City of Sycamore City Council met May 18.
Here is the agenda provided by the council:
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. INVOCATION
3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
5. AUDIENCE TO VISITORS
6. CONSENT AGENDA
A. Approval of the Minutes for the Regular City Council Meeting of May 4, 2020.
B. Approval of the Minutes for the Special City Council Meeting of May 11, 2020.
C. Payment of the Bills for May 18, 2020.
7. PRESENTATION OF PETITIONS, COMMUNICATIONS, AND BILLS
A. A Proclamation Declaring May 17th through May 23rd, 2020 as Emergency Medical Services Week in the City of Sycamore, Illinois.
8. REPORTS OF OFFICERS
9. REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES
10. PUBLIC HEARINGS
11. ORDINANCES
A. Ordinance 2020.02—An Ordinance Approving a Non-Exclusive Cable Television Franchise Agreement Between the City of Sycamore, Illinois and Comcast of California/Colorado/Illinois/Indiana/Michigan, LLC. First and Second Reading.
The City has had a cable television franchise agreement with Comcast for a number of years. The current agreement, which is set to expire, has been in existence for 8 years. Recently City staff met with Comcast to work on a new cable television franchise agreement. Currently, there are only two service providers operating under a cable franchise agreement in Sycamore. Cable franchise terms are limited by the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984, as amended by the Cable Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992 and the Telecommunications Act of 1996, 47 U.S.C. §§ 521 et seq.
Currently, the franchise fee is five percent of annual subscriber revenues, paid on a quarterly basis. Cable franchise terms are limited by the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984, as amended by the Cable Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992 and the Telecommunications Act of 1996, 47 U.S.C. §§ 521 et seq. The discussions have produced a draft that includes the following terms:
1. Nonexclusive Franchise-The City grants Comcast a non-exclusive franchise authorizing the company to construct and operate a cable system in public ways within the franchise area. While no competitor has expressed an interest in a franchise agreement with the City, this allows the City to negotiate a franchise agreement with a competing company.
2. Term-The term of the franchise would be ten years. Under federal law the term can be as little as eight years and extend to as many as fifteen years.
3. Service Obligations-Comcast will continue to make cable service available to residential customers within the franchise service area where the minimum density and location to distribution line requirements are met.
4. Emergency Alerts-At all times during the franchise agreement Comcast shall maintain an Emergency Alert System consistent with Federal and State laws. This system will override normal programming in the event of an emergency.
5. Franchise Fees-Comcast will pay the City a franchise fee in the amount equal to five percent of the annual gross revenues received from operating the cable system in the franchise area. Currently, this is the maximum permissible franchise fee allowed by the Cable Act. These fees will continue to be paid on a quarterly basis.
6. Insurance-Throughout the term of the agreement Comcast shall maintain commercial general liability insurance and provide the City with certificates of insurance. Comcast has substantially increased insurance limits to indemnify the City against liability for bodily injury or property damage associated with the operation of the system. The adjustments are much greater than the current amounts (e.g. an increase from $1 million per occurrence to $5 million, and from $3 million to $5 million in the aggregate for bodily injury and property damage).
7. Public, Educational and Governmental Channel-The City has access to a Public, Educational and Governmental Channel if it desires. Currently, the City partners with the Sycamore School District to operate Channel 14.
8. Customer Service-Customer service standards are required under the Illinois Cable and Video Customer Protection Law, 220 ILCS 5/22-501. This law requires Comcast to provide 30 days written notice before increasing rates or eliminating transmission of programming. The company is required to provide a local service center and must maintain a toll-free telephone number for customer support. This law was last modified in February 2012 and any provisions added during the term of the franchise agreement will apply.
9. Governmental Buildings-Comcast will continue to receive one free standard installation, outlet and basic cable service to City buildings. The attached franchise agreement is consistent with State and Federal law.
City Council approval is recommended.
12. RESOLUTIONS
A. Resolution No. 832—A Resolution Approving and Accepting Certain Public Improvements in the Old Mill Park Subdivision.
Solid Construction and their subcontractors have completed the installation and successful testing of public sanitary sewer and watermain improvements relative to the Old Mill Park Development, located at the southwest corner of IL Route 23 and Mount Hunger Road. These improvements serve the development and are limited to the mainline sanitary sewer and watermain improvements. All water services and sanitary laterals, including shared laterals will remain under the ownership of the developer or homeowner’s association. Roadways and storm sewer will also remain privately owned and maintained.
The scope of work included the installation of sanitary sewer main and watermain. According to section 4.7.11 of the City’s UDO the City Engineer shall forward a recommendation to the City Council if the improvements are acceptable.
The City Engineer and members of Public Works were present during the installation of these improvements and the subsequent testing. The City has also received copies of video inspection and required as-built plans. The City Engineer recommends the City Council accept the public portions of the sanitary sewer and watermain improvements as shown in this resolution. Once the improvements are accepted, the City will reduce the letter of credit requirement, as appropriate, for this portion of the project.
