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Home My WebLink AboutCCMinutes111918 CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING CITY OF EVANSTON, ILLINOIS LORRAINE H. MORTON CIVIC CENTER JAMES C. LYTLE COUNCIL CHAMBERS Monday, November 19th, 2018 Present: Alderman Fiske Alderman Revelle Alderman Braithwaite Alderman Rainey Alderman Wynne Alderman Fleming Alderman Wilson Alderman Suffredin Alderman Rue Simmons (9) Absent: Presiding: Mayor Stephen Hagerty Devon Reid City Clerk Mayor’s Public Announcements Mayor Hagerty announced the passing of Pandora Pratt, Police Records Bureau Manager. Proclaimed November 24 as Small Business Saturday for the local businesses that contribute to the development of the city. Watch City Manager’s Public Announcements City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz invited staff to speak about the Illinois State Fire Marshall Presentation of Award to the City of Evanston – ISO Class 1 Status Watch City Clerk’s Communications City Clerk Devon Reid read a letter submitted by Lisa DiChiera, Director of Advocacy for Landmarks Illinois. Watch Public Comment Elliot Zashin Voiced his support to fund the Victim Services Program. Cutting the service will decrease the form of care residents receive from the program. Watch Lenny Lampkin Stated that the city is looking to privatize vital city services such as the Victims Services. Said this would provide a lack of care needed. Laying off the staff would mark the end of services victims need during their time of need. Watch Lesley Williams Talked about the two staff members of the victim services and how their job has been compromised because they were relocated from the police department. The most vulnerable residents are the ones using these services and need the utmost care. Watch Melissa Appelt Spoke against the proposed budget cuts from the Mental Health Board. Thanked City Council for the reinstatement of the budget for the Mental Health Board Watch Junad Rizki Stated that his criticism of city staff is targeted towards Director level staff for their performance and not towards the workers conducting department operations. Spoke about the budget deficit and he Watch predicts a 15-20% tax increase for the year 2020. Kathy Kearns Voiced her support for any budget changes to keep Fire Station #4 operational. Shared the story of her son, who has an allergic reaction that would require EMS assistance if he were to ingest food he is allergic too. Asked City Council to fund Fire Station #4 Watch Vivian Chou Voiced her support for Victims Services. Said that restructuring of victim services is not a reflection of the values of Evanstonians. Privatizing the service will create barriers to the most vulnerable citizens of the city. Watch Traci Kurtzer Spoke about supporting victims after a gun violence incident. Victims of gun violence rely heavily on the victims services provided by the city. The work provided by victim services help reduce the number of future incidents. Asked City Council to support the victims services. Watch Carl Klein Voiced his support for the preservation of the Harley Clarke mansion. Watch Michael Vasilko Shared his disappointment of City Council members who voted in favor of incurring millions of bonds at the expense of the Evanston tax payers. Said his criticism of Council members and city staff is not personal, but based of the facts presented by the budget. Watch Harris Miller Shared his concerns about the proposed cuts to the victims services department. Said the work performed by the current staff is invaluable. Wants these services to work effectively with proper funding. Watch James Engelman Believed that keeping crossing guards in the community is a good idea. Watch Joshua Hall Shared his experience of talking with members of the community whose kids have benefited from the Youth and Young Adult Services. Asked City Council to reflect on how this service of the city can be improved to help residents. Watch Betty Ester Wanted to know what the financial situation would be for the city if projections for the first quarter of 2019 are not received. This information must be known before the approval of the 2019 budget. Watch Doreen Price Believes that social services are important for residents. Said inadequate representation in services would negatively affects those who require the service. Watch Ray Friedman Congratulated City Council members and residents who actively participated in the budget process. Shared his idea of creating a 4 step process through which projects would be placed for Watch consideration and approval. Alex Finnegan Voiced his support and advocacy for sustainability in Evanston. Creating a carbon neutral city would lower cost, rather than increase them. Asked City Council to support efforts for sustainability in Evanston. Watch Dereka Ross Voiced her support