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Friday, April 19, 2024

City of Crystal Lake City Council met May 7

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City of Crystal Lake City Council met May 7.

Here is the minutes provided by the council:

Call to Order Mayor Shepley called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.

Roll Call Mayor Aaron Shepley and Councilmembers Ellen Brady, Ralph Dawson, Cathy Ferguson and Brett Hopkins were present. Councilmeibers Haig Haleblian and Cameron Hubbard were absent. City Clerk Nick Kachiroubas was absent. Deputy City Clerk Eric Helm was present.

Also present were City Manager Gary Mayerhofer, City Attorney John Cowlin, Deputy City Manager Eric Helm, Director of Finance George Koczwara, Director of Community Development Michelle Rentzsch, Director of Public Works Mike Magnuson, City Engineer Abby Wilgreen and Chief of Police James Black

Pledge of Allegiance Mayor Shepley led the Council and the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Oaths of Office - Re-elected Mayor and City Councilmembers Chief Judge of the 22nd Judicial District James S. Cowlin administered the Oaths of Office to the re elected Mayor, Aaron T. Shepley, and re-elected City Councilmember Ellen Brady, City Councilmember Cathy Ferguson, and City Councilmember Brett Hopkins.

Mayoral Recognition for Outstanding Service Mayor Shepley recognized Chief James Black and the Crystal Lake Police Department for their

outstanding efforts during the recent AJ Freund investigation.

Mayor Shepley recognized Crystal Lake Police Commander Ron Joseph, Sergeant Michael Gasparaitis, Detectives Frank Houlihan, David Eitel, Jason Duncan, Dimitri Boulahanis, Russ Will, Jeff Mattson, Michael Maloney, and Officers Scott Torkelson, Zachary Morse and Chris Sanders for their efforts in the Andrew AJ Freund Investigation.

Police Chief James Black thanked the Mayor and City Council for their recognition. Chief Black stressed how proud he was of his staff at the Crystal Lake Police Department and their efforts during this difficult time.

Oaths of Office - Crystal Lake Police Department Mayor Shepley administered the Oath of Office to newly hired Crystal Lake Police Officers Brian Harvat and Andrew Serrato.

Police Chief James Black stated both Officer Harvat and Serrato have graduated from the Cook County Police Academy and have completed a four-month training period. They will be working midnight and afternoon shifts.

Mayor Shepley administered the Oath of Office to the Crystal Lake Police Department's new K-9, Zeus. Police Chief James Black welcomed Zeus to the Police Department and noted that he is trained in tracking and narcotics detection.

Approval of Minutes Councilwoman Ferguson moved to approve the minutes of the April 16, 2019 Regular City Council meeting. Councilman Hopkins seconded the motion. On voice vote, all voted yes. Motion passed.

Accounts Payable Councilwoman Ferguson moved to approve the Accounts Payable in the amount of $2,290,385.98. Councilman Hopkins seconded the motion. On roll call, all present voted yes except in order to avoid any possible conflict of interest, Mayor Shepley abstained on payments to Centegra Occupational Health or Northwestern Occupational Health or any related entities. Motion passed.

Public Presentation Mayor Shepley asked if anyone in the audience wished to speak on matters of general public interest or concern not included in the regular agenda, advising that they would be given an opportunity to speak when the agenda item is considered.

Gary Svejar, resident of 131 Rebecca Street, thanked Police Chief James Black and the Crystal Lake Police Department for their work on the AJ Freund investigation,

Dawn Mueller, resident of 710 W. Metzen Street, #1 in Harvard, introduced herself to the Mayor and City Council. She described an incident in Oak Park, leading to spinal cord damage and catastrophic injuries. She requested the Police Department's assistance in contacting the FBI regarding her situation and in helping her move back to Crystal Lake for medical services.

Mayor's Report None.

City Council Reports Councilwoman Brady attended the Chicago Junior Rowing Championships last Sunday. The Crystal Lake Rowing Club participated in the event.

Consent Agenda Councilwoman Brady moved to approve a Consent Agenda consisting of Items 12a, 126, 12c, 120, 12e, 12f, 12g, and 12h with the addition of Items 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, and 24. Councilwoman Ferguson seconded the motion. Mayor Shepley asked if anyone in the audience wished to comment on any of the listed items, noting that without any objection, they would most likely be approved.

Mayor Shepley clarified for residents at the meeting regarding re-routing Pace 550, that the Council has made a motion in opposition to changing the route, He stated that he has word from Pace that if the City of Crystal Lake is against the route, it will not happen.

Susan LaBaj, 665 Greenbrier Lane, spoke in support of changing the Pace route 550. She stated the transportation is a critical need in McHnery County.

Delores Dino, 470 Berkshire, also spoke in support of the route relocation. She utilizes public transportation almost daily in Cook County. She says more public transportation to and from Metra is needed, in the winter with sidewalks not shoveled, it was difficult to get to the train station for her

Proceedings of the City Council May 7, 2019 Page 3

commute. Ms. Dino says that no one uses the current route and hoped the City Council will still work to find an acceptable location for the route, She also asked for re-routing of semi-trucks from McHenry Avenue.

Carolyn Schofield, County Board District 2 Representative, stated that the County Board has supported the McHenry County Transportation Plan including the re-route of Pace Route 550. The concerns that she has heard are regarding an empty bus with the existing route. She is looking at the issue from a regional perspective, and is afraid McHenry County will lose transportation funding.

On roll call, all voted yes. Motion passed.

