COW Minutes 2007 07-10-07 Page 1 of
UNITED CITY OF YORKVILLE
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER
July 10, 2007
7:00 P.M.
ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT:
Mayor Valerie Burd Alderman Arden Plocher
Alderman Joe Besco Alderman Rose Spears
Alderman Gary Golinski City Treasurer Bill Powell
Alderman Marty Munns City Clerk Jackie Milschewski
CITY STAFF PRESENT:
Interim City Administrator Olson Director of Parks & Recreation Mogul
City Attorney Roth City Engineer Wywrot
Finance Director Susan Mika Community Development Director Miller
Public Works Director Eric Dhuse Building Inspector Bill Dettmer
Police Lieutenant Schwartzkopf Building Inspector Barb Dettmer
GUESTS:
See attached list.
PRESENTATIONS
None.
DETAILED BOARD REPORT — BILL LIST
Alderman Spears questioned a payment on page 13 — Jewel - for rollers, veggie tray in the amount of $197.95. It
was explained that this was for refreshments served at the retirement event.
The Bill List was placed on the July 10, 2007 City Council meeting agenda.
! MAYOR
1. COW 2007 -09 Agreement between the City and the Old Barn Museum
Mayor Burd presented this as an information item. A rough draft was presented to the Council as
a starting point with a more detailed draft for a space agreement to follow. The Library Board is
also investigating an agreement because an exhibit of American Indian artifacts is planned for
September 2007. Finance Director Mika reported that there is no additional insurance cost to
display the artifacts however the insurance carrier will need a list of what is displayed in the
City's buildings. This item will be discussed further at future meetings.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
1. EDC 2007 -23 Yorkville Crossing Unit l — Crimson Lane Right -of -Way Dedication
This is a request for the dedication for the first section of Crimson Lane. The ROW will allow
access from Countryside Parkway for the petitioner, Wal -Mart, and is needed for construction to
begin. The request has been reviewed by staff however Director Miller noted that not all the
issues addressed in his June 11, 2007 memo have been resolved. He was asking for approval
subject to final staff approval.
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This item was placed on the July 10, 2007 City Council meeting agenda for approval.
2. EDC 2007 -10 Visitability Code
Alderman Spears reported that, based on discussions with some builders, an option for an appeal
of the "no- step" condition has been included. Several options for the appeal have been proposed.
She recommended that once the option for an appeal is selected that a "test trial" of six months be
entertained.
Alderman Besco commented that he felt it would be better to offer builders incentives to provide
visitability options because requiring this may cause a hardship for the builders. Alderman
Golinski agreed with the incentives and felt that it was unreasonable to require builders to provide
these options. He felt while it was well intentioned the ordinance caused problems that could
deter custom home builders from building in Yorkville. He stated that he did not agree with the
City telling people which door knobs they have to use and he had not spoken with anyone in
favor of the ordinance. He also noted that he has researched similar ordinances from other
communities and the no -step provision is usually only for public buildings. He also noted other
communities have repealed their ordinances
Alderman Munns asked for an explanation of the appeals process; how long would the process
take. Alderman Spears stated that the appeal process would need to be established in such a way
as to process the appeal quickly in order not to delay the sale of a home. Community
Development Director Miller explained that three appeal options have been proposed (1. the City
Council is the appeals board, 2. an appeals board is established as a final decision making body
or 3. the City Council is the final decision - making body after a recommendation from the appeals
board). Alderman Munns indicated that he would like to know how long the appeal process
would take before he voted on the ordinance. Director Miller indicated that the process would be
similar to a zoning appeal and the length of time would be dependant on case load, deadline for
the request, meeting schedules, etc.
Director Miller clarified that the appeal clause is for the entire ordinance not just for the "no- step"
provision because builders have also expressed concern with the electrical panel requirements.
Alderman Spears indicated she thought the appeal was only for the "no -step' provision. Code
Official Barb Dettmer apologized; she misunderstood the direction for the ordinance and drafted
the appeal process to cover the entire ordinance. She questioned having an "appeal list" because
it could make the ordinance conflicting and confusing.
There was some discussion regarding the placement of the electrical panel in a house and Code
Official Barb Dettmer explained that it is against the City's codes to place a panel in a closet or
bathroom; the electrical panel has to be in a clear, easily accessible location. Also discussed was
using the garage entrance as the no -step entrance which Mrs. Dettmer indicated was also a code
violation.
Alderman Spears noted that developers have requested another meeting to discuss the ordinance.
She suggested that the Council pick an appeal process and then hold the requested meeting. After
some discussion it was decided to bring this item back to the next COW meeting for fine tuning
and then schedule a meeting with builders before approving the ordinance. Builders present at
the meeting unanimously supported a meeting.
