CITY OF KANKAKEE

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

FEBRUARY 19, 2008 7:00 P.M.

MAYOR GREEN: I’d like to call the meeting to order, please. I’d like to ask Father Frank Warthan from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church to open our meeting with a prayer.

FATHER WARTHAN: Let us pray. Most gracious and heavenly Father, we thank You for the many blessings You give to us. We thank You for allowing us to come together as elected officials of Your community. Help us to remember that we are here to serve them and do their will. And, Lord, we ask you also to help us to remember that we’re ever walking in Your sight. Everything we do is begun, continued and ended in You. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

MAYOR GREEN: Now, I’d like to ask the youth from the Safe Youth Outreach to come up and lead us in our Pledge. Come on up here. Why don’t you guys come on all the way up here. Up in front. Come on. The flag is right up here. Come on up here. You want to face the flag. Go ahead, start us off.

YOUTH FROM SAFE YOUTH OUTREACH AND ALL: Pledge of Allegiance.

MAYOR GREEN: Great job. Thank you. Thank you. You guys did a great job. Roll call.

CLERK DUMAS:

PRESENT: Brown; Hunter; Epstein; Baron; Ciaccio; Williams; Grant; Hearn; Diersen; Trost; Jones; Schwade; Coleman; Cox (14)

MAYOR GREEN: Department Heads

CLERK DUMAS:

PRESENT: Kinkade; Young; Dear; Bohlen; Power; Leshen; Simms; Tyson; Shaw; Nolan; Fuerst (11)

ABSENT: Spice; Gordon (2)

MAYOR GREEN: Thank you. You have the minutes of the February 4, 2008, meeting. I need a motion to approve.

ALDERMAN HUNTER: Mayor Green, I move they be approved as recorded, hearing no objections.

ALDERMAN HEARN: Second.

MAYOR GREEN: Motion by Alderman Hunter, seconded by Alderman Hearn to approve the minutes of February 4, 2008. All in favor, AYE. Opposed, same sign.

MOTION TO APPROVE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 4, 2008

MAYOR GREEN: Motion carries. Before we go on, in the agenda under Old Business we have the Business License Ordinance and Alderman Diersen has asked that I pull that from the agenda. I believe that’s going back to your Committee for further discussion.

ALDERMAN DIERSEN: Pat Power and I met with the Board of Directors of the new Chamber of Commerce last week and heard a lot of good comments that they had made and we’re going to wait until we hear further from them. But, we told them that, ah, until we heard from them, we would remove this from any further consideration. And, I’d like to request that that be done.

MAYOR GREEN: Okay. So, Alderman, we’ll wait for your Committee to recommend that it be put back on for its Second Reading. Okay?

ALDERMAN DIERSEN: Yes.

ALDERMAN WILLIAMS: Mayor Green.

MAYOR GREEN: Yes Alderman Williams.

ALDERMAN WILLIAMS: In my oversight, ah, there should have been a correction on the minutes on page four (final format page 3).

MAYOR GREEN: Okay.

ALDERMAN WILLIAMS: Where I commented mid-page where it says, “how will your basketball schedule for the upcoming years,” that should have been, ah, disseminated or passed out.

NANCY SMITHBERG: Yeah. You’re right.

ALDERMAN WILLIAMS: You’ve got “discriminate.”

MAYOR GREEN: Okay. We will correct it. We won’t discriminate, we’ll disseminate, okay?

ALDERMAN HEARN: Alderman Williams, I read that.

MAYOR GREEN: We’ll do that.

ALDERMAN WILLIAMS: Okay.

MAYOR GREEN: Okay, if we could move on. There are no Petitions. The Chair has received none. Ah, Communications, we’ve got first of all a notification from Tyson Engineering and that’s just a name change that takes no action. The other is from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency putting 825 S. Chicago on the list. Any Communications from the Floor? The Chair will take the privilege. I do have one then. At last.....at the meeting last month we had a presentation from the Windy City Soldiers. And, ah, you know they have been very active in our community trying to get their season going and the Chair would propose, if the City Council agrees, I think we should support them with a donation and be one of the sponsors of that league and do it out of our Community Promotions fund. And, I’d like to see the City of Kankakee be a $1,000.00 sponsor and then I’d like to present that check to them at the next City Council meeting. But, it’s open for discussion.

ALDERMAN BARON: I think that........I think that’s an excellent idea. I would move that we authorize the expenditure of $1,000.00 from Community Promotions for that purpose.

ALDERMAN WILLIAMS: Second.

ALDERMAN HUNTER: Second.

MAYOR GREEN: Motion by Alderman Baron. Seconded by Alderman Williams and Alderman Hunter. Any questions?

ALDERMAN HUNTER: Just one. Alderman Schwade, how much was the season pass? He said that.......

ALDERMAN SCHWADE: I don’t know.

ALDERMAN HUNTER: He said that you were going to be a season ticket holder.

ALDERMAN SCHWADE: I won it. I know it, but I completely concur because of all of the charitable, or volunteer, work that they’ve been doing also.

MAYOR GREEN: I think they’ve made a big..........you know, they’ve done a lot just in this Resource Center and not only that, but working with the young people in the community. I think that’s worth it in itself. Any other questions? We’re expending money so there’ll be a roll call please.

CLERK DUMAS:

PRESENT: Brown; Hunter; Epstein; Baron; Ciaccio; Williams; Grant; Hearn; Diersen; Trost; Jones; Schwade; Coleman; Cox (14)

MOTION TO SUPPORT THE WINDY CITY SOLDIERS WITH A $1,000.00

DONATION FROM COMMUNITY PROMOTIONS

MAYOR GREEN: Motion carries. And, we’ll ask them to be at our next meeting and formally present them with a check. Thank you. Standing Committees. Public Safety. Alderman Hunter.

ALDERMAN HUNTER: Mayor Green, these minutes are self-explanatory. We had a really good meeting, so these minutes are indistinguishable

MAYOR GREEN: Okay. Budget Committee. Alderman Baron. I think this will be a lengthy report.

ALDERMAN BARON: Can I borrow this? We had a full meeting with various items to act on. Now the first one that we dealt with, as you can see in the minutes, was the Solid Waste Ordinance increasing the Solid Waste Ordinance monthly fee. Now, do you want to do that with–there’s an Ordinance associated with it?

