City of Urbana Committee of the Whole met January 8.
Here is the minutes as provided by the committee:
The City Council Committee of The Whole of the City of Urbana, Illinois, met in regular session Monday, January 8, 2018, in the Council Chambers of the Urbana City Building.
Elected Officials Physically Present: Aaron Ammons; Bill Brown; Dean Hazen; Eric Jakobsson; Jared Miller; Diane Wolfe Marlin; Charles A. Smyth
Elected Officials Present Via Teleconference: None
Elected Officials Absent: Dennis Roberts; Maryalice Wu
Staff Present: Brad Bennett; Brandon Boys; William Gray; Elizabeth Hannan; Elizabeth Horwitz; Wendy Hundley; Sylvia Morgan; Brian Nightlinger; John Schneider; James Simon; Justin Swinford
Others Present: Elderess Melinda Carr; Etha Reid; Walter Reid; Bishop King James Underwood; Rev. Dr. Evelyn B. Underwood; Members of the Media
1. Call to Order and Roll Call
There being a quorum, Chair Eric Jakobsson called the meeting of the Committee of the Whole
to order at 8:29pm. Following prior meetings.
2. Approval of Minutes of Previous Meeting
Alderman Hazen made a motion to approve minutes from the meeting held on December 11,
2017. Motion seconded by Alderman Miller and carried by voice vote.
3. Additions to the Agenda
There were none.
4. Petitions and Communications
Elderess Melinda Carr and Bishop King James Underwood addressed the committee to express
their concerns and opposition for Ordinance No. 2018-01-001 about reimbursement for
sanitary sewer repairs. An updated petition was presented to Clerk Smyth with 103 signatures,
asking the City to pay up front for repairs with sewer funds set aside for that particular purpose
and not to put the financial burden on residents.
Etha Reid and Walter Reid did not wish to speak, but asked that their opposition for Ordinance
No. 2018-01-001 be entered into the record.
5. Presentations
a. Urbana Business Association Sweetcorn Presentation – Paris Baldarotta
UBA Director Paris Baldarotta started her presentation with a promotional video following
the Sweetcorn Festival 2017. She gave an overview of the activities that took place during
the Festival. Some of those highlights were as follows:
She reported an increase in sponsorship with total contributions of $ 133, 970.
Over 400 volunteers from community members and organizations
New festival layout was a success
Ms. Baldarotta said that there will be more changes coming to 2018 Sweetcorn Festival.
Some of those changes will be:
A ticketless system to shorten the waiting time at various lines. One beer will be
included with the first purchase of festival cup and beer tents will open at 11am on
Saturdays instead of 6pm. There will be some price adjustment to vendor spaces
and more local food vendors will be encouraged to participate.
After the presentation, Ms. Baldarotta addressed questions and concerns from committee
members. Discussion ensued.
6. Staff Report
Economic Development Coordinator Elizabeth Horwitz presented the December Business and
Development report as follows:
• Business Updates
25 O’clock has completed work on the brewery located at 208 W. Main St., their
beer is currently available at Pizza M and Black Dog.
Pizza M has moved from 206 W. Main St., to 208 W. Griggs
ASHAR African Market is now open at 510 North Cunningham Avenue
Broadway Market held an open house to show off their newly renovated space
at 401 North Broadway during the December Urbana First Fridays.
• Upcoming Events
Ms. Horwitz also announced upcoming events:
January 10, 12pm-1:00pm – Urbana Murals on Glass reception at the City
Building 400 South Vine Street.
January 23, 5:30pm-7:00pm – UBA Connection over cocktails at the Weiner
Companies, 211 East Green Street
February 2, 5:00pm – 11:00pm Urbana First Fridays. Downtown Urbana
Ms. Horwitz also reported on Think Urbana and said that the program closed the year
with 30 projects, including 66 units, and have applied to receive Think Urbana
Incentives. The square footage for all projects was lower than previous years.
7. Ordinance No. 2018-01-001: An Ordinance Amending Urbana City Code Chapter TwentyFour,
Section 24-49 (Reimbursement for Sanitary Sewer Repairs/ 2017)
City Assistant City Engineer Brad Bennett and Civil Engineer Justin Swinford presented the
Ordinance No. 2018-01-001 with recommendation for approval.
Mr. Swinford reiterated that at the November 17, 2017 meeting they presented the proposed
changes to the program. This included a shift to a unit price based reimbursement and the
elimination of the maximum reimbursement. The direction from Council was to develop an
ordinance adopting this program, with the following comments:
Include a unit price for mobilization to aid in covering the costs of smaller projects
Incorporate a financial assistance program to cover the cost of construction between
the payment of the invoice and the reimbursement date (for income qualify residents).
In response to committee’s recommendation, the following changes were made:
A lump sum unit price of $ 750 was added for mobilization and demobilization. Unit
prices for street pavement were adjusted to maintain the minimal budget impact. These
unit prices are included in the ordinance.
The Community Development Department already administers an income-qualified
grant program (funds may be utilized only if the repair is immediately needed to mitigate
a hazardous condition. Up to $ 8000.00 are available in Emergency Grant funds per
project. Discussion ensued.
Clerk Smyth reported:
Rev. Dr. Evelyn Underwood and Bishop King James Underwood provided public input
opposing the ordinance and they continue to want the city to pay for all costs associated with
repairs in the right of way. She noted that she had reviewed the ordinance with Elderess Carr
and several residents and she continues to be opposed. She reviewed some of the history of
public input from the Dr. Ellis Subdivision neighborhood. She stated that the neighborhood
has not received any benefit from the sewer benefit fund reimbursements, and continues to
think they are being left out. She noted that many people would not qualify for the emergency
grant program to help defray costs of sewer lateral repair. She considers the Ellis Subdivision
atypical in the city because the sewer interceptor is located not in the center of the street but in
the right of way of one side of the street. It can be difficult for residents of Dr. Ellis to pay the
costs up front for repairs.
CM Ammons asked about provision 5, giving the city administrator final authority in certain
cases. Mr. Swinford indicated that this was for situations requiring priority designation. Mr.
Simon discussed this and suggested that the language be changed to Mayor or her designee.
A motion to extend time past 10:30 pm for up to 30 minutes was made by CM Ammons,
seconded by CM Miller and passed by unanimous voice vote.
After additional questions and discussion from council members and Rev. Underwood
concerning landlord-tenant provisions, income limitations, and clarification of what the
ordinance change covers, CM Miller moved to send to council Ordinance 2018-01-001 with a
recommendation for approval with two changes: the language suggested by Mr. Simon to
provision 5, and expansion of an explanation of the 95% reimbursement in provision 2. This
was seconded by CM Hazen and passed by unanimous voice vote.
8. Adjournment
There being no further business before the committee, Chair Jakobsson declared the meeting
adjourned at 10:43 pm
https://www.urbanaillinois.us/sites/default/files/attachments/01-08-2018_Minutes_COW.pdf
Alerts Sign-up