La Salle City Council met January 16.
Here is the minutes provided by the Council:
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m.
Pledge Of Allegiance:
Roll Call:
Present- Alderman Demes, Bacidore, Reynolds, Lavieri, Duncan, Herndon, Schneider
Absent: Alderman Ptak
A quorum was present.
Approval Of Minutes:
Moved by Alderman Demes and seconded by Alderman Reynolds that the minutes of the regular City Council meeting held on Monday, January 8, 2018 are accepted and placed on file. Each and every alderman has a copy.
Voice vote, all ayes. Motion carried.
Moved by Alderman Duncan and seconded by Alderman Lavieri to allow Ivan Baker of the North Central Illinois Economic Development Corporation to address the council.
Voice vote, all ayes. Motion carried.
Presentation:
Mr. Baker thanked the council for allowing him to speak. He thanked the council for the support and commitment to economic development in the region. He followed by saying that the work NCI does affects approximately 154,000 people in the Bureau, La Salle and Putnam County region. He added that other groups are addressing other aspects of economic development within their own communities, but no one was marketing the assets of the region to attract more development. He thanked the City for recognizing this need and for supporting NCIDC. He added that the focus of the group has been to ensure factual information is available on particular sites. He thanked the City and Economic Development Director Katherine Torasson for recognizing the importance of this and assisting to provide accurate and timely information.
Mr. Baker gave a brief update of what the group has been doing in the last eighteen months. His group has launced a new website which has generated 150 new contacts per month. A video debuted on the website last month. The group is actively promoting to top brokers and developers in the region, with over 4,000 on contact their current list. These contacts receive information twice a month. The group also personally meets 4-6 times a month with consultants and key brokers. The group is actively hosting marketing events, including virtual industrial tours for various entities, as well as trade shows. In addition, the group works closely with other agencies including the State of Illinois’ marketing agency, Intersect Illinois.
He continued recapping the efforts of the group stating that since August, requirements for 18 proposals were met. Of those 18 proposals, 12 required sites and of those, six sites in La Salle met the critieria. Currently, one site in the region has made the cut for final consideration and will be announced within six weeks.
Mayor Grove asked Mr. Baker to explain the concept of Virtual Building. Mr. Baker explained that this hybrid concept allows an owner to virtually develop a site when constructing a spec building may not be feasible. The owner has all pre-development requirements met, including but not limited to, site design, building layout, preliminary engineering and permitting, leaving the developer ready to build on the site. Virtual building is another tool to market a site. With everything in place, developers save time and money. The City’s role in virtual building would be to defer permitting fees until the developer is ready to build. Mr. Baker added that it takes ingenuity and leadership to make this concept happen, but no other group in the State is currently utilizing this concept.
Brief discussion followed. Mayor grove thanked Mr. Baker for coming out to address the council and invited Mr. Baker to come back in the fall with a further update.
Petitions:
Moved by Alderman Duncan and seconded by Alderman Lavieri to grant the requests of the La Salle Excellence Foundation, Rudy’s Liquor Inc. and the La Salle Peru Township High School Foundation for Educational Enrichment for 2018 Raffle Licenses. Each and every alderman has a copy.
Voice vote, all ayes. Motion carried.
Reports Of City Officers:
Old Business:
Moved by Alderman Lavieri and seconded by Alderman Schneider to authorize, pay and place on file Pay Estimate #2 and Final from Universal Asphalt & Excavating Inc. totaling $69,251.80 for the 2017 Sidewalk Improvement Project. Each and every alderman has a copy.
Roll Call: Aye: Alderman Demes, Bacidore, Reynolds, Lavieri, Duncan, Herndon,Schneider
Nay: None Absent: Alderman Ptak Abstain: None
Motion Carried 7-0
LBA representative Leah Inman was present. Leah gave an update on the Christkindlmarket. She stated it was definitely a success and they will add more huts for next year. The event also brought many people downtown. Mayor asked that his appreciation is given to Bart Hartauer and the LBA.
