Moline COW and City Council Meeting – December 20, 2023
Moline COW and City Council Meeting – December 20, 2023
The City of Moline held a combined Committee-of-the-Whole (COW) and regular City Council meeting on December 20, 2023 (originally scheduled for December 19). The meeting began at 6:00 PM in the Council Chambers. Key actions included approval of a remote attendance waiver, an oath of office for a police sergeant promotion, advancement of a TIF redevelopment plan, appointment of a land bank director, adoption of several ordinances and resolutions related to utility billing changes, a bereavement leave policy, and a stormwater master plan. All votes were unanimous (7-0) unless noted.
Oath of Office and Promotional Appointment
- Alderperson Debbie Murphy was approved for remote electronic attendance due to personal illness (vote 7-0).
- Tyler McLaughlin was sworn in as a police sergeant, effective December 3, 2023. Chief of Police highlighted his service as a field training officer, crisis containment unit member, community policing involvement, and receipt of a combat citation for an incident on April 3, 2021. Family members and Nicole Sodawasser of the Center for Youth and Family Solutions were present.
Consent Agenda
- Approved the meeting minutes of December 5, 2023 (committee-of-the-whole, council, and executive session).
- Approved Resolution 13.1: Amendment to the intergovernmental agreement for MetroLINK John Deere Commons passenger ferry boat terminal improvements.
- Approved Resolution 13.2: Contract with Emery Construction Group Inc. for traffic signal replacements at 16th Street/36th Avenue and 41st Street/32nd Avenue for $1,452,371.45.
- Approved Resolution 13.3: Amendment to the Quad City Civic Center funding agreement, repealing a recent amusement tax increase and adjusting revenue allocation.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Melissa Elias (Executive Director, Renew Moline) expressed gratitude for the city’s confidence in Renew Moline over a busy year, citing a strong partnership and a clear path between their office and council chambers. She pledged continued service in 2024.
Discussion Items
- 5th Avenue TIF Redevelopment Project Area (COW Item 6.1 & Council Item 16.1): Assistant City Administrator Barry Dykhuizen explained the next step in creating the TIF district, noting strict deadlines and a 10-day availability of the draft plan. The resolution set a time and place for a public hearing. Councilmember Schmidt emphasized respect for all taxing bodies and appreciation for the careful work. Approved 7-0.
- Illinois Quad Cities Land Bank Authority Director Appointment (COW Item 6.2): Dykhuizen proposed appointing CED Director Chris Matthias as the city’s representative, replacing Kay Willie, to align with Rock Island’s structure. He recognized Willie’s foundational work. The motion passed 7-0 (chair initially stated “six to one” but all seven ayes were recorded).
- December 2023 Status & Information Report (Item 7): The report covered activities through November; a full year-end report is expected in January. Councilmember Castro asked about the Metronet project timeline, with Dykhuizen stating the current estimate of August 2024 and a monthly meeting scheduled for the next day to provide updates.
- Fourth Amendment to Development Agreement with Illinois Domus LLC (Item 15.1): Authorized the mayor and clerk to execute the amendment for properties at 1300-1326 6th Avenue. Approved 7-0.
- Reduction of Plan Commission Members (Item 15.2): Amended Chapter 25 to reduce the number of plan commission members. Approved 7-0.
- Utility Billing Transition – Garbage/Recycling (Item 15.3): Amended Chapters 15 to adjust references from quarterly to monthly utility billing effective January 2024. Approved 7-0.
- Utility Billing Transition – Water/Sewer (Item 15.4): Amended Chapter 34 for the same monthly billing transition. Approved 7-0.
- Family Bereavement Leave Policy (Item 16.2): Approved a city policy establishing bereavement leave. Approved 7-0.
- Stormwater Master Plan Approval (Item 16.3): Approved the November 2023 plan prepared by Crawford, Murphy & Tilly (CMT). Councilmember Castro noted the adoption is analogous to the Pavement Condition Index approach—accepting findings without committing to exact spending, giving time for implementation. Approved 7-0.
Key Outcomes
- All resolutions and ordinances passed unanimously (7-0) except the land bank appointment where the chair’s tally showed 6-1 but all seven members voted aye.
- The city will proceed with a public hearing for the 5th Avenue TIF redevelopment project area.
- Chris Matthias was appointed as the city’s local government director for the Illinois Quad Cities Land Bank Authority.
- The city adopted a stormwater master plan as a guiding document for future capital decisions.
- Utility billing will transition from quarterly to monthly starting January 2024, reflected in garbage, recycling, water, and sewer code amendments.
- The meeting concluded with a motion to enter executive session for discussion of personnel (appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal) under 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1). The motion carried 7-0.
Meeting Transcript
We'll call this meeting to order here in Council Chambers at 6 p.m. Um welcome everyone. Uh we have remote electronic attendance. I would like to make a motion to approve remote electronic attendance of Alder Person Debbie Murphy at the committee of the whole and city council meeting of December 19, 2023 due to personal illness. Second. All right. That's motion by older person finch, seconded by Timmy in. Roll call, please. Alder Person Masias. Hi. Rosak. Hi. Timmy in. Hi. Bench. Hi. O'Brien. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I took my sheet's not updated. Castro. All right. So that motion passes. Welcome, Alder Person Murphy. We have an oath of office next. Oath of office for promotional appointment to the rank of sergeant to Tyler McLaughlin. Effective December 3rd. Tyler can come forward. Thank you, Mayor. Good evening, Council. This is always an exciting time for a police chief to promote an officer in the department. I think this might be my 12th promotion. As you know, we've uh been rebuilding the police department over the last several years, and uh we're certainly excited to continue rebuilding our ranks of the officers and uh Tyler is our newest promotion. Uh Tyler came to us in 2018. He grew up in Hampton, Illinois, attended United Township High School. We're gonna remember this, Tyler, that he previously worked in public works in Hampton. So if we have any more public works uh director openings, we could always uh reach out each over here to the police department. But uh he came here in 2018, as I said, and he's done quite a bit for the Mowling Police Department. We're certainly very proud of him. One of the biggest things he's done is he's been a field training officer. So in the police department, we have several officers that are certified to train new officers, and Tyler probably has been one of the top one or two uh FCOs that have trained dozens, probably well over 20 officers. Most of them uh are new officers that are in the field today uh during his time here. He's been very active in the field training program. He's a member of the crisis containment unit, also an operator in our uh Marine 11 shared boat with the fire department, a less uh less lethal weapons instructor, active shooter and rescue task force uh instructor. Uh he has been uh very very active in active shooter and less legal uh less leaf less lethal instructor, uh single-handedly training the entire police department in those techniques. Uh and as I mentioned in his FTO program in 2022, uh he uh welcomed the challenges to help train new recruits. So he's been very active in our training programs. Uh also Tyler has been very active in the community. Uh he does quite a few of the community policing events, uh, shot with the cop. He was there with me last night, night out against crime, bike rodeo, polar plunge.
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