McHenry Times

Woodstock City Council met Dec. 3.

Here is the minutes provided by the council:

A regular meeting of the Woodstock City Council was called to order at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, December 3, 2019 by Mayor Brian Sager in the Council Chambers at Woodstock City Hall. Mayor Sager welcomed those present and explained the consent calendar process and invited public participation. He noted, as is the City’s policy, this evening’s meeting is being live streamed with a recording archived should members of the public wish to view it in the future.

City Clerk Smiley confirmed the agenda before the Council was a true and correct copy of the published agenda.

A roll call was taken.

COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: Darrin Flynn, Lisa Lohmeyer, Wendy Piersall, Jim Prindiville, Gordon Tebo, Michael Turner, and Mayor Brian Sager.

COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT: None

STAFF PRESENT: City Manager Roscoe Stelford, Finance Director/Assistant City Manager Paul Christensen, City Attorney Ruth Schlossberg, Public Works Director Jeff Van Landuyt, Building and Zoning Director Joe Napolitano, Economic Development Director Garrett Anderson, Chief John Lieb, Recreation Director Dave Zinnen, Deputy Chief Ray Lanz, Communications and Grants Manager Terry Willcockson, and several members of the Woodstock Police Department.

OTHERS PRESENT: City Clerk Cindy Smiley

III. FLOOR DISCUSSION

A. Presentation – “No Shave November”

Mayor Sager expressed his appreciation for those who have participated in this event. Chief Lieb thanked the members of City Staff, City Council, and the Police Department who participated and introduced Deputy Chief Lanz who spearheaded the event.

Deputy Chief Lanz stated this was the second year Woodstock has participated in No Shave November, noting this year it was to benefit the Woodstock Police Explorers Program. He gave a history and an overview of the Police Explorers Program and acknowledged Sgt. Rapacz and Sgt. Branum who are in charge of the program and are helped by other Sergeants and Police Officers. Deputy Chief Lanz noted there have been over 100 Woodstock youth who have gone through the program since its inception with many going into police work, the armed forces, and to college.

In addition to the members of the Police Department, Deputy Chief Lanz thanked members of the City Council and City Staff who participated in No Shave November, noting there were 31 participants who raised $2,000 for the Woodstock Police Explorers Program

B. Proclamation – Christmas Clearing House 50th Anniversary

Mayor Sager stated tonight the Council is pleased to recognize those who have contributed to Christmas Clearing House over the past 50 years.

Without objection, the City Council approved and adopted A Proclamation Honoring Rotary Club of Woodstock Christmas Clearing House 50th Anniversary – December 2019. Mayor Sager read the Proclamation for all to hear.

Mayor Sager acknowledged the significance of Christmas Clearing House stating it truly is a spiritual event with people coming out in incredible numbers to help and opining this is what Woodstock is all about – coming together as a community for good. He extended his deepest gratitude to all volunteers, past and present.

Noting Christmas Clearing House was started by the Girl Scouts as a community service project 50 years ago, Mayor Sager thanked them for beginning this wonderful event. He presented representatives of the Girl Scouts with a copy of the Proclamation.

Mayor Sager then stated the event was picked up by the Rotary, which has been organizing it ever since. He acknowledged all members of the Rotary, asking John Buckley to step forward and accept a copy of the Proclamation on behalf of Rotary members past and present.

Mayor Sager asked all present who have participated in Christmas Clearing House over the years to stand.

All were acknowledged by hearty applause.

C. Proclamation – Sue Rose and Old Firehouse Assistance Center

Mayor Sager stated the City also wishes to extend its sincere gratitude to all involved with the Old Firehouse Assistance Center (OFAC), noting they have been working hard for four years to provide services through what was always intended to be a temporary program.

Without objection, the City Council approved and accepted A Proclamation Honoring the Old Firehouse Assistance Center.