MAYOR GREEN: We can do it under New Business or you can do it now. It doesn’t make any difference.

ALDERMAN BARON: Well, I mean, as long as we’re here. It’s on the........it’s on our agenda. Ah, the Committee considered........and the Utility Board previously has considered the question of increasing the monthly, ah, fee, ah, from $15.50 to $23.50 effective May 1, for a three-year period. That is necessary because the general fund is having to pay for a good portion of the waste disposal now and that can’t happen. That can’t continue to happen and the Utility has to pay its own way. And, to do that, Mr. Simms has given us working numbers on this. That’s the sum that’s necessary to keep that flat for the next three years. $23.50. Years four and five would probably involve some sort of an increase. But, that’s something we can look at we’re assuming numbers here. We’re assuming costs ‘cause our contract with the waste disposal company changes based on the, ah........based on their costs. And, the costs that they have are very volatile. So. I.......our Ordinance increasing the fee and amending the Solid Waste Ordinance is in New Business and I would move that we place it on its First Reading.

MAYOR GREEN: Is there a second?

ALDERMAN EPSTEIN: I’ll second it.

MAYOR GREEN: Motion by Alderman Baron, seconded by Alderman Epstein to put this Ordinance on its First Reading. Alderman Baron, I think you adequately explained the situation. You know we have, for the last five years I guess, we have been trying to site a landfill in the City of Kankakee which would deal with this issue. And, what has occurred–over a year ago, the County, of course, closed their landfill so we no longer can transport our solid waste south of town and deal with it in that fashion. We’ve had to transport our solid waste from the City of Kankakee to Momence which is just a sorting facility and then it’s transferred on. Those costs have continued to escalate over that five-year period. We have been absorbing that cost for the last five years and each year I’ve told this City Council, I’ve said to the public, at a point in time, we can no longer continue to do that. If we’re not going to be successful in getting a landfill, then we’re going to have to bear those actual costs. And, that’s what we went through in the Utility Board meeting. I think this year we’re projecting a shortfall of $138,000.00. And, it will continue to get worse if we don’t do anything as far as a rate increase takes place. It’s one of those things you certainly do not like to do. But, to be fiscally sound, I think it’s something that we have to do. And so, therefore, that’s why we are putting it on its First Reading. It’s one of those unpleasant tasks that no one likes to do and to handle. Yes, Alderman Jones.

ALDERMAN JONES: Mayor, I would like to know how you came up with the figure of $23.50? That’s an $8.00 increase for each home owner.

MAYOR GREEN: Right.

ALDERMAN JONES: I take it. When we are paying a lobbyist how much is it a month to lobby for the City of Kankakee?

MAYOR GREEN: Um huh (affirmative). Right.

ALDERMAN JONES: And, nobody here on this Council had any objections at the time for the lobbyist fees. In my Ward, and a few other Wards in the City, an $8.00 increase is a lot of money for people right now that are out of work. They’re struggling to pay their gas bill, to keep their lights on. Is there any way that we can do a $5.00 increase or a $4.00 increase? Why do we have to do an $8.00 increase?

MAYOR GREEN: Because it gets rid of the $138,000.00 shortfall that we’re going to have to face this year that comes out of the general fund.

ALDERMAN JONES: ‘Cause there’s a lot of people in my Ward that are struggling right now.

MAYOR GREEN: I absolutely sympathize with them. Likewise, if we would not have been fought tooth and nail by the County of Kankakee, we would have had a landfill in place a long time ago. And, we wouldn’t be asking for an increase. We’d be asking to get rid of the fee.

ALDERMAN JONES: And, if we have, ah, take bids on another disposal company or if anything changes, you said this is for the next three years. But, something could change to where we’re not with that disposal company or if a landfill opens or something else happens.

MAYOR GREEN: Would we decrease it? You bet we would.

ALDERMAN JONES: Are we locked into this for three years?

MAYOR GREEN: No. No, we’re not locked into any fee for any period of time. The Ordinance goes into effect. If something occurs, i.e., a landfill happens, and we can do that, we would absolutely ask for the reduction in fee. It’s the same thing we did. We had a vehicle sticker in place. We got rid of that because we no longer needed it. We just..........we just had........we just deleted this year the $3.00 COPS fee from the bill because we no longer needed it. This particular business is an enterprise business and it needs to pay for itself operationally. Your question is, if I’m understanding what you’re saying, you’re saying can we go forward and continue to take this out of the general fund? We sure can, but then our surplus is gone and then what do we do? It’s not an easy decision and it’s not a pleasant thing to propose, but we certainly have had the discussions. We......two months ago we took it to the Utility Board and discussed it in detail. We just took it to the Budget Committee and discussed it in detail again. That’s why it’s here on the Council Floor. Alderman Hunter.

ALDERMAN HUNTER: Mayor Green, I’ve got a couple questions I’d like to pose to you regarding this matter and I know that this item on the agenda would probably generate a lot of discussion and probably rightfully so. Ah, with the successful siting of the landfill, would that have created the abolition of the solid waste fee?

MAYOR GREEN: A good majority of it.

ALDERMAN HUNTER: Additionally, with the siting of the landfill-successful siting of the landfill– and the operation of the landfill, was there not some proposal for recycling?

MAYOR GREEN: Yes.

ALDERMAN HUNTER: Okay. And what would that entail? New garbage containers and.......

MAYOR GREEN: Well, it would entail a recycling facility at the location of the landfill, but it also would entail the furnishing of containers for every household in the City.

ALDERMAN HUNTER: What did the........what has the County done with respect to assisting the metro area in this regard inasmuch that, ah, they fought us, you know, tooth and nail as you indicated, and they spent in excess of how many hundreds of thousands of millions of dollars?

MAYOR GREEN: I think a couple million dollars would be more like it.

ALDERMAN HUNTER: Two million. They expended two million dollars fighting the City of Kankakee, Alderman Jones. Two million dollars fighting the City of Kankakee regarding the siting of the landfill. Two million dollars would have gone a long way to assist citizens of Kankakee, Bradley, Bourbonnais, Aroma Park and those unincorporated areas, too. What inherent benefits would be accrued by the constituents in the metro area with respect to the fees that may have to be borne by them? Wouldn’t no increased cost in terms of fuel? No transfer stations that we’d have to be paying expenses for? Would you state some of the other benefits?

