South West Illinois News

City of Columbia Committee of the Whole met November 27.

Here is the minutes provided by the Committee:

I. Call To Order

Chairman Ebersohl called the Committee of the Whole committee meeting of the City Council of the City of Columbia, Illinois to order at 7:00 p.m.

Upon Roll Call, the following members were:

Present: Committee Members - Chairman Ebersohl and Aldermen Agne, Niemietz, Roessler, Huch, Reis, Holtkamp and Martens. Mayor Hutchinson was also present.

Absent: None.

Quorum Present.

Administrative Staff Present: City Administrator James Morani, City Attorney J.D. Brandmeyer, Accounting Manager Linda Sharp, City Engineer Chris Smith, Building Official Justin Osterhage, Deputy Chief of Police Jason Donjon, EMS Chief Kim Lamprecht, and Deputy Clerk Donna Mehaffey.

Guests: Mr. Bill Hawn representing Walnut Ridge Estates.

Chairman Ebersohl stated the meeting was called for the purpose of discussing: (1) Approval of Minutes from the November 13, 2017 Committee of the Whole Meeting; (2) Approval of Executive Session Minutes from the November 13, 2017 Committee of the Whole Meeting; (3) Walnut Ridge Estates Annexation Agreements; (4) Code Compliance Officer Position; (5) Small Wireless Facilities; (6) FY 2017-2018 Tax Levy; (7). Other Items to be Considered; (8) Citizen Comments; and (9) Executive Session-5 ILCS 120/2(c)

II. Approval Of Minutes From The November 13, 2017 Committee Of The Whole Meeting

The minutes from the November 13, 2017 Committee of the Whole committee meeting were submitted for approval.

Motion:

It was moved by Alderman Reis and seconded by Alderman Holtkamp, to approve the minutes from the November 13, 2017 Committee of the Whole committee meeting. Upon Roll Call vote, Chairman Ebersohl and Aldermen Agne, Niemietz, Roessler, Huch, Reis, Holtkamp and Martens voted yea. Motion Carried.

III. Approval Of Executive Session Minutes From The November 13, 2017 Committee Of The Whole Meeting

The Executive Session minutes from the November 13, 2017 Committee of the Whole committee meeting were submitted for approval.

Motion:

It was moved by Alderman Reis and seconded by Alderman Martens, to approve the Executive Session minutes from the November 13, 2017 Committee of the Whole committee meeting. Upon Roll Call vote, Chairman Ebersohl and Aldermen Agne, Niemietz, Roessler, Huch, Reis, Holtkamp and Martens voted yea. Motion Carred.

IV. Walnut Ridge Estates Annexation Agreements

Building Official Justin Osterhage addressed the Committee on the Walnut Ridge Estates Annexation Agreements. He said there is a proposed amendment to the 42.56-acre Pangea property also known as the Payne property and also a proposed annexation agreement for a seven-acre tract to the west of the property. The two proposed annexation agreements went to the Plan Commission on November 13. According to the motion from the Plan Commission meeting, there were several issues that needed to be addressed by the City and the developer. Mr. Osterhage commented that the northern portion of the 42.56-acre tract will not be developed at this time and as a result, is not depicted in the site plan for the proposed amendment to the annexation agreement. At such time this property is developed, the current code will be followed and no further amendments to the annexation agreement will be required. If the annexation agreements are approved, the next step will be to submit the preliminary plats and they will be required to adhere to the subdivision and Zoning codes. Mr. Osterhage also reported that the developer has met with City staff to determine if Section 16.5.3.E.(1) of the Columbia Subdivision Code needs to be addressed. The agreement is incorporating an additional $19,326.95 in an escrow account for the Quarry/Palmer Road improvements for the proposed 200 additional feet of annexation of Palmer Road associated with the sevenacre annexation. Mr. Osterhage said the payment schedule would be the same as the 42.56-acre proposed amendment and the payment schedule is to be paid in full within five years or at the time of submittal of the last final subdivision plat for the development, whichever occurs first. The last final subdivision plat would be for the entire 42.56-acre tract plus the seven acres.

Per questions from the Committee, Mr. Osterhage said the development will be zoned R2 One Family Dwelling and will follow all the R-2 zoning regulations including building setbacks, lot sizes and all street design requirements. He added at this time, the only proposed entrance to the subdivision is off Rueck Road. However, there will be a future entrance at the northern part of the subdivision when it is developed. Mr. Osterhage said there is a stub street on the new seven-acre tract that leads into a 19-acre triangle behind the Schaefer farm that would at some time be developed and a secondary entrance would likely be considered at that time. Sidewalks are proposed on both sides of the streets in the development and also along Rueck Road, resulting in sidewalks along Rueck Road that will go from Quarry Road all the way to the Brellinger Subdivision. The sidewalks of the first initial phase of the development along Rueck Road will stop at Palmer Creek.

