The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About10.01.20 REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING CITY OF EVANSTON, ILLINOIS LORRAINE H. MORTON CIVIC CENTER JAMES C. LYTLE COUNCIL CHAMBERS Monday, October 12th, 2020 Devon Reid City Clerk Present: Absent: Presiding: Mayor Stephen Hagerty Alderman Fiske Alderman Rue Simmons Alderman Braithwaite Alderman Suffredin Alderman Wynne Alderman Revelle Alderman Wilson Alderman Rainey (8) Alderman Fleming (1) Mayor’s Public Announcements City Manager’s Public Announcements City Clerk’s Communications Motion to suspend the rules and allow the meeting to be held virtually Passed 8-0 Motion: Ald. Wilson Second: Ald. Wynne Mayor Hagerty Announcements and Proclamation: ●Indigenous People’s Day ●Mental Health Awareness Week, October 4-10 ●World Polio Day - October 24, 2020 Watch City Manager Announcements: ●Update on properties facing problems Watch City Clerk provided information related to the upcoming November 3, 2020 Election. Watch Public Comment Lesley Williams Questioned the appropriateness of acknowledging Christopher Columbus Day. Voiced her concern over the hiring process for the next City Manager of Evanston. Questioned the validity of the public process and asked each City Council member to explain their vote for a candidate. Watch Karla R Thomas Provided her perspective on the finalists being considered for the City Manager position. Watch Kevin Brown Provided information regarding an ongoing racial discrimination investigation being conducted by the Illinois Department of Human Rights. Watch Carolyn Laughlin Voiced her concerns about residents not being able to participate proactively in the hiring process of the next City Manager. Encouraged the City Council to prolong the process so residents have the opportunity to provide input in the selection process. Watch Eric Paset Asked the City Council to support landlords and restaurants in Evanston. Watch Mike Vasilko Would like City Council members to acknowledge their vote for the candidate they selected as the next City Manager. Talked about the proposed city budget. Believes the City Manager and a few of the Alderman are jeopardizing safety and security by politicizing the police department. Watch Ray Friedman Stated there is a dialogue missing between residents and City Council to discuss the preferred qualities in a City Manager. He believes the same dialogue method should have been implemented during the city budget discussion. Watch Darlene Cannon Believes the selection and voting process of the City Manager was not transparent nor did it represent the residents who elected their public officials. She wanted more consideration given to Aretha Ferrell-Benavides, who she believes was qualified to serve as City Manager. Watch Cathleen McCann Expressed her disappointment in the decision by City Council to not hire a City Manager who the residents have confidence in. Watch Sean Peck-Collier Shared his remarks regarding the selection process of the City Manager. Watch Sharon Kushiner Stated that the City Council is pushing for a City Manager who is not responsive to the needs of the community and a budget that Watch Special Order of Business increases taxes. Lionel Jean-Baptiste Asked City Council to support Resolution 77-R-20, designating Harbert Park as Harbert Payne Park Watch Delores Holmes Believes there was an open process for the City Manager hiring process. Asked people to listen and not believe there are ulterior motives behind the decisions being made. Watch Chris Kruger Stated the decision to select the next City Manager should be deferred to the residents and not left in the hands of the governing body. He stated his opposition for fracking and pipelines. He would like FOIA to treat recurrent requesters as the mainstream media. He also wants to close FOIA exemptions in order to have transparency in government. Watch Allie Harned Acknowledged the land covering Evanston was stolen from tribes native to the area. She shared her remarks regarding the selection process for the City Manager role. She reminded Evaston residents of the municipal elections happening in 2021. Watch SP1. Approval of Evanston CARES Act Amendment to the PY 2019 Action Plan to include the Second Allocation of CDBG-CV Funding City Council adoption of Evanston CARES Act Amendment to the PY 2019 Action Plan to include the second allocation of CDBG-CV funding from the CARES Act to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus. Funding source is the City’s second allocation of CDBG-CV funding in the amount of $506,127 which combined with the first allocation of CDBG-CV in the amount of $1,080,243 totals $1,586,370. For Action Approved 8-0 Motion: Ald. Rainey Second: Ald. Wynne Watch SP2. 