MAYOR GREEN: I think, Alderman, we just went through them. The biggest benefit would be the reduction in fee for every resident in the City. I think the second plus side of it is the ability to furnish the containers and to recycle materials in the City of Kankakee. Right now, we’re spending–and, Dick, you may have to help me. We’re spending a little over a million dollars a year just to collect refuse in the City from four units and below. The Department of Public Works, or Mr. Dear’s department, we’re probably spending an additional $400,000.00 to pick up refuse in the alleyways throughout the City. So, we’re spending $1,400,000.00. And, basically, what would happen to the majority of that with a landfill, that’d go away. And, so that becomes a real plus for the City of Kankakee.

ALDERMAN HUNTER: Faced with this dilemma, could I see a raise of hands of any of the Council members who have been contacted by any County Board member that has come up with some solution for this problem with respect to us not having to go ahead and increase our solid waste fee? Has anybody been contacted about a solution to this problem? Can I see a raise of hands? Has anybody from the County Board contacted anybody on the Council regarding a solution that would benefit Kankakee, Bradley, Bourbonnais, Aroma Park and the other unincorporated areas? Anybody? A raise of hands. Anybody from the County Board made any contact with anybody about a solution? Thank you.

MAYOR GREEN: Alderman Williams.

ALDERMAN WILLIAMS: Mayor, ah, in respect to that proposed landfill, that it has been proven the current location would be sited right over a working aquifer that provides water and, ah, to eliminate any kind of health concerns upon the citizenry, is there any other location in this County where we could.....that we looked at that another landfill could be sited without posing any risk to health of citizens?

MAYOR GREEN: Technically, I can’t answer that question, Alderman. I really can’t. I’m not sure where there is a piece of land in the County of Kankakee that’s not over an aquifer. I’m not sure there’s any anywhere that’s not over an aquifer somewhere in the country.

ALDERMAN WILLIAMS: The closest I’ve heard of was Reddick. And, because they have a clay-based soil composite, that would provide adequate protection.

MAYOR GREEN: Can’t answer it Alderman. I’m not qualified. Alderman Ciaccio.

ALDERMAN CIACCIO: I’m with Alderman Jones. I think we ought to take this out of the general fund at this time ‘cause the people are really sufferin’ and we’re in a recession and wait a year or two and then you can put the fee up higher. That’s all I got to say.

MAYOR GREEN: Thank you. Anybody else? Okay, there’s a motion on the Floor to put this Ordinance, First Reading only. First Reading only. Roll call.

CLERK DUMAS:

AYE: Brown; Hunter (Let me say this and I know I’m out of order. But, nobody wants to increase fees. Now you guys knew this stuff when we were discussing the siting of the landfill. You know some of the negative ramifications of such. Ah, and now we got to pay the piper. With respect to the County expending in excess of $2,000,000.00 of the taxpayer’s money in siting this landfill. Now we’re going to have to pay for it. Since we have no place to take our garbage and our refuse. Now, this is reality. We knew, if indeed, that, if that landfill was not sited, this would happen. Everybody to a person seated here knew that. That was conveyed time after time after time. I don’t want to vote for this. You know, nobody who votes yes on the First Reading doesn’t want to vote for this. But, what alternative do we have? There’s no gasification, there’s no alternative site at this particular time. I’ll vote Aye on the First Reading.); Epstein; Baron; Grant; Hearn; Diersen; Trost; Schwade; Coleman (10)

NAY: Ciaccio; Williams; Jones; Cox (4)

ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 34 OF THE MUNICIPAL CODE OF THE CITY OF KANKAKEE (KANKAKEE MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE UTILITY)

MAYOR GREEN: Motion carries. Go ahead, Mr. Baron.

ALDERMAN BARON: Ah, the second item we talked about was a request from the Habitat for Humanity organization to site their second home in the 500 block of N. Dearborn in Kankakee. Ah, this is in an area where many years ago, the City assembled vacant lots for the purpose of residential development and that didn’t happen indistinguishable many years later, here we are being able to take advantage of those lots that we have acquired and built affordable housing on. So, as I said, Habitat, who’s already building a house, or built a house, at 517-521 N. Indiana on the same lot, has approached the City asking for us to make available to them 504, 512, and 518 N. Dearborn to indistinguishable. So, and that would involve us as a City declaring these three lots to be surplus. So, I would move that we would direct the City and legal department to prepare the necessary documents so that we may declare these three vacant lots as surplus with the idea that we donate them to Habitat for Humanity.

ALDERMAN HUNTER: Second that, Your Honor.

MAYOR GREEN: Motion by Alderman Baron, seconded by Alderman Hunter to declare the property surplus and make the donation to Habitat for Humanity. Any questions? Alderman Jones.

ALDERMAN JONES: Will those lots be available for three different houses or do they have to put the lots together to make one house?

MAYOR GREEN: They have to put them together to make a buildable lot in the City. That’s why we........

ALDERMAN JONES: They’ll have to put them together?

MAYOR GREEN: I’m sorry?

ALDERMAN JONES: They would have to put all three of them together?

MAYOR GREEN: Yes.

ALDERMAN COLEMAN: Can you quote those addresses again?

ALDERMAN BARON: What is that?

ALDERMAN COLEMAN: Can you repeat those addresses?

MAYOR GREEN: She’s looking for the addresses.

ALDERMAN BARON: Oh, 504, 512 and 518 N. Dearborn.

MAYOR GREEN: Any other questions? Roll call.

CLERK DUMAS:

AYE: Brown; Hunter; Epstein; Baron; Ciaccio; Williams; Grant; Hearn; Diersen; Trost; Jones; Schwade; Coleman; Cox (14)

MOTION TO AUTHORIZE THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT TO PREPARE NECESSARY

DOCUMENTS TO DECLARE 504, 512 AND 518 N. DEARBORN AS SURPLUS

AND DONATE THEM TO HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

MAYOR GREEN: Motion carries. At the next City Council meeting, we will prepare the Ordinance and bring it back to do that.

