City of Princeton City Council met Aug. 5.
Here is the minutes provided by the council:
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Quiram. Upon roll call, the following answered present, constituting a quorum: Council Members Ray Swanson, Ray Mabry, Hector Gomez, and Jerry Neumann. All present at the meeting offered the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.
PUBLIC COMMENT: Bob Warren asked for a stop sign at the intersection of northbound Fletcher St. and Zearing Ave.
Bill Smith offered an opinion that the parking changes on South Main St. negatively will impact the convenience of the shopping public. He suggested that the city could take other opportunities to add parking or use conservative steps with signage before actually eliminating convenient parking.
Lewis Starker asked why the city police are not allowed to write a trespassing ticket. He said that he experienced a trespasser on whom he called the Police. The Police officer claimed to have said he is not allowed to write tickets for trespassing. He also asked why no one answers the police phone. Mayor Quiram suggested Starker speak with Chief Tom Kammerer after the council meeting.
MOTION # 1: Neumann (2nd Swanson) that the printed copy of the minutes for the Regular Meeting of July 15, 2019, be approved.
VOTE #1
ROLL CALL VOTE: Council Members Swanson, Mabry, Gomez, Neumann, and Mayor Quiram voted Aye. Motion declared carried.
MOTION # 2: Neumann (2nd Swanson) that the printed copy of the corrected minutes for the Special Meeting of May 6, 2019, be approved.
VOTE #2
ROLL CALL VOTE: Council Members Mabry, Neumann, and Mayor Quiram voted Aye. Swanson and Gomez abstained. Motion declared carried.
MOTION # 3: Neumann (2nd Swanson) that the bills and payrolls of the Department of Public Affairs and Department of Accounts and Finance, the Departinent of Streets and Public Improvements, the Department of Public Health and Safety, and the Department of Utilities and Public Properties, be allowed and paid.
VOTE #3
ROLL CALL VOTE: Council Members Swanson, Mabry, Gomez, Neumann, and Mayor Quiram voted Aye. Motion declared carried.
MOTION # 4: Neumann (2nd Swanson) that Ordinance 0-19-015 amending the city parking code, be approved.
Gomez asked about the cost of personnel and materials to make a stall stripe change behind Prouty Building and on Main St. No data was given. He also suggested conservative approaches to place "No Left Turn" signs at Prouty exit in order to prevent accidents, or, close the exit and have vehicles exit on Church St. He also asked how many accidents actually have been recorded over time as a result of the current arrangement. No data was given.
Mabry commented that much of the Prouty parking is occupied from non-shopping organizations and perhaps they could park on their own properties. He also mentioned that the city should employ the elements of the Comprehensive Plan in any remodel of city parking lots, specifically in terms of landscaping on those lots.
VOTE# 4
ROLL CALL VOTE: Council Members Swanson, Neumann, and Mayor Quiram voted Aye. Mabry and Gomez voted Nay. Motion declared carried.
MOTION #5: Neumann (2nd Swanson) that Ordinance 0-19-016 authorizing the sale of surplus property, be approved.
VOTE #5
ROLL CALL VOTE: Council Members Swanson, Mabry, Gomez, Neumann, and Mayor Quiram voted Aye. Motion declared carried.
MOTION # 6: Neumann (2nd Swanson) that Resolution R-19-029 authorizing a Memorandum of Understanding between Perry Memorial Hospital and OSF Healthcare, be approved.
VOTE #6
ROLL CALL VOTE: Council Members Swanson, Mabry, Gomez, Neumann, and Mayor Quiram voted Aye. Motion declared carried.
CITY MANAGER REPORT: City Manager Rachel Skaggs offered review of the Police Pension report for June 2019 and the Fire Pension report for June 2019. She also reviewed the balance sheet to date, indicating expenditures slightly higher than projected, but that was mostly due to debt payments coming due at this time of year and will flatten out as the year progresses,
MAYOR REPORT: Mayor Quiram asked for bi-monthly committee reports from council members who sit-in on various committees. Mayor Quiram began by reporting on the Street Concert committee, stating that the focus has been on fundraising for the moveable stage as well as booking the line-up for 2020.
Ray Swanson reported that the Historic Preservation Commission had been working on plaque designs for historic district buildings, as well as brick street repair options. He continued that the commission is looking at signage to more clearly designate the declared historic districts. Ray Mabry reported that the Pedestrian/Bicycle Commission were working on a grant to extend a bike path/ sidewalk to City-County Park. Hector Gomez reported that the Public Arts Commission had been focused on completion of the Mary Uthoff Walkway as well as fundraising to offset the costs of that renovation. Jerry Neumann reported that the donated air conditioning system at the Princeton Public Library had been installed and was functioning properly. He also mentioned that the public computing area had been redesigned for better utilization. The Library also established methods for naming rights for various upgrades on the project lists. Neumann also reported that the Lovejoy Board of Trustees authorized the replacement of sidewalks and landscaping at the Lovejoy campus and that the city Street Department had been assisting with that. Neumann reported that the Perry Memorial Hospital Board (PMH) meetings had been focusing on the construction of the new clinic and the likelihood of upcoming talks with OSF Healthcare. PMH also had upgraded its cardiac rehab center. Also, PMH had added bilingual capability to its customer service offerings.
Mayor Quirain continued with an explanation of establishing a temporary parking test on South Main St. in front of the courthouse. He invited discussion about the possibility of adding a 3-way stop intersection at South Main St. and Park Avenue West. The test also would restrict parking at the two most southerly parking stalls in front of the courthouse. The purpose would be to enhance safety and increase visibility of on-coming traffic for vehicles hoping to enter Main St. from Park Avenue West. The test would take approximately 30 days. The consensus was to entertain an ordinance to add stop signs at the August 19, 2019 meeting.
OLD BUSINESS: None.
NEW BUSINESS: Mabry suggested that the city prepare for the legalization of marijuana on January 1, 2020. He continued that the city should start making decisions on what would be allowed and how methods or licensing would be processed.
Mayor Quiram also mentioned that on August 6, 2019, the observance of National Night Out would be held at Soldier and Sailor Park.
PUBLIC COMMENT: Peggy Gomez spoke on behalf of a citizen who could not attend, that the city should consider a crosswalk across Main St. at Franklin St.
MOTION #7: Neumann (2nd Swanson) that the Regular Meeting be adjourned. The next Regular Meeting of the City Council will be on Monday, August 19, 2019, 7:00 p.m. at City Hall.
VOTE # 7
ROLL CALL VOTE: Council Members Swanson, Mabry, Gomez, Neumann, and Mayor Quiram voted Aye. Motion declared carried. Adjournment at 7:47 p.m.
https://www.princeton-il.com/forms/meetings/1/M-08-05-2019.pdf
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