Asking all involved with OFAC to stand, Mayor Sager thanked them for their compassionate efforts over the past four years. He acknowledged their incredible accomplishment of finding permanent housing for 100 individuals. Mayor Sager opined it is important to respect and acknowledge the homeless and treat them with compassion, which is what was done at OFAC by these people.

Mayor Sager asked Sue Rose, Megan Bennett, and Mark Krakowski to step forward for individual recognition of their exceptional work, presenting each with a plaque. He talked about the significant work of each, noting how they were a part of the solution. Mayor Sager also thanked Chief Lieb and the Woodstock Police Department, noting the wonderful relationship between OFAC and the WPD.

Ms. Rose thanked the City for providing the opportunity to do this, stating they were grateful to serve so many people. She stated they will continue their efforts to help the homeless community.

Mayor Sager stated McHenry County continues to have a task force to address homelessness, noting the other half of the mission was to establish a permanent facility in McHenry County, which is coming closer to fruition.

D. Proclamation – John Widmayer Recognition

Without objection, the City Council approved and accepted A Proclamation Honoring Referee John Widmayer.

Mayor Sager stated the City is pleased to honor John Widmayer on 50 years as a high school referee, for his services to the Woodstock community, and for teaching the value of sports and team work to young people. He presented the Proclamation and a plaque to Mr. Widmayer.

Mr. Widmayer thanked the Mayor and Council for this honor, stating he has enjoyed working with young people and provided some of his memories over the past 50 years.

Councilman Tebo stated he cannot think of anyone who has approached being a referee with as much professionalism as Mr. Widmayer. He talked about the positive attention Mr. Widmayer brought to Woodstock.

Mayor Sager commended Terry Willcockson for crafting the proclamations presented this evening.

E. Public Comment

Michael Stanard, 935 Victoria Drive, stated he expected this evening’s conversation to be about the Die Cast site, but now understands there will be a special workshop on this topic. He stated his wish to share his thoughts on this, opining the City should buy the site, thus having control of the property, stating this combined with the TIF would give the City a lot of power. He further opined the City could successfully negotiate with the bank for this property.

Mr. Stanard opined the City should do something “fabulous” with the site, suggesting the City obtain the Hummel engineering plans and build what was already planned and approved.

Mr. Stanard then wished to acknowledge Mark Bezik, owner of the Ethereal building, noting his improvement of that and other buildings on the Square, stating he is an American entrepreneur.

Mr. Stanard then stated the sense of community in the room tonight was very moving to him, noting he is glad to be in Woodstock.

F. Council Comments

There were no comments forthcoming from the City Council.

IV. PUBLIC HEARING – Consideration to impose a local Motor Fuel Tax of $0.03 cents per gallon for an enhanced 2020 Streets Resurfacing Program

Mayor Sager noted this is a Public Hearing for the consideration to impose a local Motor Fuel Tax (MFT) of $0.03 per gallon for an enhanced 2020 Streets Resurfacing Program.

City Manager Stelford stated the Council has previously held a special workshop to discuss ways to enhance the City’s Streets Program, one of which is to add a motor fuel tax, as this is truly a user-paid funding source. Mr. Stelford noted the Home Rule Policy Resolution passed by the City Council requires that a Public Hearing be held to hear comments from the public, stating this Public Hearing intends to meet this requirement. He noted Council must wait one meeting after the Public Hearing before considering the final Ordinance.

Mr. Christensen stated the idea is to enhance the 2020 Streets Resurfacing Program by issuing a $10 million bond, providing information on how this would be paid for using the additional MFT collections from the State of Illinois and a locally-administered $0.03 per gallon MFT, which would be allowed with passage of the Ordinance mentioned by Mr. Stelford. He stated the Home Rule sales tax would still be used for the Streets Resurfacing Program.

Noting the $10 million is part of $50 to $60 million intended to go to roads, Councilman Tebo asked about the plan for future years. Mr. Stelford stated the City Administration is working on developing plans for years two through five of the program, but the focus has been to get year one up and running. In response to a question from Councilman Tebo, Mr. Stelford confirmed it is written in the Ordinance that the $0.03 MFT, which is the subject of this Public Hearing, will be dedicated to streets.

