DeKalb Times

City of Dekalb City Council met March 27.

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: Vietnam Veterans Day 50th Anniversary – March 29, 2023. E. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

F. APPOINTMENTS

None.

G. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES

1. Minutes of the Regular City Council Meeting of March 13, 2023.

H. CONSENT AGENDA

1. Accounts Payable and Payroll through March 13, 2023, in the Amount of $2,420,643.63.

2. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Report – February 2023.

3. Resolution 2023-031 Authorizing the Approval of Certain Executive Session Minutes and the Destruction of Certain Verbatim Recordings. (click here for additional information)

4. Resolution 2023-032 Authorizing a Workers’ Compensation Lump Sum Petition and Order in the Amount of $22,054.76 (Elise Dusek).

I. PUBLIC HEARINGS

None.

J. CONSIDERATIONS

None.

K. RESOLUTIONS

1. Resolution 2023-033 Authorizing an Architectural Improvement Program (AIP) Economic Incentive for “Quatro Amigos Venue” at 240 E. Lincoln Highway in the Amount of $25,000.

City Manager’s Summary: The owners of “Quatro Amigos Venue” (formerly The Lincoln Inn) at 240 E. Lincoln Highway have applied for an AIP loan under the TIF #3 program to install a limestone façade across the Lincoln Highway frontage, and additional exterior lighting. The stone pieces will be 8’x24” in size as depicted in the attached rendering. The work is part of an overall remodeling of the former restaurant to create new space for banquets and private parties.

The space at 240 E. Lincoln Highway has been vacant since 2020. Under the City’s AIP program, façade improvements and electrical improvements are separately eligible for up to a 50% reimbursement, not to exceed $25,000. The owners propose to remove the existing, exterior wood siding and prepare the subsurface for the stone installation. The estimated cost for the exterior remodeling is $60,000.

The City’s Building Department has been consulted and supports the renovation plans. The forgivable loan of $25,000 would be funded by the TIF#3 Fund (262-00-00-69199).

City Council approval is recommended.

2. Resolution 2023-034 Approving a Retail Tobacco Store License for Jaah Smoke Shop, d/b/a Smoke Shop Pipes & Things, 901 Lucinda Avenue, Ste. P.

City Manager’s Summary: Mohammad Silat has submitted an application for a retail tobacco store in Unit P at 901 Lucinda Avenue. Retail tobacco stores are defined as a business that either has 30% or more of its revenue or more than 25% of its floor area devoted to tobacco products and accessories. On January 9, 2023, the City Council approved a special use permit for this location on the recommendation of the Planning and Zoning Commission and City staff (Ordinance 2023-008).

If the license is approved, the City will receive an initial issuance fee of $3,735 and annual renewal fees of $350.

City Council approval is recommended.

3. Resolution 2023-035 Authorizing a Professional Services Agreement with Stantec Architecture, Inc. for Architectural and Engineering Design of a Transit Maintenance and Operations Facility in an Amount Not to Exceed $2,990,792.

City Manager’s Summary: Following the recommendation of the Transit Site Selection Committee on October 10, 2022 (Resolution 2022-100), the City Council approved the selection of a new transit center site along Dresser Road near Annie Glidden Road. The property is currently owned by the City of DeKalb and has a gross area of about 35 acres. The proposed facility has an estimated cost in present day dollars of $20-25 million for approximately 50,000 square feet of functional space under roof, accompanied by 210,000 square feet of shielded outdoor storage and grounds, plus storm-water detention and a variety of circulation driveways and parking areas for both buses, employees, and guests.

Stantec Architecture was awarded the architectural consulting contract in May 2019. The firm has submitted a professional services agreement for the value of the design contract in a not to-exceed amount of $2,990,792, which is approximately 12% of the projected construction costs – typical for the industry and for such a specialized facility. The Stantec scope and pricing proposal is appended to this Agenda in its entirety.