for the continuation of funding of victim services. Shared her experience on working alongside the staff of victims services. Said she received tremendous support from the staff and believes it is an important service for the city and its residents. Watch Consent Agenda (1) Agreement for Crossing Guards Services with Andy Frain Services, Inc. City Council authorized the City Manager to enter into a three-year agreement with Andy Frain Services, Inc. (761 Shoreline Drive, Aurora, IL 60504) to provide crossing guard services in an amount not to exceed $620,662 per year with two one year optional extensions (RFP #18-52). Funding will be from the School Crossing Guards Fund (Account 100.19.1942.61060). For Action Passed 8-1 Ald. Suffredin voted “No” Watch (2) Resolution 82-R-18, General Obligation Debt Property Tax Abatement City Council adopted Resolution 82-R-18 abatement for General Obligation Bonds, Series 2010B. For Action Passed 7-2 Ald. Simmons and Ald. Suffredin voted “No” Watch (3) Resolution 83-R-18, General Obligation Debt Property Tax Abatement City Council adopted Resolution 83-R-18 abatement for General Obligation Bonds, Series 2011A. For Action Passed 7-2 Ald. Simmons and Ald. Suffredin voted “No” Watch (4) Resolution 84-R-18, General Obligation Debt Property Tax Abatement City Council adopted Resolution 84-R-18 abatement for General Obligation Bonds, Series 2012A. For Action Passed 7-2 Ald. Simmons and Ald. Suffredin voted “No” (5) Resolution 85-R-18, General Obligation Debt Property Tax Abatement City Council adopted Resolution 85-R-18 abatement for General Obligation Bonds, Series 2013A. For Action Passed 7-2 Ald. Simmons and Ald. Suffredin voted “No” (6) Resolution 86-R-18, General Obligation Debt Property Tax Abatement City Council adopted Resolution 86-R-18 abatement for General Obligation Bonds, Series 2013B. For Action Passed 7-2 Ald. Simmons and Ald. Suffredin voted “No” (7) Resolution 87-R-18, General Obligation Debt Property Tax Abatement City Council adopted Resolution 87-R-18 abatement for General Obligation Bonds, Series 2014A. For Action Passed 7-2 Ald. Simmons and Ald. Suffredin voted “No” (8) Resolution 88-R-18, General Obligation Debt Property Tax Abatement City Council adopted Resolution 88-R-18 abatement for General Obligation Bonds, Series 2015A. For Action Passed 7-2 Ald. Simmons and Ald. Suffredin voted “No” (9) Resolution 89-R-18, General Obligation Debt Property Tax Abatement City Council adopted Resolution 89-R-18 abatement for General Obligation Bonds, Series 2015B. For Action (10) Resolution 90-R-18, General Obligation Debt Property Tax Abatement City Council adopted Resolution 90-R-18 abatement for General Obligation Bonds, Series 2016A. For Action Passed 7-2 Ald. Simmons and Ald. Suffredin voted “No” (11) Resolution 91-R-18, General Obligation Debt Property Tax Abatement City Council adopted Resolution 91-R-18 abatement for General Obligation Bonds, Series 2017A. For Action Passed 7-2 Ald. Simmons and Ald. Suffredin voted “No” (12) Resolution 92-R-18, General Obligation Debt Property Tax Abatement City Council adopted Resolution 92-R-18 abatement for General Obligation Bonds, Series 2017C. For Action Passed 7-2 Ald. Simmons and Ald. Suffredin voted “No” (13) Resolution 93-R-18, General Obligation Debt Property Tax Abatement City Council adopted Resolution 93-R-18 abatement for General Obligation Bonds, Series 2018A. For Action Passed 7-2 Ald. Simmons and Ald. Suffredin voted “No” (14) Resolution 94-R-18, General Obligation Debt Property Tax Abatement City Council adopted Resolution 94-R-18 abatement for General Obligation Bonds, Series 2018B. For Action Passed 7-2 Ald. Simmons and Ald. Suffredin voted “No” (15) Resolution 95-R-18, General Obligation Debt Property Tax Abatement City Council adopted Resolution 95-R-18 abatement for General Obligation Bonds, Series 2018C. For Action Passed 7-2 Ald. Simmons and Ald. Suffredin voted “No” (16) Resolution 96-R-18, General Obligation Debt Property Tax Abatement City Council adopted Resolution 96-R-18 abatement for General Obligation Bonds, Series 2018D. For Action Passed 7-2 Ald. Simmons and Ald. Suffredin voted “No” (17) Ordinance 123-O-18: City of Evanston 2018 Tax Levy City Council adopted Tax Levy Ordinance 123-O-18, which levies the annual property tax for General Fund Operations, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF), Police and Fire Pension Funds, and the General Assistance Fund totaling $31,539,995. The corresponding total for 2017 Levy was $30,101,220. For Action Passed 6-3 Ald. Simmons, Suffredin and Fleming voted “No” Motion: Ald. Rainey Watch (18) Ordinance 124-O-18: Evanston Library Fund 2018 Tax Levy City Council adopted Tax Levy Ordinance 124-O-18, per Library Board action on October 17, 2018, which levies the annual property tax for the Evanston Public Library in the amount of $6,887,755. For