[I. Call to Order]
[00:00:06]
PLEASE STAND AND JOIN IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE PLEDGE WITH ALLEGIANCE TO FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC OR RICHEST HANDS ON A NATION OF YOUR GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
WE BEGIN EACH OF OUR MEETINGS WITH APPEARANCE OF CITIZENS.
A POLICY RELATIVE TO APPEARANCE OF CITIZENS IS AS FOLLOWS.
A 30 MINUTE TIME PERIOD IS PROVIDED FOR CITIZENS TO APPEAR, EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS BEFORE THE CITY COUNCIL.
EACH CITIZEN SPEAKING WILL BE LIMITED TO ONE APPEARANCE OF UP TO THREE MINUTES.
NO IMMEDIATE RESPONSE WILL BE GIVEN BY CITY COUNCIL OR CITY STAFF MEMBERS.
CITIZENS ARE TO GIVE THEIR DOCUMENTS, IF ANY, TO THE POLICE OFFICER FOR DISTRIBUTION TO THE COUNCIL WHEN THE MAYOR DETERMINES ALL PERSONS WISHING TO SPEAK IN ACCORDANCE WITH THIS POLICY HAVE DONE SO.
MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND KEY STAFF MAY MAKE COMMENTS.
WE DO HAVE A COUPLE OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK, UM, ON AN AGENDA ITEM.
YOU ARE WELCOME TO SPEAK AT THIS TIME AS WELL.
UH, YOU CAN HAVE THREE MINUTES NOW AND THREE MINUTES LATER WHEN WE CALL THE AGENDA ITEM.
SO ANYONE WISHING TO APPEAR BEFORE COUNSEL MAY COME TO THE PODIUM.
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS GIVE US YOUR NAME.
WE WILL MOVE ON TO APPROVAL OF
[III. Approval of Minutes]
THE MINUTES.APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 5TH, 2024.
ANY UNFINISHED BUSINESS TONIGHT? NONE.
[1. Discussion Item: Eldorado Street Corridor Enhancements]
NEW BUSINESS, OUR FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS A DISCUSSION ITEM, THE EL DORADO STREET CORRIDOR ENHANCEMENTS.MR. MANAGER, MAYOR, AND COUNSEL.
UH, THIS IS A DISCUSSION ITEM ONLY.
THERE'S NO ACTION, NO FORMAL ACTION IS REQUIRED, BUT, BUT JUST SORT OF GENERAL AND INFORMAL FEEDBACK IS WHAT'S REQUIRED.
UM, HERE, THE, THE SECTION OF EL DORADO BETWEEN, UH, CHURCH AND 19TH STREET, WHERE JUST BEFORE IT BEGINS THE CURVE DOWN TOWARDS THE LAKE.
AND REALLY THE FOCUS IS ON FROM THE CN TRACKS TO, UH, THAT, THAT, THAT SAME EASTERN POINT, BECAUSE BETWEEN CHURCH AND THE CN TRACKS WILL GET REDONE BECAUSE THE PAVEMENT WILL NEED IT IN A COUPLE OF YEARS.
BUT THAT SECTION WAS REDONE, UH, AS BEHIND THE CURB AS A PART OF THE CITY'S DOWN 2009 DOWNTOWN RENOVATION PROJECT.
AND YOU CAN SEE A LITTLE BIT OF THAT, UH, HOW THAT LOOKS AND, UH, WHERE THERE'S, UH, UH, DECORATIVE STREET LIGHTING, NEW CURB AND GUTTER AND, AND A, A RIBBON, I CALL IT, OF COLORED, UM, BRICK BEHIND IT.
NOW DOWNTOWN, IT'S ALSO GOT, UM, A BLACK RIBBON AROUND THE, THE RED RIBBON, UH, OUTSIDE OF DOWNTOWN.
WE WE'RE, WE'RE NOT PROPOSING TO USE THAT, BUT WHAT WE'RE SUGGESTING IS HOW CAN WE MAKE EL DORADO LOOK NICER IN THIS EASTERN SECTION? AND THE REASON THIS CAME UP IS BECAUSE THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SAID TO US, HEADS UP, CITY OF DECATUR, WE, WE WANNA DO A MILL AND FILL IN THIS AREA.
AND WE, WE HEARD WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT WANTING TO USE THESE PROJECTS, UH, FOR IMPROVING THE ADJOINING NEIGHBORHOODS AS WELL, UH, BECAUSE OF WHAT WE HAD TO GO THROUGH FOR 51, UH, BETWEEN PERSHING AND EL DORADO.
SO, UM, LET'S, UH, LET'S START THIS PROCESS A LITTLE BIT EARLIER.
SO, UM, SINCE I'VE HAD THE, UH, PLEASURE OF BEING YOUR MANAGER FOR FIVE YEARS, MY REACTION OR WHAT I'VE HEARD FROM ALL OF YOU IS THAT THE DOWNTOWN PROJECT, UH, IS WELL RECEIVED, THAT IF YOU THOUGHT IT LOOKED GOOD, UH, SO WHY REINVENT THE WHEEL? WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE? I ASKED TO EXTEND THAT AT LEAST SOME, NOT ALL, BUT SOME OF THE FEATURES THAT ARE A PART OF THE DOWNTOWN STREETSCAPE EAST ON EL DORADO.
SO, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE TO YOU NEIL, UH, BRUM LEVY.
NEIL, IF YOU'LL COME TO THE PODIUM AND HELP ME OUT.
HE'S WITH MASSEY MASSEY, UH, UH, A, UH, URBAN LANDSCAPE DESIGN COMPANY IN SPRINGFIELD.
THEY DID THE, UH, THE DESIGN AND THE, UH, UH, ON THE DOWNTOWN PROJECT.
THEY ALSO DID THE, THE PRELIMINARY CONCEPT PLAN FOR THE STREETSCAPE PROJECT THAT WE'RE MOVING, TRYING TO MOVE TO FRUITION WITH IDOT ON 51 BETWEEN PERSHING AND EL DORADO.
UH, AND THEN THEY'VE DONE SOME SMALLER PROJECTS FOR US AS WELL.
THEY'VE HELPED US, FOR EXAMPLE, ON THE, UM, THE, UH, STALEY BASIN PROJECTS, UH, THAT WERE FUNDED BY THE STALEY FAMILY FOUNDATION.
SO NEIL AND HIS FIRM ARE PRETTY FAMILIAR WITH THE CITY OF DECATUR.
AND THEN HE PUT TOGETHER MOST OF THE, OF THE PICTURES AND THE DRAWINGS THAT HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE PACKET MATERIAL.
SO WHILE I DIDN'T ASK HIM TO MAKE A PRESENTATION, I THINK THAT WHAT WE'RE ASKING YOU TO CONSIDER
[00:05:01]
IS, IS COVERED BY THE TRANSMITTAL MEMO AND BY THE PICTURES.I WAS SURE THAT YOU'D HAVE SOME, SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT IT, WHICH NEIL COULD PROBABLY ANSWER BETTER THAN I COULD.
IN SUMMARY, AGAIN, WHAT WE'RE, WHAT I'M PROPOSING TO THE CITY COUNCIL IS THAT WE WOULD TAKE A PORTION OF THE DOWNTOWN DESIGN AND EX JUST EXTEND IT ON, UM, ON EL DORADO.
UH, AND THE DRAWINGS THAT HE'S GIVEN YOU SHOW YOU WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE, BOTH FROM AN AERIAL VIEW AS WELL AS FROM A PROFILE VIEW IN TERMS OF HOW THE LANES WOULD BE NARROWED, JUST A LITTLE BIT AND THIS, AND A FEW PHOTOGRAPHS AS WELL.
SO I'LL JUST STOP AND SEE WHAT KIND OF THOUGHTS YOU HAD WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU REVIEWED THE, THE MATERIAL.
WELL, I, FOR ONE, LIKE THE FACT THAT DOWNTOWN ITSELF IS KIND OF ITS OWN UNIQUE LITTLE AREA WITH A CERTAIN LOOK AND I MEAN, WE OBVIOUSLY WANNA IMPROVE EL DORADO, BUT I'D LIKE IT TO BE STILL MAINTAIN THE UNIQUENESS OF THE DOWNTOWN LOOK WITHOUT TRYING TO MAKE DOWNTOWN EVERYWHERE.
HOW DO YOU ENVISION THIS? SO IT WOULD BE A DIFFERENT LEVEL OF TREATMENT ON EL DORADO, NOT AS INTENSE AS THE DOWNTOWN CORE AREA.
SO IN WHICH CASE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE BLACK BANDING BORDER, SOME OF THE LIGHT FIXTURES DON'T HAVE AS MANY FEATURES AND ACCESSORIES AS THE DOWNTOWN.
UM, BENCHES PLANTERS AREN'T REALLY APPROPRIATE ALONG THIS CORRIDOR.
WE DON'T HAVE THE ROOM FOR THOSE.
UM, YET THE, THE FEATURES LIKE THE BRICK PAVEMENT, UM, THE RED BRICK PAVEMENT, THE SIMPLICITY OF THE LIGHT FIXTURES CONTINUING DOWN, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE OTHER TREATMENTS THAT WERE ALREADY DONE ON, UH, EL DORADO FROM CHURCH STREET TO THE RAILROAD TRACKS, BASICALLY JUST EXTENDING THOSE TO THE EAST.
ANOTHER QUESTION I HAVE, IT, IT APPEARS THAT THERE ARE SIDEWALKS IN THIS, AND IT'S REALLY NOT A PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY AREA.
IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S BUSINESS, A BUSINESS WITHOUT LIKE A NEIGHBORHOOD IN BETWEEN, LIKE OTHER PARTS OF TOWN, WHICH YOU REALLY WANT PEOPLE WALKING.
I'M NOT SURE HOW MUCH WE WANT PEOPLE WALKING ALONG EL DORADO.
ARE THERE SIDEWALKS ALL THE WAY DOWN? THERE ARE, YES.
AND THERE CURRENTLY ARE, AND WE WOULD MAINTAIN, YOU KNOW, THE, THE LEVEL OF SIDEWALKS ALL ALONG THERE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC ACCESS FOR THOSE THAT ARE WALKING, UM, TO, TO THE BUSINESSES.
WE'RE NOT MAKING A, WE'RE NOT EXPANDING THOSE BY MUCH.
WE ARE PROVIDING A BUFFER BETWEEN THE BACK OF THE CURB AND THE SIDEWALK WITH THAT BRICK BORDER.
UM, WHAT THAT WOULD ALLOW IS FOR EASIER MAINTENANCE.
RIGHT NOW YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, A TURF STRIP SOMETIMES AND WITH SNOW PLOWING AND DEBRIS FROM THE ROAD, THAT OFTEN TIMES BECOMES UNSIGHTLY THE BRICK BORDER AND THE CONCRETE NEXT TO THE BACK OF THE CURB WOULD MAKE IT, UM, A LITTLE MORE ATTRACTIVE AND EASIER TO MAINTAIN.
BUT YES, WE WOULD BE STILL RECOMMENDING SIDEWALKS TO AT LEAST PROVIDE PUBLIC ACCESS TO THE BUSINESSES ALONG THAT CORRIDOR.
EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE RIGHT, IT IS MORE OF A TRANSPORTATION, UM, CORRIDOR THAN IT IS A PEDESTRIAN.
I'D ALMOST THINK IT WOULD BE DANGEROUS TO ENCOURAGE PEDESTRIANS ON THAT ROADWAY.
AND, AND BECAUSE I THINK WE'RE REQUIRED TO REALLY PROVIDE THAT PUBLIC ACCESS, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S THERE CURRENTLY TO, TO ELIMINATE THOSE SIDEWALKS ALTOGETHER.
UM, WE DID NOT, UM, ENTERTAIN THAT, THAT OPTION.
AND, AND THERE ARE ENOUGH BUSINESSES THERE THAT TAKING AWAY SIDEWALKS PROBABLY ISN'T A VERY GOOD IDEA.
BUT, UH, I DID RECEIVE A QUESTION FROM I'LL, I'LL, I DON'T THINK YOU'LL MIND IF I DO IT.
COUNCILMAN HORN ASKED ME AHEAD OF THE MEETING, WELL, SHOULD WE BE PUTTING A HIKE BIKE TRAIL, YOU KNOW, ON THIS SECTION? AND I THINK THE ANSWER FOR SOME OF THE REASONS THAT NEIL SAID IS NO
BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE COMPLETELY ABOLISH SIDEWALKS ALTOGETHER.
QUESTIONS, COMMENTS FROM COUNSEL? MR. KEEL? OKAY, SO I'M GONNA GO FURTHER WITH THAT BECAUSE I'M A BIKE GUY TOO.
SO IF IT'S TOO DANGEROUS TO WALK, WHY COULDN'T WE MAKE THE SIDEWALKS BIKE PASS AND HAVE SIDEWALKS AND BIKES ON THE SAME THING? IS THAT POSSIBLE? IT KIND OF BE BIKE A BIKE PATH TO WELL, I'M JUST SAYING IF NOBODY'S GONNA WALK ON IT, WHY, WHY HAVE IT? WHAT DO YOU, I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW.
I, I I HOPE I DIDN'T, I HOPE I DIDN'T COME ACROSS AS SAYING THAT NO ONE WOULD WALK ON IT.
I MEAN, AS MANY BUSINESSES AS THERE ARE, THAT THERE'S GONNA BE PEOPLE THAT ARE WALKING FROM BUSINESS TO BUSINESS OR WALKING TO THEIR CAR IF, IF THEY COULDN'T PARK, YOU KNOW, AS CLOSE AS, AS THEY NORMALLY WOULD OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
BUT I I, I DON'T THINK THAT YOU WANT TO AND, AND YOU NEED SOME SIDEWALKS FOR THAT PURPOSE.
BUT I THINK THE DESIGNATING EL DORADO AS, AS ONE OF THE, AS ONE OF THE HIKE BIKE CORRIDORS LIKE WE ARE DOING ON WATER STREET UP AND DOWN 51 IS, IS NOT APPROPRIATE GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF OTHER ACTIVITY THAT'S COMPETING WITH THEM.
ALL THE ENTRANCES AND EXITS THAT ARE COMPETING WITH THEM.
AND THE FACT THAT WE JUST DON'T HAVE AS MUCH RIGHT OF WAY.
I MEAN, WE HAD TO GIVE UP A LANE OF TRAFFIC ON 51 TO GET IT TO WORK PROPERLY FOR A 10 FOOT WIDE HIKE BIKE.
WE, WE DON'T HAVE RIGHT OF WAY TO GIVE UP ON EL DORADO.
WELL THEN IN THE FUTURE, WHERE WOULD YOU SEE A HIKE BIKE? I, I DON'T HAVE THAT PLAN IN FRONT OF ME.
[00:10:01]
WOULD BE AN EAST WEST BIKE PATH FOR OUR CITY? WELL, THE, UM, UH, I THINK THAT THE HIKE BIKE PLAN, THE 2021 I IDENTIFIES WOOD STREET, I THINK IT HAS ALSO HAS SOME RIGHT OF WAY ISSUES.UM, IF YOU DRIVE THESE ROUTES, THE EAST WEST STREETS BETWEEN RATHER SOUTH OF EL DORADO AND, AND TO WOOD, YOU'LL DISCOVER THAT THERE'S, UH, THERE ARE SOME WIDE BOULEVARD AREAS THAT WERE PLATTED IN SOME CASES IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY, EARLIER 20TH CENTURY ALONG MAIN STREET AND ALONG PRAIRIE STREET.
BOTH THAT, UH, THAT, AND NEITHER OF THOSE STREETS HAVE THE QUANTITY OF TRAFFIC THAT VIA VEHICULAR TRAFFIC, MOTORIZED TRAFFIC THAT BOTH EL DORADO AND TO A LESSER EXTENT WOULD HAVE, WOULD STREET WOULD HAVE
UM, BUT, UH, UM, I MEAN THIS, THIS IS ABOUT HOW TO MAKE EL DORADO LOOK GOOD.
I HAVEN'T PREPARED MUCH FOR WHAT AN ALTERNATIVE EAST WEST ROUTE SHOULD BE.
THERE NEEDS TO BE AN EAST WEST ROUTE FOR BIKE, HIKE, BIKE IN THIS SECTION OF THE CITY.
WHAT THE BEST ROUTE IS, I THINK IS, IS A POLICY QUESTION FOR A LATER DAY.
MR. COOPER, UM, I WAS TRYING TO SEE IN THE PICTURES, I'M NOT FOR SURE IF I SAW RIGHT OR DIDN'T SEE AT ALL, UM, IN THE DESIGN ON THIS AREA IS, IS THERE PARKING AND IF SO, IS IT PARALLEL OR ANGLE OR THERE THERE'S NO PARKING ALONG THIS CORRIDOR IS IN THE RIGHT OF WAY.
THERE'S NONE AT ALL TO THE PROFILE.
SO WHAT YOU'RE SEEING HERE RIGHT NOW, YOU HAVE, UH, FIVE 13 FOOT WIDE TRAFFIC LANES WITH THE CENTER BEING A TURN LANE IN EACH DIRECTION.
UM, THERE'S REALLY THEN THAT ONLY LEAVES ABOUT SEVEN FEET OF PEDESTRIAN SPACE FOR THE SIDEWALKS, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, FOR PUBLIC ACCESS TO THE BUSINESSES AND CONNECTIVITY FROM THE RESIDENTIAL AREAS TO THE, TO THE SOUTH.
WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING TO TRY AND TO HELP BEAUTIFY THIS CORRIDOR IS TO REDUCE THOSE TRAFFIC LANES SLIGHTLY, UH, WHICH WOULD THEN GIVE US A LITTLE MORE FLEXIBILITY.
NEXT SLIDE, WHICH IS, YEAH, THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, THIS IS SHOWING THE AREA NEAR THE RAILROAD TRACKS, AND IT IS SHOWING A CENTER MEDIAN THERE THAT COULD BE POSSIBLE.
UM, WHEN THAT REDUCTION OCCURS, THAT WOULD BE AT AN ISOLATED LOCATION RIGHT AT THE RAILROAD TRACKS ONLY, BUT, BUT THE MAIN THING THAT, THAT, THAT NARROWING THOSE TRAFFIC LANES DOES IS IT GIVES YOU MORE SPACE TO WORK WITH ON THE SIDES BEHIND THE CURBS.
I WAS JUST, JUST TO FOLLOW UP, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, I, UM, THERE'S NO PARKING, SO IT'S NOT AN ISSUE RIGHT NOW, BUT I WAS JUST GONNA SAY IF THERE INDEED WAS GONNA BE ANY PARKING OR IF YOU GET TO ANOTHER PROJECT WITH PARKING LIKE WE DID DOWNTOWN, UM, ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONCERNS THAT I I GET FROM, UH, CITIZENS IS THE ANGLE PARKING.
SO I HOPE THAT WE WOULD GO AWAY FROM ANY, UM, FUTURE ANGLE PARKING.
THERE'S NO PARKING EYE ON THE RIGHT.
DR. HORN, I'D LIKE TO CONTINUE THE QUESTIONS THAT, UH, COUNCILMAN KUHL ASKED.
SO, UM, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THERE'S CURRENTLY SEVEN FEET OF AVAILABLE SPACE FOR PEDESTRIANS, AND YOU'VE MENTIONED TAKING THE FIVE LANES AND MOVING THOSE DOWN TWO FEET EACH.
AND SO, UM, THAT IS NOW 17 FEET, UH, FOR, UM, PEDESTRIAN OR BIKE LANES, HOW MANY FEET ARE NECESSARY? IT WOULD BE FIVE FEET ON EACH SIDE, SO ROUGHLY 12, UM, FOR, FOR LIKE A BIKE HIKE LANE, THEN YOU'RE SUGGESTING YOU ALSO HAVE TO INCORPORATE IN THAT 12 FEET BEHIND, OR 11 TO 12 FEET BEHIND THE BACK OF THE CURB LIGHT FIXTURES.
WE WERE HOPING TO PROVIDE SOME SCREENING ALONG THERE.
UM, THE THING WITH THIS QUARTER THAT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN OTHERS, LIKE 51, IS THAT YOU HAVE OVER 16,000 VEHICLES A DAY TRAVELING ALONG IT.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WITH THAT VOLUME OF TRAFFIC, WE CAN'T REDUCE ANY LANES.
IT'S JUST USUALLY YOU COULD POSSIBLY LOOK AT LANE REDUCTIONS IN THE 10 OR 12,000, BUT AT 16,000, THIS IS PRIMARILY A VEHICULAR CORRIDOR, YET WE STILL NEED TO ACCOMMODATE THOSE THAT ARE WANTING TO GET TO BUSINESSES, UM, FROM A PEDESTRIAN STANDPOINT.
SO, SO CONCEIVABLY IN THAT 11 FEET, UM, WHAT WE ARE SUGGESTING IS USING PART OF IT AS A, A BUFFER STRIP TO CONTINUE THE AMENITY TO KIND OF VISUALLY SEPARATE THE SIDEWALK FROM THE ROADWAY.