The greater share of the funding for this project has already been secured from federal and state (IDOT) sources and budgeted in the Transportation Fund (Contractual Services: 200- 30-37-6380) in 2023. Other capital grant awards committed to the transit center project are shown in the table below:

Transit Facility Capital Grant Awards

Capital Grant	Awarding Agency	Award Amount	Spent	Remaining
CAP 19 Downstate Transit Improvement Fund (DTIF) Grant	IDOT	$ 150,000	$ 6,336	$ 143,664
Fed IL-90-X735	Federal Transit Administration	$ 864,742	$76,935	$ 787,807
Il 2013 DTIF Grant	IDOT	$ 2,850,000	$ 0	$ 2,850,000
Rebuild I Grant	IDOT	$ 5,000,000	$ 0	$ 5,000,000
Rebuild II Grant	IDOT	$12,000,000	$ 0	$12,000,000
Total:		$20,864,742	$83,271	$20,781,471

The $83,271 spent thus far is associated with expenses invoiced by Stantec for the site selection process in 2021 and 2022 and also accounts for Phase 1 of the Facility Design Project.

As of March 27, 2023, the available funding for both facility design and construction is $20,781,471. Assuming approval of this agreement, up to $2,990,792 will be allocated for the design, leaving the remaining $17,790,679 for site development and construction costs.

Additionally, the City’s Transit staff are preparing an application for further facility funding of $10,000,000 through the Federal Transit Administration’s 5339b Buses and Facilities Competitive Program. The purpose of this grant application is to allow for more “headroom” in the facility construction. Although the design plans will aim for a $25 million facility, the plans will be scalable to match the ultimate available funding. Should funding be awarded through the 5339 program, this important funding would be available in July 2023. Further, the Stantec services agreement includes assistance by the consultant in the City’s application for additional grant support.

Stantec’s design schedule anticipates final design documents by June 1, 2024, with the construction RFP (request for proposals) released by July 1, 2024. Further conversation is needed with the consulting firm to formulate an aggressive timeline for the construction phase and completion.

City Council approval is recommended.

4. Resolution 2023-036 Authorizing the Waiver of Competitive Bidding and Awarding the Purchase of Three Cardiac Monitors and Additional Items to Place the Monitors in Service from Zoll Medical Corporation in an Amount Not to Exceed $93,361.11 Using Ground Emergency Medical Transportation (GEMT) Funding (Fund 130).

City Manager’s Summary: The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) requires cardiac monitors in all front line, advanced life support (ALS) vehicles. Currently the Fire Department has six Zoll X-series monitors: four were purchased in 2016 and two in 2020. These monitors equip the department’s six ALS ambulances. The Fire Department is requesting authorization to purchase three new Zoll cardiac monitors to outfit the Department’s three front line engines (“first out” at each station) to remain compliant with IDPH requirements.

Further, the Fire Department requests that the City Council waive competitive bidding and approve the purchase of three Series X cardiac monitors, cuff kits, and batteries from Zoll Medical Corporation to match up with the existing monitors (and applicable training). A savings of $9,169.65 (about 10%) can be realized if the order is placed before a price increase on April 1.

City Council approval is recommended.

5. Resolution 2023-037 Authorizing the Purchase of a Set of Six Steril Koni Column Lifts with Appropriate Accessories from Safetylane Automotive Equipment in an Amount Not to Exceed $101,092.12 Utilizing Ground Emergency Medical Transportation (GEMT) Funding (Fund 130).

City Manager’s Summary: In recent years the Fire Department has out-sourced preventative maintenance and repairs on its front-line ambulances and engines. These contractual costs have been rising. In FY2021 the overall outsourcing of the Fire Department’s vehicle repairs totaled over $87,000 and in FY2022 the total increased to about $92,000. Until the City’s enrollment in the GEMT program, an essential requirement for bringing more of the heavy

duty repair costs in-house has been the cost of a separate vehicle lift. In-ground lifts are very expensive and would take up limited space in the City’s maintenance shop.

In recent years, testing agencies have certified “mobile” lifts that can be placed anywhere in a shop on a firm surface. Instead of one large hydraulic lift upon which the mechanic drives the vehicle, the mobile approach involves four or six separate column lifts that raise a vehicle simultaneously. As the name of the vendor – Safetylane – suggests, this type of equipment is gaining popularity in test lanes and other smaller shops and carries all the requisite safety ratings. The attached quote provides a set of six lifts with the related electrical control boxes on each column. The overall lift rating – 111,000 pounds – is sufficient to raise the Department’s extension ladder truck (“Rip Roaring”) evenly and with ease.