ALDERMAN BARON: The next item deals with tax levy abatements. When we issue some bonds backed by the full faith and credit of the City, it’s........the intention is that some of those bonds will be paid from a source other than the general revenue fund. And, the examples of that are bonds that we would pay from TIF or possibly Kankakee Municipal Utility. So, if we don’t abate these bonds, the amount is levied by the County Clerk automatically. So, every year, as we’ve done in the past, we pass a Resolution, if it meets with your approval, abating certain bonds that.....those are the ones where the intention is to be paid by some other source–TIF, utility. So, there’s a list of bonds that are, that’s on the flip side of the Resolution that’s contained in our minutes and it requires a Resolution to be passed by the City authorizing the abatement of these bonds. So, as I say, the bonds that we’re talking about are on the reverse side of the Resolution. So, I would move that we adopt the Resolution abating the bonds listed on the reverse side of this Resolution.

ALDERMAN HUNTER: Second it, Your Honor.

MAYOR GREEN: Motion by Alderman Baron, seconded by Alderman Hunter to abate the taxes on those listed under the Resolution. Questions? Roll call.

CLERK DUMAS:

AYE: Brown; Hunter; Epstein; Baron; Ciaccio; Williams; Grant; Hearn; Diersen; Trost; Jones; Schwade; Coleman; Cox (14)

RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO CERTIFY THE ABATEMENT OF BOND LEVIES FOR BONDS PREVIOUSLY ISSUED UNDER THE CITY’S FULL FAITH AND CREDIT (GENERAL OBLIGATION) AND TO AUTHORIZE THE CITY CLERK TO DELIVER THE CERTIFICATIONS TO THE CLERK OF KANKAKEE COUNTY

MAYOR GREEN: Motion carries.

ALDERMAN BARON: The fourth item doesn’t require any Council action, but I would suggest that you read through the items in regard to possible bond refunding with the decrease in bond rates. There may be an opportunity in the near future to reissue certain bonds and save a lot of money in annual debt servicing. The fifth item involves–every year it involves the actuarial report for police and fire. Every year from our actuary, Timothy Sharpe, we receive a summary of the Police and Fire Pension Funds. That’s used as the basis for how much we levy for the annual Police and Fire Funds. So, we received that, we reviewed it and really, all we need to do is to accept the report and to place it on file. And, I would so move.

ALDERMAN HUNTER: Second.

MAYOR GREEN: Motion and a second to place this report on file. All in favor, AYE. Opposed, same sign.

MOTION THAT CITY COUNCIL ACCEPT ACTUARY SUMMARY REPORT FOR

THE POLICE AND FIRE PENSION FUNDS AND PLACE REPORT ON FILE

MAYOR GREEN: Motion carries. Corporation Counsel has a comment.

ATTORNEY BOHLEN: I just want to remind the City Council. There is some terrible mis.........not terrible........but, there’s.........it’s terribly misleading misinformation that exists in the public discussion that says that the City is doing nothing to fund its Police and Fire Pension liability. And that’s simply not true in terms of what you’re doing and what will be done with this tax levy. Pursuant to a lawsuit that was filed by the Fire Pension Fund Board and a settlement indistinguishable that was approved by the court, the City Council’s requirement is that you will have.......you’ve accepted this actuarial report and the City will have to issue a tax levy based upon this actuarial report and that meets the City’s obligation in full both for state statute purposes and for, in reality, trying to meet the unfunded amounts that exist over the period of time that the State law allows us to meet them. So, if you are presented with the comment that we have........that we’re not doing anything about funding the Police Pension Fund and the Fire Pension Fund liabilities, you can remind whoever confronts you with that, that we are doing everything, assuming you pass this levy, to fully fund those pensions according to the state law and, more importantly, according to the dissent decree that we settled with those boards and approved by the court.

MAYOR GREEN: Mr. Baron, go ahead.

ALDERMAN BARON: I think I’ve..........if not, I would move that we accept the actuarial report...........did we already?

ALDERMAN HUNTER: We did.

MAYOR GREEN: We already voted on it. Yes. We’re ready for your next item.

ALDERMAN BARON: The next item, ah, is worthy of our attention. The Fire Department has been doing an incredible job writing grants and requesting available federal and state funding. This is a big one. Ah, it’s from the SAFER– it’s a SAFER Grant which is an acronym that means something that I’m not sure of, but the letters that I’m familiar with that this comes from is FEMA. The Federal Emergency Management Agency. This is a grant that has been offered to us. If we accept it, we will be making an obligation to increase, for a five-year period, beginning when we accept the grant, to increase the number of firefighters on our force by four. Now, we’re doing this because we’re being encouraged to do this by the federal government who–based upon our application and the numbers that we’re giving them–believe that we should have more firefighters. The, ah, they’re encouraging us to do this by giving us a grant over a five-year period in the total amount of $421,700.00. Now, the cost of adding and keeping the four firefighters on force for this five years including all the benefits is $1,370,464.00.

ALDERMAN CIACCIO: Wow.

ALDERMAN BARON: Wow. For those of you that can subtract quickly, you can tell that that would leave the City obligation over five years of $948,764.00. So, they’re paying–yes, that’s a lot of money, that’s right–ah, our City is expanding to the south. We hope that we’re not going to remain stagnant or decrease in size over the next five years and, unfortunately–or fortunately–that’s part of growth. It seems that that’s happening to us and it seems that we’re encouraging growth. We’re being helped along by the federal government and FEMA to get us back up to the level–now, I don’t have–that we should be at. I don’t have these numbers at my fingertips, but we discussed this during consideration of this. Where we were 20 years ago in terms of manning the Fire Department. And, we–even by adding these four–we’re not going to get back up there yet. We are...we were significantly below our staffing from the mid-80s.

MAYOR GREEN: Chief Young, you want to comment on that? Would you mind coming up to the microphone?

CHIEF RONALD YOUNG: In 1984, our staffing level was 58. In the late 80s, early 90s, our staffing level took a hit down to 38, much like the Police Department did. But, this SAFER Grant, Staffing for Adequate Fire Emergency Responders, will bring it back up to 57.