AND THEN STILL THE NARROW, UM, FIVE FOOT SIDEWALK, WHICH IS AN ACCESSIBLE SIDEWALK THAT LEAVES THE REMAINDER OF THE SPACE THAT COULD BE USED INSTEAD OF THE EASEMENTS THAT WE DID ON CHURCH STREET, FROM CHURCH STREET TO THE RAILROAD TRACKS FOR SCREENING THAT COULD BE USED FOR THAT, UM, PURPOSE FOR SCREENING OF OFF STREET PARKING, UM, FOR OTHER BEAUTIFICATION AND FOR AN AREA FOR THE LIGHT FIXTURES TO SIT A LITTLE BIT FARTHER BACK AWAY FROM
[00:15:01]
THE ROAD.SO WE'VE GOT 17 FEET TO WORK WITH.
AND YOU SAID IT'S FIVE FEET FOR A HIKE BIKE TRAIL, IS THAT WHAT YOU JUST SAID? NO, WE HAVE, UH, JUST TELL, I I JUST NEED THE NUMBER OF FEET THAT'S NECESSARY.
11 AND A HALF FEET PER SIDE, CORRECT? WELL, THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE IN THE DESIGN CURRENTLY.
I'LL, I'LL TRY AND REPHRASE THE QUESTION.
IF WE WANTED TO HAVE A BIKE LANE, HOW MANY FEET DO WE NEED? 10 FEET WOULD BE IDEAL, BUT ALSO IT'S IDEAL TO HAVE THAT SEPARATED FROM THE TRAFFIC IF POSSIBLE.
UM, WHAT'S THE TRAFFIC COUNT ON WATER STREET? I DO NOT HAVE THAT NUMBER ON HAND.
IS IT MORE OR LESS THAN ELDA? IT'LL BE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS, BUT IT'LL BE LESS BECAUSE WATER'S JUST ONE WAY AND ELDA TWO WAY.
UH, I WOULD SAY THIS, I APPRECIATE THAT OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE A BIKE TRAIL ON WOOD STREET.
I I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT THAT IS A LOCAL ROAD AND I WOULD ENVISION THAT IT WILL TAKE YEARS TO GET THE FUNDING, UH, TO DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE ON WOOD STREET IF WE'RE COMMITTED TO A BIKE PATH THERE.
UM, ON THE OTHER HAND, EL DDO, UH, WE NOW HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, UH, FOR STATE ASSISTANCE TO CREATE A BIKE PATH ON A HEAVILY USED, UM, TRAVEL CORRIDOR.
AND I WOULD SUGGEST THAT THERE ARE OTHER STATES, UM, OTHER CITIES WITHIN THOSE STATES THAT HAVE A LOT MORE PEOPLE AND THEY ARE FINDING A WAY TO HAVE A BIKE LANE ON IT.
PAT, UM, SUGGESTION ON, YEAH, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A BIKEWAY.
I I'M NOT IN FAVOR OF THAT ON EL DORADO.
THAT IS, IT IS A COMMERCIAL AREA.
PEOPLE WALK, YOU KNOW, YOU ALL GET AROUND.
I I GO DOWN EL DORADO, IT'S LOTS OF PEOPLE WALK.
BUT AS THE CITY MANAGER, THE, UH, STREETS THAT HAVE THOSE GRASSY BOULEVARDS, UH, I THINK IT'S PRAIRIE AND I FORGET WHAT THAT WOULD BE AN IDEAL BECAUSE THOSE ARE PRETTY WIDE.
YOU COULD GO WITH A BIKE PATH RIGHT DOWN THE CENTER AND THAT WOULD GIVE IT AWAY FROM THE HEAVY TRAFFIC, UH, ON LIKE EL DORADO AND THAT.
SO THAT'S A, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN LOOK AT DOWN THE ROAD AND IT'S MORE SCENIC THAN ON EL DORADO WHERE YOU HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE CARS AND PEOPLE, UH, TURNING INTO DIFFERENT BUSINESSES ALONG THERE, ALONG WATER STREET.
THERE'S VERY LITTLE COMMERCIAL.
IT'S, IT'S, IT'S RESIDENTIAL SO THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WATER AND, AND, UH, EL DORADO STREET.
WELL, UM, THE STUDY SESSION FORMAT IS, IS INTENDED FOR YOU TO GIVE US FEEDBACK EXACTLY.
SO I'M NOT TRYING TO SAY THAT THERE'S ANY RIGHT OR OR WRONG ANSWER, BUT I I DO RECOMMEND THAT YOU NOT HAVE THE FULL 10 FOOT WIDE, WHICH IS THE STANDARD SIZES, RIGHT? YOU CAN DO IT WITH EIGHT, BUT DOT'S PREFERENCE, UH, FOR IT IS, IS 10 FEET.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE ON WATER STREET.
AND BECAUSE WE'RE TAKING A LANE OUTTA SERVICE ON WATER STREET, THERE'S GONNA BE PLENTY OF ROOM FOR A 10 FOOT PLUS THE BUFFER.
YOU DON'T HAVE ROOM ON EL DORADO STREET FOR THIS.
AND, AND THAT'S WHY I THINK THAT ONE OF THOSE ALTERNATIVE CORRIDORS MAKES MORE SENSE, MORE PLEASANT, LESS CONGESTION, LESS LIKELY TO BE ACCIDENTS.
UM, UH, AND SO THE WAY THAT STAFF APPROACHED THIS WAS HOW CAN IT BE BEAUTIFIED IN A WAY THAT, UM, MAKES IT MORE PLEASANT TO DRIVE DOWN THE STREET AND IN LOCATIONS WHERE, TO BE BLUNT, THERE'S SOME OF THESE PRIVATE PROPERTIES THAT DON'T LOOK VERY GOOD
SO THAT PROPERTIES WE REALLY CAN'T CON CONTROL NECESSARILY UNLESS THEY'RE NUISANCES CAN AT LEAST HAVE A LITTLE, LIKE YOU SEE IN, IN THE SECTION BETWEEN CHURCH AND THE CN TRACKS, WHERE THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF FENCING, A LITTLE BIT OF GREEN, THAT THAT SORT OF BUFFERS THAT A LITTLE BIT, UH, SO THAT IT'S NOT QUITE AS STARK RIGHT UP AGAINST THE RIGHT OF WAY.
THAT WAS REALLY THE GOAL HERE, RATHER THAN TO TRY TO TRY TO SHOEHORN IN A FULL-SIZED, UH, HIKE BIKE TRAIL.
BUT IT'S, IT'S YOUR PROJECT, SO IT'S, IT'S YOUR FEEDBACK.
COUNCILWOMAN GREGORY, DID YOU HAVE A COMMENT? I DO.
UM, I LIKE THIS IDEA, UM, THAT HAS BEEN PRESENTED.
UM, THE IDEA OF BEAUTIFYING THIS LANDSCAPE.
I WILL LEAVE THE ARGUMENT FOR HIKE BIKE TRAILS TO MY COLLEAGUES.
I CAN GO EITHER WAY WITH THIS.
UM, ON THE VISUAL THAT'S REFLECTING NOW ON THE SCREEN, THERE IS, UM, A 10 FOOT GREEN MEDIAN SHOWN.
AND I DON'T KNOW HOW MY COLLEAGUES FEEL ABOUT
[00:20:01]
THIS, BUT, UM, FOR ME, IT, UH, LOCKS YOU IN.UM, WE KNOW THAT THE TRAINS ON THAT TRACKS IT FOR A VERY LONG TIME, UM, IN OTHER AREAS OF THE CITY WHERE THAT OCCURS.
AND IF YOU'RE FORTUNATE ENOUGH NOT TO HAVE A CAR IN FRONT OF YOUR CAR BEHIND YOU AND YOU'RE ON THE OUTSIDE LANE, YOU CAN MAKE U-TURN.
I DON'T KNOW HOW DPD FEELS ABOUT THAT.
UM, BUT THE OTHER PART OF THAT IS THAT BY HAVING A GREEN MEDIAN, IT REQUIRES MAINTENANCE AND UPKEEP AND PLANNING.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF MR. NEWELL HAS STAFF THAT'S JUST LOVING TO GO OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF A MAJOR THOROUGHFARE TO MOW GRASS OR PLANT FLOWERS.
SO THOSE ARE JUST MY THOUGHTS.
MR. CULP, DID YOU HAVE A COMMENT? THE ONLY CONCERN I REALLY HAVE IS EL DORADO IS ROUTE 36 AND IT'S SOME MAJOR THOROUGHFARE AND GOING FROM THE WIDTH OF 13 FOOT LANES TO 11.
WHAT COMES TO MIND IS TRUCK TRAFFIC, A LOT OF HEAVY EQUIPMENT, A LOT OF HEAVY VEHICLES.
AND I'M HOPING YOU'RE LOOKING IN THE FUTURE AS FAR AS THE PAVEMENT'S CONCERNED TOO.
'CAUSE AS YOU COME TO THE LIGHTS ARE YOUR SPEED BUMPS, WHICH IS PULLING THE PAVEMENT DOWN ON TOP ITSELF, WHICH IS A SEPARATE ENTITY ALTOGETHER.
I WOULD JUST CAUTION YOU ABOUT SHRINKING DOWN THOSE, THOSE LANES TOO MUCH.
IT WOULD LOOK NICE, BUT VEHICLE SAFETY COMES TO MIND WITH THOSE, ESPECIALLY THE LARGER VEHICLES.
NEIL, YOU, UM, UH, I, I'D ASK YOU TO THINK ABOUT SOME OF THE OTHER LOCATIONS THAT, UH, THE COUNCIL MIGHT BE FAMILIAR WITH, BOTH HERE IN DECATUR AND SPRINGFIELD AND OTHER PARTS, UH, THAT, THAT HAVE 11 OR 11 AND A HALF FOOT WIDE LANES.
DO, DO YOU REMEMBER SOME OF THOSE? YES.
UH, SPRINGFIELD HIGHWAY 97, JUST AS YOU'RE, UH, THE CONNECTING BETWEEN INTERSTATE 72, BETWEEN SPRINGFIELD AND DECATUR AS YOU COME INTO SPRINGFIELD, THAT PARTICULAR AREA HAS VERY SIMILAR SITUATION WHERE THEY ARE 11 FOOT LANES.
THAT DOES HELP TO AT LEAST CALM TRAFFIC A LITTLE BIT TYPICALLY BECAUSE I MEAN, YOU'RE REQUIRED TO KIND OF SLOW DOWN, UM, BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF IT.
SO THERE'S THE STATE ROUTE THERE THAT DOES HAVE 11 FOOT LANES.
THERE'S ALSO, UM, HIGHWAY 51 IN BLOOMINGTON, UH, THAT WE'RE WORKING ON A PROJECT UP THERE WHERE THEY'RE PROPOSING 11 FOOT LANES IN CERTAIN SECTIONS.
SO IT IS, UM, UH, A PRACTICE THAT IS BEING USED ELSEWHERE.
IT'S, IT'S PROBABLY THE MINIMUM THAT YOU WOULD WANT TO GO ON A CORRIDOR LIKE THIS, BUT, UM, YES, AND IF IT COULD KEEP PEOPLE FROM RUNNING RED LIGHTS, THAT WOULD HELP TOO.
MR. MCDANIEL? WELL, I GO TO SPRINGFIELD ALL THE TIME AND IT, IT DOESN'T WORK.
IT DOESN'T SLOW AND IT'S, IT, IT SCARES ME, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT IF I'M LEAVING, YOU KNOW, A MEETING OR, OR SOMETHING COMING DOWN THAT, THAT NARROW LANE, I'M SORRY, I JUST, ALL THE TIME IT WHEN I DRIVE OVER THAT JUST KIND OF, I TRY TO GET OUT TOWN BEFORE DARK WHEN I TAKE THAT, YOU KNOW, OUT BACK TO 72.
BUT I, I AGREE WITH, UH, COUNCIL MCC COLT, BUT THAT THIS, WITH ALL THE TRUCKS ON THIS EL DORADO, THAT IS SCARY NARROWING AT THAT, THAT, UH, UH, NARROW OF A, A LANE, MR. COOPER, AND THEN I'LL COME BACK TO YOU.
MR. KEEL, CAN YOU GO BACK TO THE SLIDE BEFORE THIS ONE? UH, I THINK I PREFER, UH, THIS SIZE.
SO I, I THINK I WOULD PREFER THE 13 OR THE OVER THE, UM, THE 11 IS WHERE I WOULD, I WOULD PREFER IT COULD BE 12, RIGHT, MR. KEHL.
OKAY, LAST COMMENT ON THE BIKE.
SO BETWEEN MILLIKEN AND DOWNTOWN, THERE'S A SIDEWALK, AND I DON'T NECESSARILY CONSIDER THAT A BIKE HIKE TRAIL THAT'S JUST A WIDER SIDEWALK.
AM I RIGHT OR WRONG? I THINK ONE OF THEM IS FOR WALKING.
ONE IS SUPPOSED TO BE FOR BIKING, BUT I COULD BE WRONG.
RIGHT? WELL, WHY COULDN'T THE SIDEWALK GOING DOWN EL DORADO BE MORE BIKE FRIENDLY? WHY COULDN'T IT BE A LITTLE WIDER? IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE WHAT WE'RE DOING GOING UP NORTH TOWARDS PERSHING, BUT, YOU KNOW, I LIVE IN SOUTH SHORES AND WE'VE GOT THOSE BRIDGES THAT GO OVER THE DAM.
I SEE PEOPLE ON BIKES ALL THE TIME RIDING TO KROGER FROM, UH, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LAKE.
AND ALL I'M TRYING TO SAY IS WHY COULDN'T THE SIDEWALK BE A LITTLE BIT WIDER? SO PEOPLE THAT HAVE BI, I'M NOT GONNA PAT, I'M NOT GONNA GO RIDING DOWN EL DORADO FOR PLEASURE, OKAY? BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS PEOPLE HAVE BIKES AND THAT'S THE ONLY WAY THEY CAN GET AROUND SOMETIMES.
AND I DON'T KNOW WHY WE COULDN'T
[00:25:01]
MAKE AT LEAST THE SIDEWALK A LITTLE WIDER AND MAKE WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, THE, WHEN IT GOES ACROSS THE STREET AND SO ON, MAKE IT A LITTLE MORE FRIENDLY FOR BICYCLES SO PEOPLE THAT DON'T HAVE CARS COULD RIDE THEIR BIKES.I'M THINKING KROGER'S PROBABLY MORE OF A DESTINATION THAN MANY OF THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE THERE.
AND I JUST, FROM A SAFETY STANDPOINT, THAT JUST SCARES ME TO DEATH.
BUT DR. HORN, WELL MARK, THIS DAY DOWN FEBRUARY 20TH, COUNCILMAN KHL AND I ARE KINDRED SPIRITS.
UH, I WILL JUST REMIND EVERYONE AT OUR LAST MEETING ON PUBLIC TRANSIT, IT WAS REPORTED THAT IN SOME NEIGHBORHOODS, 30% OR MORE OF RESIDENTS DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO RELIABLE PRIVATELY OWNED MOTOR VEHICLES.
AND YOU HAVE A CORRIDOR OF BUSINESSES WHERE EMPLOYEES ARE GOING TO WORK, AND IT'S IN OUR URBAN CORE WHERE INDIVIDUALS DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO VEHICLES.
AND THIS IS A WAY FOR THEM TO GET FROM POINT A TO POINT B.
AND, UH, IF MY MATH IS CORRECT, AND I RECALL, UM, CITY MANAGER WRIGHTON SAYING THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO REDUCE IT TO EIGHT FEET INSTEAD OF 10 FEET.
WELL, AS MY CALCULATIONS ARE CORRECT, IF WE REDUCE THE LANE SIZE, WE GOT 17 FEET.
IF WE NEED EIGHT FEET ON EITHER SIDE FOR A BIKE LANE, THEN WE'VE GOT ENOUGH SPACE TO DO IT.
AND SO I AM EXTREMELY SKEPTICAL THAT ANYTIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE WE ARE GOING TO BE REDOING WOOD STREET TO CREATE A BIKE PATHWAY.
THIS MAY BE OUR ONE AND ONLY CHANCE TO DO IT, AND WE SHOULD TRY.
OTHER COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL? DO YOU HAVE ANY DIRECTION OUT OF ALL THIS OTHER THAN WE'VE GOT TWO GUYS ON A BIKE,
I, IF YOU DON'T GET RUN OVER BY A TRUCK, I, I, I APPRECIATE COUNCIL'S, UH, FEEDBACK.
UM, I, IT IT'S, IT'S MORE THAN WE HAD BEFORE, BUT I'M, I'M SURE THAT YOU CAN SEE THE SAME THING THAT I SAW.
AND THAT IS THERE'S SOME CONFLICT BECAUSE IF WE WIDEN THE, UH, THE, THE PEDESTRIAN PATH, THEN WE NEED TO NARROW THE LANES.
AND IF WE WIDEN, IF WE KEEP THE LANES AT 13 OR EVEN 12, THEN THE EXTRA SPACE, UH, THAT WOULD ENABLE YOU EVEN TO PUT IN AN EIGHT, UH, PARTIALLY GOES AWAY.
SO THERE'S A, THERE'S A BIT OF A, THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT POLICY GOALS THERE.
QUESTION, QUESTION HERE, AS PART OF THIS, WE STUDY THIS STUFF FOR DOTS DOES OR THE PARK DISTRICT WHO HAS BEEN LIKE THE MAIN DRIVER OF BIKE LANES.
I THINK THEY PROBABLY, IT'S BETTER THAT THERE'S A, AN ACTUAL STUDY AND A PLAN THAN, YOU KNOW, US SITTING HERE SAYING, I THINK WE OUGHT TO HAVE A, A BIKE LANE HERE, BECAUSE THAT DOESN'T SEEM VERY COHESIVE OR WELL PLANNED BECAUSE JUST BECAUSE WE AS LAY PEOPLE THINK I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT, OR IT'D BE GOOD, WE MAY NOT SITTING HERE HAVE THE BEST KNOWLEDGE AND DATA THAT THEY DO WHEN THEY PUT MONEY AND EFFORT AND TIME INTO STUDYING SOMETHING AS OPPOSED TO A DISCUSSION ITEM ON A COUNCIL AGENDA.
I JUST THINK WE PROBABLY OUGHT TO STICK TO THE PLAN OR COME UP WITH A PLAN.
I, I AGREE THAT I THINK IT'D GREAT TO HAVE AN EAST WEST CORRIDOR AND I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE PLAN IS.
I KNOW ONE OF THE ITEMS THAT'S BEEN ON THE WISHLIST FOR A LONG TIME IS, IS, YOU KNOW, A BIKE LANE OF SOME SORT AROUND THE LAKE OR A MUCH SAFER PASSAGE GOING OVER THE LAKE ON EL DORADO, WHICH IS DANGEROUS WHEN YOU SEE PEOPLE OUT THERE WITH KIDS.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE DESTINATION IS IN THIS STRETCH OF ELDORADO OTHER THAN TWO FACTORIES AND INTO SEMI TRAFFIC, WHICH, WHICH SCARES ME.
BUT I THINK THERE'S PROBABLY A MORE WELL THOUGHT OUT PLAN THAN US SAYING, WE'D LIKE TO SEE THIS AND THIS MAKES SENSE AT THIS TIME.
WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT WITH THOSE ENTITIES AND SEE WHERE IT IS ON THE PLAN.
BUT I JUST THINK TO RANDOMLY THROW IT OUT THERE, THAT'S PROBABLY NOT THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION.
BUT PAT, MAYBE I'LL EVEN PAY FOR IT.
JUST DRAW A BIKE TRAIL THROUGH ON THOSE BOULEVARDS IN LIKE PRAIRIE STREET THERE.
YOU DON'T HAVE, LET'S GO BACK TO THE PLAN, PAT.
AND, YOU KNOW, A TO B MAYBE MR. WRIGHTON, YOU COULD, UH, REVIEW WHAT PLANS ARE OUT THERE AND MAYBE UPDATE COUNSEL ON WHAT THE STAGES ARE OR WHO'S IN CHARGE OF WHAT'S NEXT.
WE'RE, WE'RE HAPPY TO DO THAT.
THE REASON I THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE USEFUL IS BECAUSE, UM, I APPRECIATE DOT GIVING US THIS ADVANCE SORT OF PERMISSION FOR THIS, BUT THREE OR FOUR YEARS INTO THE FUTURE IS GONNA COME PRETTY FAST ACTUALLY, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE, THE DESIGN REQUIREMENTS.
AND SO, UM, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT AT LEAST IN A GENERAL CONCEPT,
[00:30:01]
NOT NECESSARILY THE SPECIFIC DETAILS, I APPRECIATE THAT YOU DEFER THAT TO THE, TO THE PLANNING STAFF, BUT AT LEAST IN THE GENERAL CONCEPT WAS ONE THAT YOU WERE COMFORTABLE WITH BEFORE.WE SPENT A LOT OF STAFF TIME AND, AND MONEY TOO ON, ON GOING DOWN THE ROAD OF A PARTICULAR DESIGN.
