and bathhouse.
• Zoning continues to work with the City Attorney to pursue legal action on various abandoned properties throughout Monmouth.
• Clark also wished to recognize the impressive work that Midwest Bank’s Chris Gavin and Derrick Johnson have been doing with the various downtown buildings the bank currently manages.
3- SBA Lease Buyout and Easement Agreement – Director Helms
Earlier this year, the City was approached by the company who currently leases a small portion of land on South 5th Street from the municipality. An 80-foot monopole cellular tower sits on the parcel and presently has Verizon and Sprint equipment located on it. SBA, the company that currently owns the tower, wished to convert the monthly lease into a one-time buy-out option. This one-time cash buyout was for $275,000. This lump payment would allow the City to fund much-needed projects with the immediate revenue and was approved at the Council meeting.
Unfortunately, during legal, due diligence by the vendor, it was discovered that the US Justice Department would approve Sprint’s merger with T-mobile. The new information regarding Sprint’s legal status no longer guarantees that the carrier will continue to operate a tower on that parcel. As a result, SBA can no longer offer the sum of $275,000 and has presented a new offer of $205,000 with revenue sharing options on any additional carriers that choose to locate on the tower. Since the easement agreement that was executed at the previous City Council meeting was contingent on due diligence, it is no longer valid, and the new offer is now being presented for Council’s decision. City Council will take this item under review and will return for action at a later date.
4- Woodard and Curran Monthly Report – Director Jackson
• Street crews completed repairing an area of street in the 900 Block of North 11th. This repair included removal of old concrete pavement, repairing the culvert under the road, and installing a new 30 x 36 concrete slab to replace the deteriorated area of the road.
• The CSO phase 2 project will go out for bid in early November with an exact date to be posted shortly.
• Advanced Plumbing replaced the 250’ of City sewer beneath the Smithfield parking lot. This sewer was suffering from significant age-related issues and was replaced before a catastrophic failure was able to occur.
• The street resurfacing program is currently underway and will be completed in the following weeks.
5- Mayoral Appointment to Fire Pension Board
Ryan Painter has been recommended for appointment to the vacant position that resides on the fire pension board. Painter has substantial experience in the investment market and serves on numerous service organizations throughout the area.
A motion was made to approve the appointment to the fire board and was approved.
6- WIAR 5k Run/Walk Request
The Western Illinois Annual Rescue would like to hold their annual 5k run. This event will be held on the 27th of this month at 10:00 AM. The course route begins at the animal rescue facility, which is located at 300 West Harlem. Details and registration on this race may be found on the WIAR Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/wiar.rescue The Police Department had no objections to the proposed route and will provide officers to help direct traffic for the event.
A motion was made for approval and was approved.
8- Placement of Stop Signs Discussion
A request has been made for the placement of a stop sign at two intersections in town. The first sign that is being discussed would be at the intersection of West 8th avenue and South D street. The second stop sign would be at the intersection of South 11th and East 3rd Avenue by Lincoln school. Both of these stop signs are being requested by local residents in an effort to slow traffic down in the area and allow for greater pedestrian safety.
A motion was made for the City Attorney to draft an ordinance authorizing the placement of a stop sign at the intersection of South 11th and 3rd Avenue. The motion was approved.
7- Ordinances
A. Regulating Monetary Video Gaming within city limits
The State Of Illinois has recently expanded the regulations regarding video gaming. These expansions include additional machine placement, fees, and taxation measures. A summary of the ordinance before Council is as follows:
• A Limit of 5 machines per location.
• A $50.00 fee for the gaming license application and each additional license renewal.
• An annual fee of $125.00 per video gaming terminal in the licensed establishment.
• This ordinance does not include a Licensed Large Truck Stop Establishment as those terms are defined by the State’s Video Gaming Act, and those establishments shall continue to be governed by said Act and not by this Ordinance.
The full text of this document, including legal definitions, may be found on the cityofmonmouth.com website.
No action was taken on this item tonight. City Administration will review comparably sized communities and their fee structure. This item may return to Council at a later date.
B. Amending the limitation on the number of liquor licenses
The City currently has more liquor licenses available than are in use. This amendment would reduce the total number of liquor licenses to twelve Class One licenses, six Class Two licenses, four Class Three licenses, and eleven Class Four licenses.
A motion was made for approval and was approved.
C. Stop Sign placement – North 3rd Street and East Franklin Avenue
A request was made at the last City Council meeting for a stop sign at the intersection of East Franklin and North 3rd Street. This intersection is near a public park and sees an elevated amount of foot traffic. The Police Department has reviewed the request and does not object to placement on the West/Eastbound lanes.
A motion was made for approval and was approved.
8- Executive Session
No executive session was held this evening.
9- Other business
No other business was discussed this evening.
***Report compiled by Ken Helms, City Of Monmouth***
