DeKalb Times

City of Dekalb Committee of the Whole met August 12. 

Here is the minutes as provided by the committee:

The City Council of DeKalb, Illinois held a Committee of the Whole meeting on August 12, 2019, in the City Council Chambers of the DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois.

A. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL

Mayor Smith called the meeting to order at 5 p.m.

City Clerk Lynn Fazekas called the roll, and the following members of the City Council were present: Alderman Carolyn Morris, Alderman Bill Finucane, Alderman Tracy Smith, Alderman Pat Fagan, Alderman Scott McAdams, Alderman Mike Verbic, Alderman Tony Faivre, and Mayor Jerry Smith.

Also present were: City Manager Bill Nicklas and Assistant City Manager Ray Munch.

B. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

MOTION

Alderman Finucane moved to approve the agenda. Alderman Verbic seconded.

VOTE

Motion carried 8-0 on roll call vote. Aye: Finucane, Smith, Fagan, McAdams, Verbic, Faivre, Morris, Mayor Smith Nay: none. Mayor Smith declared the agenda approved as written.

C. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Resident Dwayne Brown spoke in favor of the free market deciding the number of cannabis dispensaries in DeKalb. Mr. Brown said he doesn’t support a cap; and to stay competitive, the City shouldn’t tax too high. He urged the City to take one step at a time.

D. CONSIDERATIONS

      1. Website Refresh.

Assistant City Manager Munch said a refresh is part of the original website design contract with CivicPlus. He talked about solicitation of public input for the project, including surveys. Most issues that have arisen, he said, are about failure to maintain pages, not any fault of CivicPlus. He said the City has a review team to oversee this now.

Mr. Munch presented photos of the new design and related improvements. He said he was looking for feedback on the design ideas CivicPlus has provided so far, as the redesign will not begin until the City gives approval for it.

Resident Dave Kolars, who formerly worked in information technology, said he supports providing links on the home page to all weekly, monthly, and annual events in the City.

Aldermen discussed the possibilities of event submission, service-oriented content such as steps to opening a business in DeKalb, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility, and regular cleanups of dead links and other maintenance.

      2. Public Use of Cannabis in DeKalb.

City Manager Nicklas reviewed the types of decisions Council would need to make if it approves of adult use of cannabis in DeKalb, such as a cap on the number of establishments, zoning districts where they would be allowed, and imposition of a retail sales tax of up to 3%.

Discussion resulted in the Mayor’s noting a consensus of Council for moving ahead. Aldermen also specifically suggested the City send the issue to its committees and commissions, and to consider allowing production facilities as well as dispensaries.

E. EXECUTIVE SESSION PURSUANT TO 5 ILCS (120/2)

No executive session was authorized during this meeting.

F. ADJOURNMENT

MOTION

Alderman Morris moved to adjourn the meeting at 5:50 p.m. Alderman Smith seconded.

VOTE

Motion carried on majority voice vote. Mayor Smith declared the Committee of the Whole adjourned at 5:50 p.m.

https://www.cityofdekalb.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_08122019-1668