Moline City Council Committee-of-the-Whole and Regular Meeting – 2024-03-13

The Moline City Council held a Committee-of-the-Whole (COW) meeting followed by a regular City Council meeting in Council Chambers at City Hall. The agenda packet is dated Tuesday, March 12, 2024, but this summary uses the supplied meeting timestamp of Wednesday, March 13, 2024. The COW session began at 6:01 p.m.; the public hearing was opened at 6:06 p.m. and closed at 6:07 p.m. Council approved consulting, utility, public safety, and redevelopment items, then moved into executive session.

Opening and Oath of Office

• No remote electronic attendance was requested.
• Omar Morales-Alvarado took the oath of office for a promotional appointment to the rank of Police Officer, effective March 4, 2024. Police Chief noted he was hired May 3, 2022, is a Moline High School graduate, serves in the Illinois National Guard, speaks fluent Spanish, and had his probationary period delayed by a military injury. His father pinned on his badge.

Public Hearing

• Mayor opened the Moline Lead Service Line Replacement Project and Preliminary Environmental Impacts Determination (PEID) hearing at 6:06 p.m. Utilities Director Tony Loete said the project plan was submitted to the EPA for state revolving loan fund funding and had been available for inspection for 10 days in the clerk's office and on the website.
• No testimony was offered in favor or opposition, and no questions were asked. The hearing closed at 6:07 p.m.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comments were made during the COW public comment period or the later regular-meeting public comment period.

Board Appointments

• Mayor announced appointments and reappointments: Daniel Otten to the Public Art Commission for the unexpired term of Amanda Augsburger, expiring September 30, 2025; Emily Cummings to the Moline Commission on Youth for a three-year term expiring March 31, 2027; and Krisann Bergo to the Moline Commission on Youth for a three-year term expiring March 31, 2027.

Committee-of-the-Whole Agenda Items

• Regional AIFHC and Housing Needs Assessment (8.1-8.4): KJ Whitley explained Moline is one of roughly 1,300 HUD entitlement communities and has received Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding since 1974; annual entitlements have ranged from $151,000 to just over $1 million. The city must complete a five-year consolidated plan, a Housing Needs Assessment (HNA), and an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AIFHC). Resolutions 8.1 and 8.3 authorized intergovernmental cost-sharing agreements among Moline, Rock Island, Davenport, and the consultants; resolutions 8.2 and 8.4 authorized city contracts with Mosaic Community Planning (AIFHC) and Points Consulting (HNA). Jeremy Gray of Mosaic described a data-intensive AIFHC with community engagement and recommendations. Maria Biler of Points Consulting described a market-oriented HNA examining supply and demand, demographic data, planned housing, and a community survey. A council member asked about survey accessibility; Biler said online and paper surveys, social media, and city channels will be used. Another council member asked whether results can be compared with prior reports; Biler confirmed previous reports will serve as a baseline. Whitley also noted the consolidated plan report is technically due to HUD on November 16, 45 days before the program year begins, even though the 2024 allocation has not yet been received. All four items were approved by voice vote.
• East Moline Wastewater Treatment Plant (8.5): Bob Vitas recommended approving a temporary intergovernmental agreement for Moline to provide operations and maintenance oversight at the East Moline Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant while East Moline's new Class 1 operator becomes acclimated. Approved by voice vote; councilmembers welcomed regional utility cooperation.
• BNSF Railway pipeline license (8.6): Approved by voice vote. The agreement authorizes access to storm culverts within BNSF right-of-way to maintain two major culverts and outfall sewers leading to the Mississippi River west of the marina and Catfish Charlie's.
• Rock Island County Sheriff's Office safety equipment (8.7): Approved by voice vote. The agreement allows the city and sheriff's office to jointly acquire and use public safety equipment. It was originally presented on February 27, 2024, but no motion was made, leaving the earlier voice vote null; this vote corrected that error.

Informational Report

• Bob Vitas presented the March 2024 Status and Information Report. Highlights included human resources recruiting and training aimed at the city's 400-plus employee workforce, a new HR manager, completion of the Park and Recreation master plan, and public works safety training. Councilmembers appreciated staff work on snow removal volunteer research and public works communication during snowstorms. No action was taken.