This item will be placed on the July 24, 2007 COW agenda.
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PARK BOARD
PKBD 2007 -16 Whispering Meadows Park Construction Bid Results
Park & Recreation Director Mogle provided a breakdown of the four bids received for the
construction of the park. Bids for the construction of a BMX track were extremely high due to
the removal of dirt. Staff has recommended dropping this alternative from the bidding and
exploring other means of construction that are less expensive. With the removal of this
alternative, L.J. Dodd was the low bidder and staff recommends awarding the contract for
construction to them in the amount of $333,880.00.
This item was placed on the July 10, 2007 City Council agenda.
PKBD 2007 -17 Hiding Spot Park Equipment Purchase
Director Mogle reported that five manufacturer's submitted proposals. Gametime, Inc. submitted
the lowest proposal with an opportunity for the City to receive double the amount of equipment
for $30,000.00. The product line they propose to use is currently not on the market so this park
will be the first of its kind. The manufacturer is looking for a location to install the equipment to
use in their brochures. This project will also be done as a "Community Build" on Saturday,
August 18, 2007. Park staff, community volunteers and manufacturer representatives will install
the equipment thus saving the City approximately $23,000.00. Staff recommends awarding the
contract to Gametime, Inc. in the amount of $30,000.00.
Alderman Munns questioned the maintenance on the equipment. Director Mogle explained that
the Parks Department has certified playground inspectors who make weekly inspections of all
playground equipment. He stated that the useful life of the equipment is twelve to fifteen years
with low maintenance in the early years of the life span. Alderman Munns questioned the cost of
maintenance and Director Mogle explained that in the past a per acre cost was used however this
is not accurate. The Parks Department is currently working on worksheets for each park which
hopefully will provide more detailed numbers for the cost of maintenance. He indicated that this
will take several month of use before these figures can be developed.
This item was placed on the July 10, 2007 City Council agenda.
PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE
COW 2 00 7-10 Route 34 1Sycamore Road Traffic Signal
The proposal in the amount of $24235.15 is for the design of a temporary span light which will be
installed at the intersection for up to a one year period. This time frame will allow the developer
of Rob Roy Falls time to design a four - legged intersection.
Alderman Munns questioned if there was a deadline for when the Smith Engineering study would
be completed and equipment ordered. Interim City Administrator Olson indicated that he was
trying to get clarification from the developer as to their role in the intersection. Equipment
cannot be ordered until any study is completed. City Engineer Wywrot explained that it takes 30-
60 days to have the plan completed and submitted to IDOT for approval. Once the plans are
approved, IDOT issues a permit and then equipment is ordered. Alderman Munns asked if a time
frame of 30 -60 days could be included in the contract and Attorney Roth indicated that if this was
a realistic request it could be added.
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Alderman Munns asked if RFP's were received from other firms and Mr. Wywrot indicated they
were not as Smith Engineering is the City's traffic consultant. Going out for RFP's would have
slowed the process down.
Alderman Spears asked when an agreement from Rob Roy Falls would be expected and Attorney
Roth indicated that he expressed the City's urgency in getting the matter done. He spoke with the
developer's representative, Tony Graff, and asked for a letter of understanding but it has not been
received yet.
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This item was placed on the July 10, 2007 City Council agenda.
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PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE
No report
ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE
No report.
CITY COUNCIL REOUESTS
COW 2007 -11 Governing Ordinance Amendment — Committee Rosters: ChairmanlVice-
Chairman Selection Process
Interim City Administrator Olson explained that the purpose of this amendment is to clarify the
chairman/vice- chairman selection system. The system described in the amendment is the one that
was used this year. Aldermen with seniority have the first pick of what chairmanship they want
with those with less seniority choosing vice - chairmanships.
There was a brief discussion regarding the current committees and it was determined that
Alderman Plocher would be the vice -chair of the Public Works Committee and Alderman Sutcliff
would be vice -chair of the Public Safety Committee.
This item was placed on the July 10, 2007 City Council agenda.
ADDITIONAL BUSINESS
Sunny Valley Farms
Alderman Plocher asked if the City has met with representatives of Sunny Valley Farms and
Attorney Roth stated that he had a positive discussion with their representatives about a multi-
party contribution. He indicated things are underway but nothing has been agreed to.
Metropolitan Mayor's Caucus
Mayor Burd reported that she attended the Metropolitan Mayor's Caucus in Chicago. Topics
discussed were the amount of foreclosures in the area and making metropolitan Chicago the
"greenest region ". She stated that Yorkville has applied to be a Bronze community in the
greenest region program and suggested that a tree planting ordinance be developed. She asked
Alderman Besco and the Public Works Committee to investigate this.
There was no further additional business.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 P.M.
Minutes submitted by Jackie Milschewski, City Clerk