City of Bloomington Committee of the Whole Met Feb. 15.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
This meeting was conducted under Governor Pritzker’s Executive Order 2020-07 Section 6, which was reissued and extended by Executive Order 2021-04, and implemented in response to COVID-19, which suspended in-person attendance under the Open Meeting Act, 5 ILCS 120.
The City Council convened in regular session virtually via Zoom conferencing with the City Manager, Tim Gleason, in-person in City Hall’s Council Chambers and with the Deputy City Clerk, Amanda Mohan, virtually via Zoom conferencing, at 6:00 p.m., Monday, February 15, 2021. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Tari Renner.
Roll Call
Attendee Name Title Status Arrived
Tari Renner Mayor Remote
Jamie Mathy Ward 1 Remote
Donna Boelen Ward 2 Remote
Mboka Mwilambwe Ward 3 Remote
Julie Emig Ward 4 Remote
Joni Painter Ward 5 Remote
Jennifer Jazmin Carrillo Ward 6 Absent
Mollie Ward Ward 7 Remote
Jeff Crabill Ward 8 Remote
Kim Bray Ward 9 Remote
COVID-19 Update by City Manager
City Manager Tim Gleason updated Council on the COVID-19 vaccination center held at Grossinger Motors Arena including challenges that the McLean County Health Department continued to face in the procurement and distribution of vaccinations. He then discussed potential for Governor Pritzker to expand qualifications for receiving the vaccination.
Public Comment
Mayor Renner opened the meeting for public comment, but no public comment was received live or via email.
Consent Agenda
Items listed on the Consent Agenda are approved with one motion; Items pulled by Council from the Consent Agenda for discussion are listed and voted on separately.
No Consent Agenda Items were presented.
Presentation, Discussion, and Direction on Future Agenda Topics
The following item was presented:
Item 6.A. Employee Remembrance, as requested by the Administration Department.
Mr. Gleason recognized each of the City of Bloomington staff whose lives were lost in 2020 and provided a brief background on their employment with the City. Staff included: Tom Drewry, Library - Site Security; Officer Justin Gale, Police Department; Ed Frels, Information Technology Department; Earl Boitnott, Jr., Public Works - Public Services Division; and Jerry Martogolio, Public Works - Water Division.
Mr. Gleason explained the presentation would be provided annually if necessary to honor all those who pass that served the City. The following item was presented:
Item 6.B. Presentation on Enterprise Zone Standardized Incentive Program Concept, as requested by the Administration Department.
Mr. Gleason introduced the item and explained the concept of an Enterprise Zone Standard Incentive Program ("Program") as a crucial economic development tool. He informed Council that the Enterprise Zone would appear as an action item on next week's Council agenda. He then asked Patrick Hoban, CEO of the Bloomington Normal Economic Development Council (“EDC”), to address Council.
Mr. Hoban explained that the most popular incentive in an Enterprise Zone was the sales tax exemption on building materials. He informed Council that a standardized property tax abatement, a second popular incentive, continued to be utilized by other surrounding municipalities. Mr. Hoban stressed the importance of a standard incentive package and that the benefits included the speed of completion and consistency in deals to be competitive for economic development. He reported that, historically, deals were inconsistent and could take many months to complete since multiple municipalities had to approve an incentive package. He provided examples on how a standard incentive program would be beneficial and listed multiple options of potential perks and how a business could qualify for each.
Mr. Gleason expressed concerns voiced by other taxing bodies and stated that the item would not appear before Council next week for consideration.
Council Member Crabill questioned the amount of control the taxing bodies would hold over each incentive package. Mr. Hoban stated that all municipalities would approve the standard incentive package and the EDC Board of Directors would verify whether developers qualified. Council Member Crabill and Mr. Hoban then discussed the effects of labor unions and "no poaching" language as part of the incentive package. Council Member Crabill tasked how Tax Increment Financing ("TIF") districts would affect an incentive package. Mr. Hoban explained that a TIF would take precedence and override an abatement.
Council Member Mathy expressed concern that a large portion of Bloomington was not in the current enterprise zone. Mr. Hoban explained the EDC Board of Directors wanted to begin with the current enterprise zone while they worked toward a county-wide incentive package that would include all 21 municipalities in McLean and Ford Counties. Council Member Mathy supported the inclusion of small and big business participation. Council Member Mwilambwe asked for additional details on incentives for developments that hired local employees. Mr. Hoban explained the property tax abatement
process, the thresholds, and audit review process.
