Chambana Sun

City of Urbana Committee of the Whole met Nov. 18

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

The City Council Committee of the Whole of the City of Urbana, Illinois, met in regular session Monday, November 18, 2024, at 8:38p.m.

ELECTED OFFICIALS PHYSICALLY PRESENT: Diane Wolfe Marlin, Mayor; Darcy Sandefur, City Clerk; CM Maryalice Wu, CM Christopher Evans, CM Shirese Hursey*, CM Jaya Kolisetty, CM Chaundra Bishop, CM Grace Wilken, CM James Quisenberry*

*CM PRESENT REMOTELY

ELECTED OFFICIALS ABSENT:

STAFF PRESENT: Bourema Ouedraogo, Kevin Garcia, Seok Hyun Cho, Nick Olsen, Carol Mitten, Matt Roeschley, Elizabeth Hannan, Scott Tess, Tim Cowan, Larry Boone, Will Kolschowsky

OTHERS PRESENT: Angela Bradley, CEO of HeartStrong Meals; Chair: Maryalice Wu, Ward 1

1. Call to Order and Roll Call

With a quorum present, Chair Evans called the meeting of the Urbana City Council to order at 8:38p.m.

2. Approval of Minutes of Previous Meeting

None.

3. Additions to the Agenda

None.

4. Presentations and Public Input

a. Public Input

Eric Sacks spoke in opposition to Ordinance No. 2024-11-034, stating the specific requirements for duplexes in the zoning ordinance were set with the intention of protecting residents from exploitative housing. Stated developers have options already available to them if they wish to develop a duplex in these areas. Expressed the ordinance would bring changes that would not have any positive impact on housing affordability and has no evidence to support the claim that it would. Urged City Council to carefully consider the costs and benefits of this proposal. David Huber recounted the discussions at the Planning Commission meetings regarding the zoning ordinance amendment and stated all discussions were held publicly and democratically through publicly accessible processes.

Stated the duplexes will not be established through the demolishing of livable houses as it is economically unsound, but can occur through segmenting already existing houses into two units. Stated rental rates are cheaper for duplexes than single-family homes. Carmen Blubaugh stated affordable housing should be prioritized, but should not come at the cost of replacing smaller, affordable homes on small plots with duplexes. Adani Sanchez stated more housing options need to be created in order to further open the communities of the City of Urbana and the City of Champaign to prospective residents that would not be able to afford the housing costs in neighborhoods such as West Urbana. Expressed the search for affordable housing in Urbana is a difficult process and affordable housing options need to exist for those who cannot afford single-family homes. Stated excluding multi-family housing options signals that a neighborhood is discriminating against those who cannot afford to live there.

Written Public Input were received from the following individuals and read by Council: Melinda Carr, Miriam Keep, Susan Appel. Written Public Input in opposition to Ordinance No. 2024-11-034 was received from the following individuals, but were not read: Eric Sacks, Joanne Budde, and Deborah KatzDownie.

5. Staff Report

a. U-Cycle Options

Presented by Scott Tess, Sustainability & Resilience Officer and Tim Cowan, Public Works Director. Tim Cowan provided an overview of the topics to be covered, stating Council direction is required for U-Cycle rate adjustments. Scott Tess asked City Council what level of service should the City maintain for curbside recycling and how should the rates be adjusted to pay for the desired level of service for curbside recycling.

Stated three options for the rate adjustments where the rate is adjusted to immediately match the increased cost, the rate is incrementally increased over three years and subsidized by a fund balance, or the rate is incrementally increased slightly with a subsidy from a plastic bag fee. Provided an overview of the weekly curbside recycling service maintained since the 1990’s and stated the cost of service is considered relatively very affordable. Stated the volume of recyclables has increased significantly since the 1990’s and a reduction in curbside service frequency could lead to dissatisfied customers and more recyclables being landfilled, but could save money. Tim Cowan presented the cost projections for each option in both cases of maintaining weekly curbside service or changing to curbside service every other week with the additional inflationary increases included after the incremental increases are completed. Stated the options presented additionally maintain a 10% fund balance across the fiscal years. Noted the contract for the recycling services are going to be a 5-year term with potential for rate changes in the future. Stated the goal of the inflationary adjustments is to maintain a steady rate for customers.

Scott Tess stated the recommendations are to maintain the current level of weekly service and pursue the rate increase option of smaller increments subsidized by the plastic bag fee in addition to the 2.5% inflationary adjustments after the increases have completed. Stated not many plastic recyclers accept plastic bags anymore and the subsidy should be able to be implemented by FY 2026 after being developed beginning in January 2025. Elaborated that many other cities in Illinois have similar ordinances regarding plastic bag fees to pattern after which have a rate of $0.10/bag and is only applicable to retailers above 5,000 square feet with many exceptions. Stated the bag fee is expected to impact less than 100 businesses in the City of Urbana and the estimated revenue in the first year is $250,000 with diminishing returns in following years after disincentivizing single-use plastic bags.