Motion:

It was moved by Alderman Huch and seconded by Alderman Reis, to recommend to the City Council the adoption of the Walnut Ridge Estates Annexation Agreement and the Second Amended Annexation Agreement. Upon Roll Call vote, Chairman Ebersohl and Aldermen Agne, Niemietz, Roessler, Huch, Reis, Holtkamp and Martens voted yea. Motion Carried.

City Administrator James Morani reminded the committee that since these are annexation agreements, public hearings are required and be held on both before the City Council prior to the January 2, 2018 City Council meeting.

Mr. Morani reported to the Committee that City Engineer Chris Smith, Director of Community Development Emily Fultz, and Building Official Justin Osterhage spent a lot of time working on this project to ensure it was in proper form to bring to the City Council.

V. Code Compliance Officer Position

Mr. Morani referred to the job announcement for the position and the employee leasing agreement draft. He and the Village of Shiloh administrator spoke to City Attorney Terry Bruckert to coordinate the position and also spoke to the company, GovTempsUSA. Some changes were made to the agreement after the City Attorney reviewed it. Mr. Morani noted Exhibit A of the draft agreement is blank. The temp agency will show what they will be paying the employee on this page, once a candidate is selected. Mr. Morani said staff did some research and the going rate of pay is $20-$23 per hour for this type of position. The amount paid to GovTempsUSA is 1.4 times the hourly rate of the employee. Mr. Morani said this covers all of the employment taxes, workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, etc. Mr. Morani referred to the handout to the Committee of the analysis he completed with a City Employee versus an employee of GovTempsUSA with all of the different deductions. Mr. Morani said it ends up being less than 40 percent. He also said the risk will be less since there is an arrangement with a third party. Mr. Morani said the agreement will be for one year. If it works out, it may be extended for an additional year. The hours for the employee will be worked out between Mr. Morani and the Village of Shiloh administrator. GovTempsuSA will perform all of the screening for the new hire, but the City of Columbia and the Village of Shiloh will select the candidate. Mr. Morani added the occupancy inspections and nuisance violations are the items the City needs help with so Mr. Osterhage can concentrate on other projects that require more review time (e.g. subdivisions).

Alderman Roessler likes the flexibility that the City can get out of the agreement in one year. Alderman Holtkamp asked if the hourly salary would increase if the City went to two years. Mr. Morani said that he does not see the fee going up for the second year based on his discussions with GovTemps.USA.

It was the consensus of the Committee to move forward with the Code Compliance Officer position for the City of Columbia. Mr. Morani said the agreement will be ready for consideration after a candidate has been selected for the position.

VI. Small Wireless Facilities

Mr. Morani referred to the draft resolution urging the Governor to veto Senate Bill 1451 regarding small wireless facilities. He said the resolution will be ready for consideration at the December 4" City Council meeting. Once approved, it will be mailed to the State of Illinois, the Governor, and local legislators.

VII. FY 2017-2018 Tax Levy

Mr. Morani provided an update on the proposed Fiscal Year 2017-2018 Tax Levy and referred to his worksheet, Mr. Morani is still waiting on the Police Pension figures and has slightly increased them. He also said there are not many changes from the previous year's tax levy, but will have to adjust the Medicare levy this year. He reminded the Committee a few years ago when some liabilities came off of the books, some items, such as Social Security and Medicare were added to the levy ordinance. The Social Security was included in last year's levy ordinance and they were able to get that at the fully funded level, but Medicare was not. That is why Medicare has such a large increase of 31.54 percent on the worksheet. He may also have to slightly decrease the Social Security levy and add to Medicare based on recent payroll projections. Mr. Morani said the revised worksheet will be reviewed at the December 11" Committee meeting and the Fiscal Year 2017-2018 Tax Levy ordinance will be ready for consideration at the December 18" City Council meeting.

VIII. Other Items To Be Considered

A. Mr. Paul Tipton

Chairman Ebersohl suggested to the Committee to recognize Columbia resident, Mr. Paul Tipton. Chairman Ebersohl reported that Mr. Tipton has donated a lot of his time and has saved the City a great deal of money setting up the City's radio systems and updating them when radio systems change. Mayor Hutchinson said the City will put together a Certificate of Appreciation for Mr. Tipton and present it to him at a City Council meeting.

It was the consensus of the Committee to move forward with recognizing Mr. Paul Tipton for all of his volunteer work provided to the City of Columbia.

IX. Citizen Comments

There were no citizen comments.

X. Executive Session - 5 ILCS 120/2(c)

Chairman Ebersohl asked if there was a need to go into Executive Session. There was none.

XI. Adjournment

Motion:

It was moved by Alderman Niemietz and seconded by Alderman Agne to adjourn the Committee of the Whole committee meeting of the City Council of the City of Columbia, Illinois held Monday, November 27, 2017 at 7:24 p.m. Upon voice vote, Chairman Ebersohl and Aldermen Agne, Niemietz, Roessler, Huch, Reis, Holtkamp and Martens voted yea. Motion Carried.

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