DeKalb Times

City of Dekalb City Council met May 9.

Here is the agenda provided by the council:

A. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL 

B. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 

C. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA 

D. PRESENTATIONS 

1. Proclamation: Motorcycle Awareness Month – May 2022. 

2. Proclamation: Recognition of International Firefighter’s Day – May 4, 2022. 

3. Proclamation: National Emergency Medical Services Week, May 15 – 21, 2022. 

4. Proclamation: National Police Week, May 15 – 21, 2022. 

E. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION 

F. APPOINTMENTS 

None. 

G. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES 

1. Minutes Submitted by the City Clerk 

2. Minutes Submitted by the Recording Secretary 

a. Minutes of the Regular City Council Meeting of April 25, 2022.

H. CONSENT AGENDA 

1. Accounts Payable and Payroll through May 9, 2022, in the Amount of $2,191,580.44. 

2. Joint Review Board Meeting Minutes of January 28, 2022. 

3. FY2022 Human Services Funding 1st Quarter Report. 

I. PUBLIC HEARINGS 

None. 

J. CONSIDERATIONS 

1. Consideration of a Proposed Intergovernmental Agreement Between the DeKalb Community Unit School District No. 428 and the City of DeKalb. 

City Manager’s Summary: Since early March, School and City officials have been engaged in discussions about an upsurge in volatile and abusive student behavior, particularly at the middle school and high school levels. One index of such threats to the learning environment of all students is the log of “calls for service” kept by the uniformed police officers assigned to our local schools as “school resource officers.” In this context, “calls for service” do not include all contacts with students, parents, teachers, staff, and administrators. They include responses to actual incidents, victim-sensitive interviews, delayed arrests, court referral paperwork, conferences with parents, interviews with witnesses to incidents, etc. For the three (3) DeKalb SROs currently assigned to the DeKalb Community Unit School District #428, the number of calls for service far surpasses the experience of SROs in other area school districts.

*This is a conservative extrapolation; only numbers since January 1, 2022 (105 calls for service) were provided.

The DeKalb SROs are currently assigned as follows:

▪ one in the high school;

▪ one for both middle schools; and

▪ one for the six elementary schools within DeKalb’s corporate limits.

The discussions between School and City officials have focused on safety but none of the participants, especially members of the DeKalb Police department, believe that the mutual respect and accountability that are necessary to inspire more positive relationships can be found alone in crisis intervention. Restorative practices and accountability are not mutually-exclusive concepts. Our Police officers would much rather be life coaches than arbiters of obedience.

In response to a District request for additional SROs to settle eruptions of bullying that are distressing students, School officials, and parents alike, the City Manager drafted a new intergovernmental agreement (“IGA”) for the review of School and City officials. The primary features of this IGA are as follows:

▪ A term of three years to fairly judge the impact.

▪ A complement of six (6) SROs, that is, an increase of three (3) SROs to the team currently assigned to the District.

▪ The assignment of two SROs to the high school; one SRO to each middle school; and two SROs for the six elementary schools within the DeKalb corporate limits. The IGA does not contemplate funding SROs in the Malta or Cortland jurisdictions.

▪ An exhibit (Exhibit A) that details the SRO costs. SROs are experienced officers vetted by both City and School officials for their collaborative and compassionate approach to problem-solving. If new SROs are provided, the Police department would have to “backfill” those positions with new recruits to serve in patrol and other capacities. For the example detailed in Exhibit A, the costs of five-year veterans with full family health coverage are detailed. The language of the Agreement requires the payment of actual costs, based upon the collaborative selection process historically conducted with the District as new SROs are chosen. For example, if the joint selection process results in two new SROs with four years of experience and one SRO with seven years of experience, the actual SRO costs would be billed at the wage levels for those years of experience in the FOP union contract. The insurance and pension benefits do not differ dramatically across the seniority thresholds in the union contract, but any differences in detail would need to be taken into consideration.

▪ A School contribution toward vehicles for the three officers. The contribution would be 75% of 33% (or 25%) of the overall vehicle cost. Since the vehicles would only be used for school duties an average of eight hours a day, and the same vehicles would be available to the City for an average of 16 hours a day, this seemed fair. The last Police squad purchased by the City at the state purchase price in late January 2022 cost $46,585.

▪ The requirement of a revised District Code of Conduct that would be updated as needed on at least an annual basis. It is assumed there is agreement that the success of the SRO program is critically dependent upon the fair and consistent application of a detailed Code of Conduct by the District, every day. It is also assumed that the District will require all students, parents, guardians, contractual security employees, teachers, administration, and other District employees to sign and adhere to the District’s code of conduct, as it may be amended from time to time. A draft copy of a new Code of Conduct has been prepared by District staff but has not yet reviewed or approved by the Board of Education.

