McLean County Property Committee met Aug. 31.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
The Property Committee of the McLean County Board met at 4:45 p.m. in Room 404 of the Government Center Building, 115 E. Washington Street, Bloomington, Illinois.
Members Present: Chairman Josh Barnett and Member Logan Smith in person, Members Jacob Beard, Lyndsay Bloomfield, Elizabeth Johnston, Gerald Thompson and William Friedrich (all via remote attendance)
Members Absent: None
Other Members Present: None
Staff Present: Camille Rodriguez, County Administrator; Cassy Taylor, Assistant County Administrator; Ms. Cathy Dreyer, Assistant County Administrator, Samantha Vasquez, Assistant State’s Attorney – Civil Division; and Ms. Julie Morlock, Recording Secretary;
Department Heads/Elected Officials Present: Mr. Tim Daugherty, Facilities Management (via remote attendance); Mr. Michael Steffa, Director Parks and Recreation Department (via remote attendance)
Others Present:
Chairman Barnett called the meeting to order at 4:45 p.m. and declared a quorum.
Chairman Barnett presented the minutes from the August 6, 2020 regular meeting of the Property Committee for approval.
Motion by Smith/Beard to approve the August 6, 2020 regular meeting minutes of the Property Committee.
Motion carried. Roll Call Vote – all present voted yes including the Chairman.
Mr. Barnett confirmed there was a statement to be read into the record. Ms. Morlock indicate there was one email and read the following into the record.
Good Evening. My Name Is Carol Koos, I Am Chair Of The Central Illinois Chapter Of The American Civil Liberties Union Of Illinois. On Behalf Of All Aclu Members Of Mclean County And The Members Of The Steering Committee, Thank You For This Opportunity To Speak To The Board’s Property Committee About This Proposed Ordinance.
We Live In An Amazing County And Are Part Of A Diverse, Vibrant Community. With Major Community Corporate Partners, Major Educational Institutions And Other Strong Partners, Mclean County Is Home To A Wide Range Of Voices And Many Nuanced Views Around The Major Political And Social Issues Of Our Day – Issues At The Federal, State And Local Level.
Each Member Of This Committee Wants To Ensure That Every Voice In Our Community Has The Ability To Make Their Voices Heard As Part Of Groups Large And Small That Share Their Views.
Put Simply, This Ordinance Does Not Meet That Goal And Creates Unnecessary And Unconstitutional Hurdles To Protestors Seeking To Access Some Of Mclean County’s Traditional Locations For People To Gather, Including The Courthouse. For This Reason, We Urge You To Oppose This Proposal.
There Are A Number Of Flaws With The Approach In The Proposed Ordinance, But I Want To Point Out Just A Couple.
First, The Proposal Does Not Make An Exemption To The Permit Requirement For Spontaneous Events Reacting To Emerging News. What Sort Of Event Might Be Encompassed Here? Well, Think Back To Just A Few Years Ago, When First The Illinois Legislature And Then The Supreme Court Approved The Freedom To Marry For Same-Sex Couples.
In Response To An Event Such As This – People In Our Community Will Want To Gather And Express Themselves – In Favor And In Opposition. This Ordinance Would Make Such Reactive Gathering A Violation.
The Proposal Then Imposes Penalties On People Who Participate In Unpermitted Demonstrations – Whether They Have Knowledge Of This Requirement Or Not. So, In This Way, Someone Attending A Spontaneous Gathering About The Freedom To Marry Or About An Election Could Be Subject To Penalty Simply For Gathering With Others To Share Their Views About A Particular Event. Certainly, This Is Not What The Board Intends To Happen.
Thank You For Your Time. Again, I Urge You To Reject This Proposal.
Mr. Tim Daugherty, Facilities Department Director presented for action a request to approve four contracts with Schneider Electric Services for the Government Center, Juvenile Detention Center, Health Department (200 W. Front), Metcom (911 building). He indicated these contracts have gone through legal and are part of the 2020 budget for switchgear maintenance at those facilities.
Motion by Thompson/Bloomfield to recommend approval four Contracts with Schneider Electric Services for the Government Center, Juvenile Detention Center, Health Department (200 W. Front), Metcom (911 building).
Motion Carried. Roll call vote – all present voted yes including the Chairman.
Mr. Daugherty presented his monthly report to the Committee including reports on status of projects in each of the buildings. Mr. Friedrich asked if the Maintenance Department has had to clean up from the events held around the Law and Justice Center and time, they may have spent doing that. Mr. Daugherty indicated there had been some graffiti and the custodial department cleaned-up the graffiti, so he was not sure how much time they had spent. Chairman Barnett asked if there were any further questions, hearing none, he thanked him.
Mr. Michael Steffa, Parks and Recreation Department Director provided an update on the sewage treatment plant at the park including that since the placement of the report in the packet they had received the report back on the sample testing and there were no red flags so they were beginning the permitting process with IDPH. Mr. Friedrich asked if they were hauling off sludge. Mr. Steffa indicated they were not hauling it out, he stated they have a temporary fix in place. Mr. Thompson asked him to reach out to the Illinois State University Farm for ideas on waste management. Mr. Steffa indicated he would do that as he had already been in touch with them about spreading. Mr. Barnett asked how long the project would last and if there would be any impact to the park. Mr. Steffa indicated the permitting would take about 60-90 days and the project would take about two weeks. He stated there would not be any impact to park services offered.
Mr. Steffa then presented his general report including revenue from pontoon and camping. He stated that he figured much of this is due to the pandemic as people try to get out but stay closer to home. He also indicated summer staff are returning to school, so the office staff has stepped up get some of the outdoor work completed.