Assistant Public Works Director Andy Raih and Fire Chief Mike Thomas conceived this potential collaboration and longer-term cost savings. The quote from Safetylane Automotive Equipment of Maxwell, Indiana, is $101,092.12, which can be covered by an amendment to the FY2023 GEMT budget, which has adequate reserves for this expenditure.

A related question is whether the collaboration offers a dedicated employee who can focus time on the steady pace of repairs on the Fire fleet, without diminishing the mechanical output of the Public Works garage. Assistant Director Raih and Chief Thomas have proposed the following:

▪ The FY2023 Fire Department budget includes $75,000 in line item 100-25-28-61700 for contractual maintenance and repair of Fire vehicles. To date, the Fire Department line item has incurred $19,583 in contractual expenses.

▪ The remaining $55,417 is sufficient to hire a qualified mechanic within the Public Works Department for the balance of the current fiscal year. This mechanic’s first duty – barring a more pressing emergency – would be the repair of the routine line-up of Fire fleet vehicles in any given week.

City Council approval of the new column lifts and personnel commitment in FY2023 is recommended. The FY2023 Budget amendment can be brought forward to the Council later this Spring as a few other FY2023 fiscal commitments are clearer.

6. Resolution 2023-038 Approving an Agreement for Architectural/Engineering, Planning and Special Services, and Design Phase Services with Crawford, Murphy and Tilly, Inc. for Project DKB-4924 for the Removal and Replacement of a Portion of the Aircraft Parking Apron at the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport in an Amount Not to Exceed $47,000 (650-00-00-83900).

City Manager’s Summary: On February 13, 2023, the City Council approved the 2024-2028 Airport Transportation Improvement Project (TIP). On that TIP, Project DKB-4924 is scheduled in 2024 to remove and replace a portion of the aircraft parking apron at the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport at the total estimated cost of $940,000. The City’s budgeted share of this cost is 5%, or $47,000, and covers a portion of the design cost for this repair work.

To begin the project, Council needs to approve the attached Illinois Department of Transportation, Division of Aeronautics (IDOT-DOA), Standard Agreement for Consultant Services at Illinois Airports for Architectural/Engineering (A/E), Planning and Special Services with Crawford, Murphy and Tilly, Inc. IDOT-DOA has reviewed and approved the Planning and Special Services and Design Phase Services agreement.

City Council approval is recommended.

7. Resolution 2023-039 Approving an Agreement for Architectural/Engineering, Planning and Special Services, and Design Phase Services with Crawford, Murphy and Tilly, Inc. for Project DKB-5063 for the Rehabilitation of Runway 9/27 at the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport in an Amount Not to Exceed $132,000 (650-00-00-83900).

City Manager’s Summary: As part of the 2024-2028 Airport TIP plan approved by the Council in February, the Council approved Project DKB-5063 to Rehabilitate Runway 9/27 at DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport for a total estimated cost of $2,640,000, including the City’s 5% contribution of $132,000 for design purposes. To begin the project, the Council needs to approve the attached IDOT-DOA Standard Agreement for Consultant Services at Illinois Airports for Architectural/Engineering (A/E), Planning and Special Services with Crawford, Murphy and Tilly, Inc. IDOT-DOA has reviewed and approved the Planning and Special Services and Design Phase Services agreement.

The DeKalb Airport Runway 9/27 (4,201’x75’) supports the full range of general aviation aircraft, from small piston-powered single-engine flight training aircraft through larger corporate, charter, and cargo aircraft that regularly frequent the airport. Runway 9/27 was newly constructed and completed in 2000. During the 23-year life of this second runway, the pavement has exceeded its design life as reported in the most recent IDOT-contracted Pavement Condition Index (PCI) survey performed in 2020 which rated the runway pavement. The runway pavement has shown distresses related to alligator cracking, block cracking, longitudinal cracking, transverse cracking, raveling, and general weathering impacts normal for a pavement of this age. The estimated PCI value of 52/100 is well below the 70/100 minimum, indicating that rehabilitation is warranted.

City Council approval of the attached resolution is recommended. (click here for additional information)

8. Resolution 2023-040 Authorizing Subrecipient Agreements with Children's Learning Center, Elder Care Services, Hope Haven, and Safe Passage in the Total Amount of $60,000 for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Year 2023 Public Services Funding from April 1, 2023, through March 31, 2024.