Mayor Sager stated the #1 priority is to improve the City’s streets. He stated the only way to do this is with an incredible amount of money, noting the $2.5 million the City is currently dedicating will not accomplish this. He stated the City is looking at a large infusion of cash through a 5-year plan of $50 to $60 million dollars with the $0.03 MFT providing a source of revenue to be dedicated to the bonds. He stated through conversations he has had with leaders of other municipalities he has found everyone is dealing with this same issue.

Mayor Sager opened the Public Hearing at 7:50 PM to consider imposition of a local Motor Fuel Tax of $0.03 per gallon for an enhanced 2020 Streets Resurfacing Program.

In response to an invitation from Mayor Sager, there were no public comments.

Motion by J. Prindiville, second by L. Lohmeyer, to close the Public Hearing.

A roll call vote was taken. Ayes: D. Flynn, L. Lohmeyer, W. Piersall, J. Prindiville, G. Tebo, M. Turner, and Mayor B. Sager. Nays: none. Abstentions: none. Absentees: none. Motion carried.

The Public Hearing was closed at 7:53 PM.

V. CONSENT AGENDA

Motion by M. Turner, second by W. Piersall, to approve the Consent Agenda.

In response to a question from Mayor Sager, the following items were removed from the Consent Agenda by the Council or a member of the Public:

Item B-2 - Warrant #3884 – by Councilman J. Prindiville.

Item D-7 – Request – Appeal of Historic Preservation Commission – 301 N. Madison by Councilman J. Prindiville.

In response to a question from Mayor Sager, there were no questions or comments forthcoming from the Public concerning items remaining on the Consent Agenda.

Mayor Sager affirmed the Consent Agenda to include Items A through B-1, C through D-6, and D-8 as follows:

A. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS

November 19, 2019

B. WARRANTS: #3883

C. MINUTES AND REPORTS:

Transportation Commission Minutes June 19, 2019

Transportation Commission Minutes September 18, 2019

Opera House Advisory Commission Minutes October 15, 2019

Opera House Advisory Commission Minutes November 19, 2019

D. MANAGER’S REPORT NO. 146

1. Ordinance – Amending Section 3.3.6, Classification of Licenses – Carniceria La Esperanza, 1230 Davis Road, Units A-C, Woodstock – Approval of Ordinance 19- O-98, identified as Document 1, An Ordinance Amending Title 3, Chapter 3, Liquor Control, of the Woodstock City Code, increasing the number of Class A-2 liquor licenses by one (1) for Carniceria La Esperanza, 1230 Davis Road, Units A-C, Woodstock, contingent upon fulfillment of all identified requirements.

2. Ordinance – 2019 Property Tax Levy – Adoption of Ordinance 19-O-99, identified as Document 2, The 2019 Tax Levy Ordinance of the City of Woodstock, McHenry County, Illinois.

3. Resolution – Impact Fee Deferral Program – Approval of Resolution 19-R-19, identified as Document 3, A Resolution Extending the City of Woodstock’s Impact Fee Deferral Program Subject to Specific Terms and Conditions, extending the program until December 31, 2021.

4. Agreement – Metra – Woodstock IGA Station Improvements – Adoption of An Intergovernmental Funding Agreement for the Repair and Improvement of a Commuter Facility in the City of Woodstock and authorization for the Mayor and City Clerk to execute said agreement between the City of Woodstock and the Commuter Rail Division of the Regional Transportation Authority for the repair and improvement of Metra’s Commuter Station located in Woodstock.

5. Ordinance–RegionalMajorCrashAssistanceTeam–ApprovalofOrdinance19- O-100, identified as Document 4, An Ordinance Approving an Intergovernmental Agreement for the McHenry County Regional Major Crash Assistance Team.