As part of the annexation agreement, the developer is required to guarantee the improvements for a period of two years. This resolution does not apply to any other public improvements or phases.
City Council approval is recommended.
13. CONSIDERATIONS
A. Consideration of a Recommendation from the Public Works Department Regarding the Award of the Bid for the 2020 Street Program.
The 2020 Street Maintenance Program will be funded through a combination of local and Motor Fuel Tax funds. The microsurfacing portion of the program has been put on hold as the COVID- 19 pandemic will impact available resources (that portion of the project was to be bid separately).
Since the proposed scope of construction for both the locally funded and MFT projects were similar, the projects were combined in an effort save money through an economy of scale. The Motor Fuel tax component is $575,000 (including construction and construction engineering) with the remainder funded through the Street Maintenance (Fund 30) and Capital Assistance (Fund 06) funds.
| MFT and Locally Funded | ||
| Street | Limits | Description of Work |
| Fairway Lane | Cloverlane Drive to 750' East | • Surface removal/overlay
• Spot curb and sidewalk removal/replacement |
| Fairway Lane | Parkside Drive to 310’ West | • Surface removal/overlay
• Spot curb and sidewalk removal/replacement |
| Cambridge Place | Fairway Lane to Dead End | • Surface removal/overlay
• Spot curb and sidewalk removal/replacement |
| Cloverlane Drive | Parkside Drive to 424’ West | • Surface removal/overlay
• Spot curb and sidewalk removal/replacement |
| Orchard Lane | Somonauk Street to Park Avenue | • Surface removal/overlay
• Base Repair/Reconstruction as needed •Curb and Spot Sidewalk removal/replacement |
| Parker Street | Brickville Road to Cul-de-sac | • Surface removal/overlay
• Spot curb and sidewalk removal/replacement |
| Croatian Court | Coltonville Road to Dead End | • Surface removal/overlay
• Spot curb and sidewalk removal/replacement |
| Roosevelt Court | Center Cross to Dead End | • Surface removal/overlay
• Base Repair/Reconstruction as needed • Curb and Spot Sidewalk removal/replacement |
City Council approval is recommended.
B. Consideration of a Recommendation from the Police Department regarding the Award of a Contract for Replacement of the In-Car Video System to WatchGuard 4RE in the Amount of $59,511.00.
The FY21 capital budget includes an allocation of $65,000 to purchase an in-car video system for the Patrol Division of the Police Department. This is designed to replace the current system that is out of warranty and has issues including failures in recording audio and video, failures in uploading and downloading audio and video, inability to record vehicular speed and location, and inadequate or inefficient system upgrades.
In late 2019, the Police Department began research on replacement video systems and narrowed the search to two vendors. Quotes were received on both systems under state contract pricing to include eight (8) dual cameras systems and wireless re-chargeable microphones, wireless transfer and network access point, evidence library in-car device license, 16 terabyte (TB) server, system configuration, administrative training, and 5-year warranty. The quotes received are listed in the table below:
| System | Vendor | Quote |
| Panasonic Arbitrator | CDS Office Technologies | $70,464 |
| WatchGuard 4RE | WatchGuard | $59,511 |
City Council approval is recommended.
C. Consideration of a Request to Fund a Safety Screen COVID-19 Program for Local Businesses.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses classified as “essential” and “non-essential” have been impacted. The Sycamore business community accounts for a significant portion of our identity. What we know is that there is a new normal and a phased reopening plan coming from Springfield. We know that businesses are making accommodations to meet safety protocols as they look to re-open their doors while protecting customers.
The proposed Safety Screen Program would make available a plexiglass barrier to any business in Sycamore. The shields are being manufactured at Upstaging right here in Sycamore. Each shield costs approximately $80 and is aimed at facilitating commerce and protecting residents. One shield would be provided to any requesting business within the City of Sycamore that interacts with the public.
With the COVID-19 crisis impacting the City’s operating budget, the funds to pay for the shields would need to come from another program. Staff recommends that the FY21 Façade Program be suspended at this time and the funds shifted toward the purchase of these shields for our businesses. The program will be advertised on the City’s website and social media pages. Businesses would contact the City to request a shield and an order will be placed with Upstaging. The shields will be available within 3-5 business days. Each shield will have a sticker affixed to it indicating “Sycamore Strong” as we all take on this crisis together.
D. Consideration of an Administration Request for a Closed Session to Discuss the Appointment, Employment, Compensation, Discipline, Performance, or Dismissal of a Specific Employee or Legal Counsel for the Public Body and Collective Negotiating Matters or Deliberations Concerning Salary Schedules for One or More Classes of Employees.
14. OTHER NEW BUSINESS
15. APPOINTMENTS
16. ADJOURNMENT
https://cityofsycamore.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/cc20200518a.pdf
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