Ms. Rodriguez, County Administrator presented for action a request to approve a critical hire request from the Facilities Department. Ms. Rodriguez indicated this vacancy is due to a retirement in the department.
Motion by Thompson/Bloomfield to recommend approval of the critical hire request from the Facilities Department.
Motion Carried. Roll call vote – all present voted yes including the Chairman.
Ms. Rodriguez presented for action a request to approve the recommended bid for the sprinkler system and electrical work at the McLean County Nursing Home. Ms. Rodriguez indicated this work is a result of items noted during an annual survey that needed to be updated, so work needs to be completed to be in compliance. She stated the Health Committee reviewed this at their meeting for budget purposes. Mr. Barnett asked her to confirm where the funding would come from. Ms. Rodriguez confirmed it would come from the Enterprise Fund.
Motion by Smith/Bloomfield to recommend approval of the recommended bid for the sprinkler system and electrical work at the McLean County Nursing Home.
Motion Carried. Roll call vote – all members voted yes including the Chairman.
Ms. Rodriguez presented for action a request to approve an Ordinance creating Chapter 305: Parades, Demonstrations and other Gatherings of the McLean County Code. Member Johnston Motioned to table the action. Member Beard seconded. Then, Mr. Beard asked if they could discuss this matter. Mr. Spanos confirmed that Ms. Johnston’s motion was to table in general. Ms. Johnston confirmed. Mr. Spanos indicated that per the rules they could not discuss the matter once a motion to table was on the floor. Mr. Beard removed his second, Mr. Barnett asked if there was another second to the motion and Mr. Smith seconded the Motion to Table. Mr. Beard asked if the motion to table failed they could then discuss and reissue another motion to table. Mr. Spanos confirmed they could do that.
Motion by Johnston/Smith to table the item.
Motion Carried (5/2). Roll call vote. Members Beard and Thompson voted no. Members Bloomfield, Johnston, Smith, Friedrich and Chairman Barnett voted yes.
Ms. Rodriguez presented her positions filled report. Chairman Barnett asked if there were any questions; hearing none, he asked her to move to the next item.
Ms. Rodriguez then provided updates on three projects. Ms. Rodriguez updated the Committee on the museum roof and let them know it was progressing and the architect wanted to make sure due diligence was done to properly addresses the long-term implications of the crown jewel of Bloomington. She then updated the Committee on the Fairview building indicating that LIUNA had followed up on items they needed to get completed and Administration was working to get a topographical survey completed in the next couple of weeks. She indicated once the survey is completed, they would be able to get an appraisal. Ms. Rodriguez then provided an update on the Animal Control building that would be needing some roof repair. She also stated she had recently learned from Ms. Thompson that a trust was interested in donating to either renovate or rebuild the animal control shelter. She stated she did not have all of the details yet but would be meeting with Animal control to discuss needs that could be met through renovation, or a rebuild.
Mr. Barnett went over a proposed annual calendar for the Property committee that he hoped would provide clear expectation of staff and committee members and help them to be better stewards of the public’s funds. January the Committee would go over the items from previous year that were accomplished or postponed. February the Committee would review the previous year’s budget. March the Committee would go over regular committee business. April the Committee would get an update on the current year’s Capital Improvement Plan. May the Committee would get an update on current year budget and would take a facilities tour. June the Committee would have a brainstorming session about the next year’s Capital Improvement Plan. July the Committee would get an update on the current year’s Capital Improvement Plan. August the Committee would get an update on the current year’s budget. September the Committee would conduct Regular business. October the Committee would receive an update on the Capital Improvement Plan, look at the next year’s Capital Improvement Plan and receive the next year’s budget presentation. November the Committee would finalize and approve the next year’s Capital Improvement Plan and budget and review of the current year’s budget. Mr. Beard thanked them for this work as he felt this moved us in the right direction to be proactive instead of reactive. Ms. Johnston agreed as this gives us transparency and helps us to plan.
Ms. Rodriguez provided information on the new format of the Capital Improvement Plan Process and provided a copy of the new form/format. She stated they looked at examples from other counties and felt this would be more of a living document they could work from. Mr. Barnett said he liked the format including the summary, highlights and stating how
projects are being funded. Mr. Friedrich stated he understood this is a moving target, but he liked the base form.
Ms. Rodriguez stated that some 2020 projects were scheduled for warmer weather and then were postponed because of the pandemic this year. She stated that Mr. Daugherty had provided a Gantt chart for the 2020 projects and asked Mr. Daugherty go over the information. Mr. Daugherty went over the GANTT chart and highlighted projects for 2020 including the courthouse roof, manlift for the courthouse, switchgear maintenance for buildings, coroner cooler project, coroner cabinets, animal shelter roof, and van shelving they will utilize to keep service materials and tools they need for projects offsite. Chairman Barnett asked if there were any questions or comments; hearing none he moved to the next item on the agenda.
Chairman Barnett asked if there were any other matters to come before the Committee. Mr. Beard apologized for confusion on parliamentary procedures earlier in the meeting.
Chairman Barnett presented the bills from the Auditor with a Prepaid Total and Fund total amount of $279,819.74. Mr. Barnett indicated that the committees should have received a copy of the invoices. Ms. Rodriguez thanked the staff for taking on another task.
Motion by Johnston/Bloomfield to approve payments of bills from the Auditor in theamount of $279,819.74.
Motion Carried
Chairman Barnett stated there was no other business to come before Committee andadjourned the meeting at 6:04 p.m.
https://www.mcleancountyil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/7741
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