City of Crystal Lake City Council met Oct. 20.
Here is the minutes provided by the council:
Call to Order
Acting Mayor Haleblian called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Roll Call
Acting Mayor Haig Haleblian, Councilmembers Ellen Brady, Cathy Ferguson, Brett Hopkins, Cameron Hubbard, Mandy Montford and Ian Philpot were present. City Clerk Nick Kachiroubas was also present.
Also present were City Manager Gary Mayerhofer, Deputy City Manager Eric Helm, Director of Public Works and Engineering Mike Magnuson, Director of Community Development Michelle Rentzsch, Finance Director Jodie Hartman, Assistant Finance Director Laura Herrig, City Engineer Abby Wilgreen, Fire Rescue Chief Paul DeRaedt, and Chief of Police Jim Black. City Attorney John Cowlin was also present. Special Legal Counsel Victor Filippini was present via teleconference.
Pledge of Allegiance
Mrs. Linda Dawson, wife of City Councilman Ralph Dawson, led the Council and the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Acting Mayor Haleblian gave Mrs. Dawson a memento and thanked her for her dedication to the City of Crystal Lake throughout the years.
Approval of Minutes
Councilwoman Ferguson moved to approve the minutes of the October 6, 2020 Regular City Council Meeting. Councilman Hopkins seconded the motion. On roll call, all present voted yes. Motion passed.
Accounts Payable
Councilwoman Ferguson moved to approve the Accounts Payable in the amount of$2,786,481.98. Councilman Philpot seconded the motion. On roll call, all present voted yes. Motion passed.
Public Presentation
Acting Mayor Haleblian asked if anyone in the audience wished to speak on matters of general public interest or concern not included in the regular agenda, advising they would be given an opportunity to speak when the agenda item was considered.
Cary Waxler, resident of 1491 Blue Heron Drive and member of the Library Board, provided an update regarding the Crystal Lake Public Library. Mr. Waxler discussed the Library's operations during the pandemic including online services, curbside pickup program, and opening the building in a limited capacity to patrons. He said this has been difficult due to the fragile state of the Library building.
Mr. Waxler said the Board has taken action to address several issues, including approving a bid packet in September to complete roof repairs, fix moisture leaks and masonry repairs. A second bid package will be approved soon, for improvements inside the building including installation of a drive-up window, as the curbside pickup program is not sustainable long-term. He said City staff is reviewing the project and the Library is looking forward to working together on a solution.
Mr. Waxler said in addition, the bid will include improvements to help address COVID-19 adaptations, such as improving the materials collection process and also a new exterior sign to improve communication with the public. He said improvements will be funded through the Library's special reserve fund, impact fees, and private donations.
In order to complete interior improvements, it is tentatively planned to close the Library for a period of time. Mr. Waxler said this is still in the planning stages. He thanked the Mayor and City Council for their time.
Acting Mayor Haleblian asked Mr. Waxler about the response from patrons since reopening. Mr. Waxler said the response has been extraordinary. He said patrons are excited to be back, and the virtual programming has also had a great response.
Ashley Johnson, resident of 96 Mayfield Avenue, shared her concerns regarding political flags and signage being displayed on contractor equipment being used in the City's resurfacing program. She thanked the City for the program, which was recently completed in her neighborhood. She said she was disappointed by the flags, and had contacted the City Engineer on the project, the Director of Public Works and the contractor about her concern.
Ms. Johnson said that despite this, flags continued to be displayed and were switched to be less noticeable. She said she wanted to bring her concerns to the attention of the City Council and asked that campaigning and political signage/flags on contractor equipment should not be allowed as part of contracts awarded for City projects. Ms. Johnson said public tax dollars should not be paying for this.
Acting Mayor Haleblian asked Special Legal Counsel Victor Filippini to address Ms. Johnson's concern.
Mr. Filippini stated that because the road contractor is an independent contractor, the company is not held to the same standard as the City would be. He said the contractor has First Amendment rights and the right to express a point of view. He said in the almost 40 years of practicing law he had never seen this happen. Mr. Filippini said changes to the contract language could be looked into.
Ms. Johnson thanked Mr. Filippini. Mr. Filippini said the contractor had indicated the flag would be removed from the equipment, but it was his understanding that it was put back up.
No one else wished to speak.
Acting Mayor Haleblian closed the Public Presentation portion of the meeting.
Acting Mayor's Report
Acting Mayor Haleblian congratulated the Prairie Ridge High School Girls Cross Country Team for winning first place in the Fox Valley Conference, the first time in school history. He said Crystal Lake South also had a strong finish. In addition, Crystal Lake Central Boys Cross Country Boys Tommy Landt and Karson Hollander finished first and second, leading the Tigers to a first place finish with 44 points. He congratulated the coaches and teams on their hard work.
Acting Mayor Haleblian also reminded residents to wear masks, it is for the benefit of the community.
City Council Reports
None.
Consent Agenda
Councilwoman Brady moved to approve a Consent Agenda including item 9a and adding Items 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15. Councilwoman Ferguson asked that Item 10 be removed from the Consent Agenda. Councilwoman Brady amended her motion, removing Item 10. Councilwoman Ferguson seconded the motion.
Acting Mayor Haleblian asked if anyone wished to speak on the Consent Agenda. No one wished to speak. On roll call, all present voted yes. Motion passed.