2020 Budget Update Staff will provide an update on the Fiscal Year 2020 Budget. For Discussion Motion: Ald. Rainey Second: Ald. Wynne Watch Consent Agenda CM1. Approval of the minutes of the regular meeting of September 21, 2020 City Council approved the minutes of September 21, 2020. For Action Approved 9-0 Watch CM2. Approval of the minutes of the special meeting of September 24, 2020 City Council approved the minutes of September 24, 2020. For Action Approved 9-0 CM3. Approval of the minutes of the regular meeting of September 29, 2020 City Council approved the minutes of September 29, 2020. Motion to amend the minutes to properly reflect the action taken for agenda item A5 Resolution 62-R-20. Approved 8-0 For Action Approved 8-0 as amended Motion: Ald. Rue Simmons Second: Ald. Revelle Motion: Ald. Revelle Second: Ald. Wynne Watch A1. Approval of the City of Evanston Payroll, Bills and Credit Card Activity City Council approved the City of Evanston Payroll for the period of September 14, 2020, through September 27, 2020, in the amount $2,180,658.54 Bills List for October 13, 2020, in the amount of $5,457,303.29 and credit card activity for the period ending July 26, 2020, in the amount of $179,219.44. For Action Approved on Consent Agenda A2. Approval of BMO Harris Amazon Credit Card Activity City Council approved the City of Evanston’s BMO Harris Amazon Credit Card Activity for the period ending July 26, 2020, in the amount of $28,136.29. For Action Approved 7-1-0 Ald. Suffredin abstained Motion: Ald. Rue Simmons Second: Ald. Rainey Watch A3. Approval of a Sole Source Purchase of Tallmadge Street Light Poles City Council authorized the City Manager to approve the purchase of 10 – Tallmadge street light poles and LED luminaire fixtures under the existing sole-source agreement with Spring City Electrical Manufacturing (One South Main Street, Spring City, PA, 19475) for a total cost of $43,750.00. Funding for this purchase will come from the Capital Improvement Program 2020 General Obligation Bonds (Account No. 415.40.4120.65515-420018), which has a FY 2020 budget of $128,000.00 for street light replacements. The remaining balance in the account is $61,023.00. For Action Approved on Consent Agenda A4. Resolution 84-R-20, Extending the Declared State of Emergency to November 9, 2020 City Council adopted Resolution 84-R-20, extending the declared state of emergency to November 9, 2020. For Action Approved 8-0 Motion: Ald. Rue Simmons Second: Ald. Rainey Watch A5. Resolution 77-R-20, Designating Harbert Park as Harbert Payne Park City Council adopted Resolution 77-R-20, designating Harbert Park as Harbert Payne Park. Funding for new signage comes from the Capital Improvement Fund (Account 415.40.4120.65515.519001). For Action Approved on Consent Agenda A6. Resolution 80-R-20, Authorizing the City Manager to Execute a Contract Amendment to the Commercial, Business, Institutional, Multi-family Residential Buildings Waste Services Agreement with Groot to extend said Agreement City Council adopted Resolution 80-R-20 Authorizing the City Manager to Execute a Contract Amendment to the Commercial, Business, Institutional, Multi-family Residential Buildings Waste Services Agreement with Groot to extend said Agreement For Action Approved on Consent Agenda A7. Resolution 83-R-20, Authorizing the City Manager to Sign the Third Amendment to the Agreement for Purchase and Sale of 2222 Oakton Between the City of Evanston and Clark Street Real Estate, LLC Staff requests City Council review and provide direction on Resolution 83-R-20 approving a third amendment to the Purchase and Sales Agreement for the city owned property located at 2222 Oakton St, Evanston. For Action Failed in Committee A8. Ordinance 92-O-20, Amending the City Code to Establish a 3-Way Stop Control at the Intersection of Foster Street and Dewey Avenue City Council adopted Ordinance 92-O-20 amending Section 10-11-5(C), Schedule V(C) of the City Code to establish a 3-Way Stop Control at the intersection of Foster Street and Dewey Avenue. Funding will be through the General Fund-Traffic Control Supplies (100.40.4520.65115), with a FY 2020 budget of $58,000 and remaining balance of $8,455. Alderman Rue Simmons requests suspension of the rules for Introduction and Action at the October 12, 2020 City Council meeting. For Introduction and Action Approved on Consent Agenda A9. Ordinance 82-O-20, Amending City Code Section 5-1-3, 302.13 “Parking of Motor Vehicles”, Section 7-3-10-1 “Vehicles on