ALDERMAN BARON: Now, in the minutes of the Budget Committee meeting, ah, there are.... the justifications are there as to why.....why we should consider spending this sort of money. One of the most significant justifications is we’d probably have to do it anyway, ah, in order to adequately handle the growth of our community. And, there’s a potential to lower insurance residents for the City of Kankakee. There’s a potential for that. Ah, we need to address residential and retail growth that’s occurring. That is a reality. Unless we want to shut ourselves off to any sort of growth. And, I don’t think we do. And, this would increase our ability to provide for public education and public relations programs. So, the Chief is here. The Chief is very conversant about this topic. This would require us to make a commitment, as I said, to... for five years to keep the firefighter level at 57 which is up four from where we’re at right now. And, to make the necessary financial commitments to do that. I would.........let me just put it on the Floor. I would make the motion that we accept this SAFER Grant and that we, by doing that, make a commitment to do the best within our power–we can’t budget four years from now–but to do the best within our power to keep the firefighter level up to 57.

ALDERMAN HUNTER: Second that, and indistinguishable savings as well as personnel that we hire and indistinguishable we would be hiring people at a lower lever and consequently there would be some inherent savings.

MAYOR GREEN: There’s a motion and a second on the Floor to accept the SAFER Grant. Now discussion. Alderman Schwade.

ALDERMAN SCHWADE: Ah, does this amount cover benefits?

MAYOR GREEN: Yes, it does.

ALDERMAN SCHWADE: Are they estimating benefits?

CHIEF RONALD YOUNG: In this SAFER Grant, unlike the COPS Fast Grant, it doesn’t cover benefits. It just covers payroll costs.

ALDERMAN SCHWADE: Okay.

CHIEF RONALD YOUNG: The thing.........over the five-year period of time, they will only award $105,000 and some odd dollars per firefighter. We received the indistinguishable for four firefighters.

ALDERMAN BARON: But the cost..........that cost of $1.37 million included the benefits.

ALDERMAN SCHWADE: Oh, right. That’s what.........okay, that’s what I was wondering.

MAYOR GREEN: Yes. Our costs, our estimated costs include the benefits, yes.

ALDERMAN SCHWADE: Okay.

MAYOR GREEN: Any other questions? Alderman Epstein.

ALDERMAN EPSTEIN: What is the.......I assume that the firefighters that would be hired would be coming in entry level. Is that correct?

MAYOR GREEN: Yes.

ALDERMAN EPSTEIN: What is the beginning salary of a firefighter?

CHIEF RONALD YOUNG: Ah, the beginning salary of a firefighter/paramedic currently is $46,600.00.

ALDERMAN EPSTEIN: Because this still seems high to me even with the benefits. If you sort of do the math and I just did it very quickly. It’s about $60,000.00 per firefighter.

ALDERMAN SCHWADE: It’s $68,523.00.

ALDERMAN EPSTEIN: So, I was.........is that..........are these our numbers or could the cost come in less than that?

CHIEF RONALD YOUNG: No, the benefit package for a firefighter is 33% of earnings.

ALDERMAN COLEMAN: I........

MAYOR GREEN: Alderman Coleman. I’m sorry.

ALDERMAN COLEMAN: Why were you denied in 2005 and 2006? What was the reason?

CHIEF RONALD YOUNG: They don’t give a reason. They just say thank you and we encourage you to apply again next year.

ALDERMAN HUNTER: How many applicants applied?

CHIEF RONALD YOUNG: The statistics for the year 2006, there was 1,727 applicants across the country of which they awarded 235 grants?–265 grants. The, ah, the grant approval rates–or the grant approval percentage is 15.3% of these grants are awarded nationwide of which this year, 2007, they’ve awarded 18 grants. Four in Illinois. We’re one of those four. There’s only $100,000,000.00 that has been allotted for this program or appropriated for this program. The requests across the country came to.......in the year 2006 was $738,215,693.00.

MAYOR GREEN: Alderman Brown.

ALDERMAN BROWN: Mayor, we talked about this about three years ago didn’t we? We’ll be expanding to the south and we’ll definitely need more firemen and a fire station. Now, given this, given what we have before us, now do that mean that we...........

MAYOR GREEN: It’s on. Go ahead.

ALDERMAN BROWN: Okay. We talked about this about three years ago. As we expand to the south, we will need more fire station as well as firefighters. Now, with this proposal today, if we hire more firefighters now do that means that basically the next thing we’re going to have to do is build another station south?

MAYOR GREEN: No, because if you’ll look........remember what Chief Young said, back in the late 80s, early 90s we were at 57 firemen with the same facilities that we have today. I mean, I think what we’ve talked about, Alderman, is we have talked that at a point in time as the City expands to the south, we certainly will have to look at some type of a public safety facility as you move to the south. We’ve got some stations, you know, today, that are not adequate just to even handle the equipment, the size of the equipment. I mean, we no longer can downtown and there will be some others. So, we’re going to have to do that and that isn’t–that’s something we have been talking about. You’re exactly right, for the last three or four years, that that was coming and, ah, we know that we’ll have to deal with that issue.

ALDERMAN BROWN: Is the response time going to have any bearings on this whatsoever?

MAYOR GREEN: Well, I think.........and the Chief can answer it much better than I........he can tell you what our response times are now. And, I’m not sure it’ll make that much difference as we go to the south, but I think the one thing you have to remember, you know, one of the issues which just two weeks ago we approved was the economic development study for the airport area because we believe that’s another area where we’re going to expand in that direction. Ah, and those are some of the things that we’ve got to look at as we look towards the future. Alderman Ciaccio.

ALDERMAN CIACCIO: Are these firemen, if we do this, are they going to be hired from Kankakee or they going to be transferred in?

MAYOR GREEN: Well, they would be hired from the list–established list–Alderman.

ALDERMAN CIACCIO: Is the established list Kankakee people or?

MAYOR GREEN: Well, whoever.........whoever passed the test. I don’t think there’s any........we can’t stop anyone from taking that test, I mean, whoever’s on that list is who we have to hire from. Alderman Epstein.

ALDERMAN EPSTEIN: As we begin the budget process for upcoming year, it seems as though this will end up costing the City between $180,000.00 and $200,000.00 a year. I guess the Chairman of the Budget Committee and the Mayor....are you comfortable with finding those funds in order to appeal to our side of, you know, money is wonderful.