6. Resolution – IL Route 47 Construction Improvements – Approval of the following:

a) The Statement of Concurrence pertaining to the Letter of Intent provided by IDOT, identified as Document 5; and

b) Authorization of Resolution 19-R-20, identified as Document 6, A Resolution of Intent with Regards to the City of Woodstock and Illinois Department of Transportation Regarding Illinois Route 47 Bicycle/Pedestrian Improvements from US Route 14 to Illinois Route 120, authorizing the City’s participation in cost-sharing for Traffic Signals, EVP Devices, bicycle and pedestrian improvements, road lighting and utility relocation.

8. AwardofContract–WaterSofteningSalt–ApprovalofanAwardofContractfor the purchase and delivery of water softener salt to the lowest responsible bidder, Midwest Salt, LLC, West Chicago, IL at the bid unit price of $101.50 per ton for dump delivery and $113.00 for pneumatic delivery for all purchases throughout calendar year 2020.

A roll call vote was taken on items A through B-1, C through D-6, and D-8.

Ayes: D. Flynn, L. Lohmeyer, W. Piersall, J. Prindiville, G. Tebo, M. Turner and Mayor B. Sager. Nays: none. Abstentions: none. Absentees: none. Motion carried.

Item B-2 – Warrant #3884

Councilman Prindiville recused himself and exited the Council Chambers at 8:04 PM.

Mr. Christensen stated Warrant #3884 has been amended to add a payment to an entity owned by Councilman Prindiville for the acquisition of property. Mayor Sager stated Council will recall that Councilman Prindiville owned property the City wished to acquire for the Roundabout, noting state law requires the City to go through the process of Eminent Domain.

Noting this is an amended warrant before the Council for Warrant #3884, Mayor Sager asked for questions or comments from the Public. There were none.

Motion by M. Turner, second by G. Tebo, to approve General Warrant #3884, which includes the addition of a payment to Throop Street LLC.

A roll call vote was taken.

Ayes: D. Flynn. L. Lohmeyer, W. Piersall, G. Tebo, M. Turner, and Mayor Sager. Nays: none. Abstentions: none. Absentees: J. Prindiville. Motion carried.

Councilman Prindiville returned to the Council Chambers and rejoined the proceedings at 8:09 PM.

Item D-7 – Appeal of Historic Preservation Commission 301 N. Madison

Councilman Prindiville indicated he would defer his comments until after the member of the Public who previously indicated his desire to speak on this item provided his comments.

Aaron Goluba, 128 Hutchins, stated he lives on the same block as the proposed development. He stated he does not like the idea of a 5-story building being 10 feet from his back fence, noting he will lose the opportunity for privacy in the backyard of his home. He also expressed concerns about ground contaminants, stating he did research finding such contaminants are highly mobile. He stated he is concerned the proposed park area will open this up to water, which can spread the contaminants further.

Mayor Sager stated the site does have environmental problems due to it being the site of a former gas station years ago. He noted this was remediated and an NFR letter has been provided by the State’s EPA. He stated Mr. Goluba is correct that no housing can be placed directly in the area identified by the NFR, which is why the developer is proposing a park in that area, and this is allowed. Mayor Sager noted this is similar to the former landfill, which is now used as the Davis Road soccer field site. Acknowledging Mr. Goluba’s concerns about movement, Mayor Sager stated this was taken into consideration by the EPA when issuing the NFR.

In response to Mayor Sager’s question, Mr. Goluba stated he feels a three- or four-story building would not eclipse his home.

Councilman Turner noted the proposed development meets the requirements of the Illinois EPA. He stated the contamination was cleaned up and an NFR issued. He stated the proposed construction was approved by them.

Councilman Prindiville stated he is not in favor regarding a Certificate of Appropriateness and will vote no on this item.