AND BECAUSE THESE DESIGN ELEMENTS ARE NOT COVERED BY THE 2021, UH, BICYCLE PLAN, UH, AND BECAUSE IT'S A HIGH VISIBILITY, UH, AREA AND, AND, AND YOU'LL GET FEEDBACK ON IT FROM, FROM CITIZENS, BUT IN GENERAL, I THINK THE COUNCIL WOULD LIKE TO SEE IMPROVEMENTS ON THE ROADWAY.
AND WE APPRECIATE THIS PRELIMINARY PLAN, BUT THIS IS KIND OF BABY STEPS.
EVERYBODY GOOD WITH MOVING FORWARD WITH SOME OF THIS.
I I'M NOT TRYING TO SHOOT THIS DOWN.
I JUST, YOU'VE GOT IDEAS, CHUCK IDEAS, AND IF I DON'T SPEAK 'EM, SAY NOW, NOT GONNA HAPPEN.
SO, SO, SO WOULD IT BE FAIR TO SAY THAT VERY GENERALLY THE CONCEPT IS, IS OKAY, WE SHOULD TWEAK IT SOME MORE AND GET, HAVE YOUR CHANCE TO LOOK AT IT AGAIN LATER IN THE PLANNING PROCESS? WELL, YOU'VE GOT TWO ISSUES.
YOU GOTTA DECIDE WHETHER YOU'RE GONNA, WHY CUT THESE ROADS DOWN OR NOT, BECAUSE THERE'S TWO MEMBERS THAT AREN'T NECESSARY FOR THAT.
AND THEN IF YOU, IF YOU DON'T EVEN CUT THE LANES DOWN, THEN THE BIKE IDEA OUT BECAUSE YOU DON'T, YOU'RE NOT RIGHT.
SO THAT PROBABLY IS THE CENTRAL PLANNING ISSUE AND WHETHER OR NOT EL DORADO SHOULD EVEN BE A QUARTER ON WHICH THERE'S, THERE'S A HIKE BIKE ROUTE.
AND DO WE HAVE ANY, I IT'S WAY EARLY IN THIS, BUT THE KIND OF COST ESTIMATE WE WOULD BE LOOKING AT FOR THIS? WELL, AS WITH THE, THE PROJECT ON 51, UH, THESE SORTS OF AMENITIES WILL ADD A COUPLE MILLION DOLLARS TO THE PROJECT COST.
AND THAT'S ALSO A PART OF WHY WE NEED TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS FAIRLY EARLY ON.
WE'VE BEEN FORTUNATE TO GET $4 MILLION OF EXTRAS THROUGH AN IEP GRANT AND THROUGH, UM, AN EARMARK FOR THESE EXTRAS THAT IDOT WOULDN'T ORDINARILY ORDINARILY COVER, UM, ON THE 51 PROJECT.
AND WE WILL NEED TIME TO DO THAT AS WELL ON EL DORADO.
YOU NEED FURTHER COMMENTS MR. HORN? I, I HAVE SOME CONCERNS WITH THE GREEN MEDIANS.
I, I I DRIVE ON WEST MAIN ALMOST EVERY DAY.
NO ONE KNOWS HOW TO TURN LEFT, UH, ON THOSE BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW WHETHER TO TURN BEFORE THE MEDIAN OR AFTER THE MEDIAN.
SOME GROUPS DO A BETTER JOB OF MAINTAINING THE MEDIANS THAN OTHER GROUPS DO.
UH, I'M PRO GREEN SPACE, BUT NOT IN THE CENTER OF LDO AND I PRO U-TURN WHEN I HAVE TO GET AWAY FROM A TRAIN.
THE ONLY PLACE THAT NEIL'S TEAM SHOWED THE WAS RIGHT BEFORE THE, THE RAILROAD CROSSING.
UM, EVERYBODY WHO'S COMMENTED ON IT HAS SUGGESTED THAT IT GO AWAY, SO IT'LL GO AWAY.
IT'S ALSO PROBABLY, AS LISA SAID, PRETTY DANGEROUS TO WATER AND MOW THAT, SO, BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT.
[2. Resolution Authorizing a Sourcewell Contract for the Purchase of Five (5) Dump Trucks]
MOVING ON TO ITEM TWO RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING A SOURCE WELL CONTRACT FOR THE PURCHASE OF FIVE, DUMP TRUCK, MOTION TO THE RESOLUTION, BE PASS AND BE ADOPTED.UM, THE, UM, CITY PROPOSES, UH, FIVE DUMP TRUCKS, UH, FOR THEM IN PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT AND ONE IN THE WATER SEWER AREA.
UM, WHAT'S THIS? KEEPS US ON PACE AS WE'VE BEEN DOING FOR SEVERAL YEARS WITH THE NEED TO REPLACE SOME OF OUR ROLLING STOCK AFTER SEVERAL YEARS OF DEFERRAL OF THAT.
THE ONLY THING THAT'S REALLY DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS IS THAT WE HAVE TO FINANCE A PORTION OF IT BASED ON SOME OF THE RESTRICTIONS IN THE GENERAL FUND THAT WE HAD TO, TO, UH, TO ENACT INTO THE BUDGET, UM, BECAUSE OF THE LOWER TAX RATE, WHICH IS FINE.
UH, AND, UH, OTHER THAN THAT, MATT, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD? I DON'T.
ANY QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL? COUNCILWOMAN GREGORY? I'M SHOCKED.
YOU'RE GETTING FIVE NEW VEHICLES.
YOU'VE BEEN TAKING LESSONS FROM CHIEF BRANDO.
WE'RE GONNA CALL 'EM CHIEF NEWELL.
I WOULD'VE GOT, I WOULD'VE GOTTEN 10 IF I OH, YEAH.
WELL, I, I, THERE'S STILL TIME.
I NOTICED ON THE, UH, LAST MEETING THERE WAS, UM, SOMETHING IN THE CONSENT AGENDA AND THERE WAS ONLY ONE, AND I WAS GONNA SAY SOMETHING THEN, BUT, UM, YEAH, FIVE.
BUT I DO HAVE A SERIOUS QUESTION.
I HAPPEN TO BE ON JASPER STREET, UM, TOWARDS THE NORTH END.
SO I WAS GOING PAST YOUR OFFICE AREA.
WHEN THE OLDER VEHICLES ARE SITTING THERE, HOW, HOW DO WE DISPOSE OF THEM OR WHAT, WHAT DO WE DO WITH THEM? NORMALLY, WE, UH, UH, WE DO SEVERAL THINGS.
SOMETIMES WE TURN THEM IN AS PART OF, UH, THE REPLACEMENT.
THE, THE VENDOR WILL TAKE THE, UH, TAKE THE, THE OLD VEHICLE, OTHERS WE, UH, DISPOSE OF ON, UH, GOV DEALS, I BELIEVE, YEAH, THROUGH, UH, THROUGH PURCHASING.
AND, UH, AND SOME WE KEEP FOR, UH, SPARE PARTS.
THE OLDER ONES THAT WE CAN'T GET PARTS FOR, WE CAN SOMETIMES HANG.
THEY, THEY'LL JUST SOMETIMES HANG THOSE AROUND AND KEEP THEM.
[00:35:02]
I KNOW WE, UM, DUE TO THE TAX MONEY, YOU HAD TO CUT, CUT SOME OF THE FUNDS OUT, UM, BUT WOULD GO DOWN TO FOUR DUMP TRUCKS VERSUS FIVE.UH, WOULD THAT KEEP IT WITHIN THE BUDGET? SO THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN, UH, THE CASH FUNDING VERSUS WHAT WE'RE GONNA FINANCE.
AND SO THE CASH FUNDING IS GONNA PAY FOR SOME OF THE OTHER VEHICLES.
ALL OF THESE VEHICLES WERE IN THE BUDGET LISTED.
AND THEN, UM, WITH THE CASH FUNDING OF WHAT WE'RE GONNA PAY WITH CASH VERSUS FINANCING THROUGH THE BANK, WE'RE GONNA FINANCE THE DUMP TRUCKS.
AND SO OVER TIME, UH, WE HAVEN'T, UH, I THINK WE'VE ALLUDED TO THIS SEVERAL TIMES, IS WE HAVEN'T ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO BUY VEHICLES OVER TIME.
AND SO WE WERE TRYING TO CATCH UP THE POLICE VEHICLES AND THE DUMP TRUCKS, UH, IN PARTICULAR OVER TIME, AND THIS IS GONNA HELP US DO THAT.
AND SO WE FELT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO GO AHEAD AND PURCHASE THE DUMP TRUCKS, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE GONNA FINANCE THEM.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE OLD ONES ARE WORTH, ROUGHLY? JUST CURIOUS.
I BELIEVE, UH, UH, OUR FLEET MANAGER THOUGHT THEY WERE AROUND 20 OR $30,000.
AND THE SECOND QUESTION IS, DO WE HAVE ANYWHERE WE CAN BORROW FROM OURSELVES LIKE WE DID WITH THE LIGHTING INSTEAD OF GOING OUT AND BORROWING? UH, THAT IS ALWAYS A POSSIBILITY.
UM, AND, UM, IF YOU'D LIKE US TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT, WE WILL, I GUESS YOU'D HAVE TO, WE'D HAVE TO PULL THE REST OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, BUT I KNOW WE'VE DONE THAT BEFORE AND I JUST THOUGHT IF WE COULD BORROW FROM OURSELVES, THAT WOULD BE BETTER THAN BORROWING FROM SOMEBODY ELSE.
DR. HORN, COUNCILMAN KUHL AND I ARE TWO FOR TWO.
UM, I'M GETTING A LITTLE SCARED.
UM, I FIR, FIRST OF ALL, I UNDERSTAND YOU NEED DUMP TRUCKS.
I REALIZE THEY ARE THE WORKHORSES OF, UM, THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
AND IF MY RECOLLECTION IS CORRECT, THERE'S ABOUT 25 DUMP TRUCKS IN OUR FLEET, UM, THAT ULTIMATELY NEED TO BE REPLACED.
FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, THIS IS GONNA BE A YEARLY REQUEST.
WE'RE GONNA NEED DUMP TRUCKS, UH, MAYBE NOT FIVE EVERY YEAR, BUT WE'RE GONNA NEED DUMP TRUCKS EVERY YEAR.
AND WE NEED TO FIND A WAY WITHIN OUR BUDGET TO PAY FOR THEM AND NOT BORROW FOR WHAT IS GOING TO BE A ROUTINE, REGULAR EXPENSE OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
WE'VE GOT A 90 DAY CASH RESERVE, WE'VE GOT A SPECIAL PROJECTS FUND, WE HAVE GOT CONTINGENCY FUNDS.
AND SO RATHER THAN PAY INTEREST ON WHAT IS A ROUTINE PROJECT, UM, WE SHOULD BE USING SURPLUS FUNDS OR EXTRA FUNDS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE AVAILABLE BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE'RE GONNA BE ORDERING DUMP TRUCKS EVERY YEAR, AND WE NEED TO FIND EITHER THE REVENUE SOURCES FOR THEM OR BORROW FROM OTHER INTERNAL FUNDS.
I AM OPPOSED TO, UH, PURCHASING THESE DUMP TRUCKS USING EXTERNAL FUNDING.
MR. MCDANIEL, UM, THE FINANCIAL RE UH, UH, REPORTS TODAY ON SOME OF THE, UH, RETAILERS, WALMART, UH, THEY'VE SAID PEOPLE ARE BUYING LESS.
UH, PEOPLE ARE ARE, UH, MAXED OUT ON THEIR CREDIT CARDS.
YOU LISTEN TO ANY OF THE TALKING HEADS FINANCIAL PEOPLE, IT'S, UH, GONNA BE TOUGH AND WE MAY NEED BE LESS SALES TAX COMING IN FOR US, SO WE BETTER HOLD ONTO OUR CASH.
YEAH, I'M NOT BIG ON BORROWING, BUT ON SOMETHING LIKE THIS, UH, I THINK THIS CAN BE A, A ROUGH YEAR FINANCIALLY.
PEOPLE ARE BEING LAID OFF BY A LOT OF MAJOR CORPORATIONS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.
SO, UH, WE'VE GOT, THINK ABOUT THAT, AND WE GET DOWN TO NOT ENOUGH CASH TO COME IN, THEN WE'VE GOT SOME OTHER PROBLEMS, OTHER COMMENTS? SO I DID ASK, UM, FOR THEM TO LOOK AT HOW MANY DUMP TRUCKS WE MIGHT NEED IN THE FUTURE, AND NEXT YEAR THEY'RE POTENTIALLY LOOKING AT FIVE MORE DUMP TRUCKS, BUT IT'S NOT GONNA BE FIVE EVERY YEAR.
SO THEY'VE BEEN, UH, LOOKING AT TRYING TO GET THE EQUIPMENT, UH, AND VEHICLE STOCK, UH, IN PLACE AND POLICE VEHICLES ARE LOOKING PRETTY GOOD.
UH, AFTER THIS YEAR, THE DUMP TRUCKS FIVE MORE NEXT YEAR, WHICH IS SOMETHING WE WANT, WE WANTED TO LOOK AT WHEN WE DID THIS, UM, FOR THE REASONS, UH, THAT MR. MCDANIEL, UH, UH, LISTED.
WE, UH, ALSO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT WANTING, NOT WANTING TO DIP INTO THE 90 DAY CASH.
UM, BUT CERTAINLY, UH, WE ARE NOT APPROVING THE FINANCING RIGHT NOW.
[00:40:01]
KNOW, THAT IS WHAT I'M RECOMMENDING, UH, AND HOW WE USUALLY DO THIS.I WANTED TO GIVE THE HEADS UP, UH, THAT WE NEED TO DO FAN FINANCING OF SOME SORT.
WE CAN BORROW FROM OURSELVES, WE CAN LOOK OUTSIDE AND IT, AND IT OBVIOUSLY, IF WHAT YOU SAY IS WE NEED TO BORROW FROM OURSELVES, UM, THEN THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO DO.
I WANTED TO POINT OUT, UH, CLEARLY POINT OUT THAT WE WEREN'T LOOKING AT CASH NECESSARILY CASH, CASH IN THE BUDGET.
AND SO WE WOULD NEED TO BORROW FROM OURSELVES.
IS THAT, IF THAT IS WHAT YOU DIRECT US TO DO, BUT I WANTED TO BE CLEAR ABOUT THAT.
AND IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE, UM, WE WOULD HAVE TO PUT IN TO ORDER THE DUMP TRUCKS.
NOW THERE'S A, A ONE YEAR, UM, YOU KNOW, BACKLOG OR IF YOU WANNA SAY THAT IT TAKES A WHILE TO GET THE DUMP TRUCKS.
UH, BUT I DID WANNA BE CLEAR THAT, UM, THERE'S NOT CASH IN THE BUDGET TO DO THAT.
AND THERE WOULD BE, BE, HAVE TO, HAVE TO BE SOME SORT OF FINANCING, UM, WHETHER IT'S FROM OURSELVES OR A BANK IN ORDER TO DO THIS.
WELL, I THINK WE OUGHT TO MOVE AHEAD WITH IT.
BUT IF WE HIT A POINT WHERE, YOU KNOW, AND PAT IS, I, I MEAN, I WOULD RATHER BE A LITTLE BIT SAFE WITH THINGS.
I MEAN, WE CAN ALWAYS PAY THINGS OFF EARLY IF WE BORROWED, WHETHER IT'S FROM OURSELVES OR FROM, UM, YOU KNOW, A BANK.
ANY THOUGHTS FROM ANYONE ELSE? MR. BRIGHTON? I JUST WANNA MENTION THAT FOR WHEN I FIRST CAME HERE, WE WERE BUYING EVERYTHING ON, ON DEBT SERVICE, INCLUDING POLICE CARS AND, AND EVEN SMALLER VEHICLES THAT WERE, THAT WERE EVEN LESS EXPENSIVE.
AND WE'VE MOVED TO HAVING CASH PURCHASE FOR EVERYTHING THAT'S UNDER A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.
UH, AND TO MINIMIZE THESE SORTS OF PURCHASES.
IT CERTAINLY IS, AND I GUESS RUBY SAID THIS IN A DIFFERENT WAY, A JUDGMENT CALL AS TO WHEN DO YOU CHOOSE TO FINANCE OR NOT IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT RESERVES.
IF AS A POINT OF ORDER, THE ITEM ON THE FLOOR IS JUST THE ACQUISITION OF THE, OF THE, OF THE TRUCKS AND NOT THE FINANCING.
AND WE'RE GONNA COME BACK TO YOU AT A LATER TIME ON THE FINANCING LIKE WE DID ON THE, ON THE BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS TO THE LIBRARY AND THE MUNICIPAL SERVICE CENTER.
THEN I WOULD REQUEST THEN, BASED ON WHAT I'M HEARING, IS THAT WE APPROVE THIS MOTION AND LET THE MINUTES REFLECT THAT IT'S SIMPLY THE ACQUISITION OF THOSE FIVE VEHICLES, AND THAT WE WILL COME BACK TO YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WITH SEVERAL DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR FINANCING, UM, AND PROVIDE SOME MORE CONTEXT FOR THIS DECISION THAT W THAT WE, I THINK THAT'S FAIR, THAT WE RECOMMEND FAIR.
THAT THAT WORKS FOR EVERYBODY.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE.
[3. Ordinance Amending City Code Chapter 44 – Fire Prevention and Hazardous Materials Control]
AMENDING CITY CODE CHAPTER 44, FIRE PREVENTION AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS CONTROL MOTION, THE ORDINANCE TO PASS AND BE ADOPTED.UH, WE DID HAVE A COUPLE OF PEOPLE WHO SIGNED UP, UM, FROM THE PUBLIC THAT WANNA SPEAK ON THIS ITEM.
THE WAY WE GENERALLY HANDLE THIS, AS THE MANAGER EXPLAINS, UH, THE ISSUE AT HAND.
WE MAY HEAR FROM THE FIRE CHIEF AND DISCUSSION FROM COUNCIL, THEN WE WILL INVITE YOU UP, UH, TO SPEAK FOR A FEW MINUTES ON, UH, THE ITEM OF INTEREST, MR. WRIGHTON ION COUNCIL HAVING LIFT ASSIST ORDINANCES IS, IS NOT, WHILE IT WOULD BE NEW FOR THE CITY OF DECATUR, IT, UH, IT'S, UH, MANY SOMETHING THAT MANY ILLINOIS CITIES HAVE DONE.
I THINK THE CONTEXT FOR THIS IS THAT THERE ARE MORE AND MORE PLACES THAT ARE NURSING HOMES AND, AND OTHER SORTS OF, UH, COMMERCIAL CARE CENTERS THAT, UH, EITHER BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE EQUIPMENT OR THEY DON'T HAVE THE STAFF ARE CALLING ON THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO COME AND DO A LIFT ASSIST, WHICH IS NOT AT ITS CORE MISSION AND TAKES US AWAY FROM OUR, OUR CORE MISSION AND EXPOSES US NOT ONLY TO LIABILITY, BUT ALSO TO WORKERS AT COMP CLAIMS. UH, WE HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DO THIS WITHOUT LEGISLATIVE, UM, WITHOUT APPROVAL BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, UH, BECAUSE WE'RE A HOME RULE MUNICIPALITY.
BUT JUST TO GIVE YOU SOME SENSE OF HOW, UH, THE FACT THAT MANY OTHER CITIES AND JURISDICTIONS AND ILLINOIS ARE DOING IT, THERE'S NOW A, A PIECE OF LEGISLATION BEFORE THE, THE, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY THAT WOULD EXPAND THAT POWER TO ALSO GIVE, UM, FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICTS AND NON-HOME RULE CITIES.
THE AUTHORITY TO DO THAT, THAT DOESN'T, THAT DOESN'T APPLY TO US BECAUSE WE'RE HOME RULE, BUT IT CLARIFIES THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S BEING REQUESTED BY PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THE FIRST RESPONDER BUSINESS THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
THE ORDINANCE THAT WE'VE PROPOSED FOR YOU IS ONLY GOING TO APPLY TO THOSE COMMERCIAL INSTITUTIONS, NOT TO SOMEONE WHO'S LIVING AT HOME.
UM, AND, UH, UH, IN OTHER WORDS WHERE SOMEONE HAS PAID A FEE FOR SOMEONE TO PROVIDE SOME LEVEL, AND, AND I KNOW THAT, THAT THE LEVELS OF HEALTHCARE SERVICE VARY, BUT SOME LEVEL OF HEALTHCARE SERVICE, UH, THEN THERE'S, IT'S A REASONABLE EXPECTATION THAT THAT SERVICE WOULD INCLUDE HELPING SOMEONE WHEN THEY HAVE FALLEN WITHOUT HAVING TO ASK THE TAXPAYERS TO PAY FOR THAT.
UM, I DON'T, I WANT TO, ALTHOUGH THE NUMBER OF LYFT ASSIST WENT OVER A THOUSAND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2023, UH, THIS ORDINANCE IS NOT GONNA SOLVE ALL OF THEM.
UM, PROBABLY NOT EVEN THE MAJORITY OF THEM, BUT IT'S AN IMPORTANT FIRST STEP.
UH, AND, AND I WANNA CLARIFY AS WELL THAT, UM, THERE'S, THERE'S NO LANGUAGE IN HERE THAT SAYS, WELL, THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA HELP PEOPLE IN NEED.