MAYOR GREEN: I just told the Chief. Chief’s got to cut it out of his budget somewhere so we have $180,000.00

ALDERMAN EPSTEIN: I don’t think that’s going to happen. Ah, you know, money from the government’s wonderful, but when you have to match it, or actually far exceed the match, you know, I hate to approve something without asking whether you feel comfortable in the budgeting process that our matching money or ours will be there.

MAYOR GREEN: Yes, we do. And, also, in answer to your question, I think the Chief sort of alluded to it, at a point in time, we’re going to have..........we need to do this anyway. And, if we can receive some funds to pay part of those additional costs, that’s to our benefit anyway. Alderman Williams.

ALDERMAN WILLIAMS: What is the match? Is it 80-20 or? What is the..........

ALDERMAN BARON: The percentage is 30.7. They’ll pay 31¢ on the dollar. That’s what they’ll.......$1.37 million and $421,000.

MAYOR GREEN: Any other questions? Alderman Diersen.

ALDERMAN DIERSEN: It’s kind of a minor point, but I think the Chief, the Budget Committee, the other day they indicated that if we were to refuse this grant, any future grants would probably not be looked upon too highly.

MAYOR GREEN: I suppose. But, if you don’t have the money, then you refuse the grant. Any other questions? Okay. Roll call.

CLERK DUMAS:

AYE: Brown; Hunter; Epstein; Baron; Ciaccio; Williams; Grant; Hearn; Diersen; Trost; Jones; Schwade; Coleman (13)

PRESENT: Cox (1)

MOTION THAT CITY COUNCIL ACCEPT THE SAFER GRANT AWARD AND

MAKE A COMMITMENT TO MAKE A CONCERTED EFFORT TO HIRE THE

FOUR ADDITIONAL FIREFIGHTERS AS PROVIDED FOR BY THE GRANT

MAYOR GREEN: Motion carries. Next.

ALDERMAN BARON: On a less monumental basis, the–because this doesn’t cost a lot of money, because we have low workers’ compensation claims, because we, in our past fiscal year we had low workers’ compensation claims, we received a $60,000.00 grant from the Illinois Public Risk Fund. Part of that money, at the suggestion from the Fire Department, is that we spend it on a new rescue boat. The rescue that’s being suggested is similar, if not identical, to the one in Aroma Park, Bradley, Limestone and they do work well together. We’re just asking for the Council to allow the City to let for bid for replacement for the........we have a rescue boat now. It needs replacement. It’s been around forever and the feeling of the Department and the feeling of the Budget Committee was that this would be a good use for part of the grant from the Illinois Public Risk Fund. So, we ask that the City Council authorize advertising for bids the replacement of the rescue boat.

ALDERMAN GRANT: Second.

MAYOR GREEN: Motion by Alderman Baron, seconded by Alderman Grant. Any questions? Roll call. I’m sorry.

ALDERMAN BROWN: How often do we use the rescue boat?

MAYOR GREEN: I hope never.

ALDERMAN BROWN: I understand that.

MAYOR GREEN: But, you know, whenever it’s necessary. What’s the age on the one we have now, Chief?

CHIEF RONALD YOUNG: The current boat that we have right now is a 1989 boat, and we just used it recently at Watseka on a mutual aid call. We used it on a rescue at the dam when a boat went over the dam. We’ve used that boat numerous times. As a matter of fact, when we were in Watseka, they had another area of town that needed a much better boat for the swift water that was moving through Watseka–can you imagine that?– and, ah, they actually took one of these connector boats–the one from Bradley–because it was a more stable boat that could handle that swift water more effectively than ours.

MAYOR GREEN: Pardon? Alderman Jones.

ALDERMAN JONES: Will we be keeping the old boat, too, or will we.........

MAYOR GREEN: No, we’ll surplus that out.

ALDERMAN JONES: ........surplus that out.

MAYOR GREEN: The nice...........the particular nice part about this one, the expenditure of funds is not coming from the City. It’s coming from a grant through our Illinois Public Risk Fund, so we felt that was a good use of the money. We’re not spending money. Roll call, please.

CLERK DUMAS:

AYE: Brown; Hunter; Epstein; Baron; Ciaccio; Williams; Grant; Hearn; Diersen; Trost; Jones; Schwade; Coleman; Cox (14)

MOTION TO RECOMMEND THE CITY COUNCIL AUTHORIZE THE FIRE

DEPARTMENT TO ADVERTISE FOR BIDS FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF

THE DEPARTMENT’S RESCUE BOAT

MAYOR GREEN: Motion carries.

ALDERMAN BARON: And, finally, the Fire Department has asked that we go to bid to replace the breathing regulators which are attached to the air tanks which allow our firemen to breathe when they’re in confined spaces fighting fires. It’s a budgeted item. It allows for seeing how much air is actually left in your tank without having to look down, which they tell us is a pretty good thing to do when you’re fighting a fire if things are falling around you. It’s necessitated by the fact that there has been a recent upgrade in the tanks themselves, so we need new regulators to plug into those. So, ah, I would move that we authorize the Fire Department to advertise for bids the replacement of these Fire Department breathing regulators.

ALDERMAN HUNTER: Second it, Your Honor.

MAYOR GREEN: Motion by Alderman Baron, seconded by Alderman Hunter to allow the department to go out for bids for regulators. By the way that’s in our budget for the current year. Any questions? Roll call.

CLERK DUMAS:

AYE: Brown; Hunter; Epstein; Baron; Ciaccio; Williams; Grant; Hearn; Diersen; Trost; Jones; Schwade; Coleman; Cox (14)

MOTION TO RECOMMEND THAT THE CITY COUNCIL AUTHORIZE THE FIRE

DEPARTMENT TO ADVERTISE FOR BIDS FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE

FIRE DEPARTMENT’S SCBA BREATHING REGULATORS

MAYOR GREEN: Motion carries.

ALDERMAN BARON: And, that’s all we did.

MAYOR GREEN: Thank you, Alderman. I appreciate it. Next, is the Report of Officers and approval of bills.

ALDERMAN WILLIAMS: I move to approve the Report of Officers, place the monies into their proper accounts and pay the bills in the amount of $107,486.45.

ALDERMAN CIACCIO: Second.