12. a. Approved a Fee Waiver for the Marine Corps League Annual Fishing Derby at Three Oaks Recreation Area, June 6, 2019. 

b. Approved the Planning and Zoning Commission recommendation and adopted an Ordinance granting a Preliminary/Final Planned Unit Development for a single-family residential home within the B-4 Mixed Use Business zoning district at 23 Brink Street. 

c. Approved the Planning and Zoning Commission recommendation and adopted an Ordinance for the Final Plat of Subdivision for two-family lots and variations, 95 Elmhurst Street. 

d. Approved the Planning and Zoning Commission recommendation and adopted an Ordinance granting a variation for a front porch and stairs in the front yard setback at 314 Douglas Avenue. 

e. Approved the Planning and Zoning Commission recommendation and adopted an Ordinance for changes to the site, signage, and building façade for the outlot building in the Crystal Point Shopping Center, 5750 Northwest Highway. 

f. Adopted a Resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a Crystal Lake Watershed Stormwater Management Facilities Non-Residential Maintenance Plan, Grant of Easement, and Funding Agreement for Bernotas Middle School, 170 North Oak Street. 

g. Approve the Temporary Use Permit for Coventry Elementary School at 820 Darlington Lane to allow for the use of mobile classrooms for a period not to exceed one year. 

h. County Zoning Request 4820 Kenneth Drive for a fence variation - No Objection.

13. Proposed Pace Route 550 Route Realignment - No Action taken to change the current Pace 550 Route and opposing the proposed re-route.

14. Adopted an Ordinance increasing the_rrumber of Class 13 Liquor Licenses from 31 to 32 to allow for the issuance of a new Class 13 liquor License to Rahul Patel Inc., DBA 7-Eleven #38439A, 11 E. Northwest Highway.

15. Adopted a Resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a location agreement with Zagster, Inc, and approve the City of Crystal Lake's participation to allow the placement of an 8-station bike rack on Crystal Lake Property for two years in downtown Crystal Lake across from the Metra Station.

16. Adopted a Resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute the Local Agency Agreement for Federal Participation with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) for construction of the Main Street and Crystal Lake Avenue intersection improvement.

17. Adopted a Resolution appropriating $1,687,009 in Motor Fuel Tax Funds (MFT) for the Main Street and Crystal Lake Avenue Intersection Improvement construction,

18. Adopted a Resolution appropriating $863,000 in Motor Fuel Tax (MFT) funds for FY 2019-2020 traffic signal maintenance, street lighting maintenance, and snow-fighting material purchases.

19. Adopted a Resolution consenting to a change in ownership of the Quarry Cable Park at the Three Oaks Recreation Area, per Article 10.01 of the Concessionaire and Property Use Agreement between the City of Crystal Lake and the Quarry Cable Park LLC.

20. Adopted a Resolution authorizing the City Manager to accept two donations in the amount of $10,000 and $15,000 designated for the 2019 Independence Day Fireworks Show, per City Code Chapter 102.

Adopted a Resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a contract amendment with American Fireworks for an additional amount of $30,000, with a total contract price of $55,000 for the 2019 Independence Day Fireworks Show.

21. Adopted an Ordinance authorizing acquisition of properties for flooding mitigation projects – 116, 124, and 132 Greenfield Road, 120 Greenfield Road, 112 Greenfield Road, 407LT Mary Lane, and East End Avenue vacaní parcels.

23. Approved the nomination of Alli Magit as the member of the Economic Development Committee nominated by the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce.

Approved the nomination of Brett Rainwater as member of the Economic Development Committee nominated by the Main Street Program and Brian Fowler as an at-large member.

24. Approved the nomination of Emilie Hoffman to the Sustainability Committee.

Approved the nomination of Gregory Glove to the Sustainability Committee.

Mayor Shepley explained that Crystal Lake was not designed for fixed bus service. He stated that there may be a marginal increase in ridership, but the impact on residents would be too great. He explained the history of public bus transportation in McHenry County, and how residents have voted down systems like Chicago. As such, the area switched to the dial-a-ride service, a more effective way to serve the community. He stated that the Pace Executive Director has promised to review services in Crystal Lake and McHenry County,

22. Waiver of formal competitive bidding requirements of Chapter 102-3 of the City Code and to authorize the City Manager to approve individual purchases to the lowest proposers for the Thornwood Lane Drainage Project for a total project cost of $48,470.93 with a 10 percent contingency for unforeseen conditions.

Councilwoman Brady moved to waive the formal competitive bidding requirements of Chapter 102-3 of the City Code and to authorize the City Manager to approve individual purchases to the lowest proposers for the Thornwood Lane Drainage Project for a total project cost of $48,470.93 with a 10 percent contingency for unforeseen conditions. Councilman Hopkins seconded the motion. On Roll Call, Councilman Dawson voted no, Mayor Shepley and Councilmembers Brady, Ferguson, and Hopkins voted yes, Motion failed.

25. Resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a Collective Bargaining Agreement between the City of Crystal Lake and the Crystal Lake Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 3926. 

Councilwoman Brady moved to adopt a Resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a Collective Bargaining Agreement between the City of Crystal Lake and the Crystal Lake Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 3926. Councilwoman Ferguson seconded the motion. On Roll Call, all voted yes. Motion passed.

Council Inquiries and Requests.

None.

Adjourn There being no further business, Councilwoman Brady moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:30 p.m. Councilman Hopkins seconded the motion. On voice vote, all voted yes. Motion passed.

https://ecode360.com/documents/CR2206/public/493758349.pdf

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