All parties to the growing discussion about School safety recognize that how students arrive on every school day impacts their performance and the tone of interactions in school buildings. The proposed IGA does not presume to prescribe ways that the District might address the apparent frustration, anxiety, or volatility of arriving students, and how their levels of trust and respect can be enhanced. It is assumed that the largest challenge for the DeKalb community is outside the four walls of the attached IGA and that City officials are willing to help as our partnership and our professional experience may be useful.

It should be noted that the Board of Education has engaged a third party to conduct a “safety audit” of the District 428 system. Such a review will logically have a bearing on further discussion once it is completed and distributed for public discussion. City Council direction is recommended. (click here for additional information) 

2. Consideration of the Aggregate 2021 DeKalb County Real Estate Tax Bill on DeKalb Taxpayers. 

City Manager’s Summary: On Monday, May 2, DeKalb residents and businesses received their 2021 tax bills in the mail. On the whole, taxpayers in DeKalb Township saw a 3.77% reduction in the aggregate tax rate that includes all participating taxing bodies listed on their tax bill (from $11.49927 per $100 EAV to $11.06613 per $100 EAV). The City of DeKalb’s rate including the combined general levy and pension levies dropped 7.73% (from $1.069 per $100 EAV to $0.986 per $100 EAV).

K. RESOLUTIONS  

1. Resolution 2022-043 Approving a Non-Profit Special Event Liquor License for the 2022 Corn Fest. 

City Manager’s Summary: The attached resolution seeks authorization for the Corn Fest committee to sell alcoholic beverages within prescribed parameters during the festival. Approving the liquor license now will allow the DeKalb Corn Fest board to apply for the required State of Illinois liquor license for the event. Resolutions pertaining to the special event agreement and regulation of traffic on Lincoln Highway during Corn Fest will be provided for Council review at a future meeting.

City Council approval is recommended. (click here for additional information) 

2. Resolution 2022-044 Authorizing the Award of a Contract to Curran Contracting, Inc. in the Amount of $496,508.16 for Resurfacing and Concrete Repairs on Joanne Lane and Various Other Locations with Staff Authority to Approve Change Orders Up to a Combined Project Total Not to Exceed $521,333.57.  

City Manager’s Summary: The annual street maintenance program undertakes the removal of deteriorated surface pavement and asphalt re-surfacing. Typically, the annual street maintenance program also includes associated sidewalk maintenance and some curb and gutter repairs. The Phase One focus of the 2022 general maintenance program is paid from State Motor Fuel Tax allocations (Fund 210), and targets Joanne Lane from Ilehamwood Drive to Tilton Park Drive to re-surface streets that were excavated to install new water main in 2021. Alternate #1 was focused upon the re surfacing of Tilton Park Drive, if the resurfacing budget was adequate. Bids were solicited by City Engineer Zac Gill and the following bids were submitted:

Company Name           Base Bid         Alternate 1 

Curran Contracting Inc    $496,508.16    $162,607.25 

William Charles Const.    $573,444.94    $178,564.86

The City Engineer recommends the award of the contract to Curran Contracting, Inc. in the amount of $496,508.16. The City Engineer does not recommend awarding the Alternate due to budget constraints. The City Engineer does recommend Council support for staff authority to approve change orders up to a combined project total of $521,333.57 to address contingency items such as minor quantity over-runs and unforeseen repairs. 

City Council approval is recommended. Phase Two of the 2022 street maintenance will be performed in the Knolls and on the N. 13th and N. 14th Street corridors. This contract will be let this summer and will be funded by local capital dollars in Fund 400. (click here for additional information)  

L. ORDINANCES – SECOND READING

None. 

M. ORDINANCES – FIRST READING 

1. Ordinance 2022-021 Amending the Fiscal Year End December 31, 2021, Budget. 

City Manager’s Summary: The City Council’s legal level of budgetary authority is at the fund level, meaning that the budget officer may transfer amounts between departments within a fund, but transfers between funds must be approved by the City Council. Additionally, expenditures may not legally exceed budgeted appropriations at the fund level, even if overall revenues comfortably exceed expenditures. 

Finance Director Carrie Dittman has outlined the following 2021 budget amendments to “clean up” mostly the expenditure side of a number of funds. The numbers correspond to trial balances achieved through the recent auditing of 2021 Budget figures and bring transparency to the City’s financial operations. 

▪ Items #1 & 2 relate to reclassifications between departments of the General Fund related to budgeted pension contributions. Item #1 reclassifies several Police Department accounts, and item #2 reclassifies Fire Department accounts. There is no net effect to the General Fund. 

▪ Item #3 relates to three accounts of the General Fund that expended over budget in Fiscal Year 2021. In total, the General Fund expenditures exceeded budget by approximately $680,000. There were many accounts in the General Fund that were under budget, but three accounts experiencing a significant increase in expenditures were police patrol overtime, firefighter overtime, and firefighter wellness bonuses (due to a contractual change). Amendments are proposed to increase these accounts by $218,000, $350,000, and $128,000, respectively. 