UH, WE'LL, WHERE THERE'S NEED, WE WILL RESPOND TO THAT AND
[00:45:01]
WORRY ABOUT THE BUILDING LATER ON.CHIEF, DO YOU WANNA MENTION SOME OTHER THINGS IN YOUR RESEARCH ON THIS? MAYOR COUNCIL, ONE OF THE THINGS WE LOOKED AT, AND IT'S KIND OF, UH, FALLS ON THE HEELS OF YOUR CONVERSATION WITH, UH, CHIEF NEWELL WAS THE, UH,
AND IN PARTICULAR, WHEN IT COMES TO LIFT ASSIST, THE MAIN PROBLEM, AND I THINK THE FOCAL POINT RIGHT NOW IS THAT WHEN OUR GUYS SHOW UP TO SOME OF THESE COMMERCIAL FACILITIES TO DO A LIFT ASSIST, YOU HAVE A A, AND I'M NOT PICKING ON ANYBODY HERE, YOU HAVE A, A 90 POUND ELDERLY FEMALE ON THE GROUND AND YOU HAVE THREE STAFF MEMBERS STANDING THERE LEAVING HER ON THE GROUND UNTIL WE SHOW UP TO PICK HER UP.
NOW, I WOULD PROPOSE THAT ANY OF US THAT SAW A ELDERLY PERSON FALL AT A GROCERY STORE OR OUT IN THE PARK OR SOMEWHERE, WE WOULD OFFER TO HELP THEM UP.
SO OUR CONCENTRATION RIGHT NOW IS THE, IS THE FACILITIES THAT HAVE PEOPLE THERE TO PROVIDE CARE AND THEY DO NOT PROVIDE THE CARE, AND THEY RELY ON US TO COME AND PROVIDE THE CARE.
AND THAT'S KIND OF WHAT, WHEN WE TALK TO OUR COUNTERPARTS IN PEORIA, ROCKFORD, SOME OF THE OTHER CITIES WHO ARE PROPOSING THIS, THAT, THAT WE LOOKED AT, AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE STARTING HERE.
CAN I ASK FOR SOME OF THE, UM, PROFESSIONAL FACILITIES THAT CARE FOR OUR ELDERLY RESIDENTS, WHETHER IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, ASSISTED LIVING OR, OR NURSING HOME.
DO MOST OF THEM HAVE THE EQUIPMENT FOR NOT A 90 POUND RESIDENT, BUT BUT A LARGER RESIDENT? DO THEY HAVE, UH, ANY KIND OF MECHANICAL LIFT LIFT AT MOST OF THESE PLACES? SOME DO.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT EVERY FACILITY HAS.
I KNOW THAT ONE PARTICULAR FACILITY, WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT OUR NUMBERS SINCE 2012, WE RESPONDED 747 TIMES TO DO LIFT ASSIST.
SO I WOULD PROPOSE, OR I WOULD ASSUME THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE THE FACIL OR THE EQUIPMENT.
HOWEVER, I WAS TOLD THAT DURING COVI, WHEN THE FACILITIES WERE SHUT DOWN, WE WERE NOT GOING TO THOSE FACILITIES TO DO LIFT ASSIST.
SO SOMEHOW THEY WERE MANAGING TO GET THE PEOPLE.
I DON'T BELIEVE PEOPLE STOP FALLING ALL OF A SUDDEN BECAUSE COVID HIT, BUT, SO I KNOW THERE WAS DEVICES OUT THERE.
DOES EVERY FACILITY HAVE IT? I COULDN'T ANSWER THAT.
QUESTIONS FROM COUNSEL, MR. COOPER? UM, ONE QUESTION, UM, SINCE OBVIOUSLY THIS WILL BE SOMETHING NEW FOR THE FACILITIES, WHAT TYPE OF, UM, CONTACT HAS BEEN MADE TO THE FACILITIES THAT THIS IS GOING TO IMPACT IN OUR CITY? HAVE THEY BEEN NOTIFIED, BEEN TALKED TO, OR BEEN GOT LETTERS ABOUT THIS COMING? OR WHAT'S, WHAT'S BEEN THE COMMUNICATION TO THE FACILITIES THAT THIS WILL AFFECT? UH, I WOULD SAY THAT THERE HAS BEEN NO COMMUNICATION TO THE FACILITIES, MUCH LIKE THE FACILITIES HAVE NOT CONTACTED US TO TELL US THAT THEY WERE GONNA USE US TO DO ALL THEIR LIFT ASSIST.
SO, BUT I WOULD SAY THAT, THAT THROUGH CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COUNCIL OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, I, I THINK IF YOU WERE IN ONE OF THESE FACILITIES OR ONE OF THESE BUSINESSES THAT YOU HAVE HEARD THE CONVERSATION ABOUT LIFT ASSIST BEING BROUGHT UP YEAR OVER YEAR.
I'VE, I'VE HEARD IT HERE YEAR AFTER YEAR.
UM, BUT I'M, I'M HIGHLY AMAZED DUMBFOUNDING MATTER THAT YOU HAVEN'T REACHED OUT TO THE FACILITIES THAT'S GOING TO BE IMPACTED WITH A $500 FEE FOR THIS SERVICE.
UM, I'LL LET EVERYBODY ELSE TALK, BUT, UH, I WOULD, I WOULD WANT TO TABLE THIS, THIS MATTER AND, UH, HAVE THE FACILITIES CONTACTED APPROPRIATELY BEFORE WE WOULD MOVE ON SUCH A, ANY EXPENDITURE.
MR. KEHL, I HAVE A PERSONAL FRIEND THAT OWNS ASSISTED LIVING CENTERS.
I PERSONALLY CONTACTED HIM AS I WOULD ANYBODY, UM, ABOUT THIS ISSUE BECAUSE I KNEW IT WOULD AFFECT HIS BUSINESS.
AND I BELIEVE, I BELIEVE ONE OF HIS EMPLOYEES MAY BE HERE TONIGHT.
SO, UM, MY INITIAL COMMENT IS, I, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO KNOW WHERE 500 CAME FROM.
WAS THAT, IS THERE A BASIS FOR THAT OR IS THAT JUST A NUMBER THAT I, I ASSUME IT'S NOT JUST A NUMBER YOU PICKED OUT OF THE AIR.
I, I, I JUST WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHERE THAT CAME FROM.
THE, UM, THE FIRST ONE THAT WE LOOKED AT, PEORIA HAD AN $800 FEE, AND WE WERE TRYING TO LOOK AT WHAT OUR ACTUAL COST WOULD BE IN, IN THE HOURLY RATE OF THE FIREFIGHTERS, THE VEHICLE, THE, THE, ALL THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH THE FIREFIGHTERS, PENSION FUNDS, HEALTH INSURANCE, ALL OF THE STUFF THAT IT, THAT GOES INTO ACTUALLY PAYING THAT EMPLOYEE AND COME UP WITH A REASONABLE NUMBER.
MR. MCDANIEL, UM, I'LL CORRECT YOU, THIS HAS BEEN DISCUSSED WHEN, EVEN WHEN I FIRST CAME ON THE COUNCIL IN 2011, IT'S BEEN BROUGHT UP MANY TIMES AND I UNDERSTAND, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, THESE NURSING HOMES AND, UH, ASSISTED LI THEY'RE A
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BUSINESS, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE INSURANCE AND THEY SHOULD BE DOING THIS AND NOT PUTTING IT ON THE TAXPAYER TO, AND, AND OF COURSE THE, THE PROBLEM WITH EVEN OUR, UH, UH, FIRE, UH, STAFF, YOU KNOW, UH, GETTING HURT AND THINGS LIKE THAT.SO, UH, BUT IT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED WAY BACK, COUNCILWOMAN GREGORY, I'M FINALLY GLAD TO SEE THIS ON THE AGENDA.
WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE.
AND SO FOLKS HAVE BEEN PAYING ATTENTION.
THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN PUTTING IN THEIR ORDER FOR HOYER LIFTS.
WE PLACE OUR LOVED ONES IN LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES BECAUSE WE CAN NO LONGER CARE FOR THEM AT HOME.
WE WOULD PREFER TO CARE FOR THEM AT HOME.
THEY WOULD PREFER TO BE AT HOME.
IF I HAVE A LOVED ONE THAT HAS FALLEN IN A LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY WHERE MEDICARE, WHERE MEDICAID, WHERE SUPPLEMENTAL INSURANCE IS PAYING THE BILL, I DON'T WANT MY LOVED ONE LAYING ON THE FLOOR TILL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET THERE AND HELP THEM BACK UP.
IF A FACILITY DOESN'T HAVE A HOYER LIFT, I SOMETIMES QUESTION HOW, UM, AN INDIVIDUAL IS RECEIVING, UH, DAILY BATHING CARE.
UM, I I, I DON'T THINK $500 IS TOO MUCH TO ADD FOR THIS TO, TO, TO BILL FOR THIS.
UM, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WHEN A LOVED ONE GOES TO A LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY, ALL THE DOCUMENTS THAT YOU READ ABOUT HOW WONDERFUL CARE YOUR INDIVIDUAL IS GONNA RECEIVE AND ALL THE RULES THAT GO ALONG WITH IT, AND YOU SIGN THAT ENROLLMENT FORM, THERE IS AN EXPECTATION THAT THEY ARE GOING TO BE CARED FOR IN A HUMANELY AS POSSIBLE WAY.
AND THAT DOESN'T MEAN LAYING ON THE FLOOR.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT NON-EMERGENT TIMES ARE.
UM, WHEN WE HAVE A FIRE, UM, OUR GUYS ARE MEN AND WOMEN ARE BEATING THE REQUIREMENTS, BUT I, I JUST DON'T KNOW WHY WE WOULD TABLE THIS.
I DON'T KNOW WHY WOULD, WE WOULD DEBATE OVER THE COST OF IT.
THIS IS IMPERATIVE AND I, I AM A YES VOTE THAT, UH, I WORKED FOR A, UH, CENTRAL ILLINOIS NURSING AND ASSISTED LIVING FAC, UH, COMPANY, AND MANY OF THEIR FACILITIES ARE HERE IN DECATUR.
AND EVEN WHEN I HAD TO PUT MY MOTHER IN A, IN A LOCAL, UH, NURSING HOME HERE A FEW YEARS AGO, THEY HAD LIFTS.
IF THEY DON'T, THEN THAT, THAT THEY'RE NEGLECT, BUT MOST OF 'EM DO.
OTHER COMMENTS, DR. HORN? FIRST, A TECHNICAL QUESTION, PROBABLY FOR CORPORATION COUNCIL, IF, IF MY READING IS CORRECT, AN INDEPENDENT LIVING FACILITY IS COVERED IN THIS ORDINANCE.
AND MY, MY CONCERN IF THAT IS CORRECT, IS THAT INDEPENDENT LIVING FACILITIES DO NOT ALL HAVE PROVIDE MEDICAL CARE FOR THEIR CLIENTS.
AND SO WHAT WE ARE SAYING IS IF YOU LIVED AT AN INDEPENDENT LIVING FACILITY THAT DID NOT HAVE MEDICAL, UM, CARE AVAILABLE, THAT THEY WOULD BE CHARGED THE FACILITY $500 FOR A LIFT ASSIST.
AND I, I, I DO, I AM, I HAVE A CONCERN ABOUT THAT PROVISION IN THE LANGUAGE BECAUSE IF THE FACILITY IS NOT A MEDICAL FACILITY, DOES NOT PROVIDE HEALTHCARE TO ITS RESIDENTS, WHY ARE WE CHARGING $500, UH, TO THEM? UM, UH, THAT TO ME IS, UM, UH, I, I JUST DON'T THINK THAT IS FAIR TO THOSE INDEPENDENT LIVING FACILITIES.
UM, THERE'S ASSISTED LIVING, THERE'S NURSING CARE AND THOSE ENTITIES SHOULD HAVE LIFT ASSIST, BUT I, I MEAN, DECATUR DOESN'T HAVE A, THE DECATUR CIVIC CENTER, AS FAR AS I KNOW, DOESN'T HAVE A, A NURSE ON STAFF.
IF I FALL AND, UM, I CAN'T GET UP, UM, AND I NEED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO COME LIFT ME UP, ARE WE CHARGING THE CIVIC CENTER?
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BECAUSE THEY, THERE WEREN'T HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS TO DO IT.I JUST, I FEEL THAT THAT IS A LITTLE TOO MUCH, WENDY, YOU'VE INTERPRETED THIS.
YEAH, NO, THE DEFINITION, UM, IS ONLY GOING TO APPLY TO THOSE ESTABLISHMENTS, UM, THAT PROVIDE ASSISTED LIVING OR INDEPENDENT LIVING SERVICES FOR PAY TO THREE OR MORE PERSONS WHO RESIDE IN THAT RESIDENTIAL SETTING AND ARE NOT RELATED TO THE, THE, UH, OWNER OF THAT FACILITY.
AND THEN THERE'S SOME EXCEPTIONS.
UM, IT DOESN'T INCLUDE A HOME, A RESIDENTIAL FACILITY IN WHICH CASUAL CARE IS PROVIDED IRREGULARLY.
SO IF YOU'RE OVER VISITING A PARENT, FOR INSTANCE, OR YOU KNOW, AN AUNT, TWO AUNTS THAT LIVE TOGETHER, IT WOULDN'T APPLY.
SO IT'S, UM, VERY LIMITED IN THE DEFINITION OF WHO IT WOULD APPLY TO.
WELL, I UNDERSTOOD THAT CIVIC CENTER IS OUT, BUT, SO JUST SO I'M CLEAR, IF AN INDEPENDENT LIVING FACILITY DOES NOT OFFER, UH, MEDICAL CARE, HEALTHCARE, THEN THAT INDEPENDENT LIVING FACILITY WOULD NOT BE CHARGED UNDER THIS ORDINANCE? NO, THAT DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT.
IF THEY PROVIDE, UM, ASSISTED LIVING OR INDEPENDENT LIVING SERVICES AND YOU PAY THEM FOR THAT, SO THEY'RE MAKING MONEY FOR PROVIDING, UM, ASSISTED LIVING OR INDEPENDENT LIVING SERVICES TO THREE OR MORE PERSONS, AND THOSE PEOPLE RESIDE IN THOSE FACILITIES, IT APPLIES WELL, BUT IT, UM, I'M SORRY, MAYBE I NEED TO, ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES CAN HELP ME OUT.
I MEAN, YOU PAY FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING, BUT THAT DOESN'T, I MEAN, THAT MEANS THEY MIGHT MOW YOUR LAWN, DO THE LANDSCAPING, UH, PERHAPS DO OTHER CHORES SHOVELED SNOW, BUT I DON'T THINK IT WOULD ALWAYS BE A HEALTHCARE PERSON WHO WOULD BE HELPING YOU UP IN THOSE FACILITIES, BECAUSE GENERALLY SPEAKING, EVEN THE ONES THAT ARE ASSISTED LIVING HAVE A NURSE THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE ON DUTY 24 7.
THEY MAY BE THERE FOR LIMITED TIME DURING THE DAY, WHETHER IT'S AN EIGHT HOUR DAY OR WHAT HAVE YOU.
BUT THERE ARE, UM, I'VE SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN A LOT OF THESE FACILITIES, THERE ARE GENERALLY STAFF MEMBERS AROUND WHO WOULD BE THERE TO ASSIST.
IT WOULDN'T, THEY WOULDN'T JUST CALL ON THE NURSE THAT WOULD COME HELP YOU UP.
IT COULD BE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WHO, WHO ALSO WORK THERE, WHO KNOW, ARE TRAINED LIKE CNAS OR WHO ARE TRAINED TO, UM, YOU KNOW, UM, USE THE HOYER SYSTEM OR WHAT HAVE YOU.
I UNDERSTAND YOUR POINT, MAYOR, BUT IF YOU'RE AT AN INDEPENDENT LIVING FACILITY, THERE MAY BE NO OTHER THERE, THERE MAY NOT BE ANYBODY TO CALL THAT.
YOU, YOU, THERE'S, THERE'S NOT THE, THE PERSON MANU CURING THE BUSHES THAT DAY MIGHT NOT BE THERE.
UM, OR WHATEVER IT HAPPENS TO BE.
UH, INDEPENDENT LIVING FACILITIES ARE NOT NECESSARILY PROVIDING HEALTHCARE TO THEIR RESIDENTS.
AND WE WOULD BE CHARGING THEM FOR A LIFT ASSIST.
IT'S NOT PART OF THEIR COMMERCIAL BUSINESS THAT IT'S NOT PART OF THEIR BUSINESS.
UH, SORRY, WENDY, JUST TO CONFIRM IF THIS ORDINANCE PASSES, WE ARE CHARGING INDEPENDENT LIVING FACILITIES IF A RESIDENT CALLS FOR A LIFT ASSIST, IF IT FALLS WITHIN THE DEFINITION OF THE ORDINANCE, WHICH IS A FAIRLY NARROW DEFINITION.
SO I BELIEVE THE ANSWER IS YES.
UM, I, UM, WE DO, UH, HAVE A COUPLE RESIDENTS THAT, UH, WOULD LIKE, OR PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE, I THINK PERHAPS REPRESENTING FIRMS, UH, THAT WE'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM.
AND WE CAN ALSO GO BACK TO DISCUSSION.
UH, THE FIRST PERSON, I BELIEVE IT'S JOHANNA MCFADDEN, YOU.
YOU HAVE ABOUT THREE MINUTES, AND THERE MIGHT BE A COUPLE QUESTIONS FROM, UH, COUNSEL.
I'M THE DIRECTOR AT EVERGREEN SENIOR LIVING.
WE'RE ON THE MOUNT ZION SIDE OF DECATUR.
WE ARE SERVICED NOT ONLY BY DECATUR FIRE DEPARTMENT, BUT LONG CREEK AS WELL.
SO THEY LITERALLY MEET IN OUR FRONT YARD AND DO SOME SORT OF ROCK PAPER, SCISSORS, DECIDE WHO COMES IN.
WE ARE NOT ASSISTED LIVING AND WE ARE NOT, UM, NURSING HOME.
WE ARE SUPPORTIVE LIVING, WHICH IS ACTUALLY A WAIVER BASED PROGRAM THROUGH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THAT ILLINOIS WAS BLESSED TO HAVE.
ALONG WITH THREE OTHER STATES, WE HAVE TO PROVE THAT OUR FOLKS CAN PAY THEIR RENT.
SO THERE'S AN INDEPENDENT LIVING SECTION.
THEY HAVE TO BE ABLE TO, UM, MEET CERTAIN CRITERIA IN ORDER TO LIVE WITH US.
ONE OF THOSE CRITERIA IS THEY MEET MONETARY GUIDELINES TO PAY THEIR RENT, AND THAT THEY ALSO
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ARE ABLE TO DO A LOT OF THINGS INDEPENDENTLY WITH SUPPORT.WHILE WE DO HAVE NURSES IN OUR BUILDING, APPROXIMATELY 10 HOURS EVERY DAY, THEY DO GO HOME.
WE ARE CALLING THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR WHAT YOU DEEM LIFT ASSIST FOR ASSESSMENT, NOT TO ACTUALLY PICK THEM UP OFF THE FLOOR.
I HAVE A RAZOR LIFT, I CAN PICK THEM UP OFF THE FLOOR.
BUT ASSESSING FOR INJURY IS OUTSIDE OF SCOPE OF PRACTICE OF A CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANT THAT IS FOR A NURSE TO DETERMINE OR AN OUTSIDE FIRST RESPONDER.
THEY ARE ABLE TO USE OUR RAZOR LIFT TOGETHER AND LIFT THAT PERSON.
IT'S JUST BEEN A PERK FOR THEM TO PICK THEM UP.
WE'RE ACTUALLY ASKING FOR ASSESSMENT, NOT ACTUALLY PICKING THEM UP.
ANY QUESTIONS FROM COUNSEL FOR MS. MCFADDEN? OH, ALL I'LL SAY IS THEY'RE YOUR RESIDENCE.
CORRECT? THEY'RE PAYING, THAT'S YOUR BUSINESS.
UH, IF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WOULD HAVE TO COME OUT, THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE TO PAY THE $500.
THE ONLY THING IS, IS THAT ACCORDING TO THE STATE GUIDELINES, WE DON'T HAVE TO HAVE A NURSE IN THE BUILDING EXCEPT FOR A MINIMAL AMOUNT OF TIME.
OUR GUIDELINES ARE FOR OUR POLICY, FOR OUR BUILDING IS WE HAVE THEM THERE 10 HOURS A DAY.
UM, THE GUIDELINES FOR THE STATE SAY WE ONLY HAVE TO HAVE THEM AT LEAST AN HOUR A DAY.
IT'S OUTSIDE OUR SCOPE AND PRACTICE FOR A CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANT TO ASSESS.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE USING THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR.
THERE QUESTIONS FROM COUNSEL, CHUCK? SO WHERE DO THE AMBULANCES FIT IN IN THIS WHOLE SCHEME? WHY AREN'T THEY CALLED TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT? EXPLAIN THAT TO ME.
I SHOULD KNOW THIS, BUT I DON'T REMEMBER.
