Democracy on the Front Lines
City Administrator’s Blog
Walter Denton
January 7, 2010
Here is a summary of Monday’s City Council meeting agenda items. The items are listed in the order as they appeared in the agenda. Click here to see the full texts of the resolutions, ordinances, and staff reports. As a reminder, resolutions, motions, and special event permits only need to be approved once to become official. Ordinances are required to be approved in two readings (over two meetings) before they become official.
Here are the items that were approved by the City Council:
Ordinance approving truck rental at Emily’s Resale and Consignment (Second Reading): The applicant of the property wants to add a Budget Truck Rental to their business at 506 West State Street, which will require outdoor storage of the rental trucks on the property.
Ordinance approving the St. Nicholas Church expansion (Second Reading): The church plans to construct two new buildings (a spirituality center and an activity center) and an expansion to the parking lot at 625 St. Nicholas Drive.
Ordinance establishing an administrative tow fee (Second Reading): Administrative Tow Fees are intended to reclaim valuable resources expended in the processing for persons arrested and vehicles seized during certain criminal investigations. The fees (either $250 or $500 depending on the offense) are not fines, but are service fees paid in addition to the tow operators towing and impound fees. A provision exists for anyone found not guilty of all underlying charges to have the fee refunded and an administrative hearing component exists for owners who feel that their vehicle should not have been impounded.
Ordinance increasing cemetery fees (Second Reading): Cemetery fees have not been increased since 1999 and do not cover the costs of providing the service. Since 1999, costs have increased a minimum of 30%. The Parks Department has held the cost down with the incorporation of new equipment, personnel reductions and near elimination of Public Works support. The fee increase is to start recovering all direct cost associated with interments. Click here to see the new fees.
Ordinance establishing services fees for non-residents of the Fire Protection District (Second Reading): The ordinance allows for the billing of non-residents for fire services provided. The Fire Department is responsible for nine miles of I-64 and fire personnel often spend considerable time and resources responding to vehicle accidents and other incidents by non-residents. In effect, district taxpayers are subsidizing those responses. The ordinance also will allow for the Fire Department to bill for extended incidents, such as hazardous material incidents. Currently, we would not be able to recover our costs for a major train derailment or highway chemical spill where the Fire Department’s participation could span several days. This ordinance would establish a billing method for recovering those costs. The purpose of the fire
service fee is to recover cost associated with response to incidents where non-residents are responsible for said response. Non-residents are those individuals living outside the city limits or boundaries of the fire protection district. The Fire District Act 70 ILCS 705/11f provides that a fire department may charge and collect fees for services rendered against persons, businesses and other entities who are not residents, at a maximum rate not to exceed $250.00 per hour per apparatus and $70.00 per hour per firefighter.
ON HOLD Ordinance establishing the Crime Free Multi-Housing Program: Following first reading approval on December 7, the Community Development Committee deliberated the ordinance at their December 14 meeting. Several landlords were present with questions and concerns, and the committee decided to hold the ordinance in committee for one month so staff could address landlord concerns. The issue will appear on the January 11 Community Development Committee agenda.
ON HOLD Tax Increment Financing Ordinances: Five Second Reading ordinances dealing with the proposed Regency Park Tax Increment Financing District are on hold for legal review.
Now you’re up to date. Next Monday’s committee meetings will be Parks and Environment at 5:30 p.m., Community Development at 6:00 p.m., and Public Safety at 7:00 p.m.
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