Action Passed 6-3 Ald. Rue Simmons, Suffredin and Rainey voted “No” Watch (19) Ordinance 125-O-18: Solid Waste Fund 2018 Tax Levy City Council adopted Tax Levy Ordinance 125-O-18, which levies the annual property tax for the Solid Waste Fund in the amount of $836,735. For Action Passed 6-3 Ald. Rue Simmons, Suffredin and Fleming voted “No” Watch (20) Ordinance 126-O-18: Special Service Area #4 2018 Tax Levy City Council adopted Tax Levy Ordinance 126-O-18, which levies the annual property tax for Special Service Area #4 in the amount of $535,714. For Action Passed 9-0 Watch (21) Ordinance 127-O-18: Special Service Area #6 2018 Tax Levy City Council adopted Tax Levy Ordinance 127-O-18, which levies the annual property tax for Special Service Area #6 in the amount of $225,510. For Action Passed 9-0 Watch (22) Ordinance 117-O-18, Amending Section 7-12-17 Increasing the Meter Charges and Water Rates City Council adopted Ordinance 117-O-18, which would increase the water meter charges and water rates by eleven percent (11%). For Action Passed 9-0 Watch (23) Ordinance 118-O-18, Amending Section 7-13-3 Decreasing the Sewer User Rates City Council adopted Ordinance 118-O-18, which would decrease the sewer user rate by 7.5%, from $3.66 to $3.39 per billing unit (100 cubic feet of water consumed). For Action Passed 9-0 Watch (24) Ordinance 128-O-18, Amending Title 8, Chapter 4, Municipal Solid Waste and Increasing the Sanitation Service Charges City Council adopted Ordinance 128-O-18, modifying Title 8, Chapter 4 of the City Code for Municipal Solid Waste increasing the service charges for refuse collected in 95 and 65 gallon roll out carts by 15%, the collection of refuse from condominiums by 2.3% and the charges for special pickups beginning January 1, 2019. Amended to remove $25 fee on recycling violations For Action Passed 5-4 Ald. Rue Simmons, Suffredin, Fleming and Fiske voted “No” Watch (25) Ordinance 130-O-18, Amending Section 7-2-6 (G), Moving Vehicle Parking and Storage Containers on Public Ways City Council adopted Ordinance 130-O-18, which would increase the fee to allow public parking spaces and/or other public right-of-way to be reserved for loading and unloading of moving vehicles and storage containers without obstructing traffic flow from $100.00 to $120.00 beginning January 1, 2019. For Action Passed 9-0 Watch (26) Ordinance 134-O-18, Amending Subsections 10-4-5-2(B)(7) and (11) “Parking in Predominantly Residential Areas” City Council adopted Ordinance 134-O-18, amending City Code subsections 10-4-5-2(B)(7) and (11) “Parking in Predominantly Residential Areas” to amend the permit renewal date and increase the residential parking permit from $15.00 to $30.00. For Action Passed 8-1 Ald. Suffredin voted “No” Watch (27) Ordinance 142-O-18, Amending Title 10, Motor Vehicles and Traffic, Chapter 11, Traffic Schedules, Section 17, Schedule XVII: Parking Violation Penalties City Council adopted Ordinance 142-O-18, amending City Code Section 10-11-17, Schedule XVII, Parking Violation Penalties increasing the fine for a street sweeping violation by thirty five dollars ($35) to seventy five dollars ($75) with a fifty dollar ($50.00) additional penalty if paid after the expiration of twenty-one (21) days following issuance of a final determination of liability. A policy change regarding towing procedures will accompany this change to reduce the financial hardship and inconvenience that vehicle owners currently endure as part of sweeping operations. Staff also recommends increasing the fine for an expired parking meter by five dollars ($5) to twenty-five dollars ($25) effective January 1, 2019 as part of the FY2019 budget proposal. For Action Passed 5-4 Ald. Rue Simmons, Suffredin, Fiske and Braithwaite voted “No” Watch (28) Ordinance 145-O-18, Amending Various Sections of Title 10, Chapter 11, Section 12 “Parking Meter Zones” City Council adopted Ordinance 145-O-18, amending various sections of Title 10, Chapter 11, Section 12 “Parking Meter Zones” adding Sunday enforcement from one o’clock (1:00) p.m. to nine o’clock (9:00) p.m., increasing the rate of all two (2) hour meters from one dollar ($1.00) per hour to one dollar fifty cents ($1.50) per hour, all long term meters from twenty-five cents ($.25) per hour to fifty cents ($.50) per hour and all twenty (20) minute meters from twenty-five cents ($.25) to fifty cents ($.50) beginning March 1, 2019 with an automatic increase to two dollars ($2.00) per hour and fifty cents ($.50) per fifteen (15) minutes on January 1, 2020. The cost of replacement stickers and reprogramming the parking meters will be paid for through the Parking Fund. For Action Passed 5-4 Ald. Rue Simmons, Suffredin, Revelle and Fiske voted “No” Watch (29) Ordinance 143-O-18, Amending “Schedule of License Fees” of City Code Section 10-8-3(A) – “Wheel Tax” City Council adopted Ordinance 143-O-18 