ONCE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WOULD COME AND ASSESS, THEN THEY WOULD DEEM THAT THEY NEED TO GO TO THE ER FOR FURTHER ASSESSMENT.
WHY DOES THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, I MEAN, WHY DID THEY GET IT BY DEFAULT? WHY ARE THEY THE ONES THAT COME IN TO ASSESS? WE DON'T NORMALLY CALL 9 1 1 FOR EVERYTHING.
COUNCILWOMAN GREGORY, UNDER WHOSE AUTHORITY DO THE C A'S OPERATE, ARE THEY OPERATING UNDERNEATH A PHYSICIAN'S AUTHORITY? AN RNS AUTHORITY? THEY'RE ACTUALLY OPERATING UNDER A NURSE ON CALL.
SO WHY WOULD YOUR NURSE ON CALL NOT BE CALLED TO MAKE THE ASSESSMENT? THEY ARE, BUT MOST OF THE TIME THEY CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE BUILDING IN TIME IF SOMETHING WERE TO HAPPEN.
SOMEONE FALLS AND BREAKS A HIP.
UM, EVEN THAT PERSON GETS UP AND SEVERAL OF OUR FALLS, THEY DID GET UP.
UM, BUT THEY REFUSE TO LET THE CNA LOOK AT THEM.
THEY WOULD COME AND ASSESS THAT.
WASN'T THERE SOME, UH, LEGISLATION, UH, AT THE STATE LEVEL THAT WOULD REQUIRE ALL NURSING HOMES AND, UH, UH, I THINK MORE NURSING HOMES THAN ASSISTED LIVING, BUT HAVE A 24 HOUR, UH, ON DUTY OF, UH, OF REGISTERED NURSES? I DON'T KNOW WHAT, I CAN'T SPEAK TO THAT.
WE'RE NOT EVEN GOVERNED BY THE SAME PEOPLE.
ASSISTED LIVING AND NURSING HOMES ARE GOVERNED BY A DIFFERENT ENTITY.
WE'RE GOVERNED BY HEALTHCARE AND FAMILY SERVICES.
BUT I'M NOT SURE WHETHER IT WAS JUST ASSISTED OR IT WAS ADDITIONAL.
YEAH, WE'RE SUPPORTIVE LIVING, SO WE DON'T EVEN FALL UNDER THE GUIDELINES FOR THEM, CHUCK.
SO HOW MANY TIMES A MONTH ON AVERAGE WOULD YOU CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT? LAST YEAR FOR THE TOTAL YEAR, WE CALLED THE, WE HAD 142 FALLS.
I CALLED LIFT ASSIST 52 TIMES.
OUT OF THOSE 52 TIMES, 37 OF THEM WENT TO THE ER.
AND HOW MANY RESIDENTS DO YOU HAVE? I HAVE ON AVERAGE 121.
AND THAT INCLUDES 20 ON MEMORY CARE.
MR. COOPER, IN THE EVENT THIS ORDINANCE PASSES, WHAT WOULD YOU DO? WE'RE GONNA STILL CALL, WE STILL HAVE TO HAVE THAT ASSESSMENT.
OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM COUNSEL? DR. HORN? MORE OF A TECHNICAL QUESTION REGARDING THE ORDINANCE.
IF, UM, ENTITY LIKE EVERGREEN WERE TO CALL 9 1 1 FOR A LYFT ASSIST, BUT THAT LYFT ASSIST WAS ACTUALLY AN ASSESSMENT AND THE ASSESSMENT RESULTED IN TRANSPORT TO A HOSPITAL, ARE WE CHARGING $500 FOR THAT? THE DEFINITION, UM, IN THE ORDINANCE, UH, FOR LIFT ASSIST IS A RESPONSE TO A FACILITY, UM, BY DECATUR FIRE DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL TO ASSIST IN LIFTING OR PHYSICALLY MOVING THE PERSON FROM THEIR POSITION TO A DIFFERENT POSITION.
SO IF IT DOESN'T FIT WITHIN THAT DEFINITION, I THINK THE CHIEF HAS A COMMENT.
WE, OUR PROPOSAL IS IF YOU, IF YOU HAD, IF THE CALL RESULTS IN
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MEDICAL CARE WHERE YOU'RE BEING TRANSPORTED, THAT DOESN'T COUNT AS A LIFT ASSIST AND OUR RECORD KEEPING.IF YOU, IF WE ARE, EVEN IF WE'RE DISPATCHED FOR A LIFT ASSIST, WE'RE NEVER DISPATCHED FOR AN ASSESSMENT.
WE'RE ALWAYS DISPATCHED FOR A LIFT ASSIST.
IF WE GO AND THAT PATIENT HAS A, A BROKEN HIP OR HAS AN, UH, UH, AN INJURY THAT'S NOT EVEN COATED AS A LIFT ASSIST FOR US, IT BECOMES WHATEVER THE MEDICAL NATURE IS THAT WE FIND WHEN WE GET THERE.
AND THE DEFINITION STATES THAT, THAT IT DOES NOT, A LIFT ASSIST DOES NOT INCLUDE SOMEONE WHO REQUIRES EMERGENCY MEDICAL TREATMENT, THE TRANSPORT.
AND WE DO HAVE ANOTHER CITIZEN THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK.
IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE, MS. MCFADDEN, MA'AM? OKAY.
UM, AS YOU SAID, MY NAME IS MOLLY CARPENTER AND I HAVE WORKED IN THE SENIOR CARE SECTOR IN DECATUR FOR OVER 30 YEARS AND TAKING CARE OF A FEW OF YOUR LOVED ONES THROUGH THE YEARS.
THANK YOU FOR, UM, WHAT YOU ALL DO FOR US, BECAUSE I DO REALIZE THAT IT REALLY, AT THE END OF THIS, MY POINT IS TO PROVE THAT WE'VE GOTTA FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN PARTNER IN THIS.
BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, AS JOHN HAD POINTED OUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE STAFF THAT WE HAVE IN ASSISTED LIVINGS AND, UH, SUPPORTIVE LIVINGS IS VERY DIFFERENT THAN THAT OF THE SKILLED NURSING FACILITY AS WELL AS THE INDEPENDENT LIVINGS THAT YOU POINTED OUT.
SO I COME REPRESENTING, UM, EAGLE RIDGE OF DECATUR, AND, UM, WHICH WE TOO ARE A SUPPORTIVE LIVING FACILITY, BUT I THINK IT'S ONLY FAIR FOR US TO BE MINDFUL OF THE STAFFING RATIOS THAT VARY BETWEEN ALL THREE OF THOSE DIFFERENT ENTITIES AS THEY'RE DESCRIBED IN THE, UM, YOU KNOW, IN THE DEFINITIONS WITHIN THE ORDINANCE TOO.
SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE SPEAKING OF SKILLED NURSING FACILITIES, YES, THEY HAVE THOSE NURSES AROUND THE CLOCK 24 HOURS A DAY AS YOU SPOKE ABOUT, UM, THE REQUIREMENT, UM, IS THERE FOR THAT, WHEREAS IN ASSISTED LIVINGS, I'LL SPEAK FOR BOTH BECAUSE I'VE WORKED FOR BOTH, UM, ASSISTED LIVINGS AND SUPPORTIVE LIVINGS DO NOT REQUIRE NURSES AROUND THE CLOCK.
IN FACT, ASSISTED LIVINGS DON'T EVEN REQUIRE CNAS THAT ARE CERTIFIED AROUND THE CLOCK, BUT RATHER CAREGIVERS THAT ARE THERE FOR AS FAR AS SUPPORTIVE LIVING FACILITIES GO, I WILL SPEAK, UM, THAT WE ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE CNAS THERE, BUT AGAIN, NOT NECESSARILY THERE TO BE ABLE TO PHYSICALLY LIFT SOMEBODY ALWAYS, UM, IN WHEN THAT NEED ARISES.
AND THEN OF COURSE, AS YOU SPOKE TO THE INDEPENDENT LIVING FACILITIES, OF WHICH I CAN REPRESENT JUST HAVING BEEN INVOLVED IN THE SECTOR AS A WHOLE, UM, IS, IS THEY'RE NOT STAFFED 24 7.
UM, AND IF THEY DO HAVE SOMEBODY THERE, IT'S REALLY JUST A PERSON THAT IS INTENDED TO CALL IF THERE IS AN EMERGENCY OR A NEED FOR THE FACILITY.
UM, SO I THINK IT'S ONLY FAIR TO DELINEATE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF CARE AND THE NEEDS THAT ARE THERE.
THE EXAMPLE THAT, UM, THAT THE DEPARTMENT GAVE, AS FAR AS THE INDIVIDUAL THAT'S FALLEN, THAT'S ONLY 90 POUNDS.
I CAN'T SPEAK FOR EVERY FACILITY AND HOW THEY MIGHT HANDLE THAT SITUATION.
BUT I CAN SAY THAT MOST ASSISTED LIVINGS AND, UM, FOR SURE INDEPENDENT LIVINGS DON'T ALWAYS JUST HAVE A LIFT ON HAND BECAUSE THAT'S NOT THE NATURE OF THE CARE THAT WE PROVIDE.
AS A GENERAL RULE, UM, THE INDIVIDUALS THAT WE'RE CARING FOR DON'T, AS A, UM, DAILY, UM, SERVICES REQUIRE THAT TYPE OF, OF, UM, MECHANICAL DEVICE IN ORDER TO GET FROM POINT A TO POINT B UNLESS IT'S UNDER SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES.
BUT AGAIN, FROM AN INDEPENDENT LIVING STANDPOINT, THEY'RE NOT GONNA HAVE THOSE LIFTS ON HAND.
UM, THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE NOT CHEAP TO HAVE.
I KNOW MY TIME'S LIMITED HERE, UM, BUT I THINK THAT MY BIGGEST CONCERN WITH THIS IS THAT WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN IS THESE FACILITIES ARE GONNA CIRCUMVENT THIS AND THEY'RE JUST GONNA CALL 9 1 1, WHICH JUST PUTS A BIGGER BURDEN ON THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT IN OUR, UM, HOSPITALS.
UM, THE, THE EXPENSE THAT'S INCURRED THERE IS, YOU KNOW, IN EXCESS OF PROBABLY $11,000 ANYTIME SOMEBODY'S IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT AND THEN POTENTIALLY ADMITTED IT'S GONNA FURTHER, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, INCREASE.
SO I THINK THAT IT'S REALLY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN PARTNER WITH THE DEPARTMENTS, THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SERVICES HERE IN OUR TOWN TO TRY AND COME UP WITH A SOLUTION.
ARE THERE QUESTIONS FROM COUNSEL FOR MS. CARPENTER? CHUCK? UH, SAME QUESTION.
UM, HOW MANY, HOW MANY, UH, CALLS DID YOU HAVE FOR LYFT ASSIST LAST YEAR? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA? I DID
WE DID ONLY HAVE LESS THAN A HANDFUL.
BUT I THINK THAT'S JUST A DIFFERENCE IN HOW THE DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES CHOOSE TO HANDLE THOSE SITUATIONS.
UM, SOME INSTANCES IT'S, IT'S EVIDENT THAT THE PERSON'S NOT INJURED.
UM, AND THAT ASSESSMENT MAY BE SPOKEN TO THEM THROUGH, YOU KNOW, THE PHONE FOR THE DIRECTION OF THAT NURSE THAT, THAT, THAT IS ON CALL.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, FOR US IT'S MORE JUST KNOWING THAT THAT SAFETY NET WOULD BE THERE SHOULD THE, THE OCCURRENCE ARISE THAT WE NEED THE ASSISTANCE.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM COUNSEL? THANK YOU MS. CARPENTER.
I JUST, I KIND OF WANT TO BE CLEAR AS WE LOOKED AT THIS AND, AND I'VE PROVIDED YOU THESE NUMBERS BEFORE, BUT IN 2004 I WENT THROUGH ALL THE ALARMS THAT I COULD GO BACK TO.
AND WE DIDN'T START ELECTRONIC REC RECORD KEEPING
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UNTIL 2004, BUT THERE WERE 248 LIFT ASSISTANT 2004.IT'S NOT THE DECATUR FIRE DEPARTMENT AGAINST THE, THE FACILITIES THAT HAVE IDENTIFIED THEMSELVES HERE.
WHAT WE'RE, WHAT I WAS TASKED WITH, AND WHAT I AM TASKED WITH IS THE EMERGENCY RESPONSES.
I WOULD SUGGEST THAT THE POPULATION DECATUR IN 20 THOU, OR 2004 WAS PROBABLY 80,000.
OUR NUMBERS KEEP GOING UP AND THERE HAS TO BE A REASON WHY OUR NUMBERS KEEP GOING UP.
I, I'M NOT, I AM DEFINITELY NOT SUGGESTING THAT THIS ORDINANCE TONIGHT IS GONNA CHANGE OUR LIFT ASSIST PROBLEM 'CAUSE IT'S NOT, IT'S GOING, IT'S GOING TO HELP.
UM, HOPEFULLY IT WOULD HELP REDUCE THE NUMBER OF CALLS TO THESE CARE, WHAT WE CONSIDER CARE FACILITIES AS ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES, HOWEVER YOU WANNA TERM IT.
UM, BUT OUR JOB IS TO HELP PEOPLE.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, IF THE CITY COUNCIL WANTS US TO GO DO EVERYTHING WE DO AND KEEP ADDING TO IT AS WE HAVE OVER THE YEARS, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO.
I MEAN, WE DO NOT WANT TO SEE SOMEBODY LEFT ON THE GROUND BECAUSE WE'RE ARGUING ABOUT THE DEFINITION OF THIS FACILITY OR BECAUSE NO ONE WANTS TO HELP 'EM UP OFF THE GROUND.
THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE DO AND THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE.
SO I WANNA BE, WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT TRYING TO ATTACK SOMEBODY'S BUSINESS OR BUSINESS MODEL.
IT'S JUST SO HAPPENS TO BE THAT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE, THE NUMBER OF NON-EMERGENCY CALLS, THIS IS ONE AREA THAT WE ARE RUNNING A LOT OF, A LOT OF COUNCILWOMAN GREGORY, I WANT YOU TO KNOW, I UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S NOT YOU VERSUS THE FACILITIES.
AND SO THANK YOU FOR MAKING THAT CLARIFICATION.
UM, WHAT I DO WONDER ABOUT IS WE HAVE ALSO TALKED IN, UH, COORDINATION WITH THIS ORDINANCE CHANGE ABOUT, UM, CALLS AS THEY COME INTO 9 1 1 AND THE PROTOCOLS FOR SENDING WHO GOES, RIGHT? SO IF YOU ARE SIMPLY BEING ASKED TO GO AND MAKE A PHYSICAL ASSESSMENT, WHY IS DPD GOING AND NOT EMS? UH, NOT ABBOTT.
I WILL SAY FROM AN EXAMPLE, AND THIS WOULD BE PRIOR TO A MR TAKING OVER THE AMBULANCE SERVICE.
WHEN DAS HAD THE AMBULANCE SERVICE, THERE WAS AN ISSUE 10, 15 YEARS AGO WHERE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE CHIEF AT THE TIME DECIDE THOUGHT THAT WE WEREN'T GONNA RUN LIFT ASSIST CALLS.
AND THEN WHEN THE, UM, WHEN THE AMBULANCE SERVICE GOT THAT INFORMATION, THEY, BECAUSE THEY ARE DISPATCHED, WHEN WE WERE DISPATCHED, THEY WERE GOING TO CALL IN COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENTS TO COME INTO THE CITY TO HELP THEM DO LIFT ASSIST.
AND WE HAD TO ASSURE THEM THAT THEY COULDN'T DO THAT.
SO THIS THING HAS MORPHED DIFFERENT WAYS OVER TIME.
UM, I THINK I'M PRETTY SURE A MR IS DISPATCHED AT THE SAME TIME.
SO YOU END UP WITH A MR GOING DFD GOING, AND IN SOME CASES A VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT GOING.
SO IF, UM, EVERGREEN CALLED 9 1 1 AND SAID, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR A LIFT ASSIST.
I HAVE AN INDIVIDUAL WHO RESIDES HERE THAT FELL AND I WANT SOMEBODY TO COME AND DO A MEDICAL ASSESSMENT.
WHAT NEEDS TO OCCUR FOR JUST ABBOTT TO GO AND NOT DPD? WE COULD, UM, WE HAVE THE ABILITY RIGHT NOW AND THE PRO AND THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE ABILITY TO DO THAT.
IF EVERYTHING GOES THROUGH AN EMD PROCESS OR 65%, THERE'S A, THERE'S A NUMBER THAT DOESN'T GO THROUGH BECAUSE YOU CAN'T UNDERSTAND THE PERSON, THEY HANG UP, SOMETHING OF THAT NATURE.
BUT IF A CALL, A LIFT ASSIST FALLS UNDER AN ALPHA CALL THIS CLASSIFICATION, AND IF IT'S, YOU COULD, IN AN ALPHA CALL SITUATION, YOU COULD SAY, OKAY, THE DECATUR FIRE DEPARTMENT DOESN'T RESPOND TO ALPHA CALLS.
THE ONLY ALPHA CALL WE RESPOND TO IS IF A PERSON'S IS STILL DOWN ON THE FLOOR, BECAUSE WE DON'T WANNA LEAVE SOMEBODY ON THE FLOOR.
AND I'LL GIVE YOU A QUICK EXAMPLE NEXT TO OLD STATION FIVE.
THERE WAS A, AN INDIVIDUAL, A LADY, ELDERLY LADY WHO AT THE APARTMENT BUILDING NEXT DOOR, THIS IS LIKE 25 YEARS AGO, SO I KNOW I'VE BEEN HERE TOO LONG.
WHEN I CAN TELL YOU A STORY FROM 25 YEARS AGO, IT'S FEBRUARY, IT'S 10 DEGREES.
WE DIDN'T RUN THE CALL AT THAT TIME.
AND SO YOU HAVE THIS ELDERLY FEMALE WITH A BROKEN HIP LAYING IN A PARKING LOT BECAUSE WE WEREN'T GOING TO GO, WE, WE WERE RIGHT NEXT DOOR AND WE WOULDN'T RESPOND OVER.
NOW I DON'T, I'M NOT SUGGESTING WE WERE CALLED AND WE DIDN'T RESPOND.
IT JUST WASN'T SOMETHING WE WERE DISPATCHED TO AT THAT TIME.
SO UNDER MY, UH, UM, LEADERSHIP AT THIS POINT, WE'RE NOT GONNA LEAVE SOMEBODY LAYING ON THE GROUND.
AND THAT'S WHY WE RUN ALPHA CALLS.
SO YOU COULD, THE CITY COUNCIL COULD SAY, YOU'RE NOT GONNA RUN, WE DON'T WANT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO RUN BRAVO CALLS, ALPHA CALLS.
AND THAT EFFECTIVELY ENDS IT OVERNIGHT.
I DON'T THINK THAT'S THE RIGHT COURSE OF ACTION TO TAKE BECAUSE IT ENCOMPASSES TOO MANY OTHER TYPES OF CALLS, LIKE A
[01:15:01]
STROKE, A POTENTIAL STROKE.AND I DON'T THINK YOU WANT TO DO THAT.
IT JUST SEEMS TO ME THAT, UM, FIRST I WOULD NEVER SUGGEST TO SAY, CHIEF, I DON'T THINK YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
NO, WE'RE NOT GONNA RUN ALCOHOLS ANYMORE.
YOU WOULDN'T BE THE FIRST PERSON
BUT IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THERE OUGHT TO BE ANOTHER WAY TO RESOLVE THIS SITUATION, PARTICULARLY WHERE THE SUPPORTIVE LIVING PROGRAMS ARE CONCERNED.
AND MAYBE IT'S NOT A 9 1 1 CALL, MAYBE IT'S A NON-EMERGENT CALL AND MAYBE IT IS ASSESSED IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
THERE'S ANOTHER PROTOCOL, THERE'S ANOTHER PROCESS TO GO THROUGH.
BUT I, AND I ALSO THINK THAT IF I WERE A SUPPORTIVE LIVING FACILITY IN DECATUR AND I KNEW THAT I WAS GOING TO GET A $500 BILL, THAT I MIGHT ALSO ON THE BACKEND THINK ABOUT, BOY, IF I'M GONNA, YOU KNOW, YOU WILL KNOW HOW MANY CALLS YOU HAVE ANNUALLY AND MULTIPLY THAT TIMES 500 AND WHAT IS THE COST OF AN ON-CALL RN.
UM, SO I JUST THINK I'M SUPPORTIVE OF THIS.
I I AM GOING TO VOTE YES FOR IT, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT THIS IS THE END OF THE CONVERSATION.
AND I HOPE THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK TOWARDS A SOLUTION BECAUSE I DON'T WANT ANY OF OUR CITIZENS LAYING ON THE FLOOR EITHER.
OTHER COMMENTS FIRST, MR. WRIGHT? I WANNA SEE IF COUNSEL HAS OTHER COMMENTS, JUST GENERAL COMMENTS.
WELL, ABOUT THIS ISSUE, NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, UM, WELL, I, I I THINK THE COUNCIL SHOULD ELIMINATE INDEPENDENT LIVING FACILITIES FROM THE DEFINITION.