MAYOR GREEN: Motion by Alderman Williams, seconded by Alderman Ciaccio to approve the Report of Officers, place the money in the proper accounts, pay the bills in the amount of $107,486.45. Any questions on any of the bills? Roll call.

CLERK DUMAS:

AYE: Brown; Hunter; Epstein; Baron; Ciaccio; Williams; Grant; Hearn; Diersen; Trost; Jones; Schwade; Coleman; Cox (14)

REPORT OF OFFICERS APPROVAL OF BILLS - $107,486.45

MAYOR GREEN: Motion carries. Ah, next, New Business. We have two handicapped Ordinances–actually three–A, B and E. We can deal with them all at the same time, if you so desire.

ALDERMAN HUNTER: So moved.

ALDERMAN SCHWADE: I second it.

MAYOR GREEN: Motion by Alderman Hunter, seconded by Alderman Schwade to Suspend the Rules that would interfere with the passage of the Ordinances involved handicapped parking at 630 S. Chicago, 150 N. Small and 404 W. River Street. Roll call.

CLERK DUMAS:

AYE: Brown; Hunter; Epstein; Baron; Ciaccio; Williams; Grant; Hearn; Diersen; Trost; Jones; Schwade; Coleman; Cox (14)

MAYOR GREEN: Motion carries. Is there a motion to put these Ordinances on their Final Passage and Pass?

ALDERMAN HUNTER: I so move.

ALDERMAN SCHWADE: I second it.

MAYOR GREEN: Motion by Alderman Hunter, seconded by Alderman Schwade to put these Ordinances on their Final Passage and Pass. Any questions? Roll call.

CLERK DUMAS:

AYE: Brown; Hunter; Epstein; Baron; Ciaccio; Williams; Grant; Hearn; Diersen; Trost; Jones; Schwade; Coleman; Cox (14)

ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 32, SECTION 231 ESTABLISHING A

HANDICAPPED PARKING SIGN AT 630 SOUTH CHICAGO AVENUE

ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 32, SECTION 231 ESTABLISHING A

HANDICAPPED PARKING SIGN AT 150 NORTH SMALL AVENUE

ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 32, SECTION 231 ESTABLISHING A

HANDICAPPED PARKING SIGN AT 404 WEST RIVER STREET

MAYOR GREEN: Motion carries. Next, is a change order from Terry Vaughn Construction in the credit amount of $5,409.80 for the administration remodeling. Dick, you want to tell them what occurred there?

RICHARD SIMMS: This is a sub-contractor for Terry Vaughn, it’s the steel fabricator. As some of you may recall, we had built the second floor. We took out the temporary levels in there and built a steel deck to make a second floor in that building. Well, the architects, ah, had to do some guessing until we had all the demolition done as to whether the supports would be adequate to hold that second floor. And, what they found, they had to add some steel at various locations. What this is, these are additional steel components that Mitchell Steel had to fabricate and place to make a structural engineer satisfied that it would be adequate for the second floor. So, Terry Vaughn and Associates, their sub, they’re passing this on. They’re asking to amend their contract with the City which is a general work contract.

MAYOR GREEN: And, there’s also the credit for the waterproofing.

RICHARD SIMMS: That has to do with, you remember, we asked permission and I believe that was a $100,000.00 estimate where we would excavate around the entire building, put an under drain, backfill with gravel and then we would also tuck point all that stone. By the way, there’s no foundation on that building. It’s stone all the way down to the bedrock. When they exposed it, they found that the stone is in much better condition than they thought it was going to be. Required very little, ah, work associated with tuck pointing on that stone. They still sealed it, they still put the under drain tile in, we put the gravel. That resulted in a credit back from him so the net effect was a change order, I believe this ends up being.......this is a positive for us. This is our first one where it ends up being a positive, so we’re really approving a change order to reduce Terry’s contract on the whole. We’re increasing the subcontract for steel and we’re decreasing the contract for site excavation indistinguishable .

MAYOR GREEN: So, we need a motion.

ALDERMAN TROST: So moved.

MAYOR GREEN: Motion by Alderman Trost. Is there a second?

ALDERMAN JONES: Second.

MAYOR GREEN: Second by Alderman Jones. Any questions? Roll call.

CLERK DUMAS:

AYE: Brown; Hunter; Epstein; Baron; Ciaccio; Williams; Grant; Hearn; Diersen; Trost; Jones; Schwade; Coleman; Cox (14)

CHANGE ORDER NO. 3 FROM TERRY VAUGHN CONSTRUCTION CO.,

INC. IN THE CREDIT AMOUNT OF $5,409.80 FOR THE

ADMINISTRATION BUILDING REMODELING (0650C)

MAYOR GREEN: Motion carries. Under Appointments, I have two which I’d like to bring before you tonight. At the City Council meeting two weeks ago, we approved the study with the County of Kankakee to look at the economic impact in the Exit 308 area, especially the airport. To that committee, we have two appointments. It’s my recommendation that we appoint Loretto Cowhig who is the Chair of our Planning Commission. And, I spoke with her earlier today and she’s agreed to do this and the other would be Alderman Ken Hearn because this is in the 4^th Ward that we.......that you. That’s my recommendation for appointments to this Committee.

ALDERMAN SCHWADE: I so move.

ALDERMAN GRANT: Second.

MAYOR GREEN: Motion by Alderman Schwade, seconded by Alderman Grant. Any questions? Roll call.

CLERK DUMAS:

AYE: Brown; Hunter; Epstein; Baron; Ciaccio; Williams; Grant; Diersen; Trost; Jones; Schwade; Coleman; Cox (13)

PASS: Hearn (I can’t vote on this, right?

MAYOR GREEN: You can vote. You can say I vote for Loretto and myself.

ALDERMAN HEARN: I’ll just pass.) (1)

MOTION TO APPOINT LORETTO COWHIG AND KEN HEARN TO

THE EXIT 308/AIRPORT ECONOMIC IMPACT COMMITTEE

MAYOR GREEN: Motion carries. Under Motions and Resolutions. We’ve already done the abatement of taxes. The next is a Resolution for the acceptance and execution of a grant agreement between the Housing Development Authority for the Trust Fund Modification Program. You can do........we can do all three of these if you want. That’s the first one. The second one is a grant agreement from Housing Authority for the Small Rental Properties Program and the third one is a grant for the development of Single Family Owner-Occupied Rehab Program.