The principal reason for the overages in budgetary overtime is the substantial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic particularly in the first six months of 2021. Many more calls for service occurred in this period and both the Fire and Police departments were seriously impacted as they tried to maintain minimum shift levels while their own members were quarantined as a result of contracting the virus while on duty. However, it is important to note that overall General Fund revenues outperformed the budget by approximately $4.8 million as numerous revenue sources in the General Fund exceeded expectations. None of the individual revenue line items can be specifically tied to the expenditures above, so no revenue line items need to be amended. The financial impact to the General Fund in this amendment is an increase to expenditures of $696,000. 

▪ Item #4 relates to ground maintenance in Special Service Area (SSA) #3, the Heritage Ridge SSA. A total of $525 was budgeted for maintenance, which did not cover additional and needed work performed in the subdivision’s common areas in Fiscal Year 2021. The total expenditures for this line item were $798, so a minor overage of $273 occurred. Because this is essentially the only expenditure of the fund, an amendment of $275 is recommended to bring the fund into budgetary compliance; the financial effect is an increase in expenditures of $275.

▪ Item #5 relates to the 924 Greenbriar Special Service Area (SSA) #28. As all fraternity/sorority houses are now required to have a sprinkler system, the City extended a Water Fund loan to the fraternity to install the system at 924 Greenbriar, and the SSA was created to track the repayment of the loan. During Fiscal Year 2021, the property was sold, and the balance of the loan was paid early and in full. As a result, the SSA #28 fund collected unexpected loan proceeds and was able to transfer those funds to the Water Fund to pay off the loan. Both a revenue and offsetting expenditure of $20,019 were incurred, and amendments are necessary to reflect both transactions. There is no net effect to the fund.  

▪ Item #6 relates to the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Fund. In Fiscal Year 2021, several projects were undertaken by the City using both CDBG Entitlement and CDBG Covid-19 funds that were not budgeted; these projects were offset 100% by federal grant income. Thus, an increase to budgeted revenue of $520,500 offsets an increase to budgeted expenditures within various categories of $520,500. There is no net effect to the fund. 

▪ Item #7 relates to the General Debt Service Fund. The paying agent fees for six bond issues were about $1,100 higher than budgeted; this was more than offset by hotel/motel taxes, which exceeded budget by over $15,000. Thus, an increase to hotel/motel tax revenues of $1,100 and an increase to financial services expenditures of $1,100 is recommended. There is no net effect to the fund.  

▪ Item #8 relates to the Capital Equipment Replacement Fund. The city entered into an arrangement with Enterprise Leasing to lease eight vehicles during the Fiscal Year 2021, which will continue for a five-year period. Six of these vehicles benefit general city operations and two benefit the Water Fund. The six vehicles have a value of approximately $305,464, which is reported as both lease proceeds (revenue) and vehicle lease purchase (expenditure) in the Capital Equipment Replacement Fund. A revenue amendment of $305,464 and offsetting expenditure amendment of $305,464 are recommended. There is no net effect to the fund.  

▪ Item #9 affects operations of the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport. The Airport’s fuel sales exceeded expectations and were offset by a corresponding increase in fuel purchased for resale. In addition, two significant federal grant projects occurred in 2021: the resurfacing of runway 2/20 and relocating and replacing of navigation units on runways 2, 20 and 27. This resulted in increased capital spending offset by an increase in grant revenue. A total of $495,000 is proposed as an increase to revenue along with a corresponding $495,000 increase in expenses; there is no net effect to the fund. 

▪ Item #10 is a “housekeeping item” to correct a typographical error in the Fiscal Year 2021 budget. A transfer of $500 was budgeted as revenue into the General Fund from the Special Service Area (SSA) #14 Fund, the Heartland Fields SSA (revenue side). However, the corresponding transfer out (expenditure) of $500 was budgeted in the Market Square SSA #29 in error. The proposed amendment reverses the Market Square SSA #29 transfer out and moves it to the Heartland Fields SSA #14. There is no net effect to the overall budget.

▪ Item #11 relates to the Foreign Fire Insurance Tax (FFIT) Fund. The FFIT Board develops a budget for the fund which it forwards to the city to be included in the city’s overall budget. In Fiscal Year 2021, about $14,250 more in foreign fire insurance tax was received over the budget; a corresponding revenue amendment is proposed. Additionally, several expenditure line items exceeded the budget, totaling about $33,000, and amendments are recommended for the line items of supplies/parts – buildings, firefighting supplies and equipment, and office furniture and equipment. There is a net increase in expenditures of $18,250, which will be drawn down from the built-up fund reserves of approximately $83,000.  

City Council approval is recommended. (click here for additional information) 

N. REPORTS AND COMMUNICATIONS 

1. Council Member Reports.  

2. City Manager Report.  

O. EXECUTIVE SESSION  

1. Approval to Hold an Executive Session in Order to Discuss the Sale or Lease of Real Property as Provided for in 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(6).  

P. ADJOURNMENT 

https://www.cityofdekalb.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05092022-2179