Noting the Historic Preservation Commission Findings of Fact included in the Staff Report stated the buildings at 221 Church Street and 309 N. Madison Street were “contributing,” Councilwoman Piersall asked how contributing is being defined as historic. City Planner Moore explained this comes from the Woodstock Historic Structure Survey, which evaluates buildings and found both of these structures to have been present for more than 80 years. He stated even though they have been altered to obscure their origin, they are still long-standing structures. Noting it appears that anything that is old qualifies as contributing, Councilwoman Piersall stated she has a hard time seeing how these structures would be preserved.

Mayor Sager stated there is much scrutiny given by the Historic Preservation Commission to any building in the Historic District, with some members feeling all buildings in historic districts should be conserved.

In response to a question from Councilwoman Piersall, Mayor Sager confirmed a tie vote from the Historic Preservation Commission qualifies as a denial of the Certificate of Appropriateness.

In response to further questioning from the Council concerning the designation as “historic,” Mr. Moore explained the standards of the National Park Service.

Stating this property is located next to the Business District, Councilman Turner noted the risks and potential that exists with this site. He noted his sympathy with Mr. Goluba’s concerns, but expressed his support of this project opining, it will bring new residents and serve as a catalyst for this area leading to other high-quality developments. Councilman Turner stated he likes the look of the building very much.

Michael Stanard, 935 Victoria Drive, asked who determines the integrity of the design of a building. He stated he knows the City wishes to develop the space, but questioned the beauty of the building. Mr. Stanard stated just because you are an architect does not mean you have good taste and questioned the aesthetic caliber of the building. Mayor Sager stated this is subjective.

Joe Billitteri, Developer, stated the architect who designed this building also designed the confectionary building and helped develop many of the rules for historic preservation. He opined the previous comments were unfair.

There was no further public comment.

Motion by M. Turner, second by D. Flynn, to grant a Category 2 Major Project Certificate of Appropriateness for the construction of a five-story apartment building at Church and Madison Streets consistent with the renderings provided.

In response to a question from Mayor Sager, there were no further questions or comments from the City Council or the Public.

A roll call vote was taken. Ayes: D. Flynn, L. Lohmeyer, W. Piersall, G. Tebo, M. Turner, and Mayor Sager. Nays: J. Prindiville. Abstentions: none. Absentees: none. Motion carried.

VI. DISCUSSION

1, Quarterly Financial Reports – Transmittal of the following financial reports for the Second Quarter of FY19/20:

a. Second Quarter Revenues and Expenditures Report

b. Second Quarter Investment Report

The Second Quarter Financial Reports were accepted by the City Council.

2. Schedule Future City Council Workshops

Mayor Sager noted the December 19th City Council Workshop has been cancelled as not all Council members are able to attend.

Noting there has been much interest from the Public and the City Council to address the Die Cast site, Mayor Sager stated this will be the primary topic of the next Workshop with Economic Development scheduled for a later date.

Following discussion during which it was opined that discussion of the Die Cast site during a regular Council meeting would allow more public participation, it was the consensus of the City Council to hold a discussion of development of the Die Cast site as part of the next regular December 17, 2019 City Council meeting, and to hold a Council Workshop concerning Economic Development at 3:30 PM on Monday, December 30, 2019 at Stage Left.

VII. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

There were no changes, additions, or deletions to the tentative future agendas.

ADJOURN

Motion by W. Piersall, second by J. Prindiville, to adjourn this regular meeting of the Woodstock City Council to the next regular meeting on Tuesday, December 17, 2019 at 7:00 PM in the Council Chambers. Ayes: D. Flynn, L. Lohmeyer, W. Piersall, J. Prindiville, G. Tebo, M. Turner, and Mayor B. Sager. Nays: none. Abstentions: none. Absentees: none. Motion carried.

Meeting adjourned at 8:46 PM.

https://www.woodstockil.gov/sites/default/files/fileattachments/city_council/meeting/26541/f_-_12-03-19_city_council_meeting_-_part_1_of_1_-_minutes.pdf