Regular Council Meeting: Consent Agenda

• After the Pledge of Allegiance and roll call, council approved the consent agenda by an 8-0 omnibus vote. It included COW and Council minutes from February 20 and 27, 2024; appointments made at COW on March 12, 2024; the 2024 amendment to the Moline Centre TIF No. 13; the 5th Avenue (TIF 15) redevelopment plan, designation, and tax increment financing ordinances (15.5-15.7); the Parr Instrument Company Addition final plat; the amended 2024 meeting schedule; a street light request at 9th Street A between 33rd and 34th Avenue; and the Emery Construction contract for Project #1446, 2024 Alley Reconstruction, at $418,337.30.

Non-Consent Resolutions and First Reading

• 18.1: Resolution approving a contract with Valley Construction Co. for Project #1466, Riverside Parking Lot Phase 2, for $381,438.40, including the alternate bid. Approved 8-0.
• 18.2: Resolution approving the agreement with the Rock Island County Sheriff's Office for joint public safety equipment. Approved 8-0.
• 19.1: First reading ordinance repealing and replacing Article II, Trees, of Chapter 32, Vegetation, to align with the Urban Forestry Management Plan. Advanced to second reading 8-0.

Parr Instrument / Eastgate TIF Items (15.1-15.3)

• Items 15.1, 15.2, and 15.3 were pulled from the consent agenda because a last-minute amendment was needed. Corporation counsel David Silverman explained that Parr's private lenders required a priority lien provision. The amendment added subsection 11L on page 19 of the Redevelopment and Economic Incentive Agreement; it makes the city's security interest subordinate to senior liens held by CBKC CDC sub-CDE 73 LLC and FPC D sub-CDE 24 LLC, the project lenders, securing $19,800,000 in loans to Parr Instrument Real Estate LLC (PIRE). Financing includes traditional bank loans and new market tax credits. Silverman said that without this language, roughly $20 million in private financing could have been pulled from the project.
• A council member asked what would happen in a default scenario. Silverman said that if Parr failed and the project were incomplete, private lenders would have first claim to collateral, so the city could recover less of its public investment; the city retained other rights under the agreement, and the risk was assessed as very low.
• The amendment passed 8-0, and the amended ordinance 15.1 passed 8-0.
• 15.2: Ordinance approving vacation and conveyance of a public alley in Block 4 of C.G. Thulin's 2nd Addition to East Moline and portions of 2nd Avenue and 52nd Street rights-of-way. Approved 8-0.
• 15.3: Ordinance approving reclassification of a 4.342-acre tract from B-3 Community Business and I-1 Light Industrial districts to I-1 Planned Unit Development, plus a variance to Chapter 13 Flood Hazard Prevention, Subsection 13-1106(a)(1) and (2), Protecting Buildings, for the Parr Instrument development. Approved 8-0.
• Mayor and staff described the Parr project as a $22.7 million investment with a 54,000-square-foot phase one manufacturing addition and renovation of 44,000 square feet of existing space, plus city stormwater improvements. They thanked Parr for remaining in Moline for 125 years and continuing into the next 125.

Miscellaneous Business and Reports

• Mayor updated council on Renew Moline's work on the JCPenney project and a presentation from New Venture Advisors about the Spiegel building project, saying concrete information is expected by the end of the year to support major financial decisions. She also noted a ribbon-cutting mix-up for Zimmerman Honda's solar project and encouraged councilmembers to reach out to the business.
• Bob Vitas reported that initial task force discussions on the Compass ID program have launched; library staff plan to visit Johnson County and the goal is July implementation.
• Parks and Recreation staff said the new southern pool has drawn more than 80 applicants for cashier and management positions, while lifeguard hiring is about halfway; they described it as the highest-paying summer pool in the Quad Cities, with free lifeguard classes and referral bonuses.

Executive Session

• Council voted 8-0 to convene executive session for property acquisition discussions (5 ILCS 120/2(c)(5)) and closed session minutes (5 ILCS 120/2(c)(6)). The meeting then moved into executive session.

Key Outcomes

• All COW agenda items 8.1-8.7 were approved by voice vote.
• The regular meeting consent agenda passed 8-0.
• Non-consent resolutions 18.1 and 18.2 passed 8-0; first reading ordinance 19.1 advanced 8-0.
• The Parr amendment and ordinances 15.1, 15.2, and 15.3 passed 8-0.
• Executive session was authorized 8-0.
• Next steps include future presentations of the AIFHC and HNA data, second reading of the Urban Forestry ordinance, continued oversight of Parr project financing and stormwater work, Compass ID implementation by July, and continued pool staffing efforts.