ALDERMAN HUNTER: Second....

ALDERMAN SCHWADE: I move that we accept these from IDHA–all of them, the money.

MAYOR GREEN: You’re moving the Resolution on B, C and D?

ALDERMAN SCHWADE: Right. All the Resolutions, right.

MAYOR GREEN: Is there a second?

ALDERMAN COLEMAN: I second.

MAYOR GREEN: Motion by Alderman Schwade, seconded by Alderman Coleman to approve the Resolutions B, C and D. Any questions? Roll call.

ALDERMAN DIERSEN: Your Honor.

MAYOR GREEN: Alderman Diersen, excuse me.

ALDERMAN DIERSEN: What’s the difference between B and D?

MAYOR GREEN: Mr. Nolan.

LARRY NOLAN: B is the Trust Fund Modification Program.

MAYOR GREEN: Use your microphone, will you, Larry?

LARRY NOLAN: It’s a grant that we receive in the City for work that we do both in the City and the County to modify homes for people who are disabled, modifying their doorways, building ramps, installing grab bars and things like that. And, D is Single Family Owner-Occupied Rehab Program and that’s for just in the City of Kankakee rehabbing homes of single families.

MAYOR GREEN: Any other questions? Roll call.

CLERK DUMAS:

AYE: Brown; Hunter; Epstein; Baron; Ciaccio; Williams; Grant; Hearn; Diersen; Trost; Jones; Schwade; Coleman; Cox (14)

RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE ACCEPTANCE AND EXECUTION OF A

GRANT AGREEMENT FROM THE ILLINOIS HOUSING DEVELOPMENT

AUTHORITY FOR THE TRUST FUND MODIFICATION PROGRAM

RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE ACCEPTANCE AND EXECUTION OF A

GRANT AGREEMENT FROM THE ILLINOIS HOUSING DEVELOPMENT

AUTHORITY FOR THE SMALL RENTAL PROPERTIES PROGRAM

RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE ACCEPTING A GRANT AGREEMENT

FROM THE ILLINOIS DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY FOR THE SINGLE

FAMILY OWNER-OCCUPIED REHABILITATION PROGRAM

MAYOR GREEN: Motion carries. And, the last item under Motions and Resolution is authorizing the Mayor to sign the agreement for the estimate of cost for work done. This would be at the new administration building for the AT&T phone system.

ALDERMAN COLEMAN: So moved.

MAYOR GREEN: Motion by Alderman Coleman. Is there a second?

ALDERMAN BROWN: Second.

MAYOR GREEN: Second by Alderman Brown. Questions? Roll call.

CLERK DUMAS:

AYE: Brown; Hunter; Epstein; Baron; Ciaccio; Williams; Grant; Hearn; Diersen; Trost; Jones; Schwade; Coleman; Cox (14)

RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO SIGN THE AGREEMENT

FOR THE ESTIMATE OF COST AND AUTHORITY FOR WORK–SPECIAL

CONSTRUCTION CHARGE AND INVOICE FOR AT&T ILLINOIS

MAYOR GREEN: Motion carries. Last item is, and it’s on your desk. I think Mr. Nolan passed that out to you. It’s the modification on the asking price of the property at 290 S. Chicago Avenue. I need a motion to accept that recommendation.

ALDERMAN HUNTER: So moved.

ALDERMAN HEARN: Second.

MAYOR GREEN: Motion by Alderman Hunter, seconded by Alderman Hearn. Questions? Roll call.

CLERK DUMAS:

AYE: Brown; Hunter; Epstein; Baron; Ciaccio; Williams; Grant; Hearn; Diersen; Trost; Jones; Schwade; Coleman; Cox (14)

MOTION TO MODIFY ASKING PRICE OF PROPERTY AT 290 S. CHICAGO

MAYOR GREEN: Motion carries. Before I ask to go into Executive Session, are there any comments from the Aldermen? Hearing none, I’d entertain a motion to go into Executive Session to discuss Personnel and Real Estate.

ALDERMAN GRANT: So moved.

ALDERMAN SCHWADE: I second it.

MAYOR GREEN: Who made........did you make the motion, Alderman Jones? Motion by Alderman Grant, seconded by Alderman Schwade. All in favor, AYE. Opposed, same sign.

MOTION TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS PERSONNEL

AND REAL ESTATE ACQUISITION

MAYOR GREEN: Motion carries. Cindy Fuerst, stay in the meeting, please.

8:00 P.M.

8:25 P.M.

MAYOR GREEN: I’d like to call the meeting back to order, please. I’m looking for a motion from the Floor that would allow the administration to move forward with the project to expand our current public library from three floors to four floors. It would involve the development of that fourth floor into computer labs, an auditorium, an art gallery, audio/visual pod cast to take us in, again, to the next century. In that, the developer of that building has come to us and has offered to build that out for the City at no cost to us. And, the City would, of course, have to furnish that particular facility and if any additional staff is needed to do that. The administration anticipated maybe this might happen this year, so in the levy which we have already filed, the proper funds are there to do this. But, now we’d like to take this to the next step.

ALDERMAN JONES: Mayor, I make a motion to accept expansion of the library to the fourth floor.

ALDERMAN SCHWADE: And, I second it.

MAYOR GREEN: Motion by Alderman Jones and seconded by Alderman Schwade. Any comments or questions? Roll call.

CLERK DUMAS:

AYE: Brown; Hunter; Epstein; Baron; Ciaccio; Williams; Grant; Hearn; Diersen; Trost; Jones; Schwade; Coleman; Cox (14)

MOTION TO ALLOW ADMINISTRATION TO MOVE FORWARD WITH PROJECT

TO EXPAND CURRENT PUBLIC LIBRARY FROM THREE FLOORS TO FOUR FLOORS

MAYOR GREEN: Motion carries. I’ll entertain a motion to adjourn.

ALDERMAN HEARN: So moved.

ALDERMAN SCHWADE: Second.

MAYOR GREEN: Motion by Alderman Hearn, seconded by Alderman Schwade. All in favor, AYE. Opposed, same sign.

MOTION TO ADJOURN CITY COUNCIL MEETING

8:26 P.M.