Tim Cowan outlined the next steps and requested Council approve a Budget Amendment of $300,000 to maintain weekly curbside recycling services through the end of FY25 using available U-Cycle fund balances from outside of the current fiscal year’s budget. Additionally requested Council provide direction on which rate increase option to move forward with and pass an ordinance to amend the recycling taxes beginning January 1, 2025. Questions and discussion followed.

A majority of Council spoke in favor of maintaining weekly curbside recycling service and implementing small, incremental rate increases for U-Cycle subsidized by a plastic bag fee.

6. Unfinished Business

a. Ordinance No. 2024-11-034: An Ordinance Amending the Urbana Zoning Ordinance (Update Section VI-3 for Clarity and to Remove Additional Lot Area and Width Requirements for Certain Uses / Plan Case No. 2493-T-24) – CD

Presented by Kevin Garcia, Principal Planner & Zoning Administrator and David Huber, Applicant. The Ordinance approves a zoning ordinance text amendment to remove additional lot area and width requirements for duplexes in the R-2 (Single-Family Residential) and R-3 (Single- and Two-Family Residential) zoning districts, remove additional lot area requirements and simplify lot width requirements for common-lot-line dwellings in all districts, simplify language regarding the reuse of existing lots, and amend other parts of Section VI-3 to make it easier to understand. Kevin Garcia provided further detail regarding the proposal in relation to the Imagine Urbana Comprehensive Plan, stating the staff report and recommendation did not use Imagine Urbana as it is still in draft form and referred to the previous 2005 Comprehensive Plan to support the text amendment.

Stated the current draft Imagine Urbana Comprehensive Plan would support the text amendment. Shared a chart highlighting the differences between the current and proposed regulations for duplexes in the R-2 and R-3 districts. Stated the main difference is that it eliminates minimum lot size and width requirements for existing lots and changes the requirements for duplexes on new lots to be a minimum of 6,000 square feet and 60 feet wide, with current development regulations being unchanged. Emphasized zoning regulations do not directly cause development, but provides the framework for development to occur. Displayed maps illustrating the 3,558 R-2 zoned parcels, the 1,743 parcels that currently allow duplexes with a conditional use permit, the 1,427 parcels within the 1,743 that are currently single-family homes, and the 49 duplexes that exist within the R2 parcels. Stated of 768 R-2 zoned parcels in the West Urbana neighborhood, 307 of those parcels allow a duplex with a conditional use permit, 266 of those 307 parcels contain single-family homes, and 20 within the 307 contain duplexes. Clarified the text amendment is not to set duplexes as an allowed use as they are already marked as an allowed use in the zoning ordinance, but it is about allowing duplexes on smaller lots. David Huber spoke on the current conditions of developing a duplex and shared an example of an existing duplex in Urbana that would not have been able to be built under the current regulations. Shared pre-approved housing plans from the City of South Bend, Indiana and the gap between the minimum required lot width of 37.5 feet for a 22 feet wide two-family dwelling to meet development regulations compared to the current lot width requirement of 60 or 80 feet.

Stated duplexes do not inherently create a larger building compared to a single-family dwelling. Questions and discussion followed.

Motion to keep in Committee of the Whole by CM Kolisetty, seconded by CM Wilken. Questions and discussion followed.

Voice Vote:

AYE: Wu, Evans, Hursey, Kolisetty, Bishop, Wilken, Quisenberry

NAY: None.

7. New Business

a. Resolution No. 2024-11-074R: A Resolution Authorizing Acceptance of a DCEO Community Development Block – Coronavirus Grant (CDBG-CV) – CD

Presented alongside Resolutions No. 2024-11-075R, 2024-11-076R, 2024-11-077R, and 2024-11-078R by Nick Olsen, Community Development Coordinator. This Resolution authorizes the City to accept a $1,200,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) for the Hope Village Tiny Homes Project. Nick Olsen stated the items are regarding accepting grants from the DCEO and authorizing subrecipient agreements. Provided background on the award of $1,200,000 from the Community Development Block Grant CARES Act to help fund initiatives that addressed homelessness. Stated the City applied to assist funding the Hope Village project after a public hearing and comment period held earlier in the year and the City was notified in September that the application was approved. Stated Resolution No. 2024-11-074R is to accept the grant funds of $1,200,000 and Resolution No. 2024-11-075R approves a subrecipient agreement with Hope Village Inc. to utilize those funds. Stated Resolution No. 2024-11-076R and Resolution No. 2024-11-077R are regarding another grant from DCEO for $250,000 to assist with construction costs for the Hope Village project. Stated Resolution No. 2024-11-078R is regarding a $250,000 grant from the State of Illinois’ General Revenue Fund to support a pilot fleet electrification project for the Public Works Department. Stated the funds would be used to cover facility upgrades to support electric vehicle charging and replacing gas vehicles in the Public Works’ fleet with electric vehicles after a vehicle’s normal lifespan. Stated the staff recommendation is to accept all awarded grant funds and approve the related subrecipient agreements. Questions and discussion followed.