Sidewalk, Parkway” and Section 10-4-1 “Stopping, Standing or Parking Prohibited in Specified Places” City Council adopted Ordinance 82-O-20, amending Section 5-1-3, 302.13 “Parking of Motor Vehicles,” Section 7- 3-10-1 “Vehicles on Sidewalk, Parkway” and Section 10-4-1 “Stopping, Standing or Parking Prohibited in Specified Places” to allow for parking of a vehicle on a parkway. The vehicle will be allowed to park on the parkway if there is an approved substrate/surface, the vehicle fits entirely between the sidewalk, street, and concrete curbing inner edges where it meets the parkway, is registered with the State of Illinois with a current license plate, and can be moved with proper notice if required. The Ordinance also adds a parking violation fee if the vehicle was not parked within the specifications and notes that the vehicle parked on the parkway is subject to all City Code enforcement. Motion to prohibit parking on parkways within 25 feet of an intersection. Passed 8-0 For Action Approved 7-1 as amended Ald. Fiske voted “No” Motion: Ald. Rue Simmons Second: Ald. Rainey Motion: Ald. Suffedin Second: Ald. Rue Simmons Watch A10. Ordinance 91-O-20, Authorizing the Sale of Aging Surplus Fleet Vehicles Owned by the City of Evanston City Council adopted Ordinance 91-O-20, directing the City Manager to offer the sale of vehicles owned by the City through public auction through GovDeals, an online auction system utilized by government agencies, on or around Wednesday, October 21, 2020, or any other subsequent America’s Auto Auction. These vehicles have been determined to be surplus due to new vehicle replacements being placed into service or vehicles that had to be taken out of service for safety reasons with the intention of eventual replacement. For Action Approved on Consent Agenda A11. Ordinance 57-O-20, Amending City Code Section 10-11-12 “Parking Zones Adding Section XII(J) – Electric Vehicle Charging Stations City Council adopted Ordinance 57-O-20, amending City Code Section 10-11-12 “Parking Zones” by adding Section J - Electric Vehicle Charging Stations. The Ordinance adds a fee of $1 an hour for vehicles parked in City owned parking lots at the Electric Vehicle Charging stations. In addition, the Ordinance adds a three (3) hour maximum ensuring better turnover. The fees will provide additional revenue to expand the City’s program in the future, while keeping the rate low to incentivize the use of electric vehicles as part of the City’s Climate Action Resilience Plan (CARP). For Action Approved on Consent Agenda A12. Ordinance 55-O-20, Amending the Amusement Tax City Council adopted Ordinance 55-O-20 amending the Amusement Tax to include online streaming services and to clarify that the tax applies to media that is capable of being streamed to mobile devices. Amusement Tax revenue is deposited to the City's General Fund. For Action Approved 6-1-1 Ald. Fiske voted “No” and Ald. Suffredin abstained Motion: Ald. Rue Simmons Second: Ald. Wynne Watch P1. 2020 Emergency Solutions Grant Recommendation Allocating Funds to Specific Activities to Assist Homeless and Housing Insecure Evanston Residents City Council approved the 2020 Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) allocations totaling $158,463: $146,579 to two social services agencies (Connections for the Homeless and the YWCA Evanston/North Shore) that provide housing and services for individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and $11,884 to the City of Evanston for grant administration. Funding source is the City’s 2020 Emergency Solutions Grant entitlement allocation in the amount of $158,463 from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (Account 250.21.2128.XXXXX). Individual account numbers will be determined for external agencies and City administrative costs. For Action Approved on Consent Agenda P2. Approval of Vacation Rental License for a Coach House at an Owner-Occupied Property, 1131 Darrow Ave. City Council approved a Vacation Rental License for a coach house at an owner-occupied property at 1131 Darrow Ave. The Vacation Rental meets all of the Standards and Procedures for license approval. Additionally, staff seeks direction on future Vacation Rental Licensing of Accessory Dwelling Units. For Action Approved on Consent Agenda P3. Ordinance 95-O-20, Amending Title 6 of the Evanston Code to Revise Regulations Regarding Domestic Animal Daycare Centers and Kennels City Council adopted Ordinance 95- O-20, Amending Title 6 of the Evanston Code to Revise Regulations Regarding Domestic Animal Daycare Centers and Kennels.The Ordinance allows for a text amendment to the Zoning