amending Section 10-8-3(A), “Schedule of License Fees”, increasing the annual license fees by $10.00. For Action Passed 6-3 Ald. Rue Simmons, Suffredin and Fleming voted “No” Watch (30) Ordinance 148-O-18, Amending Section 3-25-2 “Imposition of Tax” to Increase the Real Estate Transfer Tax for Transactions with a Sale Price over $1,500,000 City Council adopted Ordinance 148-O-18, amending City Code Section 3-25-2, “Imposition of Tax” to increase the Real Estate Transfer Tax for sales with a price over $1,500,000.01. For sale prices: up to $1.5 million the tax is $5.00 for every $1,000 of value; from $1,500,000.01 to $5 million the tax is $7.00 for every $1,000 of value; and prices at $5,000,000.01 or more the tax is $9.00 for every $1,000 of value. For Action Passed 9-0 Watch (31) Ordinance 136-O-18, Expediting Planning & Zoning Review and Building Permits City Council adopted Ordinance 136-O-18, amending Ordinance 125-O17 regarding the City of Evanston Permit Fee Schedule. The proposal will create an application and fee schedules for expediting permit and plan review services. For Action Passed 9-0 Watch (32) Ordinance 135-O-18, Amending Section 3-2-4 “Hotel-Motel and Vacation Rental Tax” to Add Bed and Breakfast Establishments City Council adopted Ordinance 135-O-18, amending Section 3-2-4 “Hotel-Motel and Vacation Rental Tax” to add Bed and Breakfast Establishments. For Action Passed 9-0 Watch (33) Ordinance 137-O-18, Amending Title 5, Chapter 9, Licensing of Vacation Rentals City Council adopted Ordinance 137-O-18, amending Ordinance 50-O13 to improve compliance with vacation rental licensing requirements. Staff proposes to increase vacation rental licensing fees to align with cost of administering the program. For Action Passed 9-0 Watch (34) Ordinance 141-O-18, Amending Rental Registration of Rental Residential Buildings to Include Inspection Requirements and Add Accessory Dwelling Units City Council approved Ordinance 141-O-18 Amending Rental Registration of Rental Residential Buildings to include inspection requirements and the addition of accessory dwelling units. This amends the rental registration process to include a fee of $200 for the initial inspection and registration of existing dwelling units, including accessory dwelling units (ADUs)/coach houses, and a fine from $75 to $375 for renting an unregistered unit following the “amnesty period.” These changes, including the fee structure, were approved unanimously by City Council on October 29, 2018. For Action Passed 9-0 Watch (35) Ordinance 133-O-18, Amending Section 3-2-19, “Transportation Network Company Tax” City Council adopted Ordinance 133-O-18, Amending Section 3-2-19 of the Evanston City Code, “Transportation Network Company Tax.” The Ordinance adds the definition of shared rides, solo rides, and wheelchair accessible rides and increases the fee assessed for a solo ride from twenty cents ($.20) to forty-five cents ($.45) per solo ride in a transportation network vehicle. Wheelchair accessible rides are exempt from the fee and the fee assessed for a shared ride remains at twenty cents per ride ($.20). For Action Passed 9-0 Watch (36) Resolution 101-R-18, Approving the 2019 Fiscal Year Budget of the City of Evanston City Council approved Resolution 101-R-18 adopting the FY 2019 Budget of the City of Evanston, in the amount of $319,155,950. Amendments: 1.Total expenditure $319,165,450; General fund expenditures $114,153,373. 2.Fund 2 FT victim advocate position for six months, eliminate vacant victim advocate position, and include funds for six-month contract with the YWCA. Services to be reviewed by June 1, 2019. Watch Motion to increase the existing amusement tax from 4% to 5% Failed 6-3 Ald. Rue Simmons, Rainey and Fleming voted “Yes” For Action Passed 6-3 Ald. Rue Simmons, Suffredin and Fleming voted “No” Motion: Ald. Rainey Call of the Wards Ward 1: Thanked everyone who voiced their opinion on the budget process Watch Ward 2: Thanked residents who participated in the budget discussion. Also informed the public about the new location of the Democratic Party of Evanston. Celebrated the NAACP fundraiser. Wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving Watch Ward 3: Wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving Watch Ward 4: Wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving Watch Ward 5: Wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving Watch Ward 6: Asked everyone to lock up their cars to prevent theft Watch Ward 7: Gave an update to the proposed easement request on the Canal Shore Golf Course Watch Ward 8: Thanked residents who wrote letters about the budget and attended the meetings Watch Ward 9: Thanked residents who participated in the budget discussion Watch Adjournment Mayor Hagerty called a voice vote to adjourn the City Council meeting, and by unanimous vote the meeting was adjourned.