THEY, THEY, THESE ENTITIES ARE NOT MEDICAL ENTITIES, SO THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO PROVIDE LYFT ASSIST AS THE ONLY, ONLY MEDICAL TYPE OF SERVICE THEY PROVIDE.
I, I JUST THINK THAT'S UNREASONABLE.
UM, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, UM, THIS ORDINANCE IS GOING TO HAVE A, A LIMITED IMPACT BECAUSE AT BEST WE MAY NOT SET ANOTHER RECORD FOR CALLS FOR SERVICE THIS YEAR.
IF COMMERCIAL FACILITIES, UM, THAT WILL NOW BE CHARGED, TAKE SOME ACTION.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE MONTHLY REPORT FOR DEC FOR JANUARY, WE'RE ON PACE YET AGAIN FOR ANOTHER RECORD NUMBER OF CALLS.
UM, WE NEED TO NOT JUST THINK ABOUT WHAT CALLS WE'RE GONNA RESPOND TO OR NOT RESPOND TO.
WE NEED TO THINK BROADLY ABOUT PROGRAMS SUCH AS A PARAMEDICINE PROGRAM THAT MAY TAKE A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO JUST REDUCING THE NUMBER OF 9 1 1 CALLS BECAUSE WE'RE IMPROVING THE HEALTH METRICS OF OUR RESIDENTS.
AND SO I, I TOO AM SUPPORTIVE OF A, UM, A FEE, UH, LIKE HAS BEEN TALKED ABOUT HERE, BUT I, I DO THINK THAT IT IS OVERLY, UM, UM, IT, IT JUST GOES TOO FAR WITH THE INDEPENDENT LIVING FACILITIES.
MR. RIGHT, AS WE'VE, UH, PREPARED THIS FOR YOU, WE'VE TRIED TO STAY, UH, KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT WHAT SOME OTHER COMMUNITIES ARE DOING.
I THOUGHT IT'D BE USEFUL FOR YOU TO KNOW THAT THE, THE PEORIA, UM, LIFT ASSIST ORDINANCE HAS BEEN IN PLACE NOW FOR SOME TIME.
AND WHAT THEY'VE RECCE IS THAT THE NUMBER OF CALLS FOR A LIST OF CYSTS HAS BASICALLY BEEN CUT IN HALF.
THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ELIMINATED, THEY'VE BEEN CUT IN HALF.
MEANING THAT THOSE THAT ARE STILL HAPPENING ARE PERHAPS AS WAS MENTIONED HERE EARLIER THIS EVENING BECAUSE THEY, THEY NEEDED THAT SERVICE AND THEY'RE WILLING TO PAY THE SERVICE.
BUT WHAT, WHAT, WHATEVER THE COST OF THAT, OF THAT SERVICE IS, UM, TO COUNCILWOMAN GREGORY'S POINT, I, I BELIEVE THAT, THAT YOU'RE REALLY SPOT ON ABOUT THE FACT THAT THERE HAS TO BE A DIFFERENT MODEL FOR THIS.
BECAUSE ASKING MUNICIPALITIES FIRE DEPARTMENTS, WHICH IS A VERY HIGH COST WAY OF PROVIDING SOMETHING THAT'S NOT EVEN IN THEIR CORE SERVICE DELIVERY TO DO IT.
UH, AND IS, IS, IS THE, IS AN EVOLUTION OF, OF SHIFTING RULES AND COST CONTAINMENT BY, BY SOME OF THESE, UH, SENIOR CARE FACILITIES.
AND, AND THAT'S NOT A SUSTAINABLE ARRANGEMENTS.
WHAT, UH, SOME CITIES IN THE ROCKFORD AREA AND ESPECIALLY IN THE QUAD CITY AREA, CITIES AREA HAVE BEEN, HAVE BEEN EXPERIMENTING WITH, IS, IS THERE A SERVICE, UM, OF WHETHER IT'S, WHETHER IT'S A GLORIFIED NURSE ON CALL OR SOME OTHER KIND OF SERVICE WHERE IT, IT MAY NOT ALWAYS BE HEALTHCARE, SOME JUST PICKING SOMEBODY UP ISN'T NECESSARILY HEALTHCARE.
[01:20:01]
AND SOME OF THESE OTHER SORTS OF CALLS THAT WE GET, BECAUSE ALTHOUGH WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA TONIGHT FOR YOU IS LIFT ASSIST.TWO THIRDS OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S CALLS ARE EMS RELATED.
UH, AND OFTENTIMES IT'S, IT'S BECAUSE THINGS THAT THAT COULD HAVE BEEN DEALT WITH MORE PROACTIVELY BY SOMEONE WHOSE WHOSE JOB IT IS TO BE AVAILABLE FOR THAT.
THE, THE PROBLEM HAS ALWAYS BEEN WHO PAYS FOR THAT? I'VE HAD THIS DISCUSSION WITH, WITH DREW EARLY OVER A DMH TOO.
WHETHER IT BE USEFUL TO HAVE THIS BECAUSE IT'S A MUCH LOWER COST STRUCTURE FOR PROVIDING THESE SERVICES AND YOU CAN DO IT PROACTIVELY RATHER THAN REACTING AND HAVING TO HAVE THE, THE FIRE GO AND THIS REALLY ISN'T WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO AND, AND THEY'RE HIGHER COSTS.
I THINK THAT YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
COUNCILWOMAN GREGORY, THAT WHILE THIS IS AN IMPORTANT STEP, IT'S NOT THE END, END OF THE DISCUSSION.
AND THAT AT SOME POINT DECATUR MAY NEED TO, TO SEE WHAT SOME OF THOSE OTHER BEST PRACTICES ARE FOR THAT KIND OF INTERMEDIATE SERVICE.
NOT ONLY FOR PEOPLE WHO FALL, BUT WHO HAVE A LOT OF OTHER ISSUES THAT, THAT RESULT IN EMS RELATED CALLS FROM DFD CHUCK.
WELL, I'M NOT SURE I SHOULD SAY THIS, BUT I'M ALMOST LOOKING AT THIS FROM A BUSINESS STANDPOINT.
AND, UM, ONE OF THE LADIES THAT SPOKE SAID THAT WE NEED TO BE COOPERATIVE AND I JUST, I JUST FEEL MAYBE WE SHOULD CUT THIS IN HALF TO TWO 50.
IT'S NOT EASY, UH, IN MY OPINION TO, TO MAKE THIS DECISION.
I, UH, I WANT TO ASK THE CHIEF A QUESTION.
HOW MANY OF THESE DO WE HAVE A YEAR JUST GOING TO THE NURSING HOMES AND THE CARE FACILITIES APPROXIMATELY? I, I THINK IN THE MEMO I PUT, WHEN I LOOKED AT THE LAST 10 YEARS, WE AVERAGED BETWEEN 51 AND A HUNDRED AND THERE WAS A HUNDRED, 110 MAYBE, I THINK IS WHAT FOR THE YEAR.
WELL THAT'S OR TWO 50 THIS YEAR AND 500 THE NEXT YEAR.
I MEAN, YOU'RE HITTING THESE, IF THESE COMPANIES HAVE, UM, BUDGETS AND THAT TYPE OF THING.
UH, THAT'S HOW I'M LOOKING AT IT.
SO MR. COOPER, I THINK ONE OF THE, UM, THE CITIZENS THAT SPOKE INDICATED, I THINK WHAT WE, I THINK WHAT WE'RE GONNA SEE OUT OF THIS IS I THINK THE CALLS FOR LYFT TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARE PROBABLY GOING GO, PROBABLY WILL GO DOWN.
UM, BUT I'M JUST WONDERING WHAT THE IMPACT IS GONNA BE ON THE EMERGENCY ROOMS. 'CAUSE I ASSUME THOSE CALLS ARE GONNA GO UP, THEY'RE GOING TO GET, GO UP HIGHER.
UM, BUT I IMAGINE IF THEY GET TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO STILL, FIRE DEPARTMENT IS GONNA FIGHT, STILL COME AND GET 'EM AND GET 'EM TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM OR, OR THE, THE AMBULANCE SERVICE ONE OF, OF THE TWO.
SO I, I JUST WONDER JUST WHAT THE IMPACT IS GOING TO REALLY SPILL THE SPILLOVER EFFECT THAT IT'S GOING TO HAVE.
UM, 'CAUSE I'M SURE THE, THE HOMES ARE GONNA FIND A WAY TO NOT HAVE TO SPIT OUT AS THE $500 AS, AS AS RAPIDLY AS THEY AS THE 50, YOU KNOW, 50 IN A YEAR OR WHATEVER, UM, BECAUSE THEY GOT BUDGETS TOO.
SO I JUST WONDER WHAT KIND OF ROLLOVER IMPACT THAT'S GOING HAVE ON OTHER, OTHER INDIVIDUALS OR OTHER AGENCIES DUE TO, YOU KNOW, US IMPLEMENTING THIS FILING.
YEAH, I, MR. COOPER, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I KNOW IS THAT, UM, THE SYSTEM IS BROKE.
WE'VE LOOKED AT ALTERNATIVE MODELS.
LIKE WE TRIED TO WORK WITH HEL AND THIS IS 10, 15 YEARS AGO WE TRIED THIS STUFF AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT BOILED DOWN TO MONEY.
WHO'S GONNA, WHO'S GONNA FUND THE PEOPLE WHO WERE ON CALL 24 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK TO GO PICK SOMEBODY UP? IT FALLS APART THERE.
AMBULANCE SERVICES, WE LOOKED AT THE AMBULANCE SERVICE DOING IT LAST WEEK.
WE HAD TWO AMBULANCES IN THE ENTIRE CITY FOR SERVICE FOR UP.
I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW MANY HOURS.
I KNOW WE WERE WAITING ON AMBULANCES.
SO IF YOU'RE GONNA SAY LET THE AMBULANCE SERVICES DO IT, THEN YOU, THEN YOU'RE STUCK WITH, OKAY, THE THE PERSON IS ON THE FLOOR EVEN LONGER BECAUSE WE CAN'T GET THE NUMBER OF AMBULANCES WE NEED.
SO I DON'T PROFESS TO HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS IN HOW TO FIX THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE IT'S A PROBLEM THAT JUST KEEPS GETTING WORSE AND WORSE EVERY YEAR.
AND THE UM, WE KNOW THAT DOCTORS' OFFICES, WE KNOW THAT HOSPITALS, WE KNOW THAT CARE FACILITIES, THEY TELL THEIR PATIENTS WHEN THEY'RE LEAVING, IF YOU'RE HAVING ANY PROBLEMS, IF YOU FALL, TELL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, CALL 9 1 1 9 1 1 HAS BECOME THE ANSWER FOR EVERYTHING ANYMORE.
IT'S NOT AN EMERGENCY NUMBER ANYMORE.
'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT COUNCILWOMAN GREGORY, SORRY, CHIEF.
UM, I'M NOT IN FAVOR OF CUTTING THE RATE IN HALF AND I HAVE NOT SPENT THE TIME THAT CHIEF ABBOT AND THE CITY, UM, MANAGER HAS SPENT.
BUT THERE BECOMES A POINT WHEN THE, THE BILL IS A DETERRENT FOR A BAD ACTOR.
AND I'M NOT SAYING ANY THAT, THAT THERE ARE, I'M JUST GONNA PUT IT THERE.
I THINK THAT TO REDUCE IT BY HALF, IF I'M RUNNING THE BUSINESS, I'M GONNA SAY, WELL HERE'S SOMEBODY FAULT I HAD JULIE,
[01:25:01]
THIS IS THE COST OF AN ALTERNATIVE AND IT'S CHEAPER TO STILL CALL 9 1 1.AND WE HAVE NOT REALLY DEALT WITH THE ISSUE.
SO, UM, I'M GONNA MAKE A MOTION THAT SAYS THAT IN A YEAR WE'RE GONNA COME BACK AND WE'RE GONNA REVISIT THIS ISSUE.
UM, WE'RE GONNA TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE NUMBER OF CALLS, UM, BUT IT'S NOT THE END OF THE CONVERSATION.
WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO TRY AND FIND A SOLUTION.
OUR, OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM AND OUR 9 1 1 SYSTEM ARE BROKE AND WE'VE GOTTA FIND A WAY SOMEWHERE IN HERE TO MEET, UM, RESIDENTS NEEDS, UM, IN AN APPROPRIATE MANNER.
AND 9 1 1 IS NOT THE APPROPRIATE MANNER.
SO WHAT I'M ASKING FOR, I DON'T KNOW, IS IF IT'S A SUNSET, IF IT'S A, I JUST WANNA COME BACK AND VISIT THIS ON FEBRUARY 20TH, 2025.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE MOTION WOULD BE.
I THINK IT WOULD BE AN AMENDMENT.
IT WOULD BE A MOTION TO AMEND THE MOTION FRIDAY ON THE FLOOR, PROVIDING FOR A ONE YEAR SUNSET.
SO IT COMES BACK TO YOU AND YOU'VE DONE THAT ON OTHER THINGS.
I WOULD LIKE TO, WE'VE GOTTA DEAL WITH THE MOTION FIRST.
CHUCK, MAKE A MOTION TO, UM, SUNSET THIS IN ONE YEAR SO COUNCIL CAN REVISIT.
OPEN THAT FOR DISCUSSION, CHUCK.
SO WHERE'S THE MONEY GOING? SO WE COLLECT THE $500, WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO WITH THIS MONEY? IT WOULD GO TO THE CITY'S GENERAL FUND.
IS THERE SOME WAY TO DO SOMETHING GOODWILL WITH THIS MONEY
WELL, IT'S, IT'S, THIS IS ABOUT THE SUNSET AND THEN WE CAN CONTINUE DISCUSSION.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON THE SUNSET? CALL THE QUESTION ON THAT PLEASE.
SO THIS IS TO AMEND THE ORDINANCE TO INCLUDE A ONE YEAR SUNSET.
AND NOW BACK TO YOUR QUESTION, COUNCILMAN KUHL? WELL, I I, I JUST DON'T FEEL GOOD ABOUT THIS VOTE AT ALL.
I MEAN, BECAUSE IT, THERE'S, IT'S A, AS AS EVERYBODY HERE EXPLAINED, IT'S AN, IT'S ALMOST A NO WIN SITUATION WHERE WE'RE, I'M JUST TRYING TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING POSITIVE OUT OF THIS.
AND, AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, WHAT WE WOULD DO WITH THIS MONEY THAT WOULD BENEFIT ALL.
AND I DON'T HAVE THAT ANSWER, BUT THAT'S WHAT I'M THINKING.
AND I DON'T THINK IT'S MEANT TO BE A MONEY MAKER BY ANY STRETCH.
AND I DON'T KNOW THAT IT WILL BRING IN THAT MUCH MONEY THAT IT WOULD EVEN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN A LOT OF THINGS.
BUT I, I APPRECIATE YOUR INTENTION.
ARE WE READY TO CALL THE QUESTION ON THIS ISSUE? PLEASE CALL THE QUESTION COUNCILMAN COLE.
COUNCILMAN COOPER, I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND VOTE FOR THIS, BUT I DO WANT TO SAY, UM, IN THE FUTURE, I, I STILL HOPE, I THINK WE OWE IT TO THE CITIZENS TO PROVIDE COMMUNICATION TO THEM IN ADVANCE.
AND I THINK WE DID A VERY POOR JOB OF PROVIDING THEM COMMUNICATION REGARDING THIS COMING TO US TONIGHT.
AND I THINK WE OWE IT TO THEM.
THEY, THEY ARE TAXPAYERS AS WELL.
AND I DON'T KNOW WHY WE WOULD HIDE SOMETHING.
IT'S MORE LIKE WE'RE HIDING SOMETHING THAN GOING THROW IT OUT ON THEM.
I DON'T, I JUST DON'T FEEL GOOD INSIDE WITH THAT, THAT POSTURE.
SO I'M HOPING IN THE FUTURE WE'LL DO BETTER WITH COMMUNICATING INFORMATION TO OUR PEOPLE.
TO THE PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY DESERVE IT.
THEY PAY TAXES AND THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW.
UM, WITH THAT THEN I WILL VOTE.
[4. Resolution Authorizing an Intergovernmental Agreement for Participation in the Mutual Aide Box Alarm System (MABAS)]
ITEM FOUR RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE MUTUAL AID BOX ALARM SYSTEM.MAIS MOTION, THE RESOLUTION TO PASS AND BE ADOPTED.
SO MOVED SECOND STRAIGHT TO THE CHIEF.
THIS IS, WE'VE BEEN PART OF MAIS FOR 25 YEARS.
THIS FUNDS ALL OF OUR TECHNICAL RESCUE HAZARD AND MATERIALS, ALL OF OUR SPECIAL OPERATIONS TRAINING.
THIS IS, THIS AGREEMENT WITH MAIS IS WHAT ALLOWS US TO TURN IN REIMBURSEMENT FOR OUR TRAINING HOURS AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
THEY PROVIDE US EQUIPMENT THAT WE USE IN THE CITY.
WE PROVIDE THE SERVICES BECAUSE WE HAVE THE EQUIPMENT AND THE, AND THE TRAINING.
ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE CHIEF? SEEING NONE, COUNCILMAN COLE? AYE.
[01:30:01]
AYE.[5. Ordinance Rezoning Property from B-2 Commercial District to R-6 Multiple Dwelling District – 425 and 443 North Edward Street]
ORDINANCE REZONING PROPERTY FROM B TWO COMMERCIAL DISTRICT TO R SIX, MULTIPLE DWELLING DISTRICT 4 25 AND 4 43 NORTH EDWARDS STREET.MOTION TO THE RESOLUTION OR ORDINANCE TO PASS AND BE ADOPTED.
SECOND, MR. WRIGHTON MAYOR AND COUNCIL, UH, SORT OF KITTY CORNER ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE STALEY MUSEUM OVER ON THIS AREA THAT YOU JUST DESIGNATED AS STALEY SQUARE SOUTH OF THE MUELLER, UH, WEST PLANT, UH, IS A NOW VACANT LOT THAT USED TO BE A DERELICT NURSING HOME.
AND BECAUSE THE CITY TORE THAT DOWN, WE OWN THE LOT.
UH, WE HAVE GONE THROUGH A SUBDIVISION OF THIS LOT SO THAT THE SOUTHERNMOST LOT, AND THIS IS ON THE SURVEY PLOT THAT'S IN YOUR PACKET.
LOT NUMBER TWO WILL BE EVENTUALLY DONATED.
UH, THE DOCUMENTATION'S NOT NOT QUITE READY YET, BUT, UH, AND THIS IS ONE PIECE OF IT.
UM, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE AN AGREEMENT AT A FUTURE MEETING WHERE WE DONATE THAT TO THE, UM, STALEY MUSEUM FOR THEM TO BUILD A, UM, A PARKING LOT ON IT.
AND SO WE'VE TRIED TO THINK CREATIVE ABOUT HOW WE DISPOSE OF THE REST OF THE PROPERTY.
THERE'S TWO RESIDENTIAL HOMES ON EDWARDS STREET THAT HAVE NO BACKYARD BECAUSE FOR, YOU KNOW, YEARS AGO, UM, THIS, UH, NURSING HOME LOT, UH, GOBBLED IT UP.
AND SO IN THE INTEREST OF IMPROVING THE VALUES OF THOSE HOMES IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, WHICH COULD CERTAINLY USE IMPROVING VALUES 'CAUSE WE DO HAVE SOME DISTRESSED PROPERTIES NOT FAR AWAY.
WE CONTACTED THOSE PROPERTY OWNERS ON EDWARD STREET AND SAID, FOR, FOR A PRETTY SMALL FEE, WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE AN EXTRA 40 FEET IN YOUR BACKYARD OR OF YOUR BACKYARD? THEY SAID, YES, WE'D LIKE TO DO THAT.
UM, BUT THE ZONING OF THE UM, NURSING HOME PARCEL IS NOT THE SAME AS THE ZONING OF THE HOUSES.
AND SO TO PUT THEM TOGETHER, WE HAVE TO CHANGE THE ZONING SO THAT THESE RESIDENTIAL LOTS ARE ALL RESIDENTIAL RATHER THAN PART RESIDENTIAL AND PART COMMERCIAL.
SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE DOING THIS.
THIS IS ON PETITION OF THE CITY, NOT OF THE OWNERS, ALTHOUGH THE OWNERS ARE, ARE HAPPY TO PROCEED WITH IT.
'CAUSE IT MEANS THAT, THAT THEY'LL GET THIS EXTRA BACK LOT WHEN ALL THIS IS DONE.
ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE MANAGER? SEEING NONE, COUNCILMAN CULP? AYE.
[6. Resolution Authorizing the Expenditure of Funds to Purchase and Replace Data Storage Hardware at End of Life from Presidio Networked Solutions Group]
SIX RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE EXPENDITURE OF FUNDS TO PURCHASE AND REPLACE DATA STORAGE HARDWARE AT END OF LIFE FROM PRESIDIO NETWORKS SOLUTIONS GROUP.MOTION THAT THE RESOLUTION DO PASS AND BE ADOPTED.
DO YOU HAVE A LOT TO TELL US? HELLO, I'M GLAD TO BE HERE.