City Manager’s Summary: As Community Services Coordinator Jennifer Yochem writes in her attached memorandum, on January 23, 2023, the Council approved the City’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) annual action plan for the period April 1, 2023, through March 31, 2024. A part of that plan was dedicated to the support of “public services,” i.e., other agencies providing direct services to qualified residents. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidelines cap this portion at 15% of the City’s total annual grant. The following agencies are recommended for funding:

Agency	Program Description	Funding Requested	Recommended Funding
Children’s Learning Center (CLC)	Subsidies to low-income families for transportation of children between their homes and/or school and day care.	$15,000	$15,000
Elder Care Services (ECS)	Operating funds for the Choices for Care program for elderly individuals to assess their needs and link them with appropriate agencies, benefits, and services.	$10,000	$ 10,000
Hope Haven	Operating funds for emergency shelter services for homeless individuals and families.	$20,000	$18,000
Safe Passage	Operating funds for emergency shelter services for victims of domestic violence and their children.	$20,000	$17,000
Voluntary Action Center (VAC)	Funds to provide cold, frozen, and/or shelf-stable meals and/or supplements for low-income seniors who reside in subsidized housing in the City.	$15,000	$0
	Total:	$80,000	$60,000

City Council approval is recommended.

9. Resolution 2023-041 Approving an Agreement for a Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure (807 Oak Street).

City Manager’s Summary: For the past four years, the City has demolished abandoned and distressed properties with Illinois Housing Development Association (IHDA) monies or federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) monies to remove blighted structures from older neighborhoods and to provide an opportunity for local families to purchase a vacant lot on which to build an affordable home. A distressed home at 807 Oak Street was an eligible candidate for demolition under the IHDA Strong Communities Program Grant. Jennifer Yochem, the City’s Community Services Coordinator, City Attorney Matthew Rose, Director of Streets and Facilities Andy Raih, and the City’s Building Department have collaborated in the identification of this property, its qualification under the IHDA program, and the demolition of the distressed home.

The attached agreement is for the City to accept a deed to the property in lieu of foreclosing on its demolition lien of approximately $17,750. The property is now vacant, but its lot size is too small to allow for the development of a single-family home under the UDO’s existing regulations. Nevertheless, the City hopes to restore the property to the tax rolls in the near future.

City Council approval is recommended. L. ORDINANCES – SECOND READING

None.

M. ORDINANCES – FIRST READING

1. Ordinance 2023-016 Amending Chapter 38 “Intoxicating Liquors”, Section 38.27 “Gambling Devices”, as it Pertains to Video Gaming Establishments and Video Gaming Terminals.

City Manager’s Summary: At the last regular meeting of the DeKalb City Council on March 13, the Council built a consensus around the following general preferences with respect to video gaming terminals in the City of DeKalb:

1. A working limit of 10 licensed video gaming establishments (VGEs). The years-long deferrals of the Blue Ridge licenses and the delays in state licensing for other Council approved VGEs have confounded the best efforts to establish a hard line between conditional and fully licensed VGEs.

With a further extension for the Blue Ridge licensure (through Resolutions 2023-022 and Resolution 2023-2023) on March 13, the current limit of 10 has been met, but the Council has additionally permitted the conditional licensure for CJ’s Gaming Bar, pending approval of a state gaming license.

2. The allowance of VGTs in businesses holding a Bar liquor license.

▪ There are five existing businesses that would be eligible that presently do not have VGTs – Keg & Kernel, La Calle, Lord Stanley’s, Tapa La Luna, and The Grove Tavern.

▪ New Bar liquor licenses could apply for VGTs, which would be vetted by Council prior to issuance.

3. No VGTs in gas stations, food and fuel establishments, or liquor stores.

4. Prohibition of VGT licenses in current and future restaurants.

5. The maximum number of VGTs in any licensed establishment shall be six.

If approved, the attached ordinance would codify these preferences. City Council approval is recommended.

N. REPORTS AND COMMUNICATIONS

1. Council Member Reports.

2. City Manager Report.

O. EXECUTIVE SESSION

None.

P. ADJOURNMENT

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rsf5SWoWV2CqZj4J3VhI2Ey3egKF_cxRuhKugIYyiaQ/edit