Motion to omnibus Resolutions No. 2024-11-074R through 2024-11-077R by CM Wilken, seconded by CM Bishop.

Voice Vote:

AYE: Wu, Evans, Kolisetty, Bishop, Wilken, Quisenberry

NAY: Hursey

Motion to approve the omnibus to the consent agenda by CM Bishop, seconded by CM Kolisetty.

Voice Vote:

AYE: Wu, Evans, Kolisetty, Bishop, Wilken, Quisenberry

NAY: Hursey

b. Resolution No. 2024-11-075R: A Resolution Approving a CDBG-CV Subrecipient Grant Agreement with Hope Village Inc. – CD

Presented alongside Resolutions No. 2024-11-074R, 2024-11-076R, 2024-11-077R, and 2024-11-078R by Nick Olsen, Community Development Coordinator. This Resolution approves a subrecipient grant agreement between the City and Hope Village Inc. Approved in omnibus, see item a.

c. Resolution No. 2024-11-076R: A Resolution Authorizing Acceptance of a DCEO Grant (Hope Village) – CD

Presented alongside Resolutions No. 2024-11-074R, 2024-11-075R, 2024-11-077R, and 2024-11-078R by Nick Olsen, Community Development Coordinator. This Resolution authorizes the City to accept a $250,000 grant from the DCEO for the Hope Village Tiny Homes project. Approved in omnibus, see item a.

d. Resolution No. 2024-11-077R: A Resolution Approving a Subrecipient Grant Agreement with Hope Village, Inc. – CD

Presented alongside Resolutions No. 2024-11-074R, 2024-11-075R, 2024-11-076R, and 2024-11-078R by Nick Olsen, Community Development Coordinator. This Resolution approves a subrecipient grant agreement between the City and Hope Village, Inc. Approved in omnibus, see item a.

e. Resolution No. 2024-11-078R: A Resolution Authorizing Acceptance of a DCEO Grant (Urbana Pilot Fleet Electrification Program) – CD

Presented alongside Resolutions No. 2024-11-074R, 2024-11-075R, 2024-11-076R, and 2024-11-077R by Nick Olsen, Community Development Coordinator. This Resolution authorizes the City to accept a $250,000 grant from the DCEO for the Pilot Fleet Electrification Project to be undertaken by Public Works.

Motion to approve to the consent agenda by CM Wilken, seconded by CM Hursey.

Voice Vote:

AYE: Wu, Evans, Hursey, Kolisetty, Bishop, Wilken, Quisenberry

NAY: None.

f. Ordinance No. 2024-11-036: An Ordinance Revising the Annual Budget Ordinance (Budget Amendment #2 – Omnibus) – HRF

Presented by Elizabeth Hannan, Human Resources & Finance Director / CFO. This Ordinance seeks to amend the FY2025 Annual Budget to provide additional funding for the City’s recycling programs, reallocate funds for the Community Engagement Team Pilot Program, allocate grant funds for Hope Village, and fund a study on fire protection services in the campus area. Elizabeth Hannan stated Council previously discussed many of the grants included in the budget amendment and the $300,000 increase in the U-Cycle fund to continue weekly curbside recycling services. Stated $56,100 is requested from the General Fund for consulting services regarding fire service in the campus area in accordance with an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Champaign and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a reimbursement of $34,000 to come from the other partners.

Stated the budget amendment also includes corrections to the budget for the Community Engagement Team to data-entry errors, with no change to the actual program itself. Stated the amendment also includes rebudgets for the Capital Replacement and Improvement Fund for facility projects. Also noted the amendment would also update the revenue from the Local Motor Fuel Tax to reflect the reduced revenue by -$200,000. Further stated the amendment includes corrections to VERF items that came from reconciliation errors. Questions and discussion followed.

Motion to approve to the regular agenda by CM Bishop, seconded by CM Evans.

Voice Vote:

AYE: Evans, Kolisetty, Bishop, Wilken, Quisenberry

NAY: Wu, Hursey

i. Motion to divide the question to consider the budget for the Community Engagement Team by CM Wilken.

Motion to approve the Community Engagement Team portion of the budget amendment to the regular agenda by CM Bishop, seconded by CM Evans.

Voice Vote:

AYE: Wu, Evans, Hursey, Bishop, Quisenberry

NAY: Kolisetty, Wilken

8. Council Input and Communications

CM Wilken expressed willingness to further have conversation and listen regarding the Hope Village grant acceptance as there was not full consensus on the item.

9. Adjournment

With no further business before the committee of the whole Chair Wu adjourned the meeting at 10:38 p.m.

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