Alderman Reynolds asked that we review our Ordinances pertaining to vacant buildings, to see if there is anything further we can do to encourage building owners to either sell or make improvements to the buildings to make them more appealing. Mayor Grove asked that our Building Inspectors and Economic Development Director make this a focus for 2018.
Alderman Bacidore expressed his continued concern with the lack of movement on the Maytag Building, as well as the Kaskaskia.
New Business:
Mayor Grove reminded the public that cars must be moved off city streets and remain off the street for 24 hours following or until snow removal is complete after a snowfall of 3” or more. Mayor also reminded residents that in sub-zero weather leaving a trickle of water can prevent water lines from freezing.
Alderman Reynolds added that residents should not shovel snow from sidewalks into the streets.
Alderman Schneider said that it was decided at the Park Board meeting that the Junior and Senior leagues will play at Rotary Park this summer. The board will compile a wish list of items needed by the league and possibly seek companies or organizations who might be willing to assist with costs. Alderman Schneider stated that anyone interested in assising with the wish list can contact him.
Mayor Grove explained that safety of our employees is a priority in the City. The City has its own safety committee and also works with the IML’s safety representative to ensure safety standards are being implemented. 2017 was a very strong year and Mayor Grove expressed his hope for an accident free 2018. As a token of appreciation, City of La Salle hooded sweatshirts were given to all City employees earlier in the week. Mayor Grove also presented sweatshirts to the aldermen. The sweatshirts will be available for purchase to the public as well.
Ordinances And Resolutions:
Moved by Alderman Reynolds and seconded by Alderman Demes to pass and place on file Resolution 201801: a resolution of the City of La Salle, La Salle County, Illinois urging the Governor to Veto Senate Bill 1451. Each and every alderman has a copy.
Roll Call: Aye: Alderman Demes, Bacidore, Reynolds, Lavieri, Duncan, Herndon, Schneider
Nay: None Absent: Alderman Ptak Abstain: None
Motion Carried 7-0
Resolution 201801: a resolution of the City of La Salle, La Salle County, Illinois urging the Governor to Veto Senate Bill 1451
Comments:
OJ Stoutner who works in Senator Sue Rezin’s office stated that the Senate will be back in session in 30 days. He will pass information on to Senator Rezin regarding the council’s passage of the resolution concerning small cell towers. He indicated that Senator Rezin did vote for in favor of this bill. Mayor Grove stated that as a City we are concerned about the esthetics of these towers as it does not keep with the plan of what we are trying to achieve, especially in our historic district.
Alderman Lavieri announced that on January 31, 2018, the La Salle library will host a fundraiser at the La Salle Kentucky Fried Chicken from 5-8 p.m. 10% of the proceeds will benefit the library.
7:44 p.m. Moved by Alderman Schneider and seconded by Alderman Lavieri to exit regular session and enter into Executive Session regarding pending and/or potential imminent litigation and related matters: Collective bargaining and related matters, and acquisition and/or sale of city real estate and related matters and the employment, appointment, performance and/or compensation of non-union personnel and related matters pursuant to the Open Meetings Act including 5-ILCS 120 Section 2(c) 1-3,5,6,and 11 thereof.
Roll Call: Aye: Alderman Demes, Bacidore, Reynolds, Lavieri, Duncan, Herndon, Schneider
Nay: None Absent: Alderman Ptak Abstain: None
Motion Carried 7-0
8:29 p.m. Moved by Alderman Bacidore and seconded by Alderman Reynolds to exit Executive Session and resume regular session.
Roll Call: Aye: Alderman Demes, Bacidore, Reynolds, Lavieri, Duncan, Herdnon, Schneider
Nay: None Absent: Alderman Ptak Abstain: None
Motion Carried 7-0
Approval Of Bills:
Moved by Alderman Reynolds and seconded by Alderman Demes to adjourn the meeting.
Voice vote, all ayes. Motion is carried.
Adjourned 8:30 p.m.
https://www.lasalle-il.gov/sites/default/files/agendas-minutes/2018-01/1-16-2018_0.pdf
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