SO I'M LOOKING AT 8-YEAR-OLD EQUIPMENT THAT I'M LOOKING TO REPLACE.
WE STARTED THAT PROCESS LAST YEAR.
WE REPLACED HALF OF IT LAST YEAR 'CAUSE IT'S TWO DIFFERENT ARRAYS, TWO DIFFERENT CABINETS OF STORAGE.
THE ONE WE DID LAST YEAR WAS REALLY FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, PLUS SOME EXPANSION.
AND THE ONE WE'RE DOING THIS YEAR IS FOR CITY STORAGE FOR THE MAINLINE SYSTEMS. SO IT IT, IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE WE CAN'T GET THE SECURITY UPDATES AND STUFF FOR THE EQUIPMENT ANYMORE PAST JUNE.
ANY QUESTIONS FOR MR. EDWARDS FROM COUNCIL? SEEING NONE.
[7. Resolution Scheduling Public Hearing to Consider the Redevelopment Plan and Project for the Central TIF Redevelopment Project Area]
RESOLUTION SCHEDULING PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER THE REDEVELOPMENT PLAN AND PROJECT FOR THE CENTRAL TIFF REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT AREA.MOTION THAT THE RESOLUTION TO PASS AND BE ADOPTED.
SECOND, MR. WRIGHT MAYOR AND COUNSEL.
THIS DOES NOT APPROVE THE PROPOSED CENTRAL TIFF.
UM, THAT WON'T HAPPEN UNTIL EARLY MAY.
THIS ONLY, UH, CALLS A SECOND PUBLIC HEARING.
WE ALREADY HAD ONE, UH, EARLIER THIS MONTH.
THIS WILL BE A SECOND PUBLIC HEARING IN APRIL.
UM, BECAUSE OF THE LENGTHY PROCESS REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE IN THE TIFF STATUTES, UM, THE CALLING OF THIS HEARING HAS TO BE DONE BY COUNCIL ACTION.
ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE MANAGER? MR. HORN? JUST TO COMMENT, I, I FIRST OF ALL WANTED TO THANK THE DOZENS OF CITIZENS WHO ATTENDED THE FIRST HEARING ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROPOSED CENTRAL TIF DISTRICT.
AND I WAS PARTICULARLY IMPRESSED BY THE NUMBER OF RESIDENTS WANTING TO KNOW HOW THE NEW TIF DISTRICT, UH, CAN RESULT IN INCREASED ASSISTANCE TO IMPROVE THEIR PROPERTIES.
AND I WOULD JUST, UH, CALL TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENT'S ATTENTION THAT THE NUMBER ONE GENERAL OBJECTIVE OF THE PUBLISHED TIFF PLAN IS TO ALLEVIATE BLIGHT, ENSURE SAFE CONDITIONS, AND ENHANCE THE EFFICIENCY OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORKS.
AND THAT THIS OBJECTIVE IN INCLUDES CONSIDERING, UH, CREATIVE PLACEMAKING OPPORTUNITIES INCORPORATING MORE GREEN SPACES, REVITALIZING EXISTING OPEN SPACES, IMPROVING HOUSING STOCK, AND PURSUING DEMOLITION
[01:35:01]
OF DILAPIDATED PROPERTIES.AND SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE RESIDENTS TO ONCE AGAIN COME OUT ON APRIL 16TH, 2024 AT 5:30 PM AND ADVOCATE FOR WHAT IS THE NUMBER ONE OBJECTIVE OF THE PUBLISHED TIF PLAN.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL MR. COOPER? UH, JUST NOTIFY THE COUNCIL THAT I WILL BE EXCUSING MYSELF ON ANY DISCUSSIONS REGARDING THIS TIF PROJECT, UH, DUE TO I OWN PROPERTY, UH, IN THE AREA OF THIS PARTICULAR TIFF.
THIS IS JUST ABOUT THE SCHEDULING OF THE HEARING, SO YOU'RE OKAY.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS? SEEING NONE.
SIX A'S ONE ABSTENTION, WE HAVE A RECORD NUMBER
[8. Consent Calendar: Items on the Consent Agenda/Calendar are matters requiring City Council approval or acceptance, but which are routine and recurring in nature, are not controversial, are matters of limited discretion, and about which little or no discussion is anticipated. However, staff’s assessment of what should be included on the Consent Agenda/Calendar can be in error. For this reason, any Consent Agenda/Calendar item can be removed from the Consent Agenda/Calendar by any member of the governing body, for any reason, without the need for concurrence by any other governing body member. Items removed from the Consent Agenda/Calendar will be discussed and voted on separately from the remainder of the Consent Agenda/Calendar.]
OF ITEMS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA CALENDAR.DOES ANYONE ON COUNCIL WISH TO, UH, REMOVE ANY OF THESE BEFORE THE CITY CLERK SPENDS THE NEXT TWO HOURS READING THEM ALL? OKAY, YOU SEE NONE.
ITEM A RESOLUTION APPROVING APPOINTMENT, HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION ITEM B, RECEIVING AND FILING OF MINUTES OF BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.
ITEM C, ORDINANCE ANNEXING TERRITORY 30 63 TEMPE DRIVE, ITEM D, ORDINANCE ANNEXING TERRITORY 2215 LILAC DRIVE, ITEM E ORDINANCE ANNEXING TERRITORY 28 66 SOUTHLAND ROAD, ITEM F ORDINANCE, ANNEXING TERRITORY 30 20 ROAD ITEM G ORDINANCE, ANNEXING TERRITORY 2250 HIGHLAND ROAD, ITEM H ORDINANCE ANNEXING TERRITORY 24 80 HEWLETT DRIVE, ITEM I RESOLUTION INDICATING INTENT TO ANNEX IN AN INCORPORATED TERRITORY.
SETTING A HEARING TO CONSIDER SUCH ANNEXATION AND DIRECTING PUBLICATION OF HEARING NOTICE 32 26 DESERT N ROAD ITEM J RESOLUTION INDICATING INTENT TO AN ANNEX IN AN INCORPORATED TERRITORY, SETTING A HEARING TO CONSIDER SUCH ANNEXATION AND DIRECTING PUBLICATION OF HEARING NOTICE 2093 SOLAR AVENUE ITEM K RESOLUTION INDICATING INTENT TO ANNEX AND UNINCORPORATED TERRITORY SETTING A HEARING TO CONSIDER SUCH ANNEXATION AND DIRECTING PUBLICATION OF HEARING NOTICE 31 70 NORTHWEST LAWN ITEM L RESOLUTION INDICATING INTENT TO ANNEX AN UNINCORPORATED TERRITORY SETTING A HEARING TO CONSIDER SUCH ANNEXATION AND DIRECTING PUBLICATION OF HEARING NOTICE 32 10 WESTLAWN AND 2112 SOLAR AVENUE ITEM M RESOLUTION INDICATING INTENT TO ANNEX AND UNINCORPORATED TERRITORY SETTING A HEARING TO CONSIDER SUCH ANNEXATION AND DIRECTING PUBLICATION OF HEARING NOTICE 38 33 WEST DIVISION ITEM N RESOLUTION INDICATING INTENT TO ANNEX AND UNINCORPORATED TERRITORY SETTING A HEARING TO CONSIDER SUCH ANNEXATION AND DIRECTING PUBLICATION OF HEARING NOTICE.
1424 SOUTH 37TH STREET, 1434 SOUTH 37TH STREET, 38 47 EAST CORMAN STREET LOT EAST OF 38 47 EAST CORMAN STREET, 1531 SOUTH 44TH STREET, LOT EAST OF 36 43 EAST CORMAN STREET, 1495 SOUTH 37TH STREET AND LOT SOUTH OF 1466 SOUTH 37TH STREET.
ITEM O RESOLUTION INDICATING INTENT TO ANNEX AN UNINCORPORATED TERRITORY SETTING A HEARING TO CONSIDER SUCH ANNEXATION AND DIRECTING PUBLICATION OF HEARING NOTICE LOT NORTH OF 41 48 EAST FER PARKWAY AND LOT WEST OF 41 52 EAST FERRIES PARKWAY.
ITEM P RESOLUTION INDICATING INTENT TO ANNEX AN UNINCORPORATED TERRITORY SETTING A HEARING TO CONSIDER SUCH ANNEXATION AND DIRECTING PUBLICATION OF HEARING NOTICE 7 75 WEST GROVE ROAD.
7 4 7 WEST GROVE ROAD, 8 65 WEST GROVE ROAD, 8 0 5 WEST GROVE ROAD, EIGHT 15 WEST GROVE ROAD AND LOT WEST OF EIGHT 15 WEST GROVE ROAD.
ITEM Q RESOLUTION INDICATING INTENT TO ANNEX AN UNINCORPORATED TERRITORY SETTING A HEARING TO CONSIDER SUCH ANNEXATION AND DIRECTING PUBLICATION OF HEARING NOTICE 29 33 DANNY DRIVE, 29 13 DANNY DRIVE, 29 14 DANNY DRIVE AND 29 34 DANNY DRIVE.
ITEM R RESOLUTION INDICATING INTENT TO ANNEX AND UNINCORPORATED TERRITORY SETTING A HEARING TO CONSIDER SUCH ANNEXATION AND DIRECTING PUBLICATION OF HEARING NOTICE 30 11 DANNY DRIVE, ITEM S RESOLUTION INDICATING INTENT TO ANNEX AN UNINCORPORATED TERRITORY SETTING A HEARING TO CONSIDER SUCH ANNEXATION AND DIRECTING PUBLICATION OF HEARING NOTICE 33 16 FERRIS DRIVE, 1850 FERRIS DRIVE AND 1930 FERRIS DRIVE, ITEM T RESOLUTION INDICATING INTENT TO ANNEX AND UNINCORPORATED TERRITORY SETTING A HEARING TO CONSIDER SUCH ANNEXATION AND DIRECTING PUBLICATION OF HEARING NOTICE LIE EAST OF 13 0 2 WEST BEHAR, ITEM U RESOLUTION INDICATING INTENT TO ANNEX AN UNINCORPORATED TERRITORY SETTING A HEARING TO CONSIDER SUCH ANNEXATION AND DIRECTING PUBLICATION OF HEARING NOTICE 16 0 4 SOUTH SHORES DRIVE.
ITEM V RESOLUTION INDICATING INTENT TO ANNEX AN UNINCORPORATED TERRITORY SETTING A HEARING TO CONSIDER SUCH ANNEXATION AND DIRECTING PUBLICATION OF HEARING NOTICE 3 6 0 1 WEST MARIETTA STREET, ITEM W RESOLUTION INDICATING INTENT TO ANNEX AN UNINCORPORATED TERRITORY SETTING A HEARING
[01:40:01]
TO CONSIDER SUCH ANNEXATION AND DIRECTING PUBLICATION OF HEARING NOTICE 1645 SOUTH 44TH STREET AND 1685 SOUTH 44TH STREET.ITEM X RESOLUTION INDICATING INTENT TO ANNEX AN UNINCORPORATED TERRITORY SETTING A HEARING TO CONSIDER SUCH ANNEXATION AND DIRECTING PUBLICATION OF HEARING NOTICE 36 43 EAST CORMAN STREET, ITEM Y RESOLUTION INDICATING INTENT TO ANNEX AN UNINCORPORATED TERRITORY SETTING A HEARING TO CONSIDER SUCH ANNEXATION AND DIRECTING PUBLICATION OF HEARING NOTICE LOT WEST OF 35 55 WEST CATHERINE, ITEM Z RESOLUTION INDICATING INTENT TO ANNEX AND UNINCORPORATED TERRITORY SETTING A HEARING TO CONSIDER SUCH ANNEXATION AND DIRECTING PUBLICATION OF HEARING NOTICE.
18 0 3 WEST SUNSET AVENUE LOT SOUTH OF 2081 SOUTH SUNSET LOT SOUTH OF 2069 WEST SUNSET LOT SOUTH OF 2021 WEST SUNSET LOT SOUTH OF 1945 WEST SUNSET LOT SOUTH OF 1937 SUNSET LOT, LOT SOUTH OF 1929 WEST SUNSET LOT, LOT SOUTH OF 1950 WEST SUNSET LOT SOUTH OF 1901 WEST SUNSET LOT SOUTH OF 2011 SUNSET LOT SOUTH OF 2095 SUNSET LOT SOUTH OF 700 SOUTHWEST LAWN LOT SOUTH OF 1909 WEST SUNSET LOT SOUTH OF 1893 WEST SUNSET LOT SOUTH OF 1873 WEST SUNSET LOT SOUTH OF 1853.
SUNSET ITEM AA RESOLUTION INDICATING INTENT TO ANNEX AN UNINCORPORATED TERRITORY SETTING A HEARING TO CONSIDER SUCH ANNEXATION AND DIRECTING PUBLICATION OF HEARING NOTICE 25 14 HEWLETT DRIVE ITEM AB RESOLUTION INDICATING INTENT TO ANNEX AN UNINCORPORATED TERRITORY SETTING A HEARING TO CONSIDER SUCH ANNEXATION AND DIRECTING PUBLICATION OF HEARING NOTICE 24 20 HEWLETT DRIVE, 24 49 HEWLETT DRIVE, 24 65 HAYNES HILL ROAD AND 24 48 HEWLETT DRIVE.
ITEM AC RESOLUTION INDICATING INTENT TO ANNEX IN UNINCORPORATED TERRITORY, SETTING A HEARING TO CONSIDER SUCH ANNEXATION AND DIRECTING PUBLICATION OF HEARING NOTICE 1135 NORTH MOFFITT LANE, 12 0 5 NORTH MOFFITT LANE, 10 0 3 NORTH MOFFITT LANE, 32 0 4 WEST MARIETTA AND 32 14 WEST MARIETTA.
I NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE THE ITEMS AS PRESENTED.
JIM SHOULD BE COOKING DINNER TONIGHT.
UH, BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO OTHER BUSINESS, UH, CORPORATION COUNCIL HAS ADVISED ME THAT THE RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE PURCHASE OF THE DUMP TRUCKS SPECIFICALLY STATES IN SECTION FOUR THAT THE CITY MANAGER AND TREASURER ARE AUTHORIZED AND DIRECTED TO DETERMINE THE MANNER OF PAYMENT.
IF THE COUNCIL DESIRES THAT IT BE RETURNED TO THE COUNCIL FOR PAYMENT, THE RESOLUTION SHOULD BE AMENDED TO CHANGE THE LANGUAGE OF SECTION FOUR.
DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO CHANGE THE LANGUAGE OF SECTION FOUR OR WOULD YOU PREFER THAT IT CAME BACK? CAN IT BE CHANGED JUST BY DELETION? THAT'D BE THE SIMPLEST THING.
COULD WE HAVE A MOTION TO DELETE THE AUTHORIZATION FOR THE MANAGER AND TREASURER TO MOVE FORWARD WITH PAYMENT? SO MOVED.
IS EVERYBODY CLEAR ON WHAT WE'RE DOING? OKAY.
COUNCILMAN COLE? I, I'M NOT, I, I DON'T KNOW.
WHAT DO WE, I I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE GOING.
THIS MEANS THAT IT WILL COME BACK TO COUNSEL FOR US TO APPROVE WHICH FORM OF PAYMENT IF IT'S COMING OUTTA THE WATER FUND OR, OKAY.
WE'RE JUST DELETING THE AUTHORIZATION FOR THEM TO MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT IT COMING BACK TO US FIRST, WHICH IS WHAT YOU SAID YOU WANTED TO DO WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT IT.
UH, WHERE WERE WE ON THE VOTE? WE'LL START OVER.
AND THANK YOU TO CORPORATION COUNCIL FOR CATCHING THAT.
[VI. Other Business]
YOU KNOW, AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, MAKING OUR COMMUNITY LOOK BETTER, UH, THERE IT'S MANY FACTORS.YOU KNOW, FIXING UP HOUSES, THINGS LIKE THAT, FIXING THE STREETS.
UH, ONE, ONE OF MY ISSUES, AND I'VE I'VE TALKED BEFORE ABOUT WE HAVE THE LAST TWO OR THREE YEARS I'VE SEEN MORE AND MORE PEOPLE PARKING VEHICLES IN THEIR YARD.
NOT JUST CARS, BOATS THAT ARE NOT AUTHORIZED AS FAR AS, AGAIN, IF THERE'S A CONCRETE, UH, UH, PLACEMENT, THEY CAN, THEY CAN DO THAT.
BUT WE GOTTA START ENFORCING HIM, LIKE, YOU KNOW, GIVING THEM A WARNING BECAUSE MORE PEOPLE THAT SEE THIS GOING ON, THEY SAY, WELL, IT MUST BE OKAY TO DO SO.
THEY START DOING, BUT IT REALLY CHEAPENS THE CITY.
MAYOR, YOU'RE ON WAR PATH THAN I AM TOO ABOUT THESE AUTHOR UNAUTHORIZED SIGNS.
IT'S ALL THE WHOLE PACKAGE THAT GOES INTO IT.
SO, UH, I HOPE WE CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT.
YOU KNOW, WE LEAVE PARKING TICKETS, UH, YOU KNOW, IN THE PARKING LOTS.
[01:45:01]
TIME IT'LL COST YOU.COUNCILWOMAN GREGORY, YOU COULD PROBABLY ADD 96 GALLON WASTE MANAGEMENT DUMPSTERS TO THAT LIST AS WELL, BUT YOU WON'T WANNA GET ME STARTED ON THAT TONIGHT.
UM, I HAVE, I I JUST WANNA REVISIT THE ISSUE OF THE LIFT ASSIST.
I DON'T THINK THAT WHAT WE DID HERE TONIGHT WAS UNDER THE COVER OF DARKNESS, AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE KEPT ANYTHING SECRET AT ALL.
UM, BUT I I, IN THE AGENDA, WE WERE NOT ABLE TO OPEN THE LINK TO THE ACTUAL ORDINANCE.
AND SO I WENT TO THE, UM, CITY OF DECATUR PAGE UNDER COUNCIL MEETINGS AND FOR SOME REASON COULD BE OPERATOR ERROR.
UM, I'M NOT FINDING THE ACTUAL ORDINANCE.
AND SO MY QUESTION IS, WHEN DOES THIS BECOME EFFECTIVE? CAN YOU DELAY THE EFFECTIVE NOTICE ONE MONTH, 30 DAYS IN ORDER TO SEND OUT A LETTER THAT SAYS FYI? UM, WITH YOUR PERMISSION, I'M HAPPY TO DO THAT ADMINISTRATIVELY.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS? OH MY GOODNESS.
I THOUGHT, I THOUGHT THAT WAS A MOTION TO ADJOURN IN A SECOND.
MR. COOPER, JUST A QUICK QUESTION, PROBABLY TO THE CITY MANAGER.
UM, I KNOW WE'VE HAD SOME DISCUSSIONS IN THE PAST WEEKS ABOUT THE, UM, THE 24 HOUR DAYCARE CENTER.
I THINK IT'S WITH THE WE FOLKS.
WHAT'S THE STATUS? OR I THINK THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO, SOMETHING WAS COME, SUPPOSED TO COME BACK TO US AT SOME POINT.
UM, IS THERE ANY, CAN YOU GIVE US A QUICK BRIEF STATUS ON WHAT THAT'S AT? COUNCILMAN COOPER? I HAD, UH, UH, HOPED TO HAVE ALL OF THE INFORMATION NECESSARY FOR YOU TO MAKE A MORE HOLISTIC EVALUATION OF THIS PROPOSAL THIS MONTH.
UM, UH, WE WEREN'T ABLE TO PUT IT ALL TOGETHER, UM, TO HAVE ALL OF THE INFORMATION ABOUT, UH, COMPARATIVE COSTS OF, OF DEMOLITION VERSUS, VERSUS REHAB, UH, ACTUAL BIDS RATHER THAN JUST ESTIMATES ON WHAT SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE WORK WILL COST MORE INFORMATION.
'CAUSE I'VE HAD MANY OF YOU HAVE SPOKEN TO ME INDIVIDUALLY ABOUT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT, THAT, THAT YOU WOULD LIKE.
AND, AND ALL OF IT'S ACTUALLY A GOOD INFORMATION REQUEST AND PROBABLY WILL HELP YOU MAKE A MORE HOLISTIC, UM, UH, DECISION ABOUT THIS.
UM, IT JUST MEANT THAT IT, IT'S TAKEN IT LONGER TO PUT TOGETHER.
I FULLY EXPECT TO HAVE THIS ON ONE OF YOUR MARCH AGENDAS.
I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT CITIZENS' CONCERNS WITH PREMIUM YARD WASTE COLLECTION.
UM, RESIDENTS ARE CERTAINLY RIGHT TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE EXTREMELY LARGE INCREASED IN THE COST OF PREMIUM YARD WASTE COLLECTION.
THEY ARE RIGHT TO BE EVEN MORE UPSET BY A $5 PER BAG FEE FOR YARD WASTE THAT DOES NOT FIT INTO A TOTE AND HAVING TO PAY 12 MONTHS OF SERVICE IN ADVANCE.
UH, BOTH OF THESE CHARGES THAT ARE HAPPENING BY AT LEAST ONE HAULER ARE CONCERNING AND THEY SHOULD BE REVIEWED BY THE CITY COUNCIL.