Ordinance, Title 6 of the City Code, to amend Section 6-18-3 - Definitions to increase the permitted hours of operation for a Domestic Animal Daycare Center and amend Section 6-12-2-3 – Special Uses to add Domestic Animal Daycare Centers and Kennels as Special Uses in the RP Research Park District. For Introduction Approved on Consent Agenda P4. Ordinance 96-O-20, Authorization to grant a Special Use Permit for a Daycare - Domestic Animal, and Kennel, Located at 900 Clark Street in the RP Research Park District ("Dogtopia of Northshore LLC") City Council adopted, with conditions, Ordinance 96-O-20, allowing for a special use permit for a Daycare – Domestic Animal, and Kennel, in the RP Research Park District. The applicant has complied with all zoning requirements and meets all of the standards of a special use for this district contingent on the adoption of concurrent legislation for a proposed text amendment to add said uses to the list of authorized special uses in the RP Research Park District. For Introduction Approved on Consent Agenda P5. Ordinance 94-O-20, Granting Major Zoning Variations to Construct an Upper Story Dwelling Unit atop a One-Part Commercial Building in the B1a Business District and oCSC Central Street Corridor Overlay District (1800 Central Street). City Council adopted, with conditions, Ordinance 90-O-20, granting major zoning variations at 1800 Central Street to construct an upper story dwelling unit atop a one-part commercial building in the B1a Business District and oCSC Central Street Corridor Overlay District. For Introduction Approved on Consent Agenda ED1. Resolution 82-R-20, Financial Assistance for Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse City Council adopted Resolution 82-R-20 providing financial assistance to Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse totaling $87,500 from the West Evanston TIF District. The Economic Development Committee supports staff's recommendation to support the funding. Staff recommends the West Evanston Tax Increment Financing District (Account 335.99.5870.65511). The account has a cash balance of approximately $1 million For Action Approved on Consent Agenda ED2. Resolution 81-R-20, Authorizing the City Manager to Negotiate and Execute a Loan Agreement with Hecky Powell, Inc City Council adopted Resolution 81-R-20, authorizing the City Manager to negotiate and execute a Loan Agreement with Hecky Powell, Inc (1902 Green Bay Rd. Evanston IL 60201). The financial assistance to Hecky's Barbecue totaling $50,000 is proposed as a $25,000 loan and a $25,000 grant to support the renovation of the restaurant. Staff recommends a $50,000 loan, fifty-percent forgivable, from the General Fund/Economic Development Business District Improvement Fund (Account 100.15.5300.65522). Approximately $89,000 remains in this fund as of September 29, 2020. For Action Approved on Consent Agenda Call of the Wards APP1. Approvals of Appointments and Reappointments on Boards, Commissions, and Committees City Council approved the following appointments: Jennifer Grist, Jon Jones and Anne Panek to the Animal Welfare Board; Alfonso Nieves and Melissa Raman Molitor to the Arts Council; Derik Ohanian to the Housing & Community Development Act Committee; Tracy Fulce to the Library Board; Gillian Robinson to the Minority, Women & Evanston Business Enterprise Development Committee; Robert Bush to the Parks, Recreation & Community Services Board; and Stuart Cohen and Ken Hazlett to the Preservation Commission and the reappointment of Tom Klitzkie and Wendy Pollock to the Environment Board. For Action Approved on Consent Agenda Ward 1: The 1900 Sherman development will be presented at the Plan Commission meeting on Wednesday, October 14, 2020. Watch Ward 2: Thanked everyone who participated in “National Night Out”. Thanked Jean-Baptiste, the Law Department and neighbours who advocated at the two community meetings. Said he looks forward to celebrating the contributions made to the community by Ms. Payne. Watch Ward 3: Ward meeting on October 22, 2020 Watch Ward 4: Ward meeting on October 15, 2020 at 7 p.m. Watch Ward 5: Ward meeting on October 14, 2020. Thanked everyone who participated in “National Night Out” Watch Ward 6: Ward meeting on October 15, 2020 at 7 p.m. Watch Ward 7: No Report Watch Ward 8: Construction began on the 60 unit affordable housing senior project on Howard St. Watch Adjournment Mayor Hagerty called to adjourn the City Council meeting, Ald. Rainey made the motion with Ald. Wynne seconding the motion. A roll call vote was taken and by unanimous vote the meeting was adjourned. Ward 9: No Report Watch