9a. Adopted an Ordinance amending Chapter 408-5 of the City Code, regarding Raffles.
11. Approved the Planning & Zoning Commission recommendation and adopted an Ordinance granting the Special Use Permit/or a used merchandise store at 6107 Northwest Highway, Goldmax.
12. Adopted a Resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a lease agreement with VIRTRA Inc., and adopted a Resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with cooperating municipalities or participating groups to cost share the leased equipment.
13. Awarded the bid for the purchase of nine (9) cardiac monitor/defibrillators to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, Zoll Medical Corporation in the amount o/$234,353.26 and adopted a Resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute an agreement with Zoll Medical Corporation in the amount o/$234,353.26.
14. Adopted a Resolution supporting the application for Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (!TEP) funding for the "Pedestrian Connections to the Regional Prairie Trail Improvement Project. "
15. Adopted a Resolution accepting the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report of the City of Crystal Lake for the Fiscal Year ending April 30, 2020.
10. City Code Amendment to Increase the Number of Class 28 Liquor Licenses and to Increase the Number of Video Gaming Licenses - Antigua Mexican Grill LLC, 1500 Carlemont Drive, Suite J
Luis Rodriguez Tapia, owner of Antiqua Mexican Grill, and Lynnea Brown from J&J Ventures Gaming, provided an overview of the request. Ms. Brown indicated that the request meets all City and State regulations. She stated that the games cannot be seen from the restaurant area and no one under 21 will be allowed in the gaming area.
Acting Mayor Haleblian asked if there were any questions from the City Council regarding the request.
Councilwoman Ferguson said she did not have any questions, but wanted to clarify that she would be voting no for the Video Gaming License portion. She said it was not a reflection on the business itself, but she does not support video gaming, and has always voted no on requests in the past.
Councilman Hopkins also said he would be voting no as well for the same reasons, but thanked the petitioners for following regulations.
Councilwoman Brady moved to adopt an Ordinance increasing the number of Class 28 Liquor Licenses from the current permitted 14 licenses to 15 licenses. Councilman Hopkins seconded the motion. On roll call, all present voted yes. Motion passed.
Councilwoman Brady moved to adopt an Ordinance increasing the number of Video Gaming Licenses from the current permitted 14 licenses to 15 licenses. Councilman Hubbard seconded the motion. On roll call, Councilmembers Ferguson and Hopkins voted no. Acting Mayor Haleblian, and Councilmembers Brady, Philpot, Hubbard and Montford voted yes. Motion passed.
Council Inquiries and Requests
City Manager Gary Mayerhofer asked Acting Mayor Haleblian if he could recognize Finance Director Jodie Hartman and Assistant Finance Director Laura Herrig for their hard work getting a clean opinion on the Audit.
He also recognized Assistant Finance Director Laura Herrig, who is retiring from the City after almost 15 years. He said the City will miss Laura's dedication and happy disposition. City Manager Mayerhofer said Laura should be proud of her accomplishments with the City and she will be leaving the organization in a better place than it was in when she started, and offered his sincere congratulations.
Councilwoman Brady and Acting Mayor Haleblian thanked Ms. Herrig and offered their congratulations on her retirement.
Ms. Herrig thanked Mr. Mayerhofer and said she appreciated the support of the City Council and has been very happy with City and enjoyed working with the community at large.
Adjourn to Executive Session for the purpose of discussing matters of pending and probable litigation and the sale, purchase or lease of real property, collective bargaining, personnel, and Executive Session Minutes
Councilwoman Brady moved to adjourn to Executive Session at 7:25 p.m. Councilman Hopkins seconded the motion. On roll call, all present voted yes. Motion passed.
Reconvene in Regular Session
Councilwoman Brady moved to reconvene in Regular Session at 7:40 p.m. Councilman Hopkins seconded the motion. On roll call, all present voted yes. Motion passed.
19. Approval of Executive Session Minutes that includes the dates of September 3, 2019, October 1, 2019, November 5, 2019, December 3, 2019, December 17, 2019, February 4, 2020, February 18, 2020, July 21, 2020, and October 6, 2020 Councilwoman Brady moved to approve the Executive Session minutes of September 3, 2019, October 1, 2019, November 5, 2019, December 3, 2019, December 17, 2019, February 4, 2020, February 18, 2020, July 21, 2020, and October 6, 2020 and designate that these minutes shall remain confidential. Councilman Hubbard seconded the motion. On roll call, all present voted yes. Motion passed.
20. Consideration to destroy verbatim records
Councilwoman Brady moved to approve the destruction of verbatim records from the Executive Sessions of April 17, 2018, July 17, 2018, August 7, 2018, November 6, 2018, December 4, 2018, February 19, 2019, March 5, 2019, April 2, 2019, and April 16, 2019. Councilman Hubbard seconded the motion. On roll call, all present voted yes. Motion passed.
21. Consideration of action following semi-annual review of Executive Session Minutes Councilwoman Brady moved to authorize that the Executive Session Closed Session minutes designated in Exhibit A remain confidential. Councilman Hubbard seconded the motion. On roll call, all present voted yes. Motion passed.
Adjourn
There being no further business, Councilwoman Ferguson moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:42 p.m. Councilman Philpot seconded the motion. On voice vote, all present voted yes. Motion passed.
https://ecode360.com/documents/CR2206/public/571828532.pdf
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