I'D LIKE THE CITY COUNCIL TO DISCUSS QUESTIONS SUCH AS WHICH HAULERS ARE PARTICIPATING, WHAT EACH HAULER'S CHARGING, WHETHER ALL HAULERS ARE CHARGING ADDITIONAL FEES SUCH AS A $5 PER BAG FEE, WHETHER HAULERS ARE REFUSING TO PROVIDE SERVICE TO THOSE THAT THEY DO NOT SERVICE FOR GARBAGE AND RECYCLING.
WHY HAULERS ARE ASKING FOR 12 MONTHS UPFRONT FOR THE SERVICE WHEN GARBAGE AND RECYCLING ARE HANDLED DIFFERENTLY.
AND WHAT STEPS THE CITY COUNCIL CAN TAKE TO MAKE CHANGES TO PREMIUM YARD WASTE SERVICE VIA CHANGES TO THE ORDINANCE.
THE IDEA THAT YOU COULD HAVE A SWEET GUM TREE AND HAVE ALL OF THOSE GUMBALLS FALL DOWN AND FILL UP 5 96 GALLON TOTES AND INSTEAD YOU CAN FILL UP ONE TOTE AND 20 BAGS AND BE CHARGED AN ADDITIONAL A HUNDRED DOLLARS SHOULD ABSOLUTELY BE FRUSTRATING TO EVERY RESIDENT IN DECATUR.
AND SO I'M SEEKING CONSENT FROM MY COLLEAGUES TO DISCUSS THIS AT THE MARCH 4TH CITY COUNCIL MEETING.
QUICK QUESTION, MR. MANAGER WAS, AND I DON'T RECALL THIS, BUT WAS THAT BUILT INTO THE CONTRACT WE SIGNED WITH THE HAULERS OR NOT? WE
[01:50:01]
DIDN'T SIGN A CONTRACT WITH THE HAULERS.WE HAVE AN ORDINANCE THAT REGULATES THEIR SERVICE AND THAT ORDINANCE, UM, UH, HAS TO A CERTAIN EXTENT DEREGULATED THE PREMIUM YARD WASTE SERVICE.
UH, THERE'S A YARD WASTE, UH, SERVICE PROVIDED AS A PART OF BASIC SERVICE FOR SIX WEEKS IN THE SPRING AND SIX WEEKS IN THE FALL.
WE ADDED LANGUAGE THAT ALLOWS US TO VARY WHEN THOSE SIX WEEKS OCCUR BASED ON ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS AND WHEN WE THINK MOST OF THE STUFF IS GONNA BE FALLING AND PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE PUTTING IT IN BAGS.
BUT IF PEOPLE WANT, UH, SERVICE FOR YARD WASTE REMOVAL AT DURING THE OTHER 40 WEEKS OF THE YEAR WHEN, WHEN BASIC SERVICE DOESN'T PROVIDE FOR UNLIMITED COLLECTION, UM, THEN THEY ARE AT LIBERTY TO, UH, MAKE THEIR OWN ARRANGEMENTS WITH WHICHEVER HAULER THEY LIKE, NOT NECESSARILY THE ONE THAT'S ASSIGNED TO THEM.
I THINK THAT, UM, I DIDN'T ANTICIPATE THE DEGREE TO WHICH HAULERS HAVE SAID, WELL, I DON'T, YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANNA GO HALFWAY ACROSS TOWN, OUT OUTSIDE OF MY ASSIGNED HAULING AREA FOR GARBAGE AND RECYCLING JUST TO PICK UP A COUPLE OF PREMIUM YARD WASTE CUSTOMERS.
SO THAT HAS EFFECTIVELY, AT LEAST FOR THE SHORT TERM, HAS LIMITED THE NUMBER OF OPTIONS THAT PEOPLE HAVE WHO ARE SEEKING SOME KIND OF PREMIUM SERVICE.
I THINK THAT IT WILL EVENTUALLY CORRECT ITSELF, UM, AS, AS, AS THE MORE MORE PRIVATE COMPANIES FIGURE OUT THAT THEY CAN, CAN RUN A BUSINESS IN PREMIUM SERVICE JUST SIMPLY BY UNDERCUTTING WHAT WASTE MANAGEMENT AND GFL HAVE BEEN, UH, OFFERING.
UM, SO, BUT WE ARE NOT REGULATING WHAT SERVICE THEY, THEY THEY PROVIDE OR, OR WHAT THE BILLING IS OR HOW OFTEN THE BILLING IS IS DONE.
UM, AND ALL WE REQUIRE THEM TO DO IS TO POST WHATEVER IT IS THEY'RE, THEY'RE OFFERING, UM, WITH THE CITY.
SO WE, WE CAN INFORM CITIZENS THROUGH THE, UH, PUBLIC INFORMATION MECHANISM THAT WE HAVE GENERATED A LOT OF INFORMATION OUT ABOUT, ABOUT GARBAGE ON OUR WEBSITE AND OTHER FLYERS THAT WE PRODUCE.
SO DO WE HAVE ALL THAT INFORMATION NOW AT HAND TO WHERE COUNCIL COULD BE INFORMED OF THE DIFFERENT ITEMS? I, I GUESS I'M ASKING DR. HORN IF, IF IF HAVING THE INFORMATION SO WE CAN AT LEAST DIGEST IT IS, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, UM, WELL WE CAN GO TO THE WEBSITE AND WE'LL GET A LIST OF PHONE NUMBERS OF THE DIFFERENT HAULERS, BUT IT IS WRONG TO CHARGE $5 PER LAWN BAG, UH, FOR THIS SYSTEM IF YOU ARE ALREADY PAYING FOR A A MONTHLY PREMIUM LAWN WASTE CHARGE.
MOTHER NATURE DOES NOT TELL THE TREES IN PEOPLE'S BACKYARDS WHEN THEY SHOULD RELEASE THEIR LEAVES AND SEEDS.
AND SO, UM, IT'S GOING TO BE DIFFERENT FOR DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND, AND WE HAVE LET THE FREE MARKET WORK ITSELF AND WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS THAT IN MANY CASES, HAULERS ARE NOT GOING OUTSIDE OF THEIR TERRITORY AND THEY'RE LETTING THE HAULERS WITHIN THEIR TERRITORY CHARGE WHATEVER THEY WANT.
WELL, THE STARS MUST BE ALIGNED TONIGHT.
I'LL BE IN AGREEMENT WITH COUNCILMAN HORNE AS WELL.
I JUST, BECAUSE WE HAVE THE SAME CONCERNS AS WELL.
IN FACT, I'LL GO A STEP FURTHER AND NOT ONLY SUPPORT YOUR, UH, DECISION OR YOUR REQUEST, BUT ALSO ASK FOR A SPREADSHEET THAT WE MIGHT VIEW AS A SHOPPING LIST TO SHARE WITH THE PUBLIC.
HERE'S YOUR HAULER, HERE'S WHY THEY'RE WANTING, BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING AROUND US TO CREATE THEIR OWN FEES, IS WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND THEY'VE DONE IT.
SO I THINK A NICE SPREADSHEET THAT WE CAN SHARE WITH THE PUBLIC THAT OF CURRENT PRICES AND AND SERVICES IS, IS FAIR.
MY QUESTION, I GUESS FOR THE MANAGER OR MAYBE LEGAL COUNSEL, WE'VE, WE'VE PASSED AN ORDINANCE IN A, UM, YOU KNOW, LONG TAKE SOMETHING THAT TOOK A LONG TIME TO COME TO TERMS WITH THE HAULERS.
SO IT'S KINDA LIKE THIS IS THE DEAL WE CUT AND I MEAN, IF I UNDERSTAND CORRECTLY, THEY CAN JUST SAY, YEAH, I'M NOT PICKING IT UP AND I DIDN'T OPT TO DO EXCEPT FOR THE SPECIFIED TIME.
AND SO THEY COULD ALL JUST SAY IT'S ON YOU DON'T CARE BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW THAT WE CAN, I MEAN, YOU CAN AMEND AN ORDINANCE.
I KNOW, BUT I MEAN THIS WAS A NEGOTIATED DEAL BASICALLY, THAT THIS IS, THESE ARE THE TERMS WE CAME TO.
IT DIDN'T TURN OUT THE WAY ANY OF US THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA TURN OUT AS FAR AS THE HAULERS COUNCILWOMAN.
WELL, YOU GOT ME STARTED AND YOU BETTER GET TWO TANDEM BIKES BECAUSE I AGREE WITH COUNCILMAN HORN AND I GOT THE LETTER RIGHT HERE, AND IT IS UNACCEPTABLE FOR BASIC YARD WASTE TO NOT HAVE SERVICE JUNE, JULY, AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER IS UNACCEPTABLE.
NUMBER ONE PRIORITY OF CITY COUNCIL AND PAT BROUGHT IT UP IS THE WAY THE TOWN LOOKS RIGHT NOW,
[01:55:01]
TONIGHT ON MY BACK PATIO, I HAVE EIGHT FULL BAGS OF YARD WASTE THAT I GATHERED UP LAST SATURDAY.I MADE A CALL TO MY HAULER, THE LARGEST ONE IN THE CITY AND ASKED COULD I ARRANGE AN ADDITIONAL PICKUP? OH, WELL, JUST A MINUTE, LET ME PUT YOU ON HOLD.
ABOUT FIVE MINUTES LATER THEY CAME BACK AND THE ANSWER IS, WELL, NOT UNTIL MARCH ONE.
WELL, I HADN'T GOTTEN THIS LETTER YET, SO I AGREED, OKAY, I'LL PUT 'EM OUT ON MARCH ONE.
WELL, I DON'T HAVE A 96 GALLON CONTAINER.
I DO NOT WANT A 96 GALLON CONTAINER.
EIGHT BAGS OF YARD WASTE WILL NOT FIT INTO A 96 GALLON CONTAINER UNLESS I PURCHASE A $200 LEAF SHREDDER THAT I CAN SIT ON TOP.
AND THEN AT THAT POINT, I'M NOT SURE I CAN PULL A 96 GALLON CONTAINER FULL OF SHREDDED EIGHT BAGS OR MORE OF LEAVES.
I HAVE CALLED OTHER HAULERS BEING GET ONE RETURN PHONE CALL, NOT ONE.
THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT AS CONSCIENTIOUS OF ME THAT ARE GONNA FIND A WAY TO DISCARD OF THOSE EIGHT BAGS AND WE AREN'T GONNA LIKE THE WAY IT OCCURS.
AND SO YES, WE HAVE TO OPEN THIS BACK UP, WHETHER IT WAS AGREED OR NOT.
THE, UM, COPY OF THE ORDINANCE THAT WE GOT ON SEPTEMBER 20TH TO WHAT WE VOTED ON, I FORGET THE DATE NOW.
UM, THAT'S WHEN THESE TIMELINES CAME IN, IN NINE YEARS.
THERE ARE NOW THREE VOTES THAT I WILL REGRET AND ONE OF THEM IS THIS BECAUSE IT'S GONNA BE A REAL PROBLEM.
AND SO DR. HORN? YES, I'LL BE ONE OF YOUR FOUR.
I I DO NEED TO ASK STAFF A QUESTION LOGISTICALLY DO, BECAUSE YOU MARCH WHAT? FOURTH? IS THAT WHAT YOU SAID? DO WE HAVE ADEQUATE TIME TO PREPARE WHAT HE'S REQUESTING BY MARCH 4TH AND WHETHER IT'S CHANGES, AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF YOU KNOW WHAT THIS DOES, LIKE WHAT REPERCUSSIONS THAT THERE ARE WHEN WE REOPEN THE ORDINANCE.
CAN SOMEBODY TELL ME? SO, UM, I WANT TO REPEAT SOMETHING THAT I THINK IS CONTEXT AND THEN I'LL TRY TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION.
THAT THE, YOU KNOW, MARCHING ORDERS I HAD FROM COUNCIL WERE TRY TO BRING THIS BASE RATE IN AS LOW AS POSSIBLE AND ELIMINATE SOME OF THESE GOOFY EXTRA CHARGES THAT THE HAULERS WERE DOING.
ONE OF THE WAYS WE ACCOMPLISHED IT THOUGH WAS TO PRIVATIZE THE PREMIUM YARD SERVICE BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WAS BEING SO HEAVILY SUBSIDIZED AT ONLY $1, UH, A MONTH OR 25 CENTS PER WEEK.
UM, SO YES, IT'S IN THE ORDINANCE.
UM, AND UH, BUT I BELIEVE BASED ON THE RELATIONSHIP THAT WE HAVE, AT LEAST WITH THE TWO MAJOR HAULERS, IS THAT THEY'RE CERTAINLY WILLING TO, TO TALK WITH US AND TO CONSIDER SOME CHANGES, UH, IF WE PUSH TOO MUCH EXTRA COST ON THEM.
THEY'LL, THEY'LL, THEY'LL WANT TO CHANGE THE BASE RATE.
AND SO I WANNA MAKE WHATEVER CHANGES THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE WITHOUT INCREASING THE BASE RATE, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THERE WAS SO MUCH PROTEST INAPPROPRIATELY, I THINK BECAUSE THE MAJORITY OF CUSTOMERS ACTUALLY SAW NO INCREASE, UH, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU TAKE OUT THE EXTRA CHARGE AND, AND ESPECIALLY THE CART RENTAL.
UM, BUT, UH, THE, I DON'T THINK THE HAULERS ARE GOING TO, UH, FIGURATIVELY CROSS THEIR ARMS AND ACROSS THEIR CHEST AND SAY, NO, YOU HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT.
I, I, I THINK THAT THEY WILL, UM, COME TO THE TABLE AND, UH, AND, AND DISCUSS IT WITH US.
AND I WILL INVITE BOTH OF THEM TO THE MEETING.
UM, WE WILL TRY TO, I MEAN, IF, UH, THERE'S THREE OF YOU, I ASSUME THERE WILL BE FOUR BASED ON THE TENOR OF THE CONVERSATION.
UH, SO WE WILL TRY TO HAVE THIS ALREADY BY THE, BY THE FOURTH AND TO GIVE THE COMPARATIVE, UH, INFORMATION ABOUT EACH OF THE HAULERS.
THE, UH, THE WASTE MANAGEMENT ONE WAS ACTUALLY IN A PREVIOUS PACKET.
UM, WE DIDN'T HAVE THE, THE GFL ONE AT THE TIME THAT THAT PACKET WAS PRODUCED, BUT WE CAN GET ALL THAT INFORMATION AND I'LL, I'LL DO MY BEST TO PREPARE IT FOR THE NEXT CITY COUNCIL MEETING AND GIVE YOU ALL THE BACKGROUND INFORMATION THAT I CAN PUT TOGETHER AS WELL AS HAVE REPRESENTATIVES FROM BOTH OF THE HAULERS HERE AS, AND I WILL DISCUSS WITH THEM IN ADVANCE, UH, SOME POSSIBLE OPTIONS THAT MIGHT BE WITHIN THE, THE PARAMETERS OF THE ORDINANCE.
DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, MAYOR? I, I THINK SO.
MR. COOPER, YOU, YEAH, YOU'LL HAVE A FOURTH
BUT, UM, WHAT I WANTED TO SAY IS I, HOPEFULLY, I KNOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO TREAD LIGHTLY, UM, 'CAUSE I KNOW THE HAULERS DIDN'T GET THE, UM, RECOMMENDED INCREASE THAT THEY WANTED, ALTHOUGH I THOUGHT WE, I THOUGHT WE DID, WE DID WELL WITH WHAT WE RECOMMENDED AND WHAT WAS FINALLY APPROVED.
UM, I DO, I DO KNOW ONE OF OUR MAIN
[02:00:01]
HAULERS, UM, JUST PULLED OUT OF, UH, THAT BUSINESS WITH THE WASTE IN SPRINGFIELD DUE TO, THEY WOULDN'T, THE CITY COUNCIL OR THE AUTOMATIC WOULDN'T NEGOTIATE WITH THEM, UH, INCREASE IN PRICES.SO I'M SURE WE WILL RUN THAT SAME RISK THAT, UM, MAYBE THEY WILL NEGOTIATE.
UH, BUT IF THEY DO LIKE IT THEN IN SPRINGFIELD, UH, THEY'RE PROBABLY JUST GONNA SAY NO AND MOOT AND THEY MAY TERMINATE ALL THE SERVICE ALTOGETHER AS FAR AS THE YARD WASTE.
SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL GET SOMEWHERE.
BUT THAT IS, UH, SOMETHING WE DO NEED TO DISCUSS.
MADAM COUNSEL, JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, SPECIFICALLY, COUNCILWOMAN GREGORY, THE BAGS THAT YOU USE FOR YARD WASTE DURING THE SIX WEEKS AND THE SPRING AND THE SIX WEEKS IN THE FALL, THOSE BAGS AND THE CONTAINERS THAT PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS USED ARE STILL ACCEPTABLE.
SO YOU WOULDN'T BE REQUIRED FOR THOSE PERIODS OF TIME, UM, TO USE THE DESIGNATED 96 GALLON THAT ONE OF THE HAULERS IS PROPOSING OR PAY FIVE EXTRA BAGS.
IT'S PART OF THE BASIC SERVICE AND IT'S UNLIMITED.
I STILL HAVE A PROBLEM WITH, UM, NO SERVICE.
JUNE, JULY, AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER UNDER THE BASIC YARD WASTE.
THERE IS STILL NO SERVICE UNDER PREMIUM YARD WASTE FROM JUNE, JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER.
AND THEN, UM, UNDER THE SECOND DOT POINT UNDER PREMIUM YARD WASTE, WHILE IT BEGINS ONE MONTH EARLIER, THERE IS A GAP FOR, UM, THEN AGAIN IN APRIL.
AND UM, IT'S EVEN MORE EXPENSIVE FOR THAT ONE.
AND I GUESS THE THING THAT CONCERNS ME THE MOST, AND YOU, OF COURSE YOU CAN HAVE THE WASTE HAULERS HERE, BUT I WAS HERE WHEN THEY STOOD AT THAT PODIUM AND SAID, OH YES, THEY WERE GONNA PUT OUT A REALLY NICE BROCHURE AND THEY WERE GONNA TELL US EVERYTHING THAT WE NEEDED TO KNOW.
AND INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, THAT NEVER OCCURRED.
IN ADDITION, I WAS, UM, CHARGED FOR THE 96 GALLON CONTAINER BEFORE IT WAS DUMPED ON MY LAWN.
THAT TOOK ME TWO PHONE CALLS TO HAVE THEM COME PICK UP.
SO, UM, THE CREDIBILITY ISN'T REALLY STRONG WHERE I'M CONCERNED, JACK.
SO, UM, CITY MANAGER, JUST SO I HAVE THIS IN MY MIND, IF WE REOPEN THIS AND WE WANT YARD WASTE YEAR ROUND, WHICH IS WHAT SOUNDS LIKE WE WANT, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO PAY A HIGHER BASE RATE, IS BASICALLY WHAT IT'S GONNA BOIL DOWN TO.
AND IF WE PAY A HIGHER BASE RATE, THEN THE PEOPLE THAT DON'T REALLY NEED THE YARD WASTE ARE GONNA BE PENALIZED AND IT'S GONNA BE A NEGOTIATION.
DO I HAVE THAT ABOUT RIGHT? YEAH, THAT'S ONE POSSIBLE OUTCOME.
IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE ONLY POSSIBLE OUTCOME.
I THINK THAT THERE ARE SOME OTHER, UM, LESS DRACONIAN OUTCOMES.
UM, FOR EXAMPLE, I THINK THAT, UH, I MEAN WHAT THE CURRENT ARRANGEMENT POS IS THAT IF YOU WANT PREMIUM SERVICE, THEN THAT EXTRA SERVICE YOU SHOULD PAY FOR.
AND I DON'T HEAR ANYBODY NECESSARILY DISAGREEING WITH THAT.
I THINK WHAT THEY'RE SAYING IS THAT WE'RE WILLING TO PAY A PREMIUM SERVICE A, A PREMIUM FEE FOR, FOR PREMIUM SERVICE, BUT IT'S NOT REALLY WORKING THE WAY THAT IT SHOULD.
AND I, AND THAT'S HOW I'M GONNA APPROACH THE HAULERS.
LET'S LOOK AT THIS DIFFERENTLY.
WHAT IF SOMEBODY JUST WANTS, I MEAN, WHAT, WHAT THE HAULERS ARE WANTING TO DO, THE PRIMARY ONES IS SAY IT'S A ONE SIZE FITS ALL.
YOU, YOU PAY THE $120 A YEAR AND THIS IS THE SERVICE THAT YOU GET AND, AND THERE'S NO OTHER OPTION.
I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE OTHER OPTIONS.
I THINK THAT PREVAILING ON THEM FOR OTHER OPTIONS DOESN'T VIOLATE THE BASIC PROVISIONS OF THE ORDINANCE THAT YOU ADOPTED.
SO I THINK THERE ARE, THERE ARE OTHER OUTCOMES.
PLEASE TELL ME THERE'S NO OTHER BUSINESS TO COME BEFORE THE COUNCIL TONIGHT.