Council Member Ward asked for clarification on project labor agreements. Mr. Hoban defined local labor utilization plans as a written plan to include local labor units in discussions, whereas local labor agreements require the utilization of local labor. Council Member Bray asked whether being home rule allowed Bloomington to permit additional incentives. Mr. Hoban responded affirmatively but cautioned that it could lengthen the approval process.
Council Member Boelen asked how the Program could encourage quality jobs that would provide a fair median income. Mr. Hoban responded that if a developer exceeded the median wage of the County, there was a potential to receive a higher incentive. Council Member Emig was in favor of the item. She asked Mr. Hoban to explain what an enterprise zone was and how the schools could reap some benefits. Mr. Hoban responded accordingly.
Council Member Mwilambwe asked how fast the Program could be used. Mr. Hoban responded that there were three projects waiting for a finalized Program. He expressed that time was of the essence. He then provided an example where Decatur could approve an incentive package in as little as two weeks; whereas Bloomington could take up to six months under the current enterprise zone.
The following item was presented:
Item 6.C. Presentation and discussion of the Solid Waste Program, as requested by the Public Works Department and the Administration Department.
Mr. Gleason introduced the item and asked Kevin Kothe, Public Works Director, to address Council.
Mr. Kothe presented the Solid Waste Program overview and status update. He discussed the various planned and unforeseen causes of budget shortfalls and then compared multiple revenue streams that comprised the Solid Waste Program from Fiscal Years ("FY") 2017 to 2022. Mr. Kothe went on to discuss the Low-Income Fee Discount program and stated that staff recommended its continuance. He then discussed disposal and education expenditure line items, which included bulk waste, garbage, and brush. Mr. Kothe continued by discussing Routing Software and then moved on to benefits and potential changes for improving the Curbside Leaf Collection program, including bagged leaf collection.
Council Member Ward asked for additional details on increased expenses for bulk waste pick-up. Mr. Kothe stated that today Public Works picked up more bulk waste than it had in the past. He provided a few theories around the increased free bulk pick-up. Council Member Ward then asked for additional details on the potential for requiring bagged leaf collection. Mr. Kothe responded that there were various options including City-provided bags or bags purchased from local businesses.
Council Member Mwilambwe asked for additional details on non-user abuses of the solid waste programs. Mr. Kothe provided a few examples where non-residents utilized the free bulk waste pick-up and the Citizens Convenience Center.
Council Member Mathy asked how increased bulk waste pick-up affected the change to only offer spring and fall bulk waste pick-up. Mr. Kothe discussed staffing issues and that the program had, unfortunately, not had the intended desired outcome. Council Member Mathy asked if Mr. Kothe would suggest removing the spring/fall bulk pick-up schedule instead returning to the previous schedule. Mr. Kothe responded that staff may recommend a change to the schedule. Both men then discussed issues with rental complexes, opportunities for adjusting prices to cover associated bulk waste costs, software contracts, and potential developer rebate programs. Mr. Gleason confirmed that staff would continue to review the contracts.
Council Member Boelen asked whether the extra inventory of garbage/recycle carts
had been used. Mr. Kothe confirmed they had and that additional had been purchased. She then asked if the MyBloomington App could be used to schedule bulk waste pick-ups. Mr. Kothe stated that, at one time, that was the intention, but that staff had been unsuccessful in training users. They then discussed the Henson Disposal contract, transportation of materials, and drop-off points for recyclable materials. Mr. Kothe and Mr. Gleason noted multiple recycle options. Council Member Boelen suggested a cost-analysis to determine if a private business could dispose of various solid wastes in a more cost-effective manner.
Mayor Renner suggested that Council Member Boelen submit a Council Initiative since significant staff time would be needed for a cost analysis.
Council Member Mwilambwe asked if there was an alternative for recycling. Mr. Kothe explained that demand for recycled products had decreased over the last few years, but that it had begun to turn around.
Mr. Gleason noted that part of the solution to the solid waste programs was efficiencies and consequences to citizens and staff. He looked forward to future creative conversations on solutions.
City Manager's Report (5 minutes)
Mr. Gleason recognized and welcomed each of City’s new employees. He then acknowledged and thanked City staff for continuing to work in the inclement weather and concluded by highlighting upcoming items.
Executive Session - Cite Section
No executive Session was held.
Adjournment
Council Member Boelen made a motion, seconded by Council Member Mwilambwe, that the meeting be adjourned.
Motion carried (viva voce).
The